Gunsmoke (1955–1975): Season 14, Episode 12 - Lobo - full transcript

Gunsmoke, starring
James Arness as Matt Dillon.

- He's out there.
- How's the cattle?

Skittish.

I'd like a good
clean shot at him.

Every rancher around here's
been saying that, Mr. Nelson.

I've seen a wolf go renegade
before, but this one is...

What? What makes
him so different?

I don't know, but it's
not just the kill he's after.

Well, let's get out there.

You men, spread out!
Flush him out in the open!

Head them off!



Head them off!

- You all right, boss?
- Let me alone.

I've fought Indians,
Jayhawkers, twisters.

I beat them all.

But that wolf... he's
worse than any of them.

I'm going to kill him.

I'm going to kill that thing...

- Doc Adams in town?
- No. He went out. What happened?

That loco wolf hit my place
last night. Stampeded the herd.

I didn't find old Curly till daybreak,
trampled halfway into the ground.

Looks like he's
stove up for life.

Got to get him
over to the Doc's.

I'm sorry, Mr. Nelson.
This man's dead.

Well, that cuts it.



You'd better take him
on over to Crump's.

Marshal Dillon in his office?

No, he's went to Deerfield
to serve a warrant.

Well, in that case,
we'll put up a bounty.

Bring in professionals. They'll
come from all over Kansas.

Let them do the hunting.

Wait a minute, Mr. Nelson.

You know what kind of
yay-hoos a bounty like that

- will be bringing in here.
- You got any better ideas?

Giddyap!

Bounty?

Dodge'll be the target for half the
money-hungry scavengers in Kansas.

'Course it will. They'll
come swooping in here

like a pack of buzzards
after a fresh kill.

- Didn't even draw blood, Guffy!
- Yeah, Guf!

If you so much as take
off an ear, I win, you know.

Shut your cackling face.

Bet you a bottle you're
gonna kill him, Guffy!

When do I get the
bottle? You promised.

You'll get your bottle, rum pot.

Ain't even used
all the knives yet.

You ain't quitting, are you?

I decided I'm not that thirsty.

Whiskey don't do
me no good dead.

Oh, but there's plenty of good things
and sweet dreams in this here bottle.

Oh, you'll hear the owl
hoot and the angels sing.

- Besides, the game ain't over yet.
- Yeah, you can't quit now.

And besides, where we come
from, a man would get slab sided

and spraddled out for
going back on his word.

Not unless you want to end up
with your toes down and your hide up.

- Hey, Guf! Guf!
- What?

I bet you can't
take off half an ear.

How much you want to bet?

I'll bet you half of my
cut of the wolf bounty.

What if we don't get the wolf?

Give him back his ear.

You got yourself a bet, Riney.

- Don't budge, pilgrim.
- Hold on there.

You want to take
pilgrim's place, do you?

Put the knife down.

You'd better keep your
nose out of this, lawdog.

Drop it, blisterhead, or these spurs'll
carve you from belly to backbone.

Drop it!

Get out of Dodge.

We come a long way
for that bounty money.

And you just lost your
chance at it. Now, get moving.

They're the orneriest, bone-picking,
sage rats I've ever saw, Matthew.

Say, Festus, why don't you
go on and buy Louie a drink.

I think he could
probably use one.

Uh, I might even consider
joining up with him if I...

Okay.

It'll put out the fire!

Yes, sir, you got
a... puts out the fire.

Greatest thing since cash!

Okay, fellas.

How about you, cowboy?

Hey, we got four...

Thank you, cowboy!
Hey, one more!

There's two to go,
two to go, half price!

Hey, cowboy, over here,
thank you very much.

All sold out.

I'll have that wolf's carcass strung
up in the middle of town tomorrow

and be drinking good whiskey.

Instead of this gut spoiler.

A man don't make such a kill
sitting in a saloon bragging on it.

You can ride other men's dust
if you like. I got my own way.

Strychnine.

What are you mouthing
about, grizzly hill?

I come across a fresh-killed
calf back in the high country.

- So?
- There's four coyotes there a-dying,

suffering something fierce.

Some slimy, belly-crawling
low life poisoned that meat.

Look at it, Catlin.

Been up in them mountains a
long time by the smell of him.

Wild and wooly
and full of fleas.

What you doing outside
your cave, old man?

- Your jug need fillin'?
- Oh, his jug run dry, all right.

Now, he's looking
for a dog to kick.

I had to shoot them
coyotes out of their misery.

A man slinking around,

putrifying the country,
killing to fill his own poke.

He ought to get
his hide sheared.

You find yourself a
warm corner, old man.

And curl up in it.

Stand up.

Show them what
little men you are.

Stand up!

- Ah!
- I'm gonna linger

on you a while, snake belly.

Man's the only animal that
can get skinned more than once.

And I'm gonna find out how
many layers of hide you got.

- All right, let him go.
- Man needs killing.

I said let him go.

Yes, sir. Whatever you say.

Luke.

You know him, Matt?

Yeah, I know him, Kitty.

He and I go back a long ways.

He sure has a funny
way of saying his hellos.

He's one of a kind.

Newly, you and a couple of the boys
get him up to the office, would you?

He's a little old for
wolfing, isn't he?

Oh, he's not a wolfer, Kitty.

That man's a breed apart.

He looks like a far-ranging
wanderer to me, I'll say that.

He is, Kitty.

He sure is.

Hello, Matt.

Hello, Luke.

Well, you're still tree
tall. You ain't bent any.

Yeah, you're still as thorny
as I remember you too.

That's 'cause my ma
raised us on sour milk.

Luke, how about a cup of coffee?

That'd grow hair
on a man's eyeballs.

Just the way I like it.

- You could have used your fists.
- Sorry about that, Luke.

But I didn't recognize you till you
turned around and then it was too late.

Well, you ain't melted down
to no skim-milk badge toter.

I don't take to walls, being
closed in. You know that, Matt.

Luke, you could
have killed that man.

Oh, I was purely tempted.

But I was just gonna carve my
name on his hide and bleed him a mite.

If you'd have carved your Arapaho
name on him, he'd have bled to death.

- You arresting me?
- Ah. You know better than that.

What brings you to Dodge, Luke?

Free country... or ain't it?

Well, I guess it still is, but it sure
costs more every day to live in it.

Huh. Costs me more than most.

- I tell you that.
- Yeah, I know.

Well, it's a sorry
price to pay, Matt.

Luke, you're welcome
to stay in Dodge

as long as you don't stir
up any more hornet's nests.

Well, I'm much obliged to you,
but I ain't planning on staying.

- Oh?
- I heard about the wolf.

But it ain't for the bounty
I come. You know that.

- That old lobo got to die, Matt?
- Afraid so.

You know he's too proud to
be hunted down and skinned

by the likes of them
night-crawling wolfers.

I wouldn't ask no other man.

You ride with me, Matt?

My eyes have took on some age.

And I could sure use
them young ones of yours.

Luke, I'd like to go with you,
but, well, I got a town to look after.

'Sides I got to ride over to Hays in
a couple of days, pick up a prisoner.

You got a deputy to
look out for your town.

Us riding together wouldn't
take no more than two days.

Be like old times,
just you and me.

Maybe for the last time.

All right, by golly.
I'll go with you.

He's covered a
right smart of ground

since he scattered
them sheep back there.

He's heading for them rocks up
there. He's knows we're following him.

There ain't gonna be
no marks on them rocks.

I figure we've gone
about as far as we can go.

Luke, you old mosshorn.
You can't fool me.

I've seen you track a
snake across pine needles.

Yeah.

Well, he'll use them rocks to
throw us off and then double back.

Or he'll head for high country.

Which do you think he'll do?

Head for high country.

We'd better get started.

Mighty sweet and clear.

That's mountain water.

The day before I rode into Dodge, I
stopped at the river and had me a drink.

It was all muddied up. They'd
been running cattle across it.

So darn thick I had to chew
on it before I could swallow.

Cattle.

Sod-busting squatters.
They ought to run them all out.

Well, like it or not, Luke, there's
not much you can do about it.

Like trying to stop
a river from running.

Dam a river!

Yonder ways! Lookit!

Run! Run, you old scalawag!

He slickered them! Yes, sir.

Them dirty vultures.

Luke, you stay here.

Why'd you go and
do a thing like that for?

We was right near
on top of that critter.

- Stinking wolf!
- Quit your whining.

- Guf?
- A stranger coming.

It's that marshal from Dodge.

- What's he doing out here?
- Shut up.

Hi you, Marshal. Fancy
seeing you way out here.

I saw what happened over there.

Well, Riney did a little
jackknifing, but he'll be okay.

Don't let us hold you
up none, Marshal.

Riney's always
making big over nothing.

I recall a case of worms
he got a while back.

Way he carried on, you'd
think he was gut shot.

Looks to me like
that leg's broken.

If I were you, I'd get it splinted
up and back into Dodge.

Sure thing.

Uh, Marshal, are you
looking for that old wolf?

Yeah.

We was trying after
him two or three days.

That wolf, boy, he's
smoother than hair on a frog.

Thanks for looking
in on us, Marshal.

Now, you look out for
that old wolf, he's heady.

Now, you do what the marshal
said. Get my leg splinted up.

Well, I'm gonna get
some wood to tie it up with.

You don't need
your horse for that.

Well, I got to get some large
size wood for a leg like that!

There ain't no wood
like that in these rocks.

Guffy!

You was gonna slink off
and leave me to the crows.

- Riney...
- Weren't you?!

Riney, that old wolf, I hit
him. He's carrying my bullet.

Now, if I don't go out there and
fetch him that marshal'll get him sure.

- You're lying.
- Riney, I'm telling you the truth.

I got that old wolf. I
seen him go down.

Blood.

Still warm. The two
must have nicked him.

Wolfers.

They might not have hit him too bad,
though, the way he's been traveling.

Maybe just enough to
slow him down a little, huh?

Maybe.

He's near burned out.

Not out of mainspring and
crafty, but not out of grit.

Cunny ol' cuss.
Taking to high ground.

Figuring to put us a foot.

Matt, let him go.

He's a-heading for the high
country and most likely he'll stay put.

He'll be back. And they'll
be waiting to kill him.

Yeah.

I'll circle him, Matt.

A couple of years
ago, you'd have lost us.

You're just too old
and plumb run out.

I'm sorry, old friend.

Did you see him, Matt? He was
run plumb into the ground, half dead.

Still reached down
inside for some fight.

Yeah, I saw.

Well, it's all over, Matt.

Yeah.

Even this old renegade
had somebody.

I thank you, Matt.

You'll be riding on
to Hays, I reckon.

What are you gonna do?

Well, first I've got to bury this old
warrior deep enough so them vultures,

human or otherwise,
can't get to him.

Then I...

I'm going to try to find me a place
where there ain't no such thing as time.

So long, Luke.

Matt.

Riding together,
I put a value on it.

So have I.

When I seen them human
locusts swarming over the land,

I took to the wild.

Not you. You's a mule head.

You figured if we give up ground,
they'd keep a-pushing and a-taking

till there wasn't no room
left for anything to grow.

Well, you was right.
They'll keep a-coming.

There ain't no way you
can dam a flood that big.

I'm just mighty sorry. I wasn't
carrying to fight with you.

We both lost.

They ain't gonna
bother you no more,

'cause I'm gonna bury you
high where they can't find you.

Where she can come
warm the ground over you.

Being lonely can be a
mighty fearsome thing.

I had me a woman once.

Kiowa.

Good woman, too. Pretty.

Well, leastwise for a ugly old
bear like me she was pretty.

When she passed, I got
me a real case of the lonelies.

I just wanted to go up on a
mountain top and howl it out.

I know how it feels.

Since then, I've just
been running alone.

Ain't that all a tearsome thing.

You always dig holes in
the dark, talking to yourself?

What are you burying
out here, mountain man?

- Well, looky here.
- Don't that beat all.

A wolf.

You digging that
hole for a wolf?

You fixing to bury
$500, mountain man?

He's a might softheaded,
Badger. Don't scold him.

I ain't softheaded.

Figure you could
use $500, do you?

I can think of a place or
two I could spend some of it.

Waste of energy,
digging the way he done.

It's no waste.

It turns out he
dug it for hisself.

Soon as we claim that reward money,
I'm going to skin that mangy critter.

Ah!

What will we do with him?

Leave him for the coyotes
since he's so partial to them.

Let's get to the horses.

By morning we'll be drinking
the finest whiskey in Dodge City.

- Catlin, flesh him out!
- Yeah!

Hey, here comes Mr. Nelson!

I want to thank these two men for
doing something nobody could do.

We pay you this $500,
and we give you our thanks.

All right, back off.

I still got one barrel left in this
thing and I'll scatter you good.

Now, let him up
and get off the street.

He's killed two men.

Marshal Dillon'll take care of that
when he gets back. Now, get, all of you.

I mean it. Move out.

Luke, I'm gonna
have to take you to jail.

- Who's that?
- It's Louie, Festus.

I'm freezing.

All right. All right.

He just hooch plumb
up to eyeballs again.

I've never saw the likes of...

What in tarnation are you
doing out on a night like this?

I wondered if I could
trouble you for a bunk.

Seems the hotel is filled.

All right, Louie. Go on.
You know where it is.

Just go on in there.

If that don't put a
clod in your shoe.

Just gives me
the... Hey, mister.

Festus! Festus!

- Festus!
- Luke, turn loose to him.

Festus, give me that gun or
I'll snap his neck like a dry twig.

Festus, please.

We'll ride you down, Luke.
You can't get away with this.

Hand it to me, butt first.

- Luke...
- Hand it!

Now, get them keys
and unlock this here cage.

Get in there.

I'm gonna drive them out.

I'm gonna take up
where that lobo left off.

Cattleman, squatters,
sidebusters. Ride them all out!

I figure the best place to start
looking is out near Twin Peaks.

Now remember, he's as loco as
that wolf, so keep your eyes open.

Now, if you fellows go riding out yonder
without getting yourselves deputized,

- you're breaking the law.
- We've got no choice.

If we don't get Brazo now, he'll
get away and do more killing.

A hundred dollars for
the man who kills him!

Now, mount up.

All right, boys. Hold on.

- Matthew, you got my wire.
- I got it.

- Then you know what happened.
- Yeah.

Well, Wes Lloyd wasn't just my
foreman. He was my good friend.

I know it, Nelson. I'm sorry. But
Luke Brazo's my responsibility.

I'll go after him.

Now, you men break it up and go
on back to your business. Go on.

Dillon, if you don't
bring him in, we will.

Matthew, don't you want
me to ride out with you?

No, Festus.

I'll do this alone. You stay
here and look after the town.

You bet ya.

Matt.

Well, there ain't
much left, old pard.

When we clear these foothills
and start breathing free air,

it's gonna come green
grass and clear water for you.

Maybe just enough
to wet your tonsils.

You plumb tuckered, ain't you?

Well, riding's gonna be a
lot easier from here on out.

Even a heady old fox would
get a nose blister trying to pick up

them tracks we left.

Most lawmen ain't good for
nothing but dehorning drunks.

Matt's still a
eagle-eyed hell wind.

Starting now, old partner,
we're riding for the sun.

These mountains is
getting higher and steeper.

We done run out of trail, pard.

When I roped you and broke
you, I took away your freedom.

Now, I'm giving it
back to you now.

Go on. Get. You'll be all right.

Just head north.

It won't take long that
old smeller of yours

to pick up grass and water.

Go on. Get now.

Get!

Matt, I'm just
throwing up smoke!

The next one's business!

You remember them comancheros we
had that run in with down on the Brazos?

Yeah, I remember.

I told their head gun shark

I could shoot possum between
their eyes in the dead of night.

- He tried me.
- Yeah, I buried him.

But that was a
long time ago, Luke.

My eyes ain't that bad, Matt.

Now, ride on back to Dodge.

There's two men dead.

They took him away, they
wouldn't let me bury him!

- Luke, come back with me.
- I can't do it.

They'll put me in a cage.

That, or I'll wind
up trimming a tree.

Now, ride on out.

You keep going, you're inviting
every jackal in the territory after you.

Give it up, Luke!

Matt, you remember when we
were tracking down that wolf?

- Yeah!
- He didn't run

and tuck his tail
between his legs!

He didn't quit,
and neither am I!

- Luke, easy.
- Uh...

I vowed that old lobo...

I'd bury him high.

Bury me high, Matt.

Where they can't reach me.

Vow me, Matt.

Vow me.

Sure, Luke.

Stay tuned for scenes
from next week's Gunsmoke.