Gunsmoke (1955–1975): Season 15, Episode 12 - MacGraw - full transcript

Gunsmoke, starring
James Arness as Matt Dillon.

It's him.

If it ain't Jake MacGraw.

Good to lay eyes on you, Jake.

Eli. Ed.

Well, you boys just happen
to be hanging around?

No.

We heard you was
headin' towards Dodge,

so we figured we'd ride
on out and welcome you.

Oh, I didn't know you fellas
felt so friendly toward me.

And you're all dressed up.
Must have someplace to go.



Same old Jake.

Comin' up with jokes.

You read any newspapers,
Jake? Oh, you're still a big man.

They all told about you
being freed from prison.

Only they said you was comin'
down this way about a week ago.

Well, I'm sorry to
have kept you waitin',

but, uh, I had a few
things I had to take care of.

- Like picking up all that money?
- What money?

Oh, come on, Jake.

Everybody knows you had
plenty of money just stashed away

waitin' for you to pick it
up as soon as you got out.

We figured you wouldn't
mind lending us some.

Well, lending money to friends...
that's bad business, boys.

I'll take that saddlebag, Jake.



Don't figure that
gun hand of yours

to be the same after
20 years in prison.

You figured wrong, boys.

That there's a fair to
middling pitch, Newly.

Fair to middling?
It was perfect.

Well, you don't have to be
tootin' your own horn, you know.

Well, go on, pitch it, Burke.

All that jack-rabbity hip-hoppin' around
ain't gonna help your aim none no how.

Pitch it!

Well, that would've been a ringer
if I hadn't hit my foot on the start.

Oh, your foot. Well, my
foot. Your turn, Mr. Douglas.

I never saw nobody that
comes up with so many excuse...

Well, what's this we got here?

MacGraw.

That's Jake MacGraw.

MacGraw the gunfighter?

- You the marshal?
- That's right.

My name's MacGraw. Jake MacGraw.

Oh, yeah. I heard you
were headed down this way.

Seems like a lot
of people heard it.

Even had a reception committee
a couple of miles outta town.

They're outside now, you
care to take a look at 'em.

What happened?

Well, they seemed
to think I was carryin'

a lot of money in my saddlebags.

Most of it's laundry, though,
you're welcome to go through it.

Well, these guns don't
seem like they been fired.

They were a little slow.

You say they were just
waitin' for you on the road?

That's right.

Matthew, I saw
these fellas before.

They had theirselves a little
bailiwick set up out south of town

like they was
a-waitin' for somebody.

- Had you ever seen them before?
- I lived with them, in fact.

Prison. They, uh... they got
released about a month ago.

Let's get 'em over
to Percy's, Matt.

- Will you take care of that, Festus?
- You betcha.

Let's talk inside.

MacGraw, I'm gonna be
doin' some checking on you

and what you might have had
to do with those two men there.

Well, you'll find
it's about as I said.

I don't want you to leave
town for a while either.

I had no intention.

- Why'd you come to Dodge?
- A job. Lookin' for one, that is.

- That's all? Just a job?
- First thing on my mind.

You know, MacGraw, I
don't know if you recall,

but I was a deputy up there in Hays
when you were sentenced to prison.

You were doing quite a
bit of threatening at that trial.

You threatened the
judge and the jury

and just about anybody
that was standing around.

Well, I was barely
20 years old then.

You know, when you're not a
man yet and you think you are,

why, words can come
easy, Marshal. Too easy.

All right, MacGraw. I'll take you at
face value till you prove otherwise.

Fair enough.

- You're late, Dave.
- So I'm late.

Afternoon. I'd like
to speak to the boss.

Right there, mister.
Miss Russell.

- Excuse me. Miss Russell?
- Yes.

I saw your advertisement
in the Abilene newspaper.

You still looking
for a piano player?

Yeah, the job's still open.
Uh, let's hear what you can do.

- That's Jake MacGraw, Miss Russell.
- Yeah, he can't be no piano player.

Sure sounds like he is.

Well, he's good.

You ain't fixin' on hiring
him, are you, Miss Kitty?

Why not?

Because there's something fishy
about Jake MacGraw playin' the piano.

Whatever else he is,
he is a piano player.

- The job is yours, Mr. MacGraw.
- Thanks. Appreciate it.

- Where'd you learn to play?
- Prison.

They give piano
lessons in prison?

Prison can be very educational.
You might try it sometime.

Um, do you have a place to stay?

No. I haven't had a
chance to look yet.

Well, Ma Smalley has a real
nice place right down the street.

You tell her you're working for me
and she'll wait until payday for the rent.

That won't be necessary.
I can pay in advance.

Be here at, um, 7:00.

- Seven?
- Mm-hm.

I'll be here.

Practicin' the piano can
sure make a gun hand limber.

Mm. That's just what I was thinkin'.
He ain't come here to play no piano.

He came here to use
that fast gun of his.

Well, I guess you can't
blame 'em for being nervous.

Yeah? I'm willing to bet that there
won't be elbow room in here tonight.

I'm sayin' I was on
that jury up in Hays.

I'm sayin' he was swearin' to kill
everybody connected with that trial.

And what I'm
saying, Mr. Douglas,

is that it's always possible
for a man to change.

Oh, bringing two
bodies into town like that.

Well, the fact he brought the bodies
in means he's probably tellin' the truth.

I'm willin' to bet here and now
he's got only one thing on his mind:

gettin' even with
certain people.

Mr. Douglas, as far as I'm
concerned, until he proves otherwise,

he's just another
citizen of Dodge.

By the time he tips his hand,
somebody else liable to be dead, Marshal.

This just came in, Marshal.

- A killer doesn't change his spots.
- Not Jack MacGraw.

- Newly, get Festus for me, will you?
- Yes, sir.

He left three men dead...

Whiskey, please.

Out at the old Brennan shack. Now, we
can move right up through Sand Canyon.

- Sounds good to me.
- We'll move 'em near dark.

What's the matter, Dave?

Way he looked at me.

He's Jake MacGraw.
Fresh from doin' 20 years.

Everybody in town's been
wonderin' what he's been doing here.

Hm.

Getting back to Sand Canyon
by dark, we should be able to...

If that Smithtown
sheriff is right,

it means they're moving stolen
horses down this way right now.

And you and Newly'll be
gone a couple of days, will you?

Maybe longer than that.

Now, Festus, as far as
Jake MacGraw is concerned,

I want you to keep an eye on him,
but you don't have to follow him around.

The man is entitled
to a chance, you know.

Oh, I ain't fixin' to
hound the fella, Matthew.

But I'll just bet you
my last month's wages

that he ain't in town
just to play no piano.

Well, it seems kinda strange to me
too, but we'll just have to wait and see.

A month's pay?

That's a pretty safe bet
considering I haven't seen you do

over three cents' worth
of work this past month.

All right, smart aleck.

Well, you were sure right
about that elbow room.

I'm not complaining.

- How about a drink, Mr. MacGraw?
- Well, thank you, Miss Russell.

Beer please, Sam.

Is it true you once outshot
the El Paso Kid, Mr. MacGraw?

Sure.

And Bobby Masters,
all in the same day.

- You stupid fool!
- Dave!

Yes. You're right, I was stupid.
Tripping over my own feet like that.

Well, I'm sorry, young fella.

- Hey, I really wetted you down.
- You did that on purpose.

Dave, you know
it was an accident.

- You rile easy, sonny.
- Don't call me sonny!

- Okay, forget it.
- Much obliged.

You know, Miss
Kitty, it looked to me

like he was tryin' to start
a fight with Dave Wilson.

I agree with you, Sam.

Afternoon, ladies.

You can tell.

He's gettin' enjoyment watchin'
folks squirmin' with worry.

Just because you were on that
jury doesn't necessarily mean

you're the one he's after.
Could be almost anybody.

I'll be ready in a minute, Dave.

I just couldn't seem
to get my hair right.

You look beautiful to me.

Oh, Mr. MacGraw.

I thought it was Dave.
Did you knock on my door?

I did.

For you.

Thank you.

But why?

Does a man need a reason
to give candy to a pretty girl?

I was hoping you'd have dinner
with me tonight at Delmonico's.

Oh, well, I'm sorry, but
I was expecting Dave.

- In fact, he's late.
- Does he always keep you waiting?

Well, I'm sure he's
got a good reason.

- You're being unfair to yourself, Ella.
- What do you mean?

Wasting time on a
worthless saddletramp.

I don't think you know anything
about Dave, Mr. MacGraw.

I've heard around.

Enough to know what
he is. And it's not much.

I'm sorry I'm late.

- What are you doing here?
- I live here.

- Where'd you get that?
- I gave it to her.

Any objections, sonny?

Ella.

What reason has he
got for giving you candy?

The reason he gave
is that I'm a pretty girl.

I want you to stay away
from him. You hear?

- You jealous?
- No.

I mean... yeah.

Oh, look, I gotta ride
out with some fellas.

We'll make that dinner
tomorrow. All right?

- Fellas?
- Yeah. It's about a job.

You figure me back
in about an hour.

Dave. You're running around with that
Garvey and Wilkes again, aren't you?

- There's nothing wrong with that.
- Well, there's nothing right about it.

They're in and out of trouble.

Oh... what kind of job is it?

It's a job, kind of a deal.

I mean, maybe taking
a herd up to Abilene.

Dave.

Do you think maybe you could go
back to work on the Reade spread?

Ella, I can't go
back to 30 a month.

We'd be a hundred years old
before we had enough to get married.

But all we need is just
a little piece of land.

And you could borrow
the money from the bank.

Look, I gotta hurry.

Ella, I just can't
start out that small.

I can't.

Put a line in here. Burn
in the crooked track.

Did a better job on
the branding this time.

You won't have any
trouble gettin' rid of 'em.

But take some advice.
Smithtown's pretty close to home.

Hey, who told you we
were sellin' at Smithtown?

- In this business you hear things.
- Don't tell us how to run this end.

It's your necks. I'll take
a hundred for that lot.

- Give you 70.
- Split the difference.

The brandin's better
than the horses.

You gotta give us
some profit on this end.

How many can you
handle the next time?

Well...

I got some good stock comin' in
from Montana. Can you handle 20?

- Why not?
- Cost you $600.

How about some credit?

Cash on the barrel head,
that's the way I do business.

Okay, we'll take 'em.

- Can you come up with the money?
- We'll come up with it.

- That's pretty, Mr. MacGraw.
- Thank you, Ella.

Well, I'll walk you home.

Evening, sonny.

I told you not to call me sonny.

Would you like
something to eat first?

She's going home
with me, piano player.

Oh? Past your bedtime, isn't it?

- Good night, Mr. MacGraw.
- Good night, Ella.

Jake, come on and have
some coffee before you leave.

Sure.

Dave Wilson's been in
love with Ella for a long time.

At least he's got
taste, if nothing else.

What have you got against him?

Oh, maybe, uh,
because he's young.

Well, I haven't noticed that the
years have slowed you down too much.

Thanks.

Ella's just... well, she's
waiting for him to settle down.

Well, you know some women can
wait a lifetime for a miracle like that.

Why'd you come to Dodge, Jake?

I was lookin' for a job. And
found one, thanks to you.

You know, um,

it's unbelievable
to people this...

Jake MacGraw, saloon musician.

Yes, does have kind of a
hollow ring, the way you say it.

- Thanks for the coffee.
- Jake.

You know, people in this town think
this piano playing is a pretty grim joke.

Do you believe that?

I just hope when it's over
that we'll all be laughing.

Good night, Miss Russell.

I got hold of 30.
And Wilkes got 50.

- How'd you do?
- I got about 50.

Well, we was hopin' we'd
do a little better than that.

We'll talk Hamilton into
giving us a little credit.

Once he's had the job of bringing
the horses all the way down...

Can I buy you boys a drink?

Every time I turn around,
you're on my shoulder.

Bring us a bottle.

I think you fellas
need a little help.

- With what?
- With money and brains.

You seem to have as little of
one as the other at the moment.

The box canyon this afternoon.

Should've posted a lookout.

You never can tell who might
be around listenin' in on you.

600, I believe.

We're in business.

Don't know what
you're talking about.

I'm talking about $600.

- You followed us out there?
- Just a hunch.

- What do you say, Dave?
- No.

- Come on, what's the matter?
- We don't need him.

Well, that kind of money
ain't that easy to come by.

You know, if we worked together
the right way, this can be pretty big.

You're wasting
your time, MacGraw.

Why don't you fellas vote on it?

- I say yeah.
- Yeah.

Looks like you got a
new partner, partner.

- I'm still in charge.
- Sure.

I hope you'll take a little
advice now and then.

You sure you can handle
that much stuff, sonny?

Listen, I told you
about that sonny stuff.

Now, tell me where the horses
come from and where you sell them.

You don't need to know that.

When it's my money and
my neck, I need to know.

- Why'd you try to bushwhack me?

Talk!

I... I... I know who
you come to town for.

Came gunning for me.

I never saw you
before in my life.

You mean you
don't know who I am?

No. Why should I?

I... I was on that jury
that found you guilty.

I remember you saying...

Go on home and
go to bed, mister.

But you've come to town to...

To play a piano.

You'd better go home
before the law arrives.

Yeah.

I heard some shootin' from
down this way. What's goin' on?

Yes, I heard a shot too.
Came from back of the alley.

Take a look at
that gun of your'n.

It ain't been fired.

Well, I'm going to bed.
Good night, Mr. Haggen.

Ella.

I was just going to
lunch. Won't you join me?

Well, Dave was supposed
to meet me. But he's late.

Well, why not keep him
waiting for a change?

Mr. MacGraw, that might
not be such a bad idea.

Whiskey. Make it a bottle.

I just don't agree with
you, Mr. MacGraw.

I mean, Dave is kind.

He really is.

Oh, it's just that he's...

- Irresponsible?
- No.

Well, yes.

I'm surprised he hasn't
wound up in prison.

You know, Ella, you deserve something
better in life than a man like Dave.

And I think Dave has more
backbone than you give him credit for.

I hope so.

See, you just don't
understand him the way I do.

He was brought
up in an orphanage.

I was on my own
by the time I was ten.

But your feet are now
firmly planted on the ground.

- Dave's will be too.
- Maybe.

If he doesn't wind up
planted under the ground.

I'll walk you home.

Take your hands off her.

You're in no shape to tell
anybody to do anything, sonny.

You leave my girl
alone, piano player!

That's for Ella to decide.

I'm callin' you.

No. Please, Jake, he's drunk.

So... you think you're faster
than a piano player, do you?

Fast enough.

Well, you got your hand
already on your gun.

I don't even have my coat clear.

You going to give me
a chance to do that?

You got the chance.

Now, you're not going to draw on
an unarmed man, are you, sonny?

- Get up.
- Here, here!

Who started this ruckus anyhow?

A boy who can't
finish what he starts.

All right, come on.

Just get on home
now and sleep this off.

And I'll just take care of this
gun till you sober up. Come on.

- What do you think, Doc?
- I don't know.

Sounded like he wanted
to get called, didn't it?

Taking an awful chance.

Jake, I gotta ask you something.

Did you come here to kill Dave?

Everybody's guessing
who I came here to kill.

So you might as well
join the guessing game.

You might win the jackpot.

- Evening, Matthew. Newly.
- Festus.

Festus. Marshal, I'm
gonna bed the horses down.

All right, fine.

Well, Matthew, how'd you
find things at Smithtown?

Looks like the same brandin'
outfit they been complainin' about

down in Hays City.

You know, by the looks
of those Smithtown horses,

they've been kept
on pretty poor grazin'.

How's things around here?

Well, it's been kinda quiet,
'cept that Dave Wilson fella.

He called Jake MacGraw,

but he can just thank his blamed
stars Jake wasn't wearin' no pistol.

- What was that all about?
- Well, close as I could tell,

it's 'cause of Jake
a-courtin' Dave's girl.

Well, I don't think there's
anything in the law about two men

- courtin' the same woman, is there?
- Well, no, but...

Marshal. Just the
man I wanted to see.

- What do you wanna see me about?
- Uh, could we talk inside?

All right. Come on in.

Well, what can I do for you?

I hear this part of Kansas's
been having problems with horses,

cross brands, bill of sales
you can't look at too closely.

What about it?

Well, I'm gonna help you
catch the rustlers, Marshal.

Maybe break up the whole ring.

It's open.

I want you to know this is the last
deal you and me are in together.

Well, let's worry
about this one now.

Hamilton's waiting for us.

You still wanna be a part of it?

Part of it? What are you
talking about? This is my deal.

You're Johnny-come-lately.

Maybe you haven't
thought it all out.

If it goes wrong, we
could land in prison.

You know, it takes a certain
amount of brains to go this route.

And even if you've got 'em,

you can still wind up spending
half your life in prison, like I did.

You know what I think?

- You want it all.
- All?

To the last dollar.

This little horse operation I've
built up, you wanna scare me out.

Dave, you amaze me.

You've got everything
I had 20 years ago.

Health, looks,
strength to move along.

That's the shame of it.

Now, Ella, there's
something worthwhile.

Don't want you talkin'
about Ella no more.

Now, there's a subject's
gonna have one of us buried.

You a gun hand or not?

Sober and challenging me?

Well, you must see
everything in her that I do.

You can believe
that. She's my life.

We go.

- Miss Kitty?
- Well, Ella, come on in.

Come on in and sit down.

- Um, would you like some coffee?
- Oh, no, thank you.

I just had to talk to someone.

I'd be very happy to listen.

I guess you know it's about
Dave and Jake MacGraw.

Well, I can figure as much.

Well, I've been pretty put out
with Dave for quite a while now.

All he does is just sit
around and drink and gamble

with those no
account friends of his.

There's... there's a lot
of sweetness in him too.

I guess that's hard for
you to believe. But there is.

You know, for someone who's
supposed to be in love with one man,

you certainly have been seeing
an awful lot of another one.

I thought I could use
Jake to make Dave jealous.

And Jake's been using
you to keep Dave all riled up.

I been findin' that out.

Well, I can give you
a little piece of advice.

Don't do anything to
make Dave jealous.

Stay away from Jake.

Except they just
left town together.

Miss Kitty, I'm awful scared.

- Where are Garvey and Wilkes?
- They won't be here.

You double-crossin'...

Take off your belt.

Put it over there.

I'm gonna give you a chance to show
how good you are against a piano player.

This time I'm gonna
take you apart.

A man loves a woman, he don't
set her up for a life of misery.

Don't you worry none about
me and Ella being miserable.

The meanest thing an outlaw
can do to a woman is marry her.

It's even worse
when they have kids.

He gets killed or goes to prison
and she scrounges for a living

like your ma probably
did before she died!

Have you told Ella how
you plan to support her?

There's no need to tell her!

No, keep it as a nice surprise,
same time she finds out she's a widow.

- I don't figure on getting killed.
- Nobody ever figures on it.

That last bullet always
comes as a surprise.

Well, you're still alive.

Fools live long lives.
You're talking to one of them.

- Live and learn!
- What's it to you?

What do you care
about Ella and me?

I don't want her marrying a bum.

And you're the
biggest bum I ever saw!

Must've been quite a fight.

I was hopin'...

to knock some sense into
him before you took him away.

Get the others?

Festus and Newly
are bringing them in.

Well, I hope I did
this one some good.

MacGraw, what's
your interest in him?

He's my son.

My son.

What happened, Marshal?

Well, the Smithtown
judge gave 'em six months.

- And Ella?
- She's stayin' up there to be near him.

Got herself a job.

I thought she might stay
close by and wait for him.

MacGraw, why don't you ride
up there and tell him who you are?

- I think he'd like to know.
- No, Marshal.

If he knew his father was a
gunfighter and things got rough for him,

he might decide to
go the same route.

Might even convince himself
he had some of my talent.

No, I came here to
do him some good.

If I did, I don't
wanna spoil it.

Thanks for your help.

When you tell Miss Kitty
why I'm quittin', tell her...

Tell her I plan to keep right on
playin' the piano in some other town.

Huh. She'll be glad to hear
it. Good luck, MacGraw.

So long.

Stay tuned for scenes
from next week's Gunsmoke.