Gunsmoke (1955–1975): Season 19, Episode 5 - The Widow-Maker - full transcript

Scott Coltrane's nickname (the title of this episode) is well-earned; he is one of the fastest guns in the West. But Coltrane is honest and has no desire to get in a non-legitimate fight; furthermore, he has recently married and learns he will soon become a father. When he comes to Dodge to settle, three men take him on at the same time (he drops all three in their tracks, though only after trying as hard as he can to persuade them to quit). Before long, another hired gun comes after him. Coltrane has a Hobson's choice of fighting until he gets killed or not fighting and getting killed anyway. Matt tries to figure out another route Coltrane can take.

With...

And staring James
Arness as Matt Dillon.

That's three bits.

Four bits.

Six bits.

And fifteen is ninety cents
and I sure do thank you, Festus.

Much obliged to you, Hank.

I just wished you'd get you a new
handle for that blamed scoop shovel.

Well that there one'd rub
blisters on a long-eyed boot.

You looking for somebody?

You need the doctor?



Now, where you been at?

Never mind where I've been at.

This just happens to be
one of the rare occasions

that I've caught you
with some money on ya,

and if you think that you're
gonna get away without

buying me a
beer, you're all wet.

Look, Doc how can you
stand there ball-faced,

and say a thing like that?

I ain't got no...

You're not gonna talk
me out of this either, now

don't just, don't try that.

Unless of course, you can
open that drubby first of yours

and show me that you
got no money in there.

In that case, I'll apologize.



Go on and open it.

You can't do it.

Come on.

Now.

Oh you blind old mook.

Come on here, you're
not gonna get out of this,

I'll tell you that.

Kitty, Kitty, I want you
to come on over here.

You're not gonna believe this.

Uh, Festus,

go on, sit down there and
get yourself comfortable.

Sit right down.

Well, just sit down.

Sam...

I want you to bring over
a couple of beers here,

and bring the bill
to Mr. Haggen.

On the way, Doc.

"Bring Mr. Haggen the bill."

What's the matter Festus?

I'll tell you what's the matter.

I caught him.

I caught old parsimonious
here with some money.

He's mad about it.

I ain't no parson, and
church ain't got nothing

to do with this here.

This sneakity old quack
snuck up behind me,

and glommed on to
me, that's what he done.

Did you do that Doc?

Well, of course, I caught
him with some money,

and I just naturally
thought that he'd like to treat

his friends, you see.

And I, I never expected him
to make such a fuss about it.

Well, now it ain't
that at all, Ms. Kitty.

I'd be proud.

Sam, bring Ms. Kitty a beer
here and have one your own self.

Thank you, Festus.

I don't believe that.

I don't believe that at all.

You know...

that is the first time he has
ever bought a round of drinks

in this place since he rode
into town here on his mule.

Now, you can leave
Ruth out of this.

Just been, I'd been a tad
short on cash temporarily

like they say.

See what happen Ms. Kitty,
I got me extra job working for

old Hank, down
yonder at the livery,

and what I was
fixing to do, see,

was to take this here money
and to pay off a certain old

particular medicine
man that I know,

but it's a heap more fun
a treating folks to beers

here in the Long Branch.

Can't beat him, Doc.

Course not.

How can you beat a deadbeat?

Excuse me, sir,

the stage is
twenty minutes late.

I wondered if maybe...

Look, miss, why don't you relax.

The stage could
have broke an axle.

Anything could of happened,
but I'm sure it'll be along.

Now, just take it easy, huh?

See, this here fella
was just like you, Doc.

He could read, writing, but
he never could get it through

his thick head what the
feller meant that wrote the

writing when he read the
writing that the feller wrote,

don't you see?

Uh, Sam,

bring Ms. Kitty and my friend
Doc her another beer, would ya?

No, no thanks.

No thank you very much.

Mr. Haggen,

I believe that it would be
grossly unfair of me to take

advantage of your
newly acquired opulence.

Thank you, thank you,
and excuse me, thank you.

Got right pleasant
there, didn't he?

Golly bill Ms.
Kitty, I just forgot,

I'm supposed to pick up some
papers on stagecoach that

Matthew will be want to
eyeball when he gets back.

I'll see you directly.

That's him.

That's him.

Been a lot of years.

You're in the way, sir.

You best move.

Here, now, what
are you fellers up to?

Deputy, I have no
quarrel with these men.

We reckon you have.

Sure now, a
whole lot of quarrel.

Been a long time coming,

but that makes it more sweet.

You...

shy clear hog meat.

Mister, you got a
mighty sorry mouth.

Pretty nigh as
big as you are tall.

Festus that fellow over
there with the big mouth

is Deak Towler, the gunslinger.

I have no quarrel, Deputy.

I'm willing to put myself
under the protection of the law.

The law.

Now that's some lullaby.

The law.

Any one of you
reaches for your pistol,

you'll find out more about
it than you wanna know.

Nothing to see.

You can sit out on me,

if this don't take
all the marbles.

Three of them cat danglers
gunned down in one town

in one go around.

And by cheating Peter
and Judus and sole God,

if that don't make you top dog,

you can kiss me and not pay me.

Listen here what it says.

Says, "The quiet man

that gunned down...

the three scoundrels
in self-defense,

road off with his wife,

and was never heard from again."

Now, ain't that
sweet as peaches?

Read that first part again.

They forced him to
draw against his will,

but divine justice prevailing,

he beat the bullies
at their own game.

What's prevailing?

Winnin', taking over.

Divine justice.

That's like he never
even killed them himself.

Let me tell you something, boy.

There's only four
men that ever lived

could take them
three down together.

Who else?

Well...

Well it wasn't Dillon, was it?

And McCallister's in
Wyoming, killing for the XIT.

And Jobson He's in jail.

Well, what I'm saying is,
whoever it was, whoever it was,

he was the best.

I'm the best.

And you know, ain't
nobody's better than me.

I know that.

I know that.

But wasn't you that gunned
down these three, was it?

In fact, the day
that this happened,

you was so drunk you couldn't
hit the ground with your hat.

Hey, little heifer,

bring us another
bottle of this bug juice.

Now, I ain't no gypsy,

and it's just a guess,
you understand...

but the best there ever
was, in the old days,

run me out of Abilene.

Killed my younger
brother in a duel.

Then he just, then he
just plum disappeared.

Went down to Guatemala.

Just never come back, you see?

I'm gonna tell you
something, boy.

There's strange things happening

in the world of
sulfur and saltpeter.

Now, how, how'd it be,
how'd it be if me and you

road in to Dodge,

and you called
this wind miller out?

And you blowed him down.

Well, I mean he is
in your way, ain't he?

And you killed him,
you'd really be top dog,

but just, just supposing,
supposing he's the fella

I'm talking about.

How'd it be, how'd it
be for you to be the man

that killed...

the Widowmaker.

I'll tell you Matthew, you
have never saw nothing like it.

Well, Doc there can tell
you, he seen the whole thing

from the staircase.

I never even knowd this
fella had the pistol on him

till I seen them
fellas laid out there,

flatter than a wet toad sack.

Fastest thing I ever saw, Matt.

What caused the fight?

Well, that's what I've been
trying to tell you, Matthew.

It didn't seem to be
no reason to it at all.

How'd the fight start?

Well, I was coming
out of the freight office,

and I seen these three
fellers standing out there

in the street all spraddled
out and a-badgering

this here feller.

Now, when I seen
this here Deak Towler,

I figured we had us a holdt
of the wrong end of the rope,

but he just
knocked him, kickin',

and never even
blunk his eyeballs.

I'll tell you, that's
not all he did, either,

because those other two men

were just as good as Deak
ever was, maybe better.

Buck Lennard and Sundog Wheeler,

they're two the
worst there ever was.

Not only that, but those
three weren't exactly friends.

Now, what were
they doing together?

Well that quiet fella
must've been a professional.

There's not four men alive that
could have downed that bunch.

McCallister, maybe Kid
Chama, maybe Jobson.

Well Matthew, this here feller
done everything that he could

to talk himself
out of that scrape,

but they wouldn't listen at 'em.

Now, I didn't even
try to hold him,

'cause it was a champion
case of self-defense,

that I've ever saw.

There was a young woman

waiting for him in
the Dodge House.

He rode out of town with her.

You know Doc, years
back, down along the border

there was a slinger.

Man that some said he was
the fastest there ever was,

and he disappeared,
went over into Mexico.

Sure, wait a minute.

- Scott Coltrane.
- That's the man.

Now, they wrote
about him in the books.

They called him the Widowmaker.

Well, Matthew you reckon
this could be him come back?

I don't know, Festus.

When you're talking about a man

that's as fast as this
one you described,

kind of narrows the field.

Take over, will ya, I'm gonna
see if I can find this man.

That's who I was.

That's who I don't
ever want to be again.

That's a big order, Coltrane.

I reckon I don't know that.

They just don't retire
'em in your profession.

I don't have a profession,
Dillon, not anymore.

What would you call that
in the street the other day?

Well... nothing to say.

They forced my hand.

I did all I could to avoid it.

If I didn't believe that
I'd be here to take you in.

What do you say about it?

I say that every
slinger in the country

has heard about what happened.

They're gonna be curious about who
it was that put those three men down.

You're saying
they'll be looking.

That's it.

Let 'em look.

That doesn't quite
cut it Coltrane.

I've had all the face-offs I'm
gonna have in the streets of Dodge.

They're gonna be no
more, if I can help it.

And you're saying I
ain't welcome here.

You're welcome.

Your reputation is not.

Dillon, I've been to the end
of the world to lose my name.

I left this country,
as you may know.

I went where there
wasn't no range wars,

no job gunners, no lunatics,

no whiskey braves,

no milktooth kids
pushing slugs into folks,

so they could call
themselves men.

I cut and run, Dillon,

but not from no man,
not from no gun, from me.

Because I come
down sick, you see.

Sick to my soul of killin'.

No matter the world is
full of fools that need it,

and you know that.

There's other
ways of handling it.

For you, maybe.

But you done your share
of putting out the lights.

You can't change that.

Well, I got lost,
in myself up here.

In Yucatan, down there,

I went so far back in that
God had never been there.

And the part of
me that was ailing,

died in that wilderness.

And when I come out,

I come out Coltrane
right enough,

but I left the Widowmaker in
the swamps of Gracias a Dios.

You saw that woman
in the house there.

Well, she don't know guns.

She don't know my old world.

If she did, God knows
she might not suffer me.

But I love that woman.

I'm asking your help Dillon.

Them gun tramps never
said a thing in Dodge.

I left that town with
nobody dreaming who I was.

They're not gonna
find out from me,

I'll guarantee you that.

But I'm afraid there's other
ways of the word getting around.

I hope I'm wrong.

I found ya, so can others.

I come here clean
in my heart, Dillon.

I don't want ever to
put them guns on again.

I believe you.

I'll do everything
I can to help you.

But there's just one thing.

If your being here means
that it brings trouble in my town,

I'll have to ask you to leave.

Well, was he sincere?

I'm dead sure, Doc.

What's he want?

Well, he said he just wants
to live quiet, be nobody.

No.

Nothing unreasonable about that.

No.

I told him the hardest
thing for him is gonna be to

live with what he's
done and what he's been.

But he seems to understand that.

Well Matt, folks will forget
how the sun looks coming up

before they forget a gunslinger.

I think this man
really means it Doc.

I think he wants to change.

Sure he's been a gun fighter,

maybe the fastest
there ever was,

but, you know, to my knowledge
he's never been on a wanted poster.

I told him his biggest
problem is gonna be that every

lead pusher in the country is
gonna be coming in to Dodge

to look him up after
hearing about that shoot-out.

Not an easy thought
for him to live with.

I told him if that happens,
I'd have to ask him to leave.

Nobody knows for sure but you.

And you.

For now, at least.

Maybe, his luck will hold.

I sure hope so. I
think he deserves it.

Be a great world...

if everybody got what
they deserve, wouldn't it?

Hey, Kid.

That's Kid Chama.

Some say he's
the fastest there is.

Dad.

Hello, Dillon.

Long time.

What brings you to Dodge?

Nothing special.

Just heard that Dodge
might be a friendly place to

spend some time.

Is that so?

Yeah.

Folks are saying that a

fella with some color in his
past, somebody like me, say,

fella like that could come
in here and hang his hat

and settle down with the heifer
hazers and the tater diggers

and nobody'd bother him.

Dodge hasn't changed.

Hear tell there's a
fella like that here now.

- Is that so?
- You bet.

Course me and the Kid here we

figured we might just spike
the cannon, so to speak.

Maybe even go to selling
lady's hats and such.

Yeah, let me tell you something
just in case you've forgotten.

I run a nice clean
quiet town here.

As long as you remember
that you're gonna be all right.

Get out of line, you're
gonna be in trouble.

Now, you see now there

is a real sobering
thought, Dillon.

Real sobering.

Teresa.

Them coyotes woke ya, did they?

No.

I was just sitting
out here dreaming.

That's our own land out there.

Yes.

Where I grew up, only
rich people owned land.

We are rich people.

I love you, Scott.

Now, there's room
in that for wonder.

If you got something
rare, and you know it,

then you got
everything there is.

Scott, I'm afraid for you.

I told you not to be.

When you first came
for me, I was afraid.

Well nobody in the
world ever had less cause.

No, not for myself,

because I love you, for you.

Well, I've been
alive a long time.

You're not one man, Scott.

Look... I've done
some proud living,

and I've done some not so proud,

some I'd rather forget, so I do.

That day... in Dodge.

There's nothing
to say about that.

I know.

I killed some men,
because I had to.

Else, I wouldn't be here.

No more than that and no less.

It wasn't the first time Scott.

I hope to God, it's the last.

Can you...

Will you tell me why?

Why you have to kill?

No.

No, there's some things a
man can't talk with a woman.

I never asked you before.

I never will again.

You've got to trust me, girl.

If you love me,
you'll give me that.

I'll make it all come right.

So Dad brought Kid
Chama here to kill him?

No doubt about it Kitty.

Well, if you know that Matt,

why don't you arrest 'em?

Can't arrest a man for
something he's planning to do,

and there's no federal
warrants out on this Kid at all.

Now, I could pick him up
on something temporary,

but I couldn't hold him.

And when he got out,
it'd just happen in the end.

Why doesn't Coltrane just leave?

He's not the kind of man
that runs away from anything.

If he's discovered
they'll just keep coming.

Well, the thing is he
doesn't know about it yet,

and I'm afraid by
the time he finds out,

it's gonna be too late for
him to do anything but face it.

What is he to you, Matt?

Kitty, he's a man
that's trying to change.

Whatever he's been in the past,

he wants to get away from it.

Now, if a man like that
wants to avoid a fight,

not because he's afraid of it,

but just because it's senseless,

then I respect that man.

I'm gonna do everything
I can to help him.

Hello, farmer Bundy.

Why you ain't farmer Bundy.

You ain't him at all.

You're some other fella.

You want something here, mister?

Me? No, no, no, not me.

But now I see you
ain't farmer Bundy.

You do, you do put me in
a mind of a fella me and my

brother know'd back in
Abilene a long time ago.

Say your piece and get out, Dad.

Dad?

Well, lordy
Mr. Coltrane, it is you.

And we all thought you
was dead and buried.

I did.

Towler did.

Old Buck, Sundog,

course now, they learned
the hard way, didn't they?

But then, they was
getting old like you and me.

See, I ain't carrying
Mr. Coltrane.

I don't fight no more.

You never did, you sorry dog.

Now get off my land.

Oh, I'm going.

But I got to tell
you something first.

And this message I got for
ya comes from a fella that don't

run off as easy as me.

Now, he just a punk kid actual,

kinda strange
in his ways, but...

fast as you please.

Name is Kid Chama.

Said he just had to see how
you handled your firing piece.

Said he would just admire
to meet the Widowmaker.

Course now, if you
don't want to come to him,

he will have to come to you.

Maybe even meet the little lady.

Oh, I'm goin' now, I
said I was goin', I'm goin'.

Red Oak Springs.

Tomorrow morning.

Sun up.

Scott.

Scott!

My name's Coltrane.

You want something from me?

Nothing I can't take for myself.

Old man.

Are you set on dying boy?

You're way too old
to be talking so foolish.

You're awful young to be dying.

Your day's over Coltrane.

And your night's
already fallen son.

Never...

never thought
nobody could take him.

You're an ignorant man.

There's no man that ever
lived who can't be killed.

You too, Coltrane.

You too.

There'll be somebody
coming for you.

Mark me well.

There'll always be
somebody coming for you.

There'll always be
somebody coming for you.

You hear me? Always!

Guess he'll have
to go now, won't he?

Well, I wish there
was some other way.

There's McCallisters
coming in from Wyoming.

There's gonna be others.

I can't stop 'em from
coming into town.

But I can stop more
fights from taking place.

Well, how you gonna prevent it?

Well, I'll just have to tell
Coltrane he's got to leave town.

It'll be a hard man to
push if he don't want to go.

Yeah, I've given that
some thought, Doc.

You know if it came to
a showdown with 'em,

I'm not just sure
how it'd turn out.

Goodnight.

You thirsty?

No.

Again, Scott?

Scott.

I have a child inside me.

Teresa.

You'll have a son.

Are you proud of me?

Proud?

I'd trade the world for you.

He'll grow in to a
strong man, you'll see.

- We'll send him to school.
- Yeah.

He'll have a fine education.

Uh huh.

And he'll always love us,

because we'll be
good and honest to him.

And watch him grow.

We'll see him change
from a boy into a man.

Oh, you'll be proud of your son.

And when we're old,

he'll comfort us.

He'll stand by us
when we need him.

He'll take care of us.

Oh, Teresa.

Teresa.

Oh, Scott.

How could I live without you?

Don't be too long now.

Coltrane.

I, uh, liked to talk
to ya in my office.

I'll have to have your gun.

What's happening, Doc?

Well, Matt's telling
him to get out of town.

What if he doesn't?

Might get rough.

Coltrane, I'm not gonna have
any more gunmen in Dodge.

Marshal, I got a
woman to consider

and I'm tired of running.

I figure we'll stay.

Brought too much
trouble here already.

I can't endanger the
lives of innocent people.

I got as much right in
town as the next man.

I'm not arguing with you.

I'm just telling you
how it's gonna be.

Well, I'm tired of being told.

I'm tired of packing every
time somebody says get.

Now, listen to me, Dillon,
I'm not listening anymore.

In that case, I'm gonna have
to throw you out of Dodge.

Like hell you will.

Coltrane I want
you out of Dodge,

and I want you to
never come back again.

No man in the world Dillon,

ever done me what you done,

and it ain't beginning now.

Make your peace with God.

Cause I'm coming
back to cut you down.

All right folks, break it up.

Go on about your business.

All right, go on.

You heard the Marshall.

All right now you hear
what Matthew said,

get on back to business.

Scat.

He's coming.

I said, Coltrane's coming.

He's coming. He's coming.

Coltrane's coming.

Marshal.

This is where it ends Dillon.

Sorry, it had to
come to this Coltrane.

So am I.

Not too late for
your to ride out.

Not too late for you
to change your mind.

I can't do that.

Neither can I.

He's dead, Matt.

I am the resurrection in
the light, sayeth the Lord.

He that believeth in me,
though he were dead,

yet shall he live.

And whosoever liveth
and believeth in me

shall never die.

Yea though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death,

yet will I fear no evil,

for thou art with me.

Thy rod and thy
staff, they comfort me.

Weak are we all in dying.

Give us peace, strength
for our battle while it lasts,

and rest at the close of
day when our work is done.

Amen.

I guess that's about the
last of the great gun fighters.

Probably won't be seeing
too many more showdowns.

Don't be fretting
about that now.

They'll be more than enough
gun fighters coming along.

More's the pity for that.

Teresa.

Marshal.

Hello, Matt.

Scott.

Here's those papers you were
expecting on that ranch sale.

Much obliged to you.

And old Doc Adams too.

He was happy to do it.

How are things in Dodge?

They're very quiet.

We buried a big
gunfighter a while back.

Oh, is that so?

Well, they take
a heap of killing,

some of these
fellas, so they say.

Some more than others Mr. Tyler.

Some more than others.

Goodbye, Mrs. Tyler.

Stay tuned for exciting scenes

from our next Gunsmoke.