Gunsmoke (1955–1975): Season 2, Episode 28 - The Photographer - full transcript

ANNOUNCER:

Starring James Arness
as Matt Dillon.

I heard tell of a man once

who made his living by selling
holy stones for good luck.

He did fine for a while.

But then he made one mistake.

Like a fool, he sold 'em all.

Now, I wouldn't know for sure
if that story's true or not,

but I do know I've met
men like that.

Even had to kill one once.

Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshal.



And that thing takes
the pictures?

I've heard of it,
I just never seen one.

You see something?

Well, I'll be.
She's upside down.

Upside down?

She is not.

Well, you just take
a look in here

if you don't think-

Excuse me, young lady.
Excuse me, young man.

Oh, heh, excuse me.

Now, young lady...
Thank you.

Now, that's fine.

Now, just keep it like that.
Don't move a muscle. Ready?

One, and two, and three.



Oh, ho, ho.

I-I never.

Here, young man, hold this.
Oh.

Oh, my eyes. I'm blind.

Perfect, my sweet.
A masterpiece.

Professor?
Professor, what-?

What's the little tent for?

Well, this is where I do
my developing, young man.

Developing?

Why, of course.
Pyro and soda, you understand.

Oh, yeah.

Plate must be developed
immediately.

Before it dries.
Oh, sure, yeah, naturally.

Before it dries.

You understand what he's
talking about, Chester?

Oh, yeah,
it's simple enough.

Hey, what's going on
in here?

Hey, marshal, you come to get
your picture took too?

Yeah, the marshal ought to look
real smart in a tin-pipe hat.

Wow. So that's
what it is, huh?

Yeah, it's one of them
magic picture boxes

like we been
hearing about.

It's the first one
ever seen in Dodge.

Chester was just
about to explain

how the whole thing works,
Matt.

So you might as well
get in on it too.

Go ahead, Chester.

Yeah, well, uh-

Well, uh- Well, this,
uh, is the box, uh, here.

And when you look in it-

Keep your hands off that,
my good man.

That's a very expensive
instrument.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

I just telling the marshal
about it.

Marshal? So you're
Marshal Dillon I take it, sir?

Yes, sir. That's right.

Well, I'm pleased
to meet you, marshal.

I was coming to
look you up directly.

Naturally, you're one of
the subjects

I most wish to immortalize.

Immortalize?

Professor Jacoby
calls himself

the, uh, artist of
the camera, Matt.

Well, the folks back east
well regard you people

like you were heroes.

Perhaps you'd oblige me, sir.

Now, if you care to take
that seat over there...

Well, no, thanks, professor.
Not right now.

Maybe a little bit later.

At your service anytime,
marshal.

Say, professor, isn't there
a fire hazard with that stuff?

Well, sir, yeah,
there have been instances.

Well, why don't you make
your pictures outside then?

Oh, I usually do, sir,
but there are some which require

the proper setting,
the authentic atmosphere.

And it's authenticity
I'm after, sir.

Well, I'll tell you,
professor,

with these old wooden buildings
we got here

and, uh, very little water
in Dodge,

we got a fire problem.

Well, I assure you, sir,
that I'll be most careful.

You needn't worry.

You're not telling me
I can't take my pictures,

are you, marshal?

No, no, professor.

There's no law against it,

but, uh, you just be careful
with that stuff, huh.

Naturally.

And now, let me see.

Well, how about you,
young lady?

Who, me?

Yeah, Miss Kitty.
Go on, do it.

Well, it's not gonna be like
that last one, is it?

Oh, no, no, I had something else
in mind for this one.

What's the matter, Kitty?

Don't you want to be
immortalized?

Come on, Kitty.
It won't hurt you.

Now I need another subject.
Uh, let me see.

Why, you, sir.
You'd do fine.

Who, me?

How do you like that?

Now he's gonna immortalize
old Grubby.

It'll make you famous, Grubby.
You'll like it.

Come on.
Sit you down, sir.

That's it, I-

Now, now, now,
come closer, will you?

Oh, come on.
Much, much closer here.

What is this?

Why, anything for
art's sake.

Well, we want this to look
absolutely authentic, huh?

I think I'm gonna like this,
Miss Kitty.

Ah, excellent, excellent.

Now, my sweet,
if you'll just bend over

and gaze at him fondly
with, uh-

Well, you know
what I mean, hm?

No, I don't.

Now, wait a minute, professor.

Why don't you just take
your pictures of people

the way you find 'em, huh?

That'll be
authentic enough.

Why, of course, marshal.

I meant no offense.

Just take your picture,
professor.

I'll, um,
pose like this.

Very well.

If he's trying to climb into
that little box,

he ain't gonna make it.

Ah, now...

Now, if you'll just gaze at
the camera,

and don't move a muscle.

Thank you, young man.

Well, are you ready?

Now, one, and two,
and three.

Ain't that something,
Mr. Dillon?

Yeah, you know, that's
one picture I want to see.

You looked at that camera
like it was a rattlesnake.

Might as well have been.

And now I need
a genuine gunfighter.

Which one of you gentlemen
will oblige, eh?

Why, how about you, sir?

You mean Gart?

Gart, a gunfighter?

He may look the part.
He sure ain't very desperate.

Well, perhaps you have somebody
in your jail, marshal.

Now, professor, what do you want
a gunfighter for, huh?

Well, I know what the
eastern public wants, marshal.

They want to see
the violence of the west.

That's what will sell my
pictures to Harper's Weekly.

So it's violence
you want, huh?

Well, let me tell you,
professor,

all you're gonna have to do is
wait a couple of weeks

till these trail herds
come in from Texas.

You'll get plenty of
violence.

I haven't got
a couple of weeks, marshal.

I'll manage.

You know,
I'm a man of ideas.

I get what I go after.

An artist is outside the law,
marshal.

Didn't you know that?

No, as a matter of fact,
I didn't.

Well, I'll tell you
one thing.

If there's a picture I want,
I'll get it.

And you won't stop me.

He coming here?

Yeah, I'm afraid he is.

Ah, I noticed you were just
sitting there, marshal,

taking your ease.

I guess you can have
no objection now.

Well, all right,
professor.

I guess you could take a picture
of the office if you want to.

Oh, no, no,
marshal, no.

Uh, let me see now.

Well, you can be standing
over there in the doorway.

And, uh, let me see now.

Yes, you can be looking fierce
and drawing your guns.

Hey, what's the idea?

You're supposed to have
two guns.

One on each hip.
Why haven't you?

Well, I'll tell you,
Jacoby.

It only takes one bullet
to kill a man, you know,

and it only takes one gun
to fire it.

Nonsense. I've seen pictures.

All right, then I keep
the other hand free

so I can blow my nose
when I'm working.

Now, look,
take that contraption

and get it out of here,
will you?

Mr. Dillon. Look.

I thought Indians were not
allowed in town.

No, they're usually not.

Them's Cheyenne, Mr. Dillon.
I wonder what they're up to.

Well, we'll find out.

Hey, marshal,
what are you gonna do?

Now, never mind.
You just stay here. All of you.

How.

How.

You must have good reason to
cross river and come into town.

Take many buffalo hides.

Trader in Darlington
not give good price.

Come here.

I see.

You want to trade
your skins, huh?

Come here, tell marshal.

All right,
you can do your trading.

Uh, camp outside town.
Leave tomorrow.

And no firewater, huh.

Marshal, are you crazy?
No telling what they'll do.

Wait a minute, marshal.
Oh, they're all right.

Tell them to wait, will you?
I want to get a picture of this.

Well, now, wait a minute.
I don't know about that.

You know, they might not
understand that flash powder.

Look, I don't need flash powder
out in the sunlight like this.

Oh, look,
there's no harm in it, marshal.

I'll even pay 'em something.

All right.

Uh, this man wants to take
your picture.

You stand there and he-
He looks through the box.

That's all there is to it.

Longarm?

No, no.
No, it's not a gun.

Uh, you-
You won't get hurt.

You just stay there and-
And he'll take your picture.

He'll even pay you
some money.

All right, go ahead.
Give him the money.

There. You divide.

Friends.

N-n-now,
just stay still.

Now, don't move until
I stop counting, hm?

Hm?

Now,

one, and two,

and three, and four,

and five, and six.

Good.

Well, uh, that's all.

Well, things are looking better,
marshal.

I told you,
I get what I go after.

And with these savages
in town...

Professor,

You stay away from
those Indians, huh?

They're not as harmless
as they look,

and they don't understand
people like you.

You needn't worry about me,
marshal.

Like I told you,
I'll manage.

Good morning, Matt.

Well, and what are you
grinning about?

Come on.
I got something to show you.

Professor Jacoby's picture.
Take a look.

What was that you said
about rattlesnakes?

I guess it takes practice to
have your picture taken, huh?

Sure takes something.
Something I haven't got.

Well, anyway.
You'll be immortalized now.

The professor will have
that picture

all over Harper's Weekly
back east.

Tsk. Won't matter.
Nobody'd recognize me from this.

Well, then you got nothing
to worry about.

No.

You know, Matt,
I don't like that man.

Oh, you're just not used to
photographers, Kitty.

No, it's something
more than that.

One, and two,

and three, and four,
and five, and six.

Ah, too much movement,
I'm afraid.

We'll have to try
another one.

I don't think so,
professor.

Jacoby.

Ah, good morning,
marshal.

All right, boys,
put the guns away.

You know it's against the law
to use firearms in town.

But it's only for
a picture, marshal.

I don't care what it's for.

Are you prepared to pay
the fines for these men?

Why, of course.

If this picture turns out,
it'll be well worth the price.

All right, but I'm gonna
make your fine worse

for puttin' 'em up to it.

I don't mind, marshal.

Mr. Dillon! Mr. Dillon!

What's the matter?

Mr. Dillon,
you'd better come quick.

What's wrong?
Out at the end of Bridge Street

they just found old Grubby.
He's dead.

Dead?
Murdered.

And that ain't all, either.

He's been scalped.

What do you make
of this, Matt?

I don't know, Doc.

And golly, neither do I.

You don't?

Well, it's plain enough
to me, Doc,

what with them Indians in town
last night.

This didn't even happen
last night, Chester.

Well, this morning, then.
Whenever it was.

Mr. Dillon, them Indians is just
camped a short piece from here.

Yeah, but no Indians would
take a chance on

doing a thing like that
right in town, Chester.

Well, but if it wasn't-
It wasn't Indians anyway.

They don't use a knife
that way.

Well, if it wasn't them,
who was it?

I mean, uh, old Grubby
ain't much good,

but he sure ain't got
no enemies.

Matt.
Matt, look at this.

You know, I don't think this
happened right here at all.

It happened back there
behind the building.

You can see where they dragged
him out here in the open.

Looky there.
Yeah.

Out into the open.

In the sunlight.

And wait a minute.

What is it,
Mr. Dillon?

Look at this.

What are them marks,
Mr. Dillon?

The tripod of a camera.

Well, Matt, no man would do this
just for a picture.

Wouldn't he?

There's something
I gotta do

before the word get's
all over town.

What's the powwow for?

Death song.

Whose death?

Ours.

Yours?

We see spirit
captured in picture.

Little box bad
like longarm.

But it was just a-a picture.
It wasn't your spirit.

We see.

But I- I tell you,
you will not die.

It was just a picture.

Look.

See?

No more than that.

Now, that's all it was.
Just a- A picture.

You can believe me.

I am your friend.

We see.

All right.

But somebody did die.

A white man.

And, uh, coup was taken.

Do you know anything
about this?

No.

Yeah, I didn't think so.

But whoever did it wanted
to make it look

like you killed the man.

And many white men
will believe this.

They'll come here,

and soon.

So you'd better go
across the river,

and go far.

And, uh, don't worry about
the picture.

I've heard about
the lawlessness of the west,

but this is more
than I expected.

If I were a citizen here,
I'd do something about it.

What's happened to
those necktie parties

I heard so much about?

Are you scared of
a few mangy Indians?

Well, yeah, but they
already flew the coop.

So I heard.

Well, then go after them.

Yeah, but that's
Indian country.

Well, if you're scared
to go after them,

why don't you call out
the cavalry.

Well, now, we could do that,
I guess.

You've got a lot of big ideas,
haven't you, Jacoby?

Well, after all, marshal,
that poor man's been scalped.

Mm-hm.

And you're still looking
for pictures, aren't you?

Violent pictures.

All right, let's break it up
here, boys. Come on.

Yeah, but what about
old Grubby?

I'll take care of old Grubby.
Now, let's move along.

Come on, let's go.

Jacoby.

You've had more than your share
of luck lately, haven't you?

I told you I'd manage.

Mm-hm.

They tell me you're all set
and ready to leave

over at the Dodge House.

That's right. I've covered Dodge
pretty thoroughly.

Now I'm on my way to
Indian territory

to get me some real pictures
of Indians and buffalo.

Picking kind of a bad time,
aren't you?

Oh, I'm not scared.

Couldn't be because
you know that

old Grubby wasn't killed
by Indians, was it?

Just, uh,
what do you mean, marshal?

I want to know why it is that
you were able to get out there

and take a picture of him

before anybody even knew
he was murdered.

Are you accusing me of
killing that man?

I think you
hired it done, yes.

Can you prove that,
marshal.

When I find the man you hired,
I can.

Well, this is ridiculous.

Besides, he was only
a scavenger, a derelict.

He was a man, Jacoby.

And it was murder.

And whoever did it
is gonna hang.

Then maybe I can get a picture
of that hanging, marshal.

You'd do anything for a picture,
wouldn't you?

I gave that scum immortality.

Who else could have
done that for him?

Besides, what's the life of
a worthless, old derelict

compared to
a priceless picture?

Get out. Get outta Dodge.

I intend to.

Mr. Dillon! Mr. Dillon!

He's gone.

He left Moss Grimmick's
a few minutes ago.

Is he alone?

No, Gart was with him.

Gart.

Sure.

That two-bit,
would-be gunmen.

Well, Mr. Dillon,
I don't like it.

All them Indian signs.

That's hunting parties,
Chester.

There must be
a good run of buffalo.

Hell, hunting or not,
they still don't take too kindly

to white men
in their territory.

Want to turn back?

I sure do.

Now, Jacoby must be getting
some good pictures anyway.

I've been thinking,
Mr. Dillon.

How could Jacoby had
anything to do

with old Grubby
getting killed

when he was up
on Front Street

taking pictures of
the hurrahing so soon after?

That's exactly what he wanted us
to think, Chester.

That's why he staged
the hurrahing when he did.

Well, I hope I never see
another photographer.

Well, they might not all
be that bad.

All right, Gart,
stay right there.

Marshal, what are you doing
out here?

Where's Jacoby?

Right here, marshal.
Don't turn around!

Or I'll cut you in half.

I got a shotgun.

Throw down your guns.

He ain't fooling, marshal.

He's got you covered.

Get 'em, Gart.

Now you can turn around.

Well, that's a
Cheyenne burial tree.

Yeah.

You hadn't ought to been
up there, Jacoby.

They don't like that at all,
disturbing their dead.

I told you I don't worry about
objections from anybody.

We've noticed that.

I guess you're pretty
proud of yourself,

killing a poor, harmless
old man like Grubby, huh?

Now, marshal, you can't prove
nothing about that. I-

Shut up, Gart.

Take that rope and tie 'em to
that tree over there.

I don't want 'em in
my picture.

Now, wait a minute,
Mr. Jacoby.

I don't like fighting
the law.

You ain't paying me
for that.

You a fool? Do you want 'em to
take you back and hang you?

Do you think they'd be out here
if they didn't know?

Now, get busy.

All right, move.

Hanging's not enough for
a man like you, Jacoby.

What do you know about
men like me, marshal?

Laws are for little men.

Like you.

But for us,
the great ones,

we take what we want,
do what we want,

even kill if we want!

Come on, Gart.

Mr. Jacoby,

you ain't gonna leave 'em here
like this, are you?

They'll starve.

Do you want 'em chasing you
all over the west to hang you?

Now I'm gonna take
my picture.

Jacoby.

Mr. Dillon,
here they come.

Oh, well, that's just
what he did to old Grubby.

I guess he had it coming.

Well, Mr. Dillon, you-

You're not thinking about

chasing after
them Cheyenne now, are you?

In this case no, Chester.
We'll-

We'll bury these two and-

And then maybe we'll gather up
these pictures here.

Gather 'em up? Why?

We'll send 'em back east,
Chester.

Who knows? They may turn out
to be, uh, immortal,

like he hoped.

He'll probably even
turn out to be a big hero.

A-?

Oh, Mr. Dillon.

Chester,

there've been heroes
like that before.

Come on, let's get busy.