Gunsmoke (1955–1975): Season 2, Episode 35 - Uncle Oliver - full transcript

ANNOUNCER:

Starring James Arness
as Matt Dillon.

There's a thing about
the country out here

that sometimes
makes people grow up

with their arms dangling and
their heads cocked to one side.

I guess it's the bad weather
and the dry earth.

And the shame, maybe,

of trying to scratch a living
out of a land

baked into hard clay.

A man can starve more
than just his body doing that.

I've seen a lot of such people.



But it's not often
that one really goes berserk,

and comes into town
to get himself killed.

Still, it happens.

Matt Dillon, U.S. marshal.

I wish you'd look at that,
Mr. Dillon.

Them two's been
going at it like that

for the best part
of an hour.

You been sitting here
for an hour watching them?

Oh, well, no, no.

I ain't been, you know,
what you call watching them

all that time, no.

I thought you were gonna
clean the stovepipe today?

W-w-well, you-

Well, the day ain't
over yet, Mr. Dillon.



Yeah, well, you were gonna
clean it yesterday,

but it got over somehow.

Yeah.

Well, I was just sitting here
thinking, you know,

what a dirty, awful mess
that's gonna make, you know?

I- I guess that's the reason
why I kept putting it off.

I guess that's
a good a reason as any.

Say, now,

he's banging that little fella

right into the post.

They might be
using guns next.

Huh.

He's just kinda
squeezing him now.

Yeah.

At least he keeping the old man
from talking at him.

I don't wanna hear no more
about it.

Hey, turn loose.

Doggone it,
you cracked my ribs.

All right, turn him
loose there, fella.

Come on,
turn him loose.

All right.

You're meddling, mister.

Meddling's my business.

Well I wasn't
hurting him none.

You all right,
ain't you, Uncle Oliver?

Oh, shucks, I guess
a little bear hugging

ain't gonna ruin me.

You're his uncle?

Yeah. You see, uh,

Viney's pa,
he died a while back,

and he practically never did
have no ma,

so, I kinda been
taking care of him.

Little old to need
taking care of, isn't he?

Say, you don't understand,
marshal.

You see, this is the first time
that Viney's ever come to town

and I know that he's gonna make
out just real good.

Now, you'll see.

Oh, Uncle Oliver...

No, I mean it.

Shucks, you're gonna be an
important man someday, Viney.

Yes sir.

Just as important a man
as the marshal there.

Yes.

Say, wait a minute.

I got a idea.

You been getting
ideas all day.

Now, stop it.

I can't be marshal.

Use your head.

I am using my head.

And why can't you
be marshal?

Because they got him,

that's why.
Aw, shucks,

I don't mean right away.

Doggone it, you gotta
learn how, ain't you?

And how are you gonna
learn how?

By following the marshal around
and by working for him.

Now, hold on here a minute.

Chester is giving me
all the help I need.

What's a Chester?

What's a...?

"What's a Ch-?"

I'm Ch- That's my name.
Chester.

Oh.

Well, there you are,
Uncle Oliver.

Oh, there I am nothing.

Well, what do you want
me to do?

Get rid of Chester?

Shoot him or something?

Now, just a minute, you two.
Hold on there.

What-? What kinda talk
is that?

You people crazy or something?

Say, he's right, Viney.

Why you shouldn't ought
to go and talk like that.

Oh, I'm gonna find our wagon
and get me some sleep.

I've had about all your talk
I can stand.

Say, you know,

he didn't mean nothing
by that, marshal.

Ah, he's just young
and hotheaded's all.

Well, I sure hope
that he didn't.

I'm not gonna stand here
arguing.

I'm going over there
and do me some gambling.

Well, I'll see
you all.

Well, honest to goodness.

They ought to stay down on
the prairie where they belong.

I wouldn't worry
about it, Chester.

No, no, I guess
you wouldn't,

it wasn't you that
they was talking about.

Oh, it was just talk.

Well, you know that talk
like that, Mr. Dillon,

can end up in bullets.

Come on,
I'll buy you a beer.

I could sure use one.

Coffee's cold again.

Well, want me to
get you some more?

No. It'd just
be colder.

Tell me something, Matt, this,
um, Viney and Uncle Oliver,

did you find out
their last name?

Stang.

Stang?

Well, they sure sound
like a great pair.

Few weeks in Dodge
around people

and they might start acting
more civilized.

They sound just plain
simple-minded to me.

Well, you've been meeting
Oliver, anyway.

He's a gambler.

Oh, what's his game,
Mumbly Peg?

Ah, he might surprise you.

Well, maybe.

But from what you tell me,

he won't surprise any
of the dealers that I know.

Uh-oh.
Hm?

You're about to meet Viney now.

Oh, he's darling.

Marshal?

Yes, Viney?

I don't aim to bust in
on you and-

And this lady here,
marshal, but-

That's all right.

I gotta tell
you something.

Viney, this is
Miss Russell.

How do, lady?
How you do?

It's about that job, marshal.

Working for you?

Now, Viney, I thought
we'd been all through that.

But I'm worried that you might
let Uncle Oliver

talk you into something.

Well, you can stop worrying.

What I come to tell you is,

I changed my mind.

I don't want that job.

Well, good, fine.

You don't get it.

I don't want
no part of it.

That's what I come
to tell you.

Good, good,
that's just fine.

Well, I guess you better
get going, Kitty.

I gotta get to work.

Viney, you can stop
worrying about that job.

It isn't there.

Now, uh, why don't you
look around Dodge

for a couple of days
and then head back home.

I just might do that,
marshal.

I been thinking
on it.

Good.

And I'll go on
thinking.

I sure will.

You didn't
do him justice, Matt.

It'd take two of him
to be simple-minded.

I don't know, Kitty.

What do you mean?

I don't think anybody
could be that stupid,

not even Viney.

Wanna walk me
to Long Branch?

Sure.

Good evening there,
Miss Kitty.

You out for a howl,
Chester?

Oh, no, no, I was just
looking around a bit

before I went to bed.
I'm gonna turn in early.

Well, I'm glad
somebody is.

Yeah, well,

early to bed
and early to rise,

it, uh...

Well, no, no,
never did do much for me,

come to think of it.

Maybe you just never
gave it a real try.

Yeah.

Well, that-
That could be.

Who is that? Oliver Stang?

Has he been here
all this time?

He's been at the
faro table over an hour.

Hm.

Uh-oh.

Thank you, neighbor.

Howdy, Chester.

Howdy there.

Well, I gotta
get back to the office.

Whoa, Ches, wait a minute,
I'll buy you a drink.

Oh, no,
no thanks, Oliver.

No?

Uh, say Mr. Barkeep,

uh, gimme a glass
of whiskey.

Uh, you, uh, all through
gambling there, are you?

Yeah, I sure am.

Man's gotta stop
and get his strength back

once in a while.
Yeah.

Yup.

Is that what
you're doing?

Oh, shucks, no,
I'm gonna have my supper.

Well, is that
your supper there?

Oh, no, no, no.

No, it ain't at all.

That's it right there.

What in the world
is that?

Why that's jerky.

Where you been?

Well, right here,
thank heaven.

Come on, Chester.

I'll give you
half of it.

Oh, no, no, no, I really
gotta get back to the office.

You see, Mr. Dillon might be
wanting me for something.

Yeah. Uh, well,
I'm going out back

and, uh,
eat my supper,

and then I'm gonna
take a little sleep.

Yeah. Yeah, well,
yeah, you do that.

Oh.

Nothing's too good
for Oliver.

No, he sure don't get too high
off of the hog, does he?

He sure doesn't.

I wish that he would
take that Viney of his

and just leave town
is what I wish.

I'd feel a lot safer
about it.

Aw, don't worry
about him.

Don't wo-

Miss Kitty, you talk just
exactly like Mr. Dillon,

as if I had nothing at all
to worry about. Nothing.

Good night, Chester.

Say, Matt, did I ever tell you
about that little

Tennessee girl I met,
that Lucy McGee, huh?

Probably.

Well, I'll tell you,

I met her in Memphis
a long time ago,

at a taffy pull.

Right from the start,
she just treated me

like I was something
on a stick.

Your move.

Hm? Oh. Where'd you move?

Right there.

Mr. Dillon?

Hello, Chester.

Doc.

I didn't know that
you was here.

Kinda quiet out tonight,
isn't it?

Yeah, it's, uh...

Oh, did you bring
my saddle in from the back?

Nope.
Well, never mind,

I'll get it, you know, I just-

Yeah, you do that.

Ah, we'll finish this game.
Now, let me see.

All right, there,
it's your move.

Well, like I was
telling you,

this little Lucy McGee
just fell for me.

Just fell for me
right from the start.

That's what I like, Doc,
a modest man.

Well, I can't help it
if some little girl

goes and falls for me,
can I?

Little girl, huh?

I bet she weighed in
at 200 pounds.

Chester!

Where is he?

Is he all right, Doc?

I don't know, Matt.

We'll- We'll have to get him
up to the office.

Well, never mind that now.
Come on, let's pick him up.

Get him out of here.

Here.

There we are.

What do you think, Doc?

Well, my golly,
it's hard to say.

Oh, he'd pull through
all right, Matt,

but, you know, another
fraction of an inch

would've sure fixed him.

Yeah, let's be
thankful for that, anyway.

Yeah, who in the world
was it?

Who'd want to kill Chester?

Oh, that crazy
Viney Stang.

That's why he made
such a point of telling me

he didn't want the job.
He was planning this all along.

What?

I'll tell you
about it later, Doc.

Soon as I throw
Viney in jail.

Look, keep an eye
on him.

Oh, I'll- I'll
take good care of him.

Gimme a deck of cards, Sam.

Thanks.

Here you are, boys.

Hello, Kitty.

Well, you look like
you're about ready to strike.

I am.

Anybody in particular?

Yeah, Viney Stang.

Oh?

He ambushed Chester
a while ago.

Oh, no-
No, he's all right.

Well, thank heaven.
Are you sure Viney did it?

I know I wouldn't be looking
for him if I wasn't.

Well, the last I saw him
was in the restaurant.

I can't find him and I was
hoping Oliver might be able

to tell me where he is.

Oliver's out back, asleep.
Asleep?

I'd be surprised if he's
ever slept in a bed.

Hm, I hope he doesn't mind
my waking him up.

He won't.

Not when he gets
a good look at you.

I'll see you later.

Oliver?
Hm?

Oliver, wake up!
Hey! Hm?

Oh. Oh, hello, marshal.

Get up, I wanna
talk to you.

I'm awake, I'm awake...

A feller's got a right to get
a little sleep now and then.

Where's Viney?

Viney? I don't know
where he is.

When did you
see him last?

Well, I seen him
this afternoon.

And you haven't seen him
since then?

No.

Hey, what are you all
looking for him for?

Chester's been shot.

No.

Ambushed.

And you think that
Viney done it, huh?

That's right.
Shucks,

Viney never killed
nobody in his whole life.

I didn't say he was killed.

Huh?
I said he shot him.

He's been shot in the head
and he's not conscious yet.

Oh, then he ain't dead.

You sound disappointed.

Marshal, us Stang's
don't go around shooting folks,

and I ain't going to stand here
and let nobody say that we do.

I want Viney, Oliver, and you're
gonna help me find him.

You know what
his habits are,

you know where
he might be hiding.

Viney didn't do it.

I'll argue that
with you later.

Right now, you're either
gonna help me find him,

or I'm gonna throw you in jail
and find him myself.

You make your choice.
Jail, huh?

That's right.

You say that Chester
ain't come to?

What's that got
to do with it?

Well, I was thinking that
if Chester dies,

then that's gonna
make it awful bad, ain't it?

Yeah. Real bad.

Marshal, if Viney done that,

I'm just as against him
as you are.

Blood kin or not.

And I'll help you
find him.

That's right,
I sure will.

Let's go.

Well, if he ain't
in here,

then I swear I don't know
where he could be.

Why this place?

Well, this is the littlest
ragtail saloon in town,

ain't it?

You know, Viney,
he's more into home

where there ain't
too many folks.

All right, you wait here.

Yeah.

Well, there's nobody in there
but the bartender,

and he's asleep.

Well, then we'll
wake him up and ask him.

No, they don't even
talk to law in there.

Ah, shucks, I'm just
plain confounded, marshal.

Now, we need just look
everyplace

that that boy could be.

Maybe.

Well, then you think
of someplace.

You think of it.
I'm going over to Doc's office.

Say, just a minute
now, marshal,

you act like
you didn't believe me.

I'll believe you
when you find Viney.

All right,
I'll find him.

And I'll look all night
if I have to.

Don't take all night.
It's about 10:00 now.

You take till midnight.

Well, what do you mean?

You have Viney
at my office by 12:00.

Uh, now, there, you see?
You don't believe me.

I believe you.

Marshal, I told you,

I'm just as anxious
to have him caught as you are.

All right,
then you find him.

And don't try
to run out on me,

or I'll catch you
if it takes all year.

Oh, you're terrible
wrong about me, marshal.

I'll be at my office.

Where is he?

Well, I moved him to the other
room there, Matt,

he's a lot better off
in there.

Was he conscious yet, Doc?

Well, no.

No, he was though,
about a half hour ago,

and he, uh,

he- He mumbled some things
and then he passed out again.

Well, what was he
mumbling about?

Did you hear any of it?
Yup.

Just about the shooting,
and I'll tell you something,

he saw who it was.

He did?

Yeah, but he didn't
name anybody.

He tried to. He couldn't.

I asked him questions
but he-

Well, he fainted away again.

I don't suppose you got any idea
how long it'll be before

he comes to again?

Oh, golly no, Matt,

there's just no way of telling.

It could be an hour.
Maybe a day or two.

Yeah.

But he did see who it was?

Yes, he did.

But he didn't say who,

and that's just no help at all.

I don't know, Doc.

It might be.

How do you figure that?

Well, if Chester saw Viney,
then Viney must know he saw him.

And he's not gonna feel
very easy about it.

Well, you got him
in jail.

No, not yet, but it won't
take me long now.

Oh, well.

Look, Doc,
while I'm out,

lock this door
and keep it locked.

Well, why do you have
to lock-?

Just keep it locked.

All right.

What are you doing there?

Oh, howdy, marshal.

Say, I ain't been able
to find Viney.

But I'll find him.

Uh, how's Chester?

He's all right.

He came to
for a minute.

Say, there's
one good thing.

If Chester don't die,

then Viney won't hang.

I'm just afraid that he'll find
out that Chester's still alive

and try to kill him
before he has a chance to talk.

Oh, no, helli, I'll catch up
with him

long before that.

He's in enough trouble.

Oliver, the way things are,

I'm not gonna wait for you
to find Viney by yourself.

Oh, uh, you mean, uh,
you want me coming with you?

No, you go out and look
for him on your own.

If you find him, you take him
to my office and wait for me.

Oh, well, all right,
all right.

Now, I swear I don't know
where he could be.

What in the
world's going-?

Shh!

Hey, throw down your
fire rope, I'm coming up.

Fire rope?

Throw it down.
Come on, hurry.

What in the world
are you up to now?

Is that front door
locked?

Yes, it's locked.

Well, go check it again,
will you?

Certainly.

Well, it's still locked,
like I said.

Now, would you mind telling me
what this is all about?

I just wanna be sure
he'll knock.

Well, you seem awful sure
we're gonna have company.

We're gonna have
company, all right.

And when we do,
I want you to open the door.

And then get behind it
and stay there.

I'll stay there,
all right,

but what makes you so sure
Viney's coming up here?

Because he's got to shut Chester
up before it's too late,

doesn't he?

Well, yes, but he knows
Chester isn't all alone here.

He knows I'm here too.

Yeah, that's right.

Well, my golly, Matt,

you don't mean he'd
walk in here and shoot me too?

Doc, you must be a little
tired tonight.

Of course he would.

Yeah.
Don't worry now.

This is gonna work out
all right.

Well, I just don't like
shooting, Matt,

I never did.

Well, neither do I.

But this is one time
I'm kinda glad

I'm mixed up in it.

There's one thing I can't stand,
it's a bushwhacker,

I don't care who he's after.

Well, I won't argue with you
about that,

a man's got a right
to fight back.

Chester wasn't even armed.

I know that.

Oliver!

You killed him, Matt.

I thought you said
it was Viney.

You done it.

You went and killed
Uncle Oliver.

I had to, Viney.

Well- Why didn't
you wait?

I'd a-stopped him.

Why didn't you
stop him downstairs?

I'd seen him
come back.

I was hiding
across the street,

but I couldn't get over here
fast enough.

Where you been
all evening?

Well,

Uncle Oliver told me to
wait for him by the river,

but I figured he was
up to something,

so I kinda hung around town.

And when I heard about Chester,

I knew.

I see.

I was afraid to show myself,

I thought you'd
shoot me, marshal.

Just like you
shot him.

I had to
shoot him, Viney.

He'd have killed
Doc and me both if I hadn't.

He only done that to Chester

because he was trying
to help me.

Like he promised Pa he would.

That's all he was
trying to do.

He was trying too hard.

I only wanted to go home.

I didn't want Chester's job.

I told you that.

Don't you remember?

Yeah, I remember.

But you forgot
one thing, Viney.

What?

You forgot to tell
Uncle Oliver.