Gunsmoke (1955–1975): Season 2, Episode 5 - Young Man with a Gun - full transcript

After Matt unceremoniously kills despicable gunman Sam Kircher, teen-age brother Peyt Kircher arrives in Dodge and announces that he plans to practice drawing and shooting until he is good enough to face Matt and avenge his brother's death.

ANNOUNCER:

Starring James Arness
as Matt Dillon.

Mr. Dillon!

Mr. Dillon. Wait
a minute, will you?

What's the matter?

Well, I-
Uh...

I was wondering if,
before you locked up,

if you could give me
the loan

of a couple of
dollars.

All right.

Well, you're a little
early, aren't you?



It's only the 15th.

You usually hold out
till around the 20th.

Yeah.

Well, there's just
too much a month

for-
For my pay.

It won't stretch
quite, heh,

you know?

Well, how much do you
want this time?

Oh, uh,
just enough to

get me by till
the end of the month.

Three dollars
ought to do it.

Uh, three
and a half.

Four.

Here's 5.



Save you an extra trip.

Oh-ho. Thanks.

Well, what was it
this time?

Too many champagne-and-lobster
suppers?

No, uh...

Lobster?

I never heard of lobster
being in Dodge.

It's just a joke, Chester.

Oh.

No, it-
It wasn't that.

It- It, uh...

Well, what is was is
I got cheated, Mr. Dillon,

is what it was.

What do you mean?
Crooked game?

Well, that's just it.

It wasn't crooked
until I got in it.

Well, I don't mean
that I was the one

that made it crooked. I-

Mercy.

I mean that this fella,

he didn't seem to want to
cheat anybody but me.

How much did you lose?

Well, it was all
that I had.

You know, it's a funny thing,
Mr. Dillon, thinking back on it.

'Cause if this fella
had wanted to

cheated them
other fellas...

well, he could have
done a lot better.

You sure you got cheated?

Oh, it was just
as plain as could be.

I mean, uh, he wasn't even
good at it.

And who was he?

Well, he's a stranger
in Dodge.

He- He called
hisself, um-

Oh. Kertcher.

Sam Kertcher.

I never heard of him.

I have.

Oh, you have.

Sam Kertcher is a gunman,
Chester.

Oh. Heh.

Well, maybe that's the reason
that I didn't put up

too much fuss. Heh.

From what I understand
of his reputation,

you were smart not to.

You know, I know that there's
somethin' about that fella.

Let's go see if
he's still there.

Well, look, Mr. Dillon,

I just come here to
borrow you a little money.

Now, I didn't want
to start no trouble.

Chester, when a man
like Sam Kertcher hits town,

trouble's already started.

That's him over
at the end of the bar.

Took you long enough
to get here.

So you're Marshal Dillon, huh?

Your friend's telling you
the truth, marshal.

I cheated him.

How'd you know I was his friend?

I asked.

Why?

He's here,
ain't he?

Saved me the trouble
of going out looking for him.

Drink?

I come a long way
to meet you, Dillon.

Aren't you gonna try
and run me in?

What do you want, mister?

You.

I'm gonna kill you.

You got a big
reputation, marshal.

I heard about you
clear out in Colorado.

Isn't there anybody
out in Colorado

that's big enough
to be worth your killing?

Nah. Why do you
think I'm here?

Man can get rusty
facin' down all them bums

and greenhorns.

How about it?

Any time you say,
marshal.

I'm a lawman, Kertcher...

not a gunman.

Now, why don't you go play your
stupid game somewhere else, huh?

Oh, I come too far,
marshal.

I gotta get some satisfaction.

You know, Kertcher...

men like you are
as worthless as coyotes.

I hate every one
of your kind.

Good.

Make it easier for you
to fight me.

I'll meet you
tomorrow morning...

out in the street.

Eight o'clock.

Oh, well, I don't know.

Just because a- A-
A body tells you to

is no reason why you
have to fight him, Mr. Dillon.

No, I could
avoid it.

Well, that's what
I've been t-

You could?
How?

Run away.

You talk to him, Doc.
He won't listen to me.

You- You tell him
something.

Well, a man born stubborn,
he stays stubborn.

No, Doc.

It's just, there's nothing
else I can do, that's all.

Well, there's no sign of him.
Maybe he left town.

He'll be here.

Well, there's nobody
on the street at all.

It's plumb deserted.

Well, you could
make a fortune

selling tickets to
those upstairs windows.

Oh, there he is.

He's comin'
right up the street.

Leave it,
Chester.

Well-
Uh...wait a minute, Matt.

You can kill him right
through the window there,

and nobody'll think
any less of you.

I would.

It's time, marshal.

Keep comin', marshal.

Get out where everybody
can see you.

Think the whole town's hid out
watching, marshal.

We don't want to keep 'em
waiting, now.

Been a long time
since anybody

took a marshal in Dodge.

You sure got him,
Mr. Dillon.

Get him out of here,
will you, Chester.

Yes, sir.
Wish you had sense enough

to draw first.

I thought maybe you were
gonna get noble.

With a man like that?

Hello, Matt.

Hello, Kitty.

Well, aren't you gonna
ask me to sit down?

Sure. Sit down.

That was quite a show
you put on last week.

I was watching from
the window upstairs.

Wanna have
something to eat?

Mm-mm. Not hungry.

Well, you'd better
eat something.

You're liable to lose
your figure.

Oh?

Well, give me a bite.

Mm.

Girl's gotta keep
her strength up too.

Yeah.

What'll you have,
young fella?

How much is
a steak?

Fifty cents.

Oh. You got
anything cheaper?

You can have eggs
for 20 cents.

Hello, son.

Hello.

I'll have the eggs.

You new in town?

Yeah.

When did you
eat last?

Yesterday.

Hey, Sam, uh...

slip a steak under
those eggs, huh?

Come on over
and, uh, join us.

No point in
eatin' alone.

I didn't ask
for a handout.

Sit down.

What's
your name?

Peyt.

Well, I'm Kitty, Peyt.
And this is Marshal Dillon.

Where
you from?

Uh...west of here.

Lookin' for a job?

Well, I guess so. Till
I save up enough money.

Enough money
for what?

Buy a gun.

Now, what do you want
a gun for?

Well, a man's no good
without one.

How old are you, Peyt?

Uh, what's that
got to do with it?

Lady asked you a question, son.

Going on 16.

Oh, fun.

Nothing like
getting started early.

Well, what's wrong with it?
Everybody carries a gun.

Yeah, and most people would be
a whole lot better off

if they didn't.

Well, I'll
learn to use it.

I'll practice
till I'm good.

Maybe as good as
you are, marshal.

That's not what I meant.

What did you mean?

Well, I guess
you'll just have to

find that out for yourself.

Well, maybe I can...
get you a job

over at Emmett Bower''
place.

He can always use
an extra hand around there.

That ought to
take care of it.

I'll see you
later, Kitty.

I won't take
charity.

I don't want nothin'
unless I can-

You were sayin'?

Well...

I can pay him back.

You might just
thank him,

the way
a grown man would.

Hey, good morning, Chester. Hm?

Oh. Good morning, Doc.

What's the matter?

Is somebody sick today
or somethin'?

Somebody's always sick, Chester.
That's why I'm rich.

Yeah, well, you know,

I ain't been feelin'
too good myself lately.

I got them- Them shooting
pains back here again.

Again? They're just, you know, like it-

When you breathe
deep, it- It-

It gets you
right in here.

Yeah. Yeah.

Well, what would you prescribe
for something like that?

Office call.

Two dollars.
Oh.

Well, hello,
Doc.

Hello, Matt.

What kind of free
medical advice

would you like to have
this morning?

Well, I can't think of
anything right now,

but, uh, I'll
let you know.

Say, I thought you were
goin' down to get the mail.

Oh. Oh, yeah.

Well, I was just warming
myself before it started,

is what I was doin'.
Heh. Heh.

Ain't that that...Peyt?

That young kid?

Hello, Peyt.
How are you?

Fine, marshal.

You know Doc Adams
and Chester, here.

Yeah, hi.
How are you?

Here, uh...

For that steak
you bought me that day.

Thanks.

How you
makin' out?

I quit.

You quit?

I always heard
that Emmett Bowers

was a pretty
good boss.

He's all right.
I just

don't like
punching cows.

Short grub,
long hours.

Oh, well, if you find a job
that's any different than that

around Dodge City,
I wish you'd let me know.

What are you gonna
do now, Peyt?

What I aimed to do
when I first come to town.

Buy me a gun.

Gun?

You're a little young to be
carrying a gun, aren't you?

Well, I figure if I'm old
enough to do a man's work,

I'm old enough to live
like a man.

And die like one?

I ain't afraid to die.

Peyt...

let me tell you
somethin', son.

I've dug bullets out of a lot
of men, old and young.

No matter how they talk,
deep down inside,

every last one of 'em's
afraid to die.

If I get good enough,
I'll do the killin'.

If I get a decent chance.

Peyt...

how'd you get started
on all this?

Oh, I don't mind
telling you, marshal, now.

Now I got the money
to buy me a gun

and start
practicin'.

Is there some, uh,
particular man you're after?

Yeah. There is.

Who?

You.

I'm gonna fight you,
marshal.

And I'm gonna kill you
if I can.

But Peyt, I never met you
before last month.

Peyt's my first name,
marshal.

My last name's
Kertcher.

Sam was my brother.

I come here to take his place.

How well did you
know him, Peyt?

I told you,
he was my brother.

Now, look...

I don't know exactly
how to tell you this-

I'll tell him.
I'll tell him.

Your brother, Sam Kertcher,
was a killer.

He was no good.

You drew on him first.

Your brother wanted to kill me
so he could be a big man.

Now, do you think I'm gonna
get myself killed

for anything
as brainless as that?

There's rules to gunfighting.
He wasn't ready to draw.

Where did you get
those crazy ideas?

Who taught you that killin'
people is some kind of a game?

My brother told me
all about it a long time ago.

Sure. For him
it was a game.

And that's what was
wrong with him.

He'd have beat you
if he'd have been ready.

He was ready.

He was ready when he rode
into this town.

Well, I'll be ready too,
in a few weeks.

And I'll see you
then.

Supposin' I don't
draw on you.

You just said
there's no rules.

You don't need
a gun, son.

What you need is a good
dose of castor oil.

I ain't got no quarrel
with you.

Kid's crazy, that's all.

All right.

If you're gonna act
like your brother,

I'm gonna treat you
like your brother.

Now, I can't prevent you
from buying a gun...

but the day you face me
with it on,

I'm gonna shoot you down
just like I did him.

You remember that.

I'll remember.

Well, now, what do
you think of that?

Oh, I don't
know.

I don't think that
he really means it.

I do.

Who's there?

Whoever it is,
what do you want?

Come out of there.

Wha- Oh, Peyt.
Ha-ha.

What are you two doing
hidin' there?

Hidin'? We- We-
Well, we was picking berries.

With what?

Well, I was using
my hands, myself.

Where's
your bucket?

A buck- Doc, you forgot
the bucket.

Oh, shut up,
Chester.

There's no use lyin' to
this little whippersnapper.

I'll tell you what
we were doing in there.

We heard about you practicing
with that gun day after day,

and we decided to come out and
see how good you're gettin'.

And you're not gettin'
very good.

I'll get better.

But you ain't gonna
get good enough, son,

I'll tell you that.

Don't give me that "son"
business.

And don't come sneakin'
around here again.

Unless, of course,
Marshal Dillon's gettin' scared

and sending you out
to spy on me.

You miserable young whelp.
I'll take-

Wait a minute-
You wait a minute.

I'm gonna tell you
somethin', son.

I don't know why
I bother to do it...

but Matt Dillon can let you
practice with that gun

for the next
ten years.

He can let you aim it
right at him.

And he can still draw and
kill you...

before you can squeeze the trigger. Yeah.

Now, you quit
your fooling around,

throw that thing away
and get out of Dodge

before somebody carries
you out, do you hear?

I hear. Yeah, but do you understand?

I understand.

It's not me
you're worrying about.

Maybe you're worried about
what's gonna happen

to Marshal Dillon
if he fights somebody fair.

I thought you said
that you-

Oh, Chester.
Chester. No.

There is no use tryin'
to get through to an idiot

unless you can talk
idiot language.

And I just never
learned it.

Well, I did.
Now, listen-

Oh, come on.

Tell the marshal to
come out himself and watch.

Well, he's still
out there, firin' away.

How's he doing?

Oh, a couple of years,
he keeps at it,

he might make a pretty
good gunfighter.

Hm.

What are you
gonna do?

I mean, if he does
come after you?

Just what I said I would.

You mean that?

Well, I'm not gonna
let him kill me.

Ain't you a mite young
to be in a saloon, kid?

Little young to be toting
a gun too, aren't you?

I ain't too young
to use it.

Looks almost too heavy
for you.

Leave him alone, Jack.
He's just a kid.

When he puts that on,
he's supposed to be a man.

Otherwise he can get hurt
carrying one of those things.

Better take it off.

I got a right to wear it.

Suppose we find out.

I ain't a-scared
of you.

I'm telling you, kid...

either take that gun off
or start using it.

Make up your mind.

You didn't have
no call to do that.

This wasn't no fight
of yours.

Hey, you were just about
to murder that boy, that's all.

Now, go on over to Doc's
and get your arm fixed.

You just got yourself
a free ticket

to your next
birthday, son.

Marshal?

I froze in there.

I wasn't scared.
I- I just froze.

He'd have killed me
if it hadn't been for you.

That's right.

Well, what did he want to
kill me for?

I wasn't doing
nothin' to him.

For the same reason
your brother wanted to kill me.

It's a game, remember?

Marshal?

Do you think Mr. Bowers
would give me my job back?

Well, I don't know.
It's, uh...

short grub and long hours.

Wouldn't leave you
much time to practice.

I think maybe it'd be better
if you kept this for me.

I'll put it on the wall
right above my desk.

You can have it back
anytime you want.

I don't think
I'll be needin' it.

Marshal.

I haven't thanked you
for saving my life.

Yes, you have.