Gunsmoke (1955–1975): Season 3, Episode 7 - Mavis McCloud - full transcript

...starring James Arness
as Matt Dillon.

You driving this
stage to Dodge?

Yup.

What time you figuring
on leaving?

Oh, most any time now.

Good. They didn't seem
too sure inside there.

They're never sure
of nothin'.

Bunch of cracker eaters.

You can sit down over there.

I'll holler when I'm leaving.

Thanks.



Here, now, Missy.

You ain't planning on taking
the stage out today, are you?

Oh, you can't
leave Hays.

You and I are gonna
get acquainted.

Leave me alone.

Ah! You got spirit!

Please let go of me.

I like women
with spirit.

Take your hands...

They get so
friendly-like later on.

That your woman?

No.

Ah, looking for
trouble then, huh?

Yeah. Yes, I am.



Yeah?

Where's your gun?

I knew I'd be sorry
for not wearing it.

Well, this is my pasture.

Well, you got to whip
me to make it yours.

Uh, she ain't worth the bother.

I didn't mean
to cause trouble.

No trouble, ma'am.

I don't know what I'd have done
if you hadn't stopped him.

You was holding your own
real fine.

I'm Mavis McCloud.

My name's Wales.

Barney Wales.

Are you, uh, fixing to
take the stage to Dodge?

Yes.

Well, you'll
be all right.

I'm riding most
of the way.

I've got a ranch just
this side of Dodge.

Oh, you do?

But I'll ride all the way in
if you'd like me to.

Well, that's very kind of you,
but there's no need.

You see, there's someone
meeting me there.

Oh.

Well, maybe
we better get aboard.

Gives you kind of a start,
don't it?

Oh, shut your mouth.

Well, what's the matter
with you two?

Well... It's, uh... uh...

Well, I've been gone
for a couple of days.

Anybody notice?

Oh, well, yeah,
Mr. Dillon.

I mean, we noticed.
That's...

Oh, well, Matt, it's that
doggone telegram there.

It's got Chester just about
half crazy and nervous,

and I caught it
from him, I guess.

It's something
about telegrams.

Mr. Dillon, I'm not too
proud to admit this,

but-but I kind of
glanced at that.

Glanced at it? Well, now, just a minute.

If it's all right, I'll just
take a glance at it myself here.

Well, it's
uh, um...

"U.S. Marshal,
Dodge City, Kansas."

"Coming to get married,
for I have noon stage Saturday.

Meet me. Mavis McCloud."

That's just exactly
what it said

when I read it,
word for word.

Married? Well, you never
mentioned anything about...

What is her name there?
Mavis McCloud?

I never heard
of her, either.

Well, you old
son of a gun.

Now if you ain't about
the foxiest thing...

Now just-just hold on
a minute here now.

Before you start a stampede,

maybe I should
explain something to you.

Yeah.
Be quiet now.

Well, I'm listening.

This is a very important
moment here.

Well, now, this may come
as a shock to you,

but, uh, being
as you're friends of mine,

I think you ought
to be the first to know.

Yeah?
Yeah.

I got no intentions
of getting married,

and furthermore, I never heard
of this Mavis McCloud here.

Never heard? Oh.

Well... Well, what on
earth do you suppose

she's so sweet
on you for?

She might be pretty,
you know, too. Uh-huh.

I don't care if she looks
like Lillie Langtry.

Well...

Uh, she's coming in on
the noon stage, Mr. Dillon.

You-You mean, you're not
even gonna meet her, huh?

No, I'm not
gonna meet her, no.

Not if I got any sense,
I'm not.

In fact, let's-let's go out
and get some breakfast

and talk about
something else, huh?

Well, all right...

You know, a woman like this can
lead to nothing but trouble.

Oh, yeah.

Well, I don't see how
she can be any trouble.

Oh, they can, Doc.

Well, it's, uh,
pretty near on time.

Yeah.

Don't seem to
bother you none.

No, no, I-I think
stages should be on time.

Well, no, I meant
about meeting Mavis...

Come on, let's get it
over with.

How are we gonna tell
Mavis from anybody else?

I don't know.

Oh, Mr. Dillon, look.

There's-There's
Miss Kitty.

Chester, did you
tell her about this?

No, no, I swear to goodness,
I didn't say...

Now, I said...
Oh!

Look, she's going
into the hat shop.

See? She didn't even
notice us.

Oh... there's a girl.

You-You suppose
that's her?

How would I know?

Oh, Mr. Dillon, she's
just awful pretty.

Besides that, she's the
only female on there.

Well, let's go find out.

Excuse me, miss.

Yes?

Well, uh, I'm Matt Dillon.

Oh.

Well, maybe you
could help me then.

I'm looking for the U.S. marshal

here.

Well, uh, excuse me,
miss, but you found him.

Mr. Dillon's

the marshal.

Oh. Then you did get
my telegram.

Say, that's right.

You didn't have
any name on it,

did you?

Well, of course not.

How would I know
what your name was?

Oh, my goodness.

You didn't think
I was coming here to marry you!

Oh! Oh, how awful!

I mean, how awful for you.

Yeah.

Uh, well, no. I...

Uh, this is
Chester Goode here.

Oh. How do you do, Chester?

How do you do, ma'am?

Miss.
Mavis.

Mavis.

I'm sorry, Marshal.

I guess I should have
explained more in the telegram.

Well, in that telegram,
you said

you were coming here
to get married.

I am.

Well, uh, would you mind
telling me who to?

Well, I-I don't know.

You don't know?

Not yet.

I just got here.

You and Chester are the
first men that I've met.

Oh, yeah.

Chester.

Chester?
Yes, Mr. Dillon.

Would you go over
and get Miss Kitty, please?

Oh, well, uh...

Well, uh, all right.

Excuse me, ma'am.

Here, I'll help you
with that.

Oh, thank you.

Mavis, how old are you?

I'll be 19
in December.

Mm. Where you from?

I won't tell you.

Mm-hmm.

I'll bet you're from somewhere
down South, aren't you?

I met a nice man
on the stage.

He got out just north
of town at his ranch.

Do you know Barney Wales?

Barney Wales? Sure.

Sure. Barney's a good man.

Mavis, why did you
run away from home?

I'm over 18, Marshal.

All right, then why'd
you send that telegram?

Well, I thought I'd be safe
with you helping me.

Safe?

They need women out here,

don't they, Marshal?

Well, uh, yeah, sure,
they need women, uh...

Here she is,
Mr. Dillon.

She was over at the
hat shop just like...

Hello, Kitty.

Hello, Matt.

Uh, Kitty, this is
Mavis McCloud.

This is
Miss Russell, Mavis.

Hello, Mavis.

Welcome
to Dodge.

Thank you, Kitty.

Kitty, I, uh...
I know.

Chester told me
all about it.

You'll have to forgive
the marshal, Mavis.

Sometimes he's a little
slow to understand women.

Oh.

Is that what's
the matter with him?

With-With all the questions
he was asking me,

I thought he suspected me

of something.

Kitty, would you take
care of her for me, please?

She'll be all
right, Matt.

Hey, look, don't, uh... Don't worry.

I'm not gonna let
her get anywhere

near the Long Branch.

Send her luggage over to
the Dodge House, will you?

All right.

Oh, you know,
Mr. Dillon,

she-she ain't gonna
have a speck of trouble

finding a husband, pretty
little thing like that.

Well, I hate
to tell you this, Chester,

but she's already met
Barney Wales.

Yeah.

Oh.

Well, no, no, I
shouldn't say that at all.

I mean, Barney is a nice
fella, he really is.

He's-He's...

You know, he's got
that-that little spread

out at the edge of
town, and she, uh...

Mm-hmm.
She... Mr. Dillon?

Mr. Dillon? Uh...

She didn't, uh,
take too good

to neither one
of us, did she?

No, she sure didn't, Chester.

You don't really
suspicion her

of anything like
she said, do you?

Well, all I know is
that she ran away from home,

and any time a nice young girl
does something like that,

she must have
a pretty good reason for it.

Mm.
Or a pretty bad one.

Here they come.

Well, by golly,
I'll tell you something.

Now that's a nice-looking
young couple.

Oh, now, Miss Kitty,
you mustn't cry.

I mean,
chances are,

they'll be just
as happy as can be.

That's no
reason to cry.

Is it?

I'll see you all later.

Well...

Well, I declare, I just don't
understand women at all.

I mean, the very idea
of-of crying

at-at a wedding...
it just, um...

I don't get the sense
of it at all.

Yeah, that, uh...

that is kind of hard to
understand sometimes,

isn't it, Chester?

Well, you-you take
a nice young couple

like Barney and Mavis.

She's so young
and pretty and all.

Didn't take 'em
no time at all

to find out they was
in love, did it?

No. About three weeks.

Well, that's no time.

Yeah, except you're
forgetting something.

What?

The reason Mavis came out
here was to get married.

And we still
don't know why.

That do the trick
pretty good?

Oh, no, no, it sure don't.

Keeps my mind off
of it, though.

You know, Mr. Dillon,
it-it looks to me

like that they'd find a way
of covering up the sun.

Who's "they," Chester?

You know, the people that
go to school and all.

Oh, well...

Anybody's been to school
very long ought to know better

than to try
to cover up the sun.

Well, I didn't
mean all of it.

I just meant part of it.

Well, now,
I know somebody

that's done
a pretty good job of that.

Really, Mr. Dillon?

Sure. Fellow by the name
of John B. Stetson.

John B. Stetson.

Forever more.

I'm serious.

So am I, Chester.

I'm looking for

Marshal Dillon.

Oh. Come on in.

Close the door.

My name is
Lou Staley, Marshal.

What can I do for you?

I've come a long way-

all the way from
Atlanta, Georgia.

Georgia.

Oh, I'll bet
the heat's fierce down there.

I'm looking
for somebody,

Marshal.

I'm looking for Mavis McCloud.

Mavis?

Oh, what do you
want with her?

That's my business,
Marshal.

Now where is she?

What makes you think
I'd know?

She sent you a telegram
from St. Louis.

I knew she was headed out here
somewhere.

So I checked.

Mavis isn't the kind to arrive
in a place alone.

Now, you gonna tell me
where she is?

No, I don't think so.

She's around here
somewhere.

I'll find her.

Staley...

Mavis is married.

She's what?

I said she's

married.
Who'd she marry?

I'm not gonna tell you.

You responsible for this?

I'll find her first, Marshal.

After I kill the husband,

I'll come looking
for you.

Mr. Dillon,

he's the bloodthirstiest
man I ever seen.

He's just gonna
kill everybody.

Yeah.

I better ride out and see
Barney before he does.

Hot day

for a ride, Marshal.

Yeah, yeah, it sure is.

How are you, Barney?

Well, besides
sweltering, I'm fine.

Marshal!

Now, I was counting
on your first visit

to come at a
meal time.

Well, maybe
next time, Mavis.

Oh, you better make a point
of it, Marshal.

Mavis here's the best
doggone cook you ever saw. Oh.

Well, it'd be kind of strange
of a gal from Atlanta

couldn't cook.

Why'd you say that?

Well, Mavis ain't
from Atlanta.

Leastwise, she never
told me she was.

It doesn't matter
where I'm from.

Does it, Barney?

Of course not.

But how did
the marshal know?

Lou Staley's in town,
isn't he?

Lou Staley?

Who's he?

Well, I don't know
who he is, Barney,

but he's after you.

Claims he's gonna
kill you.

Kill me?!

For marrying Mavis.

He... He loves you, too.

Is that it?

No.

Not exactly.

Barney,

I made up the name McCloud.

My real name's Staley.

Barney?

One thing.

Do you love me?

Yes.

Oh, yes.

Let him come.

I'll fight him.

No, Barney, I rode
all the way out here

to tell you
to stay clear.

I'll handle Staley.

If he's looking for me,
he can find me easy.

Just don't you go
looking for him, huh?

I sure don't
know him, Matt.

Well, his name's
Lou Staley.

You never heard of him? No.

Mavis never mentioned
him to you?

Well, I haven't seen
much of Mavis

since she got married.

What's he got to do
with her, anyway?

Well, he was a
little disappointed

over her getting
married.

In fact, he said he was
gonna kill Barney

and then he was
gonna kill me

and I don't know
who all.

He is?

Come all the way
out here from Atlanta.

I don't know, but I guess
he's her husband.

Her husband?!

Yeah.

Oh, Matt, no.

Well, now,
Mavis just isn't

the kind of gal
that would...

Mavis, you shouldn't
have come in here.

I had to.
Where's Barney?

He's over at the
Dodge House,

talking to some
cattle buyers.

He doesn't know
I'm here.

Somebody else
does, Mavis.

I came to talk to
him, Marshal.

Probably won't do any good
but I've got to try.

I knew I'd find you
sooner or later.

I want to talk
to you, Lou.

I told you what I'd do
if you left.

Kitty, is there anyplace

I can talk to
him alone?

I don't think you ought
to talk to him alone at all.

I know what I'm
doing, Marshal.

Is there, Kitty?

Well, that door leads out back.

Nobody'll bother you

there.

Now wait a minute-
Use your head.

I'll be all right, Marshal.

I don't like this, Kitty.

Well, they're just
gonna talk.

Talk?

Talk doesn't mean
anything to him.

It's like this man
can't see anything

or can't hear anything
but himself.

He's in a world
all alone.

Well, some men in love
act that way.

Yeah, well, if I didn't
think this man

would turn right around
and come back,

I'd throw him on an
eastbound train.

Good idea.

Is she dead, Matt?

I don't know, Kitty,
I think- no, she's still alive.

You go after Staley,
I'll take care of her.

No, I'll get
Staley later.

We better get her up
to Doc's right away.

Give me a hand here.

Easy.

Which room is
Barney Wales'?

Why, top of the stairs,
Marshal- room 14.

You gonna tell Barney,
then find Lou Staley?

I'm gonna do more
than that, Chester.

Barney.
Marshal.

I'd like to talk to
you for a minute.

Barney.
Hey, boys.

Is there something wrong?

Yeah.

Mavis.

Something's happened
to Mavis.

Barney, do you trust me?
Sure, I do, but...

All right, then just remember
that when you wake up.

Hey, what's going
on here?

Nothing.
Nothing?

Now look here, Marshal...
Look, don't interfere

with something you don't
know a thing about, boys.

Chester, get something
to tie him up with,

but leave his
feet loose.

When he comes to, take
him over to jail.

Now, look, you boys don't
know Barney Wales,

and if anybody asks you,
you haven't seen him.

Well, where you goin',
Mr. Dillon?

I gotta find Lou Staley. Fast.

Now what, Marshal?

I want you to do
something for me.

This'll be real easy.

Now, Marshal, you know I
can't get mixed up in anything.

You're not gonna get mixed up
in anything,

if you just do
what I tell you.

Now, if anybody comes in here
and asks for Barney Wales-

anybody at all-

you just tell him
he's in his room.

Yeah, but, Marshal... Do what I tell you.

You do it or I'll pull
the kinks out of you.

Somebody's coming.

You better get behind
the door, Chester.

Well, you better get yourself
hidden, Mr. Dillon.

He'll open up

on you right
off there.

I'm hoping he'd be too surprised
when he sees me here.

Well, I wouldn't
count on that.

Staley! I want to talk
to you.

Being surprised
didn't stop him.

No.

Well, I guess
I was wrong.

She wants
to see you, Marshal.

Hello, Mavis.

Marshal...

there's something
I want to tell you.

Yeah?

Barney already knows.

I told him after
you were out to the ranch.

Lou was crazy, Marshal.

There was...
something wrong with him.

I guess I was ashamed of it,

or I'd have told
everybody sooner.

Especially Barney.

Well, Mavis,

you know, sometimes a woman
can drive a man crazy.

Lou always said
he'd kill any man I married.

That's why I ran away.

I guess that's why
I sent you that telegram

in the first place.

You were asking
an awful lot of a husband,

weren't you?

Marshal...

Lou wasn't my husband.

He was my brother.

Mavis, you been nothing
but trouble to me

ever since you came here.

I want you to get out of Dodge
just as soon as you can.

The next time I see you,

I want it to be out to your
house for Sunday dinner.

Just as soon as
you're feeling better.