Gunsmoke (1955–1975): Season 5, Episode 11 - Odd Man Out - full transcript

Matt is uncertain what to make of Cyrus Tucker's confused claim that his wife of 32 years "just ran off", especially when a homesteader claims that he saw the old man digging a large hole just behind his house.

Starring James
Arness as Matt Dillon.

Hello, Cyrus.

Well, how are you, Cyrus?

Here, Cyrus.

Oh. Hello, Doc.

Well, I thought you was
going to pass me right up there.

You haven't been
drinking, have you?

No.

I didn't think so. How's Bertha?

She's fine.

Why shouldn't she be?



Well, no reason, except I knew
she'd been poorly all winter.

I was wondering... - She's fine.
- Good.

Tell you what you
better do, though, Cyrus.

Next time she's in town, you have her
drop by the office and see me, will you?

Yeah. I'll do that, Doc.

Marshal? Marshal Dillon.

Oh, hello, Cyrus.

How are ya?

Oh, tolerable, I reckon.

Rheumatism is
plaguing me a little.

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.

Well, when you get to my age,
you got to expect a few miseries.

You... You headin'
to the office?

Yeah.



Oh, well, I don't get into
town too often, you know.

No, you sure don't.

Everything all right
out at the farm?

Same as usual, you know.

You get a good crop one
year, you get a bad one the next.

But it kinda evens out, I guess.

Sure.

I... I'd kind of like
to sit a spell and talk.

Well, sure. Why don't you
come on back to the office?

Might even have some
coffee on the stove.

Thanks.

Well, Mr. Tucker.

Chester.

By golly, we don't see
you in town too often.

The place keeps me pretty busy.

Yeah.

Sit down, Cyrus.

Thanks.

Chester, you don't
have any coffee, do ya?

Uh, well, I got some makin'.

It'll be ready in a
couple of minutes.

Good.

Ahh. Feels good to sit.

I ain't gettin' any younger.

Cyrus, what was it you
wanted to talk about?

Well, nothing, exactly.

I just wanted to sit and talk.

Mind if I whittle?

Not at all.

Seems to help some.

Whittlin' and talkin', they
just go together somehow.

Well, fine, you
just go right ahead.

Chester, it's gonna
muss up your floor some.

Well, that's...
that's all right.

I got to broom it
out later anyway.

Whittling's the one thing
Bertha would never stand for.

She figured that should be
done out in the barn or in the yard.

How is Bertha, Cyrus?

We've been together a long time.

Married 32 years.

That's a long time, Marshal.

Finest woman that ever lived.

Married back in Ohio.

Then we moved to
east Texas for a while.

A lot of changes in them years.

Lost our boy the second year.

We used to raise corn
down in the bottom land.

Sold it to the
garrison at the fort...

if the Indians
didn't get it first.

Cyrus, you didn't come here just
to talk about old times, did you?

I don't know what you're
talkin' about, Marshal.

Sure you do, Cyrus.

Now what's on your mind?

Bertha's left me.

She's run off... disappeared...

without so much
as a by your leave.

I can't believe it.

I woke up one morning,
and she was gone.

I kept hoping that
she'd come back.

But she ain't.

Well, maybe she went to visit
one of the neighbors or something.

No.

I been to all the neighbors.

She ain't nowhere.

Well, she must've
had some reason now.

She wouldn't just run off
and leave you like that, Cyrus.

She'll be back.

That's what I kept hoping.

It's awful lonely on
the place, Marshal.

I can't go on without her.

Now, don't you worry, Cyrus.

We'll help you find her.

Neighbors thought I ought
to come and tell you about it.

How long has she been gone?

She's been gone three weeks.

Three weeks?

Yeah.

Three weeks to the day.

Well...

I got to be going.

Got the chores to do.

Getting dark soon.

[coffee pot whistles]

Marshal.

Chester.

Well, I don't understand that.

Neither do I.

She's been gone three weeks,

and he's just now gettin'
around to tellin' you about it?

Well, it's addled him, Chester.

I don't think he really
knows what's going on.

What about Mrs. Tucker, though?

She don't seem like the kind of a
woman that would do a thing like that...

Just up and run off.

No. No, she sure doesn't.

Well, we'll have to start
asking around town.

See what we can find out.

Mr. Dillon, I didn't
know you was in there.

You told me to show
up here at 10:00.

It ain't hardly 10:00 now.

- Doesn't matter, Chester.
- Well?

She didn't take the train.

Ol' Peabody remembers every
ticket he sold in the past 10 years.

Well, maybe she sneaked on.

They would have sent her back.

Come on, let's try
the stage depot.

Well, she sure didn't
ride out on no stage.

No, not unless she
was dressed like a man.

They said a woman
hadn't bought a ticket

in there for a month.

Where do we try
next, Mr. Dillon?

The stable, I guess.

Stable?

An old lady like that wouldn't
ride out on a horse, would she?

Chester, you never know
what a woman will do,

especially a frontier woman.

You know, Mr. Dillon, maybe...
Maybe she got stole by Indians.

I'll go check the stable first

before we start chasing
around after Indians.

Hello, Moss.

Oh hello, Marshal, Chester.

Can't make up my mind
about these mules, Marshal.

He wants me to buy 'em.

Marshal.

Chester.

Hello, Cyrus.

Howdy, Mr. Tucker.

Moss, that there team is
one of the finest in the country.

I raised them myself.

As I recall, that's
your only team, isn't it?

Yep.

They done a lot of
work for me in their day.

Well, you're not planning
to sell 'em are you, Cyrus?

I won't have no use for 'em
if I ain't gonna be here, will I?

You gonna go away?

Yep.

Got it all figured out.

It'll work, too.

What'll work?

I'm gonna go away, Marshal.

I'll send back word where I am.

Bertha'll hear about it, and
she'll get real curious-like.

She'll come and find me.

I won't be looking
for her no more.

She's gonna be lookin' for me.

Pretty smart, huh?

You're not planning to
sell your farm, are ya?

No, I'll do that later.

Well, Moss, what do you say?

Well, I can't make up my mind.

Give me a little time, hmm?

I ain't in no big hurry.

I guess I'll go on
over to the post office.

Might be something
there from Bertha.

Never know.

You know, there's something
wrong with him these days, Marshal.

Yeah.

Did Bertha really run
away and leave him?

That's what he says,

though we sure haven't been
able to find any trace of her.

Maybe the Indians
sneaked up and got her.

Yeah.

What would the Indians
want with a woman her age?

Well, you can never tell
about these Indians, Marshal.

I'm gonna head
back to the office.

All right.

You got a dime, Moss?

Yeah.

I'll match you for it.

You're on.

I'll match you.

You never told me you
loved me, sweetheart.

Now, how could I have
ever forgotten that?

I bet you're not as hard to
get along with as you make out.

You keep trying to find out, and
you're going to end up in a ditch.

All right, come on.
Let's have another drink.

- What do you say?
- No, thanks.

That's no way to be.

A friend of mine just came in.

I'm a friend of
yours, too, aren't I?

- Hello, Matt.
- Kitty.

Well, what are you in here for?

A talk? A drink?

You gonna enforce the law?

Or are you gonna
propose marriage?

As a matter of fact, I came
here to ask you a question.

Now keep away
from my gal, mister.

Leave me alone!

You better take it
easy there, cowboy.

Just because you're big don't
mean bullets don't make holes in ya.

Hey, you're marshal, eh?

I never killed me no marshal.

All right, now you'd
better get out of here.

Go on.

If you got any sense,
you'll try to sober up.

I'm gonna get me
another gun, Marshal.

I'm gonna get me a shotgun,

and I'm gonna come
in here after you.

Come on, Kitty. Let's sit down.

Thank you.

You think he means that?

Well, I'll tell you, Kitty.

If I tried to hide out every time
something like that happened,

people would forget
what I looked like.

Well, anyhow, you
started to ask me somethin'.

Yeah, you know...

You know Cyrus
Tucker's wife Bertha?

Mm-hmm.

She's disappeared, Kitty.

What?

Nobody has any
idea where she is.

Well, that doesn't
make any sense.

Well, I was kinda hopin'
you'd know somethin'.

No. Nobody around
here's mentioned it.

Hmm.

- Kitty.
- Hey there, Doc.

- Matt.
- Hello, Doc.

Mind if I join you here?
I'd like to talk to you.

- Not at all. Sit down.
- Pull up that chair.

Thanks.

As a matter of fact, I'll buy you
a drink. What would you like?

I'll have a beer.

Kitty, how 'bout you?

No, not for me. How 'bout you?

- You bet.
- What? Beer?

Mm-hmm.

Clem, 2 beers.

What's on your mind, Doc?

Well, I was just wondering

if you'd found out anything
about Bertha Tucker.

Not a thing.

I just can't understand it.

You know, I'm worried
about Cyrus, too.

Yeah.

32 years is a long
time to be married.

Doc, was there
anything wrong with her?

Well, yes. Plenty
wrong with her.

Well, what?

16-hour work days.

Too much heat in the summertime.

Too much cold in the winter.

And too many nights laying
awake out there in Indian country.

Gets all frontier
women sooner or later.

Mr. Dillon.

Doc.

It's Mr. Jonas over
at the general store.

He wants to see you right away.

What? Is there trouble?

Well, yeah, there's
a fella over there

trying to sell secondhand
clothes and things.

And Mr. Jonas recognized them.

They belonged to Mrs. Tucker.

I'd better get over there.

You gonna buy it or ain't ya?

Well, now hold your
horses, young fella.

I gotta be sure what
I'm buying, don't I?

It's taking an awful long time.

Well, there's more time
than money in this world.

That's the first thing I found
out when I went into business,

and I ain't never forgot it.

Oh, am I glad to see you, Matt!

Mr. Jonas. This is the man here?

This is him.

What's your name, mister?

Hody Peel. I ain't done nothin'.

How long you been in town?

Just today.

- Mm-hmm. All right.
- What are you doin'?

Stand easy there.

I'm collecting quite
a few of these today.

What's this all about?

I tell you I ain't done nothin'.

This the stuff, Mr. Jonas?

This is it.

Now, look. What's going on here?

Now, Marshal, most
of these things...

This mirror and this comb,

most of these clothes, they
could belong to just anybody.

But this shawl and
this shoppin' satchel

I sold Bertha Tucker myself.

I didn't steal this
stuff! I swear I didn't!

We'll talk about that
back in my office.

- Let's go.
- You got no right.

I said let's go.

Chester, bring that stuff
back to the office, will ya?

Yes, sir.

You can't lock
me up. It ain't right.

Sit down there, will ya?

All right.

Now where'd you
say you got that stuff?

It was give to me.

Give to you, huh?

I told you I didn't steal 'em.

Some farmer stopped us
when we went by his place

and he give 'em to us.

Who's us?

I got a wife and two kids.

And they're waitin'
for me right now.

Where?

We're camped up
the river about 5 miles.

Been looking for a
piece of land to take up.

You a homesteader, are you?

If I can find a decent
piece of land, I am.

How long you been
camped up there?

Three weeks.

Now, what did you say the
name of that farmer was?

I don't know. He never said.

He was pretty
old, kinda strange.

It was about 8
miles up the river.

[door opens]

Let me ask you this...
What did his wife say

about giving
away all that stuff?

I never saw nobody but him.

What do you mean? He just came out
and stopped you as you were riding by?

No, sir.

He was digging out
in back of the house.

We went over to
water the horses.

He was digging?

Yes, sir.

It was funny.

It was funny now
that I think of it.

He was digging a hole that...

Well, it looked
sort of like a grave.

Let's ride out and
talk to your wife.

You don't believe
me, do ya, Marshal?

We'll find out soon enough.

Come on.

[horse neighs]

Hody. Hody, what...

This here is the
marshal from Dodge.

That's Chester Goode.

Howdy, ma'am.

How do you do, ma'am?

Is something wrong, Hody?

That stuff I took in to sell,

he thinks I stole it.

Well, that ain't so.

That stuff was give to us.

You go ask him, Marshal.

The farmer that done it,

he just lives over
here about 3 miles.

I know, ma'am.

We're goin' over to see him now.

I wish you would. I'm gettin'
tired of being treated like a thief.

It's not a matter of theft.

It so happens the man's
wife has disappeared, Hody.

What?

You accusing me of killin'?

I'm not accusing
you of anything yet.

Hody didn't do it, Marshal.

We never even
seen a woman there.

You gotta believe me.

That hole he was diggin',

I told you it
looked like a grave.

He killed her.
That old man did it.

By golly, Mr. Dillon,
maybe he's right.

Let's go over and have
a talk with him right now.

I want you to come along, Hody.

Please, we already
told you, Marshal!

I know.

Please don't take
him away. It ain't fair.

A woman may have
been murdered, ma'am.

A woman like yourself.

He'll be back later.

[horse neighs]

Well is this a surprise!
Marshal, Chester.

Cyrus.

Get down out of them saddles
and rest yourselves a while.

I'm mighty glad to see ya.

Thank you.

You remember me, mister?

What?

You remember me.

I come by here about three
weeks ago with my wife and kids.

You give us some
old clothes and stuff.

I did?

Of course you did. Right there.

We came over to the
house for the pump.

That's fine. I like to help
folks whenever I can.

Well now come on.
Let's go in the house.

All of us.

He's crazy, Marshal. I told you.

You ask about it.
Make him remember.

Just take it easy.

He's daft.

Well, he sure don't act
like he ever saw you before.

Darned old fool. I wish
I'd never come by here.

Cyrus.

Come on in out of
the hot sun, Marshal.

Well, I want to ask you
something first, Cyrus.

Ask me what?

Now, this is Hody Peel.

Do you ever remember
seeing him before?

Marshal, you know any friend of
yours is welcome here any time.

But you remember me, don't ya?

It was just three weeks ago.

Hody Peel. Well, I don't
remember the name.

That's for sure.

But you remember
me. My wife and kids.

And giving us all that stuff.

Think hard, Cyrus.

Oh, oh yeah.

You... I gave you some
clothes and everything.

There. There, Marshal.

I told ya. I told ya I
didn't steal nothin'.

Now, come on.

I'll have Bertha fix
us a cup of coffee.

Wait a minute, Cyrus.

You say Bertha is going
to fix us a cup of coffee?

She'd be awful disappointed
if she knew that you came by

and I didn't offer
you a cup of coffee.

I thought you said she's gone.

Gone?

Now, Cyrus, don't you remember
coming into my office about two days ago,

saying that she'd disappeared,
run away or something.

Bertha? Disappear?

Oh, she'd never do that.

Marshal, we've been
married 32 years.

All right, Cyrus.
Let's go see her.

Yeah.

No.

No, I don't believe she's home.

Where is she?

Oh yeah. She... She
went to visit her sister

in San Anton.
That's where she is.

In San Anton.

Mm-hmm.

All right, Cyrus.

Well, I'll tell ya. I'd kind of like
to take a look around out back.

You go right ahead, Marshal.

Would you mind
coming along with me?

Well, of course not.

Funny thing, ain't it?

My forgetting Bertha
went to visit her sister.

Things that happened way
back. I can remember real clear.

It's just the last few
weeks that are clouded. I...

Cyrus.

Yeah. Bertha's in
San Anton, Marshal.

Cyrus.

This is Berth's grave, isn't it?

No.

Now, Cyrus, you can't
go on living in a dream.

You'd better tell
me what happened.

Happened at night.

She'd been feelin'
poorly for some time.

The next morning,
she was already gone.

So you buried her here?

Then you gave away
her clothes and things.

Bertha won't mind.

I'm gonna get her some new ones.

Cyrus, Bertha's gone.

She's dead.

And I'm afraid that no amount of
pretending is gonna bring her back.

Mr. Dillon.

Ain't there nothin' that...
That we can do for him?

I don't think so,
Chester. Not now.

Marshal.

I'll get my wife to come over.

Women sometimes know.

All right. That'd
be real nice, Hody.

Yeah, that'd be real nice.