Gunsmoke (1955–1975): Season 6, Episode 15 - Old Fool - full transcript

Starring James
Arness as Matt Dillon.

Well, good morning, Doc.

Good morning.

Pull up a chair and sit down.

What's the matter?

Well, come out from
underneath there.

You look like a turtle.

Well, now you look
like an old bear.

Well, I feel like one.

You better have some coffee.

- Make you feel better.
- All right.



Freddy, will you bring
Doc a cup, please?

Coming right up, Miss Kitty.

Well, you got
yourself a new suit.

Whoa, it isn't, either.
It's second-hand.

Oh, I've never seen it before.

Well, I got it in St. Louis.

Doc, you haven't been
to St. Louis in over a year.

Why haven't you worn it?

Well, the old one's not
wore out yet, by golly.

There you are, Doctor.

Oh. Thanks, Freddy.

Why aren't you having breakfast
with, uh, Matt and Chester?

Oh, well, they're out of town.

They went fishing. Last night.



Said they'd be back
sometime this morning.

Oh, now I know why
you're so grumpy.

They didn't invite you.

Oh, sure they
did. They did, too.

And why didn't you go?

Well, Old Man Bass needed
some powders fixed up for him,

and I had to wait
up last night...

Who?

Old Man Bass.

I don't believe it.

Well, what's the matter?

Do you mean to tell me that
a man by the name of Bass

kept you from going fishing?

Say, that is funny, isn't
it? I never thought of it.

No, that's his name. Honest.

Bass. Hannibal Bass.

They live on the
Barton place out here.

Well, they don't
come into town much.

I guess you wouldn't know them.

Sure are fine folks.

I don't like them.

They kept you
from going fishing.

Oh, no, they
didn't do that at all.

I wouldn't have gone anyway.

To tell you the truth,

fishing with Chester can
be pretty exasperating.

He sings all the time.

Yep, Hannibal and Della Bass.

Golly, they're nice folks.

They've... Well, they
built that place up out there

from practically nothing.

They've been married 30 years.

Just think of that.

Thirty years, man and wife.

Hey golly, that's the
way it ought to be, Kitty.

You sound like
you're selling marriage.

Well, maybe I am a little bit.

What's wrong with marriage?

I wouldn't know.

I never had a
chance to find out.

Oh, 'shaw, I suppose
you're gonna tell me

that you ain't ever been asked.

Not lately.

Well, now, that's not true.

You know yourself
that I've proposed to you

one way or another every three
weeks for the last four years.

Well, Doc, I just haven't had
time to make up my mind yet.

Well, you just
better be careful.

I'm liable to get away.

I heard you come back
from Dodge last night.

I didn't think you'd be
up in time this morning

to do the chores.

Whoa.

Ain't missed them
in quite a spell, Della.

Well, I'd have been
glad to do them for you

if you'd asked me.

That was real late
when you got back.

Why, it must have been after
20:00 before you got in bed.

Oh, I went to pick up them
powders from Doc Adams.

Figure yesterday was
as good a day as any.

Yeah, I suppose.

Well, I gotta get
back out to the barn.

I took a look at
the mare earlier.

She ought to foal any day now.

She's a good mare, Hannibal.

She ought to throw a fine colt.

Well, I figure she will.

I'll have your dinner
on the table by noon.

All right, Della.

Silk got himself
caught up, maybe?

I don't think so.

A wolf, maybe.

Hold on there!

You got a gun on you?

I ain't armed.

Stealing pigs, huh?

Anybody with you?

Put 'em back, and do it easy.

Now, get back out here.

Hannibal?

Why, what's going on here?

Caught me a pig thief,
Della, and I aim to shoot him.

Why, you'll do no such
thing, Hannibal Bass!

Now, you put that gun down.

A thief's a thief, Della,
whether it's pigs or horses.

You do as I say.

Why...

Where'd you come from, son?

I ain't seen you around before.

Oh, we Nestor people,

about 20 miles north of here.

What's your name?

Dunc. Dunc Hedgepeth.

I suppose your
whole family's out

marauding through
the countryside

instead of working
and making out honest.

Now, you leave him be, Hannibal.

Why the poor boy's half starved.

He ain't no boy,

and nothing gives him
the right to steal my pigs!

I'd have paid you back,

later, when we was
making out better.

Thieving ain't no way
to make out for nobody.

Hannibal, you take him home

and you tell his
people what he done.

They'll punish him.

If his people was any good,

they'd have brung him
up right to begin with.

Well, you go on
up there and see.

I swear, Della, you're treating
him like he was chocolate candy.

Now, you do what
I say, Hannibal.

You take that boy on home, hear?

Mighty lucky for you
she come out here.

All right.

Come on, get on that horse
you probably stole somewhere.

Ma, come out here!

This here is Hannibal Bass.

Howdy.

Ma'am, uh, is your
husband around?

My husband?

Pa's been dead five years.

What is it you want, Mr. Bass?

Well, I, uh... I brung
your boy home

so your husband could
whup him for stealing pigs.

Dunc!

Well, I didn't think he'd
miss just one little pig.

I'd rather starve than
have my boy a thief.

Things ain't going
good with us, Mr. Bass.

You can see for yourself,

but Dunc wasn't raised to
be a thief no matter what.

It's so hard being
all alone and poor.

It ain't easy for a
woman, Mr. Bass.

Well, I, uh... I didn't know you
was a widow woman, ma'am.

That's what I am,

a poor widow woman.

Why didn't you
tell me about this?

Well, you never asked.

All you wanted to
do was shoot me.

Oh, no!

Nah, I wasn't gonna shoot him.

I was just scaring him good.

You can still get
the law down on him.

Nah, I ain't gonna do that.

I figure maybe he
learned his lesson.

You're a very kind
man, Mr. Bass.

I could tell that right off.

Well, I try to be fair-minded.

I ain't one to hold grudges.

I can see that.

He's a real fine
gentleman, Dunc.

You ought to see his place.

Ma, you wouldn't believe it!

Nice, huh?

It's nice, all right,

but I worked hard on that place.

Uh, Mr. Bass, won't you
come in for a cup of coffee?

Well, I-I guess
I gotta be going.

Uh, Mr. Bass, if you're
ever in the neighborhood,

we'd be proud to
have you come by.

Well, thank you, ma'am.

I'll do that.

Gets awful lonely out here,

especially for a woman.

Yes, ma'am, I-I
reckon maybe it does.

Good-bye.

Well, you sure
calmed him down, Ma.

He'll be back.

Making beans, huh?

Yep, your favorite
kind: bean hole beans.

Mighty pretty.

Like the finest dish
a man could eat.

When they be ready?

Oh, we'll have them
for dinner tomorrow.

How come you're
all slickered up?

Where you going?

Oh, I'm just taking a few things

over to the poor
old lady and her boy.

That Widow Hedgepeth?

They ain't been as
lucky as we have, Della.

It's only right that we should
share a little now and then.

So that's what's been on
your mind the last two days.

It's been bothering me.

You ought to see 'em, Della.

They ain't got
nothing over there.

Oh. Maybe I ought
to come along, too.

Oh, you don't want to make
that long trip over there.

Not today.

Besides, you got
them beans to cook.

All right, Hannibal, but
you just watch your step.

What do you mean,
"Watch my step?"

Well, I don't want you to
do nothing foolish, Hannibal,

and you be home
before dark, hear?

You treat me like I was a boy.

I love you, Hannibal,

and I don't want to
be worrying about you.

Well, you ain't got
nothing to worry about.

I can take care of myself.

Don't burn them beans, now.

Hannibal?

Ain't you gonna give
me a peck good-bye?

Oh, yeah. Sure.

Good-bye.

Bye.

Ma, he...!

Ma, come out here!
We got a visitor!

Hello there, Dunc!

Hello. What do you got there?

A little surprise for you, Dunc.

What, for me?

For you and your ma.

What, all of this? The
pig and everything?

All for you.

Oh! Oh!

Ma, come and see
what he brung us!

Now, Mr. Bass, you
shouldn't have done that!

It's nothing, ma'am.

Oh, my goodness gracious!

We can't accept it, Mr. Bass.

It's too much!

Ah, it ain't nothing at all,

just a few little things
to keep you going.

A few little things?

A chicken, a-and a pig

and-and corn and I
don't know what all?

Folks that's more fortunate

ought to share what
they got, I figure.

You're too good.

There just ain't men
like you left in this world.

I'm just doing
what I see is right.

You're a fine man, Mr. Bass.

I never met none finer.

Aw...

We better get
this stuff unloaded.

Oh, no, Dunc will do that.

You come inside while
I make a cup of coffee.

Well, uh, there ain't
hardly time, ma'am.

Please stay.

Just for a little while?

I... I need to talk to you.

I need a man to
talk to, Mr. Bass.

Please?

Well... just for a little while.

You get to work now, Dunc.

We're going inside.

I will, Ma.

You gotta remember,
we ain't very fancy here,

but it's what's in
the heart that counts.

Ain't that so?

You're Elsie Hedgepeth?

I am.

I'm Mrs. Hannibal Bass.

I kinda figured that.

Just thought I'd
like to come and see

what a husband
stealer looks like.

I ain't stole your husband.

No, and you ain't going to,

but you're sure
trying your best.

He's a grown man.

He can do what he wants.

I been married to
Hannibal Bass for 30 years,

and I've loved him
all that time, too.

I ain't about to quit now.

Maybe you ain't got much choice.

Miss Hedgepeth, I didn't
come here to ask nothing of you.

I come here to
tell you something.

Go ahead, talk all you want.

Won't change nothing.

You don't want my husband.

You just want his house
and his worldly goods.

You admit that?

I ain't saying a thing.

Well, I want him,

and I don't care
whether he's rich or poor,

and there's quite a
difference, ain't there?

You're just jealous 'cause
you can't hold him no more.

All right, ain't no use
talking to you anymore.

You just ain't decent enough.

I'll just have to show you.

You murderer!

And there'll be more!

There'll be a whole lot more!

Miss Bass?

Yes?

Well, I'm Marshal
Dillon from Dodge City.

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

Oh, come on in, Marshal.

Thank you.

This is Chester Goode, ma'am.

How do you do, ma'am?

Chester.

Hannibal ain't in some kind
of trouble, is he, Marshal?

No, he's not, Mrs. Bass,

but I'm afraid you are.

Me?

Why, yes.

I have a warrant
here for your arrest

signed by Judge Blint.

The complaint reads that
you tried to kill Mrs. Hedgepeth.

Oh, that.

Well, I'm too good
a shot, Marshal,

to try to kill anybody.

Well, I'm afraid you
convinced her, ma'am.

She rode all the way into
Dodge just to sign this complaint.

Did she also tell the judge

that she's been trying to
run away with my husband?

No, she didn't.

Well, she has.

If you'll excuse me, I gotta
carry these out to the pigs.

You can come along if you like.

Well, I'll give you a
hand with them, ma'am.

Oh. Thanks.

Chores have got to be
done, even if I don't have

a man around the place
as much as I should have.

Where is your husband, ma'am?

He's over at that widow
woman's, Marshal,

where he's been
most every day lately.

Oh.

Them's a good bunch
of hogs you got here.

This whole farm's good.

It took us a long time to get
the house and the barn up.

Five years, in fact.

Well, what you're saying
then, ma'am, is that

that's why Mrs. Hedgepeth
is after your husband?

That's real smart
of you, Marshal.

Well, that's still no reason
in the eyes of the law

to go around and
shoot somebody, ma'am.

My husband is gonna
marry that woman, Marshal,

and my shooting her up
didn't make a bit of difference.

I just don't know
what to do now.

If there was only some way

that I could bring
Hannibal to his senses.

He won't even
listen to me anymore

now that he's gone off.

You know, it's
kinda sad, Mr. Dillon.

I mean, having to lock
a woman up like that.

Yeah, Chester, except
I'm not going to lock her up.

You ain't?

No, and I ought to know better

than to mix in
something like this,

but I'm going to
give it a try anyway.

You'll just end up in trouble
all the way around if you do.

Maybe.

Hello.

Hello.

You Hannibal Bass?

Now, how'd you know my name?

Hannibal!

Who you talking...?

Miss Hedgepeth?

Well, I'm Matt Dillon. I'm the
marshal over in Dodge City.

Oh, from Dodge.

I-I'm afraid you've come
to the wrong place, Marshal.

You must have rode
right past the Bass farm.

What are you talking about?

Well, I went over to Dodge
the other day, Hannibal,

and I got the judge to
issue a warrant for her arrest.

For whose arrest?

Your wife's.

You didn't expect
me to do nothing

about her trying to
murder me, did you?

Oh, now, Elsie,

I told you she wasn't
trying to shoot you.

I'd like to know
what you call it, then?

You... women.

You're always getting all
riled up about everything.

You ain't gonna put Della
in jail, are you, Marshal?

No, I'm not.

Well, then, what
is this all about?

Well, I'll make it real simple:

this thing has gone
far enough, Mr. Bass,

and you're going back to
your place with me right now.

Oh, no, he ain't, Marshal.

He's staying right here.

No, he's going back,
ma'am, and so are you.

What?

Everybody's going to lay
their cards right on the table,

and I'm going to be
there to see that they do.

All right, Marshal.

But it'll take me a
good hour to get ready.

Well, you suit
yourself about that,

but just understand
one thing: we're going.

I don't care if we don't
leave here till dark.

Come on.

Well, ma'am, I...
What happened here?

You all right here?

I'm fine, Marshal.

Is that Hannibal coming?

But your house and barn
burning both at the same time.

You... you...

Evening, Hannibal.

Aw, Della.

You brung her home just
a little too late, didn't ya?

I didn't bring her. The
marshal made us come.

Oh.

Well, why don't you go and
ask her what she thinks now.

You done this, didn't you?

You set fire to the whole place.

I said, go and ask her
what she thinks now.

I think you're crazy.

I think you're both crazy.

You still want to marry him?

Dunc, get over here
and drive me home.

Don't worry.

You'll get your
wagon back tomorrow.

What are you waiting for?

Let's go!

Well, Hannibal?

You was right, Della.

I'm just a... old fool.

We're gonna have to start
almost from scratch again.

We done it before, didn't we?

I fixed your favorite dinner.

Aw, Della...

you're some woman.

We got guests.

If you'd like to
join us for supper,

we're gonna have
bean hole beans.

Why, ma'am, we'd be proud to.

By golly, I ain't had bean hole
beans in I don't know when.

Just make yourselves at
home with what we have here.

I saved a few plates and
things out of the house.

I'll go and get them.

No, you won't.

I'll do it.

You done enough work today.