Gunsmoke (1955–1975): Season 6, Episode 27 - Big Man - full transcript

Starring James
Arness as Matt Dillon.

Well, if it ain't Pat Swarner.

Oh, uh, how you
doing today, Pat?

I'm fine, boys. Just fine.

Hey, going inside, Swarner?

No, uh, not right now.

You, uh... you go along, boys.

I'll, uh... I'll join you later.

Oh, all right.

I'll, uh... I'll save a
place for you, Pat.

Well, there's, uh,
always a place



for Pat Swarner, ain't there?

Yeah, sure. You, uh...
you go ahead, boys.

Come on, Ak. Come on!

Yeah, well, uh,
we'll be waiting.

Hello, Kitty.

It's you.

I've been waiting for you.

Yeah, what for?

Well, last night
you said you'd...

you'd see me today, remember?

Yeah, I remember.

That was to get
rid of you last night.

And I've seen you today.

You're a card, Kitty.
You're always joking.



That's what I like about you.

Yeah, well, I can be
pretty unfunny, too.

Oh, you got your
serious side, all right.

I can see that.

Why don't you and me go have
a little drink somewhere, huh?

Somewhere?

Listen, I own the Long Branch,
and you can come in there

and spend your money
any time you want to.

But don't bother
spending it on me

'cause you'll just
be wasting your time.

- Hello, Kitty.
- Hello, Bill.

Business looks pretty good.

For this time of day,
we're doing great.

Well, Pat, we've been
saving a seat for you.

Yeah, Pat, you sit
down right over here.

Come on in.

Well, now, I had no
idea I'd find you here.

Come on, now, you
have a drink with me.

I want to get to
know you better.

Now, listen, Swarner,
I've had enough of this.

When I say no, I mean no.

All fiery woman are
like that at the start.

But they don't say no
to Pat Swarner for long.

What is it, mister?

Give us a bottle and
two glasses, barkeep.

Don't you do it, Bill.

Now, listen, if
you want a drink,

you go to the end
of bar and do it.

And leave me alone!

Now wait a minute.

You got me all wrong.

You heard the lady. Get moving.

I didn't hear nobody
ask for your advice.

I give it without their asking.

Now, that'll teach
you not to fool with me.

Now, look, you,

you get out of here.

It was him that
started it. It wasn't me.

Get out!

Hey, wait a minute, Kitty.

He owes us for a
bottle of whiskey.

Why, sure I do.

And I'll pay up, too.

There's for your bottle, and...

and there's for a round of
drinks for everybody... on us.

Take the money
for the bottle, Bill.

And you take the
rest of it and get out.

Now, Kitty, now-now you
got no reason to be sore.

Matt.

What's going on, Kitty?

A U.S. Marshal, huh?
Well, who sent for you?

This the man that
did the shooting?

Yeah, and I want
him out of here.

Better go do your drinking
somewhere else, mister.

You like to push people
around, don't you?

Well, I don't push so easy.

He's a troublemaker, Marshal.

He's been giving Miss
Kitty a hard time to boot.

That doesn't make
any difference.

Just get rid of him, Matt.

Oh, I get it.

You and Kitty, huh?

Wh-What would
you think, Marshal,

if I just take her
away from you?

You didn't prove
nothing, Marshal.

I'll get her yet.

You walk out of here now,

you can get out on
your own two feet, mister.

Now, I'm leaving.

But don't you think I'm
not coming back, Kitty.

You don't scare me, Marshal.

Hello, Jud.

Howdy, Marshal.

Oh, what brings you to Dodge?

Well, Jud was just
telling me, Mr. Dillon,

that, uh, he's quit farming.

He just give it up altogether.

Yes, sir, Marshal.

Just couldn't take it no more.

Got plagued out.

Plagued out?

What the sun don't burn up,

the cold freezes.

We either get a
cloudburst at harvest time,

or there ain't a drop of water

for two months
after spring planting.

I quit, and I quit good.

What are you going to do now?

I took me a job
with Moss Grimmick

down at the stable.

Don't pay much, but
don't worry much, either.

Sight better than what
I've been going through

these last few years.

Well, Jud, that's
fine. I'm glad to hear it.

Like a cup of coffee?

Oh, I got to get
back to the stables.

Oh, uh, Marshal, uh...

I got five dollars here,

it being payday,
Saturday and all.

For you.

That your week's pay, Jud?

Oh, now, Marshal, you
gave me $50 last spring

when I was starving out there,

and I didn't even
ask you for it.

Well, Jud, I was
glad I could do it.

Come on, you got to take it.

Oh, I'm not in any
hurry for it, Jud.

Tell you what. Why don't
you start paying me back

out of the first raise that
Moss gives you, huh?

I sure appreciate it.

Thank you.

Uh, I got to get
back to the stable.

So long, Chester.

That a nice fella, ain't he?

Yeah, he sure is, Chester.

Oh, heard you got
into a little bit of trouble

over at the Long
Branch a while ago.

Oh, nothing too serious.

Who?

No.

No, you.. you can't.

He's dead.

Now, boy, what's your hurry?

There's a dead man in there.

I'm going after the marshal.

That's Pat Swarner, Ak.

Sure is.

Well, who do you think
would have done this?

I could take a good guess.

Yeah, well, what?

Who was it whopped
him one, threatened more,

right in the Long
Branch yesterday?

Oh-oh, oh, I know,
Ak, but you ain't thinking

that Marshal Dillon
would have killed him?

They had trouble, didn't they?

Yeah, I know, but that
don't mean that he...

Just cause he's a marshal?

Just cause he wears a badge...

That make him
better than other folk?

Let us through.

Come on, let us through.

That's Pat Swarner.

Is he dead, Doc?

Yeah.

Any of you men see this happen?

I just come by and seen
him lying in here, Marshal.

That's all I know about it.

I come for you right away.

Matt... he was beaten to death.

Well, somebody must have
got him in here on a pretense

and-and clubbed him to death.

Don't think there was any club.

Whoever did this hit him
hard and a lot of times

in the face with his fists.

Well, you think
that's what killed him?

I think so.

It'd take a mighty big man
to do that, wouldn't it, Doc?

Yes, it would.

It ain't easy to kill a man
like Swarner with your fists.

Not for the
average man, it ain't.

Marshal, last I saw Pat Swarner
was when you whopped him

and run him out of the
Long Branch yesterday.

What's your name? Ak something?

That's right. Ak Blanche.

Where you been all night?

Well, we was over at
the Long Branch. Why?

Looks to me like you've
been in every saloon in town.

Well, is there a law against it?

Why don't you go get
yourself a cup of coffee, huh?

- Now, look, Marshal...
- Black coffee!

All right.

But don't you think that
badge can hide everything.

You're no better than
anybody else in this town.

I never seen the like.

Here, Matt. He
had that in his fist.

Looks like some kind
of a medal, doesn't it?

Yeah.

It belong to Swarner?

Well, could have.

Or it could have belonged
to the man that killed him.

Come on in.

Jud.

Marshal.

We got something
to tell you, Marshal.

No, no. I'll tell him.

Now wait, Jud. Now, I'm
only trying to help you out.

Now, let me start.

Marshal, you
remember how I told you

that-that badge
can't hide everything?

That you're no better than
anybody else round here?

What's on your mind?

Jud here's had a
bad week, Marshal.

His conscience has been
plaguing him something fierce.

Yeah. Till last night
we met up with him,

- and we had a little talk...
- I'm telling it, Harry!

All right, all right.

We had a few drinks
together, Marshal,

and, uh, Jud come clean
and asked us for help.

No, no, no, it
wasn't like that at all.

Jud!

I just got to talking
too much, that's all.

Well, just tell 'em what
you was talking about, Jud.

Go on!

Well, it's true, Marshal.

All week I... I
bothered in my mind.

Ain't been able to
sleep good or nothing.

Well... I got drunk with
these fellas last night,

and I let it all out,

and I'm gonna say it right now.

Go on, Jud.

I seen that man beat to death.

- Swarner?
- Yes, sir.

Well, who did it?

Well, tell 'em, Jud! Say it!

It was...

Marshal Dillon.

I can't help it, Marshal.

I seen it, and I
got to say it out.

Can't keep it in
my head no longer.

I seen it.

I was there at the
end of the alley, and...

you took off the other way.

Now, how about that, Marshal?

Just where was you that
night? You got an alibi?

He don't need no alibi...
Nobody can come in here

and accuse Mr. Dillon
of something like that.

What's the matter with you, Jud?

You crazy in the
head or something?

The man's only
doing what's right.

It ain't easy for
him, but he's doing it.

You two were friends of
Swarner's, weren't you?

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

- Get out of here.
- Well, now, listen here, Marshall...

Go on! Get out of here
right now, both of you.

It ain't over, Marshal,
not by a long sight.

Jud.

Wait a minute, I
want to talk to you.

I-I said it all, Marshal.

Ain't much more I
can say just now.

I'm awfully sorry.

Well, I never heard of
anything so crazy as that

in all my born days.

Word sure gets
around fast, doesn't it?

What do you mean?

They're showing us what
they think of a marshal

that's been accused of murder.

Well, they sure got their nerve,

just cause that crazy Jud
dreamed up the whole thing.

They ought to be
ashamed of theirselves.

Gentlemen.

Gentlemen? You sure are
getting awful formal all of a sudden.

Well, I'll have a
steak and eggs.

Bring me a bowl of
soup, too, will you?

I'll have the same thing.

People just ain't got no
right setting in judgment

on other people when they don't
know what they're talking about.

Well, Jud says he saw me,
Chester, and people believe him.

They want to believe him.

Well, what's he up to anyway?

You ought to just get him
and pound the truth out of him.

Well, that's the trouble...
I believe him myself.

- You do?
- Well, sure he was drunk

that night and all, but
whoever it was that he saw,

I think he honestly
believes it was me.

Well, that could be.

I never know'd Jud
to lie about anything.

'Course I don't know anybody
that looks like you, either.

- Thanks a lot, Joe.
- Thanks, Joe.

Joe?

Can't you say at least
that, uh, "You're welcome,"

or some little thing like that,

or you think it'd
stick in your craw?

Let it go, Chester.

- Hello, Doc.
- How are you?

Well, I'm pretty
good. How are you?

I'm fine. Where you been
the last couple of days?

Just been out taking
in the countryside, Doc.

- Well, you find anything?
- Not a thing.

Not a single thing.

You know, been
over two weeks now.

Haven't turned up a clue.

Yeah, I'd sure like to know
who it is that belongs to this.

Well, there's some folks
around Dodge been pretty busy.

They've circulated a petition.

They're gonna send
it to Washington.

About half the town signed it.

Oh?

Want a cup of coffee?

Yeah, don't mind if I do.

So, they're gonna try
to get me fired, huh?

Well, there's some
folks around here

would like it fine if there
wasn't any law at all,

- you know that.
- No coffee.

- Oh, there's no coffee?
- Nope.

Never mind. About time for
a drink anyway, and I'll buy.

All right, I'll just
take you up on that.

Right.

Well... Mr. Dillon.

When you'd get back?

Chester. Just got in.

- Well, I didn't see you standing there...
- Hello, Matt.

- Kitty, how are you?
- Doc. -Hello, Kitty.

- How about a drink?
- Well, that's what we came in for.

- I'm buying.
- No, next time around, Doc.

- Well, thank you.
- Well, did you have

- any luck at all, Mr. Dillon?
- No, not a thing, Chester.

Anything turn up around here?

No, nothing here.

I might as well been with you.

You see what I meant, don't you?

- Hmm?
- Look how quiet it got here.

- They're giving you the business.
- Well...

Here you are.

Kitty.

What are you gonna do, Matt?

Well, I tell you, I've been
giving it a lot of thought.

I've got a witness that
says I murdered a man.

I can't find the man, so...

I guess I'm gonna
stand trial myself.

What?

Soon as Judge Summers
gets here next week.

Well, do you think that's
the right thing for you to do?

Well, Mr. Dillon, you
won't have a chance

once that crazy old Jud Sloan

gets up there on
the witness stand

and starts swearing that
you was the one that he seen.

Oh, for heaven's sakes,
you got him convicted already.

Why don't you...

Oh, I didn't mean, uh...

Well, I guess it'll
turn out all right, huh?

Hello, Chester.

I was just going in
here. Excuse me.

Now, just a minute there,

who do you think you're shoving?

Chester, I didn't
steal it; I paid for it.

I got the change right here.

Now leave me go!

Get out of here
and leave me alone.

Who are you?

I said get out of here.

You see what I mean, Mr. Dillon?

Go get Jud right away, will you?

I know right where he is.

What's your name, mister?

- You a lawman?
- That's right.

I'm Mike Boatright, and I
don't like being bothered.

How long you been around Dodge?

About half an hour.

You ever been here before?

Mister, I got me
a shack upriver.

I don't like people,

and I ain't been in your
town but once before.

Once before? When was that?

About two weeks
ago. Now, let me be.

Well, Boatright, it so happens

a man was murdered
here two weeks ago.

He was beaten to death.

Good.

Were you drunk last
time you were here?

Now, what else
would I come here for?

I told you, I don't like people
'cause they get in my way,

just like you're
doing now, Marshal.

Mr. Dillon?

Well, Jud, I want you to
take a good look at this man

and tell me if you
ever saw him before.

Marshal, I-I'm not sure.

Now, why don't all you
people just clear out of here

before I start
smashing your heads in!

You get in a fight last
time you were here?

No!

You ever see that before?

Where'd you get that?

- I found it.
- Give me it! It's mine!

It is, huh?

All right, you're under
arrest for murder.

What are you saying, Marshal?

This medal was taken from
the hand of the man that was

beaten to death right here
in this alley two weeks ago.

That ain't so.

I didn't kill nobody.

You're probably too
drunk to remember,

but you're going
to jail, Boatright.

Get moving.

All right.

Hold it, Mar-Marshal.

I've had enough.

Really... I've had enough!

Matt... knife.

He fell right on his own knife.

Is he dead?

Yeah.

My golly, Mr. Dillon,
are you all right?

Yeah, I guess so, Chester.

Marshal...

I just hardly know what to say.

It's, uh... it's all right, Jud.

You don't have to say anything.