Matlock (1986–1995): Season 6, Episode 4 - The Nightmare - full transcript
♪♪ [theme]
[chatter]
Oh, look, antelope.
They're cows.
Ben, we're in the middle of
Nevada. They're antelope.
Cows.
Oh, stop being a
stick in the mud.
Well, it's just I don't get it.
You go to this charity auction,
and of all the trips
you could have bid on,
you had to wind
up with this one.
Because I thought that
spending the weekend
with a bunch of friends at a
dude ranch sounded like fun,
and I haven't thrown
a party in a long time,
and the money went
for a good cause.
And as luck would have
it, nobody else bid on it.
There's going to be horses.
Of course there's going to
be horses. It's a dude ranch.
I don't know how
to ride one of them.
Well, you'll learn.
I'm not going to
get on one of them.
Oh, Ben.
I'm afraid of horses.
[coyote howls]
May as well get out and
stretch your legs, folks.
Oh, wow.
This is great.
Reminds me of a mini-mall my
ex-brother-in-law talked me into buying.
Well, this isn't the
dude ranch, is it, Julie?
No. I'm sure the driver's just
taking a break or something.
Either that, or he's looking
for a fire extinguisher.
Oh, Ben.
Let me go see what's going on.
What's the trouble?
Engine's overheating.
Any reason why?
We're out of oil.
Out of oil?
Yep.
The crank case is
leaking like a sieve.
How long is it going
to take you to fix it?
My job is to drive
this bus, not to fix it.
Well, what are you
going to do about it?
Get on the radio, tell the boss
to send a mechanic out here.
May as well make
yourselves comfortable, folks.
Looks like we're going
to be here a while.
It's okay. He's got a radio.
It's not like we're going to be
stranded here for days or anything.
Come on, you
guys. It will be fun.
Now, who wants to go exploring?
Oh, hey, hey.
I vote we find a nice shady tree
and play a little game of chance.
Have a few cold ones.
Now you're talking.
Come on, let's look around.
- Want to go with us?
- No, thanks.
Hey, Ben, Julie... come
here. You've got to see this.
[horse neighs]
[whooping]
You're blocking the door.
♪♪ [ragtime]
What will it be?
Who is the sheriff talking to?
That's Ned Salem.
The cardshark's Gil
Brisco. Must be new in town.
[snoring]
That's old Bob...
Yep.
Dead drunk, the same as always.
Well, well, I don't believe
I've had the pleasure.
Welcome to Golden
Springs, stranger.
My name's Michelle.
What's yours?
I need to talk to you.
It will have to wait. I'm busy.
Miss Thomas!
[door opens]
[spurs jingle]
I just heard about Willis.
He drew on me, Conrad.
Drew on me and lost.
Here's what I'm
going to do, Sheriff.
First I'm going to step over
to that bar and get me a drink.
Then I'm going to go get my gun,
and I'm going to come looking for you.
You do...
you're going to wind
up just like your uncle...
Dead.
Whiskey.
Not that stuff, the
good stuff under here.
Don't never let him pour from them
bottles up there... he waters them down.
Thanks for the tip.
I'm Ben Matlock.
Conrad McMasters.
New in these parts?
Real new.
Where are you staying?
I don't know yet.
Any suggestions?
Julie's Boarding House,
right down the street.
She's about to have a vacancy.
She is?
Her brother's room.
He's the sheriff.
Morning.
Hi.
Are you Julie?
You must be the stranger
my brother told me about.
Need a room, do you?
As a matter of fact, I do.
Going to be in town long?
I'm not really sure.
This here's your room.
It will cost you a
dollar a day in advance.
A dollar?
That includes meals, of course.
Oh.
Oh, I'll take it.
Uh, will some of these do?
My Lord!
I'm renting you a room,
not selling you the place.
This is just fine.
Well, you've got yourself room
and board now for five days.
Oh.
You, uh, with
the railroad, Mr...?
Matlock. No, I'm not.
Men who carry all that cash
usually work for the railroad...
Or just got done robbing it.
You're no outlaw,
are you, Mr. Matlock?
No, no. I'm a lawyer.
I'll just get you some
water so you can wash up.
Uh, actually right now, I'm more
interested in using the facilities.
You know, the restroom.
The men's...
Oh, of course.
It's right out back.
Out back?
I ain't going to tell you
but one time, Sheriff.
If you don't stop messing
in my affairs, tin badge or no,
you're going to be real
sorry. Do you hear me?
Where's the sheriff?
At the jail.
Hey, Willis is a no-good
troublemaker, Conrad.
He ain't worth dying
for, and you know it.
A man's got to do
what a man's got to do.
Get your gun on.
You don't want
to do this, Conrad.
You killed my uncle.
You didn't even like your uncle.
He raised me.
I owe him.
He raised you because he
liked having somebody around
he could kick the tar out of.
Get your gun on.
In my desk, bottom drawer.
Some folks is just too nice
for their own damn good.
[door opens]
- [muffled gunshot]
- Ohh!
[woman screams in distance]
[chatter]
[Man] Jailhouse?
Let's get down there!
Excuse me, please.
Excuse me. Excuse me.
Excuse me. Excuse me.
Excuse me. Excuse me.
Uh, excuse me. Could I
just slip through this, in here?
Come on. Let's go.
- But I didn't kill him.
- Come on.
I didn't do it.
Somebody's got to
believe me. I didn't kill him.
I'm innocent.
I guess he clobbered me,
because the next thing I
know, I'm lying on the floor
and he's lying across from
me with a big hole in his chest.
Where was your gun?
In my hand.
And I don't know how
it got there, I swear.
Then what happened?
I got up to take a
look at the sheriff,
and then the deputy
comes in and starts hollering.
You mean the deputy came in
and saw you standing over the
sheriff with the gun in your hand?
Yes.
Oh.
Are there any
lawyers in this town?
There used to, but it seems like
people always get mad at them
and wind up shooting them.
Damn it, Willis!
If I'd have just shot him myself
instead of waiting around
for the sheriff to do it,
none of this would
have happened.
I thought he was your uncle.
He was the meanest man
that ever walked this earth.
Well, why did you go
after the sheriff like that?
Willis was family.
A man's got to do
what a man's got to do.
Why is that?
Why is what?
Why does a man got to
do what a man's got to do?
Do you realize how many people
have been killed in John Wayne movies
all because of that one line?
Men, women, children,
towns, villages, forts...
All wiped out because
somebody strapped on a gun
and said a man's got to
do what a man's got to do.
Somebody should have
jerked that jackass around
and knocked the
living hell out of him.
A man's got to do
what a man's got to do.
Well, if you want me
to take your case, I will.
As it happens, I'm a lawyer.
How come?
I like being a lawyer.
No, how come you'll take my
case? You don't hardly even know me.
I don't know.
Somewhere in my
mind I feel like I do.
Well, I can't pay you much.
The fact is I can't
pay you nothing.
You don't have to pay me.
Just don't shoot me.
Any idea what time it was
when you heard the shot?
I didn't hear no shot.
You didn't?
A gun this big, I'd think you could
hear the shot all the way to California.
There's five bullets.
The sixth one went through the
sheriff and stuck in the wall there.
You are going to run
ballistics to make sure
the bullet came out
of this gun, aren't you?
I'm going to do what?
Uh, you're going to, uh...
run a full investigation?
Well, Conrad said he
was going to get the sheriff.
That's what he done.
Of course, if the sheriff
had been wearing his gun,
that would have
been self-defense.
But since he weren't, that just
makes it cold-blooded murder.
Cut and dried, just the way
the circuit court judge likes it.
Uh, Ned Salem...
I saw him out behind the boarding
house today giving the sheriff what for.
The sheriff was probably talking
to him about that cattle rustling.
What cattle rustling?
The rustling he
thought Ned was doing.
Where can I find Ned Salem?
At his ranch, I expect.
It's the Lazy B. It's about
an hour's ride north of town.
Hour's ride.
Let's be friends.
Come on.
Now, I'm kind of
new at this, so I'll...
So I'll take all
the help I can get.
Now, you... There
you go, that's a boy.
Yeah. Now you stay right here.
Stand still, and
I'm gonna... get on.
I nearly got it. There.
No.
Would you stand
real still, and I'll...
[grunting]
Could you... Could you just...
Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait.
Hold still. Hold still. Hold
still. Hold still. Hold still.
Wait.
Giddyup.
Come on.
Come on, come on. Giddyup.
Come on.
No. No. No. No.
Oh, no. No. No. Whoa.
[muttering]
Let Captain Stewart take
his pick from this bunch,
but make sure the ones we take him
come from that herd down by the river.
Man thinks he knows
his cattle, but he don't.
[Matlock] Come on, run.
Oh, this saddle is getting...
Is getting a little
hard, Brownie.
We're getting close, Brownie.
We're going to
get them. Come on.
Mr. Salem?
I'm Ben Matlock.
Oh, I've seen you
earlier, in the saloon.
You know, if you come to town to buy
some beef, you've come to the right place.
Oh, no, no. I'm not buying.
I'm... I'm a lawyer.
Too bad.
Lawyers don't seem to
fare too well around here.
That's what I heard.
Anyway, I'm representing the
man accused of killing the sheriff.
Oh, that's a terrible thing.
The sheriff was a good man.
Yeah. I understand that he suspects you of
coming by some of these cattle illegally.
I ain't no cattle rustler,
and the sheriff knew it.
Why, him and me was friends.
It didn't sound like it from what I
heard behind the boarding house today.
Now you look here.
I run a big outfit
here, and I run it right.
The army over at Fort Rye
wants beef, they buy it from me.
I got me a contract.
I got lots of contracts.
Now, some of the
ranchers don't like that,
so they try to make me look bad
by accusing me of things I didn't do.
Oh, yeah.
It's just that you were so mad,
and then, an hour
later, he was so dead.
Well, I wasn't mad enough to kill
him, if that's what you're getting at.
McMasters, now
he was mad enough.
Brisco, too.
- Gil Brisco?
- Yeah.
Sheriff threw him in the
hoosgow for cheating last week
just when a bunch of miners he was looking
forward to gamble with come to town.
Well, Gil Brisco
was fit to be tied.
- Swore he'd get even.
- Oh?
Well, I appreciate the tip.
Glad to help.
Come on, Brownie.
Come on.
Come on, Brownie.
Come on, come on, come on.
Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!
You ain't going to do this for a whole
hour, are you... are you, Brownie?
Hey, Mr. Brisco.
Hey. Ben Matlock.
Oh, yes, of course.
Word gets around fast in
Golden Springs, Mr. Matlock.
- Pleased to meet you.
- Yes.
You know, I don't think I've ever
seen a lawyer up close before...
Not a live one, at least.
Oh.
I'd like to ask you
some questions.
- Where are you from?
- Atlanta.
Do they play five card
draw down in Atlanta?
What's that got to do with my
asking you some questions?
Well, nothing loosens my tongue
quite like a game of cards, that's all.
Oh. Well... Two dollar ante.
Well, you aren't going
to cheat, are you?
I have never cheated at
cards in my life, and I never will.
That's the God's
honest truth, Mr. Matlock.
Is that why the sheriff
threw you in jail last week?
He threw me in jail
because I was showing
what he considered to be an
unhealthy interest in his sister.
Cards.
Accusing me of
something I never did
and temporarily depriving
me of my livelihood
was his clever way of telling
me to stay away from her.
Oh. I bet that made you mad.
Yes, it did.
But you didn't stay
away from her?
Raise.
No, I didn't.
Is that why he wound
up dead an hour later?
Looks like everybody
but you and me has folded.
What you got?
Three 5s.
Three ladies.
Where were you around
1:30 this afternoon?
I'm afraid you're going to have
to ante up before I answer that.
You've taken
everything I've got.
Then our conversation, though
it has been my pleasure, is over.
Well, hello, Ben.
I've been expecting you.
You have?
I have.
I've heard all about you.
And I just assumed in
time you'd hear all about me.
Here, let me help you
get more comfortable.
Uh...
Uh, uh, uh,
I... I just came
up here to talk.
I gambled all my money
away. I mean, every penny.
Oh, you poor thing.
What I mean is I can't pay you.
Oh, sure you can.
Look, you've got these
nice silver cufflinks
and, oh, this beautiful
gold pocket watch.
Why, if all I took around
these parts was cash,
I'd have gone out of
business years ago.
[chuckling]
Um, uh...
I... I wanted to ask
you about the sheriff.
What about him?
What did he want
to talk to you about?
Same thing he always wanted
to talk about... my leaving.
He was the only man in town who
wasn't pleased as pie I'd settled here.
Of course, that's because
he was the only man in town
who hadn't availed
himself of my services.
He would have eventually if he
hadn't had such a prude for a sister.
Let me just slip this right off.
I just came up here to talk.
And now that we've
talked, I'd just as soon leave.
See, I'm kind of a prude myself.
Wait a minute.
I'll walk you out.
It's not often I get to
be seen with a lawyer.
I just hope nobody shoots you.
Hey, are you Michelle?
I am. What's your name?
Blue. I just came
down from Hollister.
Buy you a drink?
Now, you didn't come
all the way from Hollister
just to buy me a drink,
now did you, Blue?
Hold it, Michelle. I want
to see you right now.
- Hey, wait your turn.
- Stay out of this.
Bob?
Bob.
Are you all right?
[snoring]
[Julie] You knew my brother,
and he was a good sheriff.
There weren't no call for him to be cut
down in the prime of life by some coward.
You... I ask you, is that fair?
I say we do something about
it, and I say we do it now.
[cheering]
Unlock it, Tom.
Now, Miss Julie, you
know I can't do that.
You owe my brother, Tom.
Or did you forget how
he saved your hide
that time Lennie Canfield come out after
you for accidentally shooting his horse.
Judge Hogelby has
already been sent for.
If he gets here and he finds
Conrad has already been hung,
there's going to be hell to pay,
and I'm going to be the one paying it.
Excuse me. Excuse me. Let
me through. Let me through.
Excuse me. Let me get through.
Watch your feet. Let me through.
You can't do this.
Of course I can.
He killed my brother.
It just looks like he
killed your brother.
Well, that's good
enough for us, isn't it?
Yeah!
All right. All right.
All right. All right.
You want to string him
up, okay, but two points:
1, I'm his lawyer, and
he deserves a fair trial;
and 2, I'm a customer at your place
of business... your boarding house...
And that's a conflict of interest and
might be viewed as against the law.
All right, everybody out.
Out. Out.
Hope you like
beans, Mr. Matlock,
because that's what you're
going to be getting for lunch.
And dinner, more than likely.
Breakfast, too.
Thanks. I thought I was a
goner there for a second.
I thought you was, too.
I rode out to Ned Salem's place,
and he said all this cattle
rustling stuff was just a rumor.
Well, all I know is some cowboy
swore he saw a bunch of steers
with a Broken Rock brand
in with Ned Salem's herd.
Why didn't the sheriff
take a look himself?
Well, he did. He rode
there the same day.
The only brands he saw in
Salem's herd was Salem's.
This cowboy, what's his name?
Rudy Simms.
Do you know
where I can find him?
Whoa. Whoa. We don't
have to be in such a hurry.
There you go.
- Rudy Simms?
- Yeah.
I'm Ben Matlock.
Boy, that was some
brawl, wasn't it?
I don't remember
seeing you there.
Well, I spent most of
my time under a table.
I have this strong sense
of self-preservation.
I'm trying to help
Conrad McMasters prove
that he was not the
one who shot the sheriff.
I'm his lawyer.
Yeah?
Well, I hear that
you told the sheriff
that you thought Ned
Salem had stolen some cattle.
Yep, that's right.
Do you want to tell
me how that happened?
Well, you know last time it
rained about a week ago?
Actually, I'm kind of new
in town, so no, I don't.
But go on.
Well, I was riding
watch around midnight...
The northern flank of
the herd, just like always...
When the rain started.
Let me tell you, it poured so hard, I
couldn't see 2 feet in front of my face.
Come morning, when the rain let
up, there was 20 head of them missing.
I looked and I looked, but I'll
be damned if I could find them.
A couple of days later, when I
was riding by Ned Salem's herd,
I could have sworn I
saw a bunch of steers
with the Broken Rock
brand mixed in with his.
So I told the sheriff.
He rode out there
and took a look.
He didn't see no
Broken Rock steers.
That was the end of it.
Any idea what happened to them?
I guess maybe I just
plum made a mistake.
Yeah, I guess you did.
Um...
Oh, could I...
Yeah. There you go.
[grunting]
Now stand real
still. Stand real still.
- Okay?
- [horse nickers]
Stand still now. Here I come.
Bye.
Come on, horse, come on.
Come up here. Come up.
[muttering]
[knock on door]
Hi.
May I come in?
Not if all you
want to do is talk.
This time I'm buying.
Well, what are you standing
out there for? Come right in.
Well, that was
some fight, wasn't it?
It was disgraceful.
I swear, I just don't know what
gets into you boys sometimes.
What did Rudy want?
Rudy?
The cowboy that started it.
The same thing you want.
He seemed determined to get it.
Well, some men have
needs that just can't be denied.
So he was just a customer?
Just like you.
Well, not exactly.
You're leaving?
Well, I said I was buying,
but I didn't say what.
What will it be?
Club soda with a lime.
Whiskey.
Something wrong with your drink?
Smells like stain remover.
Want me to taste it for you?
Tastes a little like stain
remover, but it's smooth.
I don't get it. I
just don't get it.
Why would Michelle pay off Rudy?
Rudy?
Now, there's a walking testimony to
the goodness of man if I ever seen one.
Just last week, he come walking down
the back stairs from Miss Michelle's room,
sees me lying in the alley
trying to sleep in the pouring rain,
gives me a dollar so's I can spend the
rest of the night in the boarding house.
The man's truly a monument
to charity and mercy.
Here. Have another.
Have it all.
You're a genius.
Thanks. I always thought so.
Would you like a ride?
Oh, no, that's all right. I'm just
on my way to the boarding house.
- But on second thought...
- Whoa.
On second thought,
what the hell.
I've been riding so much lately, I've
got bruises in places I've never seen.
This is a much more
civilized way to travel.
- Your rig?
- Uh-huh.
When I go somewhere,
I like to go in style.
Do you like it?
Yeah, it's nice.
These cushions are real nice.
[Man] Hello, Miss Michelle.
Well, here we are.
Well, thanks for the lift.
Should have known you
two would get together.
Why, Miss Julie, I do
believe you're jealous.
Well, the first thing I seen was Conrad
standing there with his gun in his hand.
And the next thing I seen was the sheriff,
shot through the chest and dead as Moses.
Wasn't wearing
his gun or nothing.
Where was his gun?
Bottom desk drawer.
Yeah, Conrad come in and shot
him before he could even get it open.
Objection. Witness
is speculating.
I know that. Sit down.
Well, what about them?
- Well, they ain't standing up.
- [snoring]
I mean, aren't you going to tell
them to disregard what he just said?
Hell, look at them.
Half of them's asleep,
the other half wouldn't know what
I was talking about if I told them.
Now sit down.
But, Your Honor...
I've had about enough
of you, Mr. Matlock.
I've got to be in Carson
City come sundown
because at sunup I've got to
preside over Buck Macy's trial,
because if he ain't
hung pretty quick,
them outlaws he's running around
with is going to bust him out of jail,
and a whole lot of people are
going to get killed in the process.
Now, I can't get down there
if you keep jumping out of your chair
every 10 seconds like some jackrabbit.
Now, I've had
enough. You sit down!
How many times
was the sheriff shot?
Once.
And there was only one bullet
missing from Conrad's gun.
Thank you. You can go sit.
What about my cross-examination?
I don't want a
cross-examination.
[spectators chatter]
Anybody else got
anything to say?
Yes, sir.
May I call somebody
else to the stand?
Who?
Michelle Thomas.
[Man] Miss Michelle.
[wolf whistle]
I suppose a woman
in your profession
gets to know the cowboys
around here pretty well.
[laughter]
That's one way of putting it.
What they do, where they
work, when they ride watch.
Most of them got better things
to do when they're with me
than talk about their
jobs, Mr. Matlock.
Yeah, but they tell
you, though, don't they?
Sometimes, when they're
down here having a drink,
especially when they ride watch?
And then you pass that
information along to Ned Salem,
and then, between
the two of you,
you decide which cowboy
you'll lure up to your room.
And while he's busy
with you up there,
Ned Salem and his boys are busy
helping themselves to the cattle
that cowboy is supposed
to be watching, aren't they?
That's the craziest
notion I've ever heard.
It's so crazy, it worked
every time, didn't it?
Ned would sell the cattle right
away and give you your cut,
and nobody ever knew because
the cowboys you got up to your room
were too embarrassed or afraid
of being fired to say anything.
Until... Rudy came along.
Now, as it happened,
Rudy was with you
instead of watching a
Broken Rock herd that night.
It rained last week, but
a couple of days later,
he came across some
of those stolen cattle,
only by now they were
part of Ned Salem's herd,
so Rudy told the sheriff that he
thought you and Ned were in cahoots.
Then the sheriff confronted you,
and soon thereafter, you shot him.
Me? Shoot somebody?
Why, I wouldn't even know
which end of a gun to point.
[laughter]
And then Rudy confronted you,
but you couldn't shoot him
right there in your room...
You wouldn't have
anybody to frame...
So you paid him off with
a solid gold candlestick
and made him promise to keep
his mouth shut about the cowboys,
your relationship with Ned
Salem, and everything else.
And he was all prepared
to do that until last night,
when I explained to
him what perjury means.
Now, if I put him where you're sitting,
Miss Thomas, he's not going to lie.
Mr. Matlock, I don't reckon
that half the people in this room
know what the word conjecture
means, but I do, and I've had enough.
Now, either you prove what you're
saying, or stop saying it and sit down!
Proof, right. Proof.
Believe it or not, that's
just what I was coming to.
[gunshots]
[Man] Gunshots! Sounds
like it's coming from the jail.
Hold it, hold it, hold
it, hold it, hold it.
Everything is all
right. Everything's fine.
See, that's just Bob shooting
Conrad's gun off over at the jail.
- See?
- [judge] Order.
Order in the court!
Everybody back here!
Everybody back
here and sit down!
I've always wondered why
nobody heard the fatal shot.
Yet you all heard
that shot just now.
You even had a pretty good
idea where it came from.
So why didn't
anybody hear it then?
I'll tell you.
Here's why.
Would you tell the
judge what this is, Tom?
Well, it looks like one of those
cushions off Miss Michelle's buggy.
That's right.
Jake King watched
me take it off her buggy
over at the livery stable this
morning, didn't you, Jake?
This is why you
didn't hear the shot.
The other afternoon,
when Conrad came in here
wearing his gun, looking for the sheriff,
you went and got this
cushion, didn't you?
And you also got a gun, and
you went over to the sheriff's office,
and not only was the sheriff still
alive, but Conrad was unconscious,
and you saw your opportunity,
and you put your gun into this pillow
and fired through it so no one
could hear the shot and come running.
And then, with the sheriff
dead, you walked over to Conrad,
took one bullet out of his pistol,
and put the gun in his hand.
Then you slipped out
without anybody seeing you.
And finally, you put this
cushion back in your buggy,
thinking no one would notice.
But I noticed yesterday, when you
were so kind to give me that ride.
There.
[judge] Here, here, here.
Order, order!
All right, don't nobody move.
- Now, see here, young lady.
- Sit down!
Now, I'm leaving here,
and if anybody tries to stop
me, the lawyer here gets a bullet.
- Get out of my way.
- Nope.
I'll kill him, I swear I will.
I've got nothing to lose.
- [Man] Let her go!
- She makes a good point, Tom.
- Move.
- Nope.
Ohh! No. Oh.
Ben, are you all right?
What happened?
That sign came loose and
whacked you on the head.
You're alive.
Of course I'm alive.
[Julie] You've
been out cold, Ben.
The mechanic's here.
Wait, wait. Don't get
up. You should rest.
- That's all right.
- Ben?
That's okay. I can get... I can get
plenty of rest on the stagecoach.
I mean... I mean the bus.
[hammering]
Excuse me, sir.
How long do you think it will
take for you to get us rolling again?
I don't know. Now get
on the bus and sit down.
- She just asked you a simple question.
- Ohh!
Look, I've got to be in
Carson City come sunup
because another one of
these buses broke down,
and if I don't fix it, there's going
to be one mad busload of tourists.
Now, a man's got to do
what a man's got to do,
so get on the bus and sit down!
[chatter]
Oh, look, antelope.
They're cows.
Ben, we're in the middle of
Nevada. They're antelope.
Cows.
Oh, stop being a
stick in the mud.
Well, it's just I don't get it.
You go to this charity auction,
and of all the trips
you could have bid on,
you had to wind
up with this one.
Because I thought that
spending the weekend
with a bunch of friends at a
dude ranch sounded like fun,
and I haven't thrown
a party in a long time,
and the money went
for a good cause.
And as luck would have
it, nobody else bid on it.
There's going to be horses.
Of course there's going to
be horses. It's a dude ranch.
I don't know how
to ride one of them.
Well, you'll learn.
I'm not going to
get on one of them.
Oh, Ben.
I'm afraid of horses.
[coyote howls]
May as well get out and
stretch your legs, folks.
Oh, wow.
This is great.
Reminds me of a mini-mall my
ex-brother-in-law talked me into buying.
Well, this isn't the
dude ranch, is it, Julie?
No. I'm sure the driver's just
taking a break or something.
Either that, or he's looking
for a fire extinguisher.
Oh, Ben.
Let me go see what's going on.
What's the trouble?
Engine's overheating.
Any reason why?
We're out of oil.
Out of oil?
Yep.
The crank case is
leaking like a sieve.
How long is it going
to take you to fix it?
My job is to drive
this bus, not to fix it.
Well, what are you
going to do about it?
Get on the radio, tell the boss
to send a mechanic out here.
May as well make
yourselves comfortable, folks.
Looks like we're going
to be here a while.
It's okay. He's got a radio.
It's not like we're going to be
stranded here for days or anything.
Come on, you
guys. It will be fun.
Now, who wants to go exploring?
Oh, hey, hey.
I vote we find a nice shady tree
and play a little game of chance.
Have a few cold ones.
Now you're talking.
Come on, let's look around.
- Want to go with us?
- No, thanks.
Hey, Ben, Julie... come
here. You've got to see this.
[horse neighs]
[whooping]
You're blocking the door.
♪♪ [ragtime]
What will it be?
Who is the sheriff talking to?
That's Ned Salem.
The cardshark's Gil
Brisco. Must be new in town.
[snoring]
That's old Bob...
Yep.
Dead drunk, the same as always.
Well, well, I don't believe
I've had the pleasure.
Welcome to Golden
Springs, stranger.
My name's Michelle.
What's yours?
I need to talk to you.
It will have to wait. I'm busy.
Miss Thomas!
[door opens]
[spurs jingle]
I just heard about Willis.
He drew on me, Conrad.
Drew on me and lost.
Here's what I'm
going to do, Sheriff.
First I'm going to step over
to that bar and get me a drink.
Then I'm going to go get my gun,
and I'm going to come looking for you.
You do...
you're going to wind
up just like your uncle...
Dead.
Whiskey.
Not that stuff, the
good stuff under here.
Don't never let him pour from them
bottles up there... he waters them down.
Thanks for the tip.
I'm Ben Matlock.
Conrad McMasters.
New in these parts?
Real new.
Where are you staying?
I don't know yet.
Any suggestions?
Julie's Boarding House,
right down the street.
She's about to have a vacancy.
She is?
Her brother's room.
He's the sheriff.
Morning.
Hi.
Are you Julie?
You must be the stranger
my brother told me about.
Need a room, do you?
As a matter of fact, I do.
Going to be in town long?
I'm not really sure.
This here's your room.
It will cost you a
dollar a day in advance.
A dollar?
That includes meals, of course.
Oh.
Oh, I'll take it.
Uh, will some of these do?
My Lord!
I'm renting you a room,
not selling you the place.
This is just fine.
Well, you've got yourself room
and board now for five days.
Oh.
You, uh, with
the railroad, Mr...?
Matlock. No, I'm not.
Men who carry all that cash
usually work for the railroad...
Or just got done robbing it.
You're no outlaw,
are you, Mr. Matlock?
No, no. I'm a lawyer.
I'll just get you some
water so you can wash up.
Uh, actually right now, I'm more
interested in using the facilities.
You know, the restroom.
The men's...
Oh, of course.
It's right out back.
Out back?
I ain't going to tell you
but one time, Sheriff.
If you don't stop messing
in my affairs, tin badge or no,
you're going to be real
sorry. Do you hear me?
Where's the sheriff?
At the jail.
Hey, Willis is a no-good
troublemaker, Conrad.
He ain't worth dying
for, and you know it.
A man's got to do
what a man's got to do.
Get your gun on.
You don't want
to do this, Conrad.
You killed my uncle.
You didn't even like your uncle.
He raised me.
I owe him.
He raised you because he
liked having somebody around
he could kick the tar out of.
Get your gun on.
In my desk, bottom drawer.
Some folks is just too nice
for their own damn good.
[door opens]
- [muffled gunshot]
- Ohh!
[woman screams in distance]
[chatter]
[Man] Jailhouse?
Let's get down there!
Excuse me, please.
Excuse me. Excuse me.
Excuse me. Excuse me.
Excuse me. Excuse me.
Uh, excuse me. Could I
just slip through this, in here?
Come on. Let's go.
- But I didn't kill him.
- Come on.
I didn't do it.
Somebody's got to
believe me. I didn't kill him.
I'm innocent.
I guess he clobbered me,
because the next thing I
know, I'm lying on the floor
and he's lying across from
me with a big hole in his chest.
Where was your gun?
In my hand.
And I don't know how
it got there, I swear.
Then what happened?
I got up to take a
look at the sheriff,
and then the deputy
comes in and starts hollering.
You mean the deputy came in
and saw you standing over the
sheriff with the gun in your hand?
Yes.
Oh.
Are there any
lawyers in this town?
There used to, but it seems like
people always get mad at them
and wind up shooting them.
Damn it, Willis!
If I'd have just shot him myself
instead of waiting around
for the sheriff to do it,
none of this would
have happened.
I thought he was your uncle.
He was the meanest man
that ever walked this earth.
Well, why did you go
after the sheriff like that?
Willis was family.
A man's got to do
what a man's got to do.
Why is that?
Why is what?
Why does a man got to
do what a man's got to do?
Do you realize how many people
have been killed in John Wayne movies
all because of that one line?
Men, women, children,
towns, villages, forts...
All wiped out because
somebody strapped on a gun
and said a man's got to
do what a man's got to do.
Somebody should have
jerked that jackass around
and knocked the
living hell out of him.
A man's got to do
what a man's got to do.
Well, if you want me
to take your case, I will.
As it happens, I'm a lawyer.
How come?
I like being a lawyer.
No, how come you'll take my
case? You don't hardly even know me.
I don't know.
Somewhere in my
mind I feel like I do.
Well, I can't pay you much.
The fact is I can't
pay you nothing.
You don't have to pay me.
Just don't shoot me.
Any idea what time it was
when you heard the shot?
I didn't hear no shot.
You didn't?
A gun this big, I'd think you could
hear the shot all the way to California.
There's five bullets.
The sixth one went through the
sheriff and stuck in the wall there.
You are going to run
ballistics to make sure
the bullet came out
of this gun, aren't you?
I'm going to do what?
Uh, you're going to, uh...
run a full investigation?
Well, Conrad said he
was going to get the sheriff.
That's what he done.
Of course, if the sheriff
had been wearing his gun,
that would have
been self-defense.
But since he weren't, that just
makes it cold-blooded murder.
Cut and dried, just the way
the circuit court judge likes it.
Uh, Ned Salem...
I saw him out behind the boarding
house today giving the sheriff what for.
The sheriff was probably talking
to him about that cattle rustling.
What cattle rustling?
The rustling he
thought Ned was doing.
Where can I find Ned Salem?
At his ranch, I expect.
It's the Lazy B. It's about
an hour's ride north of town.
Hour's ride.
Let's be friends.
Come on.
Now, I'm kind of
new at this, so I'll...
So I'll take all
the help I can get.
Now, you... There
you go, that's a boy.
Yeah. Now you stay right here.
Stand still, and
I'm gonna... get on.
I nearly got it. There.
No.
Would you stand
real still, and I'll...
[grunting]
Could you... Could you just...
Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait.
Hold still. Hold still. Hold
still. Hold still. Hold still.
Wait.
Giddyup.
Come on.
Come on, come on. Giddyup.
Come on.
No. No. No. No.
Oh, no. No. No. Whoa.
[muttering]
Let Captain Stewart take
his pick from this bunch,
but make sure the ones we take him
come from that herd down by the river.
Man thinks he knows
his cattle, but he don't.
[Matlock] Come on, run.
Oh, this saddle is getting...
Is getting a little
hard, Brownie.
We're getting close, Brownie.
We're going to
get them. Come on.
Mr. Salem?
I'm Ben Matlock.
Oh, I've seen you
earlier, in the saloon.
You know, if you come to town to buy
some beef, you've come to the right place.
Oh, no, no. I'm not buying.
I'm... I'm a lawyer.
Too bad.
Lawyers don't seem to
fare too well around here.
That's what I heard.
Anyway, I'm representing the
man accused of killing the sheriff.
Oh, that's a terrible thing.
The sheriff was a good man.
Yeah. I understand that he suspects you of
coming by some of these cattle illegally.
I ain't no cattle rustler,
and the sheriff knew it.
Why, him and me was friends.
It didn't sound like it from what I
heard behind the boarding house today.
Now you look here.
I run a big outfit
here, and I run it right.
The army over at Fort Rye
wants beef, they buy it from me.
I got me a contract.
I got lots of contracts.
Now, some of the
ranchers don't like that,
so they try to make me look bad
by accusing me of things I didn't do.
Oh, yeah.
It's just that you were so mad,
and then, an hour
later, he was so dead.
Well, I wasn't mad enough to kill
him, if that's what you're getting at.
McMasters, now
he was mad enough.
Brisco, too.
- Gil Brisco?
- Yeah.
Sheriff threw him in the
hoosgow for cheating last week
just when a bunch of miners he was looking
forward to gamble with come to town.
Well, Gil Brisco
was fit to be tied.
- Swore he'd get even.
- Oh?
Well, I appreciate the tip.
Glad to help.
Come on, Brownie.
Come on.
Come on, Brownie.
Come on, come on, come on.
Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!
You ain't going to do this for a whole
hour, are you... are you, Brownie?
Hey, Mr. Brisco.
Hey. Ben Matlock.
Oh, yes, of course.
Word gets around fast in
Golden Springs, Mr. Matlock.
- Pleased to meet you.
- Yes.
You know, I don't think I've ever
seen a lawyer up close before...
Not a live one, at least.
Oh.
I'd like to ask you
some questions.
- Where are you from?
- Atlanta.
Do they play five card
draw down in Atlanta?
What's that got to do with my
asking you some questions?
Well, nothing loosens my tongue
quite like a game of cards, that's all.
Oh. Well... Two dollar ante.
Well, you aren't going
to cheat, are you?
I have never cheated at
cards in my life, and I never will.
That's the God's
honest truth, Mr. Matlock.
Is that why the sheriff
threw you in jail last week?
He threw me in jail
because I was showing
what he considered to be an
unhealthy interest in his sister.
Cards.
Accusing me of
something I never did
and temporarily depriving
me of my livelihood
was his clever way of telling
me to stay away from her.
Oh. I bet that made you mad.
Yes, it did.
But you didn't stay
away from her?
Raise.
No, I didn't.
Is that why he wound
up dead an hour later?
Looks like everybody
but you and me has folded.
What you got?
Three 5s.
Three ladies.
Where were you around
1:30 this afternoon?
I'm afraid you're going to have
to ante up before I answer that.
You've taken
everything I've got.
Then our conversation, though
it has been my pleasure, is over.
Well, hello, Ben.
I've been expecting you.
You have?
I have.
I've heard all about you.
And I just assumed in
time you'd hear all about me.
Here, let me help you
get more comfortable.
Uh...
Uh, uh, uh,
I... I just came
up here to talk.
I gambled all my money
away. I mean, every penny.
Oh, you poor thing.
What I mean is I can't pay you.
Oh, sure you can.
Look, you've got these
nice silver cufflinks
and, oh, this beautiful
gold pocket watch.
Why, if all I took around
these parts was cash,
I'd have gone out of
business years ago.
[chuckling]
Um, uh...
I... I wanted to ask
you about the sheriff.
What about him?
What did he want
to talk to you about?
Same thing he always wanted
to talk about... my leaving.
He was the only man in town who
wasn't pleased as pie I'd settled here.
Of course, that's because
he was the only man in town
who hadn't availed
himself of my services.
He would have eventually if he
hadn't had such a prude for a sister.
Let me just slip this right off.
I just came up here to talk.
And now that we've
talked, I'd just as soon leave.
See, I'm kind of a prude myself.
Wait a minute.
I'll walk you out.
It's not often I get to
be seen with a lawyer.
I just hope nobody shoots you.
Hey, are you Michelle?
I am. What's your name?
Blue. I just came
down from Hollister.
Buy you a drink?
Now, you didn't come
all the way from Hollister
just to buy me a drink,
now did you, Blue?
Hold it, Michelle. I want
to see you right now.
- Hey, wait your turn.
- Stay out of this.
Bob?
Bob.
Are you all right?
[snoring]
[Julie] You knew my brother,
and he was a good sheriff.
There weren't no call for him to be cut
down in the prime of life by some coward.
You... I ask you, is that fair?
I say we do something about
it, and I say we do it now.
[cheering]
Unlock it, Tom.
Now, Miss Julie, you
know I can't do that.
You owe my brother, Tom.
Or did you forget how
he saved your hide
that time Lennie Canfield come out after
you for accidentally shooting his horse.
Judge Hogelby has
already been sent for.
If he gets here and he finds
Conrad has already been hung,
there's going to be hell to pay,
and I'm going to be the one paying it.
Excuse me. Excuse me. Let
me through. Let me through.
Excuse me. Let me get through.
Watch your feet. Let me through.
You can't do this.
Of course I can.
He killed my brother.
It just looks like he
killed your brother.
Well, that's good
enough for us, isn't it?
Yeah!
All right. All right.
All right. All right.
You want to string him
up, okay, but two points:
1, I'm his lawyer, and
he deserves a fair trial;
and 2, I'm a customer at your place
of business... your boarding house...
And that's a conflict of interest and
might be viewed as against the law.
All right, everybody out.
Out. Out.
Hope you like
beans, Mr. Matlock,
because that's what you're
going to be getting for lunch.
And dinner, more than likely.
Breakfast, too.
Thanks. I thought I was a
goner there for a second.
I thought you was, too.
I rode out to Ned Salem's place,
and he said all this cattle
rustling stuff was just a rumor.
Well, all I know is some cowboy
swore he saw a bunch of steers
with a Broken Rock brand
in with Ned Salem's herd.
Why didn't the sheriff
take a look himself?
Well, he did. He rode
there the same day.
The only brands he saw in
Salem's herd was Salem's.
This cowboy, what's his name?
Rudy Simms.
Do you know
where I can find him?
Whoa. Whoa. We don't
have to be in such a hurry.
There you go.
- Rudy Simms?
- Yeah.
I'm Ben Matlock.
Boy, that was some
brawl, wasn't it?
I don't remember
seeing you there.
Well, I spent most of
my time under a table.
I have this strong sense
of self-preservation.
I'm trying to help
Conrad McMasters prove
that he was not the
one who shot the sheriff.
I'm his lawyer.
Yeah?
Well, I hear that
you told the sheriff
that you thought Ned
Salem had stolen some cattle.
Yep, that's right.
Do you want to tell
me how that happened?
Well, you know last time it
rained about a week ago?
Actually, I'm kind of new
in town, so no, I don't.
But go on.
Well, I was riding
watch around midnight...
The northern flank of
the herd, just like always...
When the rain started.
Let me tell you, it poured so hard, I
couldn't see 2 feet in front of my face.
Come morning, when the rain let
up, there was 20 head of them missing.
I looked and I looked, but I'll
be damned if I could find them.
A couple of days later, when I
was riding by Ned Salem's herd,
I could have sworn I
saw a bunch of steers
with the Broken Rock
brand mixed in with his.
So I told the sheriff.
He rode out there
and took a look.
He didn't see no
Broken Rock steers.
That was the end of it.
Any idea what happened to them?
I guess maybe I just
plum made a mistake.
Yeah, I guess you did.
Um...
Oh, could I...
Yeah. There you go.
[grunting]
Now stand real
still. Stand real still.
- Okay?
- [horse nickers]
Stand still now. Here I come.
Bye.
Come on, horse, come on.
Come up here. Come up.
[muttering]
[knock on door]
Hi.
May I come in?
Not if all you
want to do is talk.
This time I'm buying.
Well, what are you standing
out there for? Come right in.
Well, that was
some fight, wasn't it?
It was disgraceful.
I swear, I just don't know what
gets into you boys sometimes.
What did Rudy want?
Rudy?
The cowboy that started it.
The same thing you want.
He seemed determined to get it.
Well, some men have
needs that just can't be denied.
So he was just a customer?
Just like you.
Well, not exactly.
You're leaving?
Well, I said I was buying,
but I didn't say what.
What will it be?
Club soda with a lime.
Whiskey.
Something wrong with your drink?
Smells like stain remover.
Want me to taste it for you?
Tastes a little like stain
remover, but it's smooth.
I don't get it. I
just don't get it.
Why would Michelle pay off Rudy?
Rudy?
Now, there's a walking testimony to
the goodness of man if I ever seen one.
Just last week, he come walking down
the back stairs from Miss Michelle's room,
sees me lying in the alley
trying to sleep in the pouring rain,
gives me a dollar so's I can spend the
rest of the night in the boarding house.
The man's truly a monument
to charity and mercy.
Here. Have another.
Have it all.
You're a genius.
Thanks. I always thought so.
Would you like a ride?
Oh, no, that's all right. I'm just
on my way to the boarding house.
- But on second thought...
- Whoa.
On second thought,
what the hell.
I've been riding so much lately, I've
got bruises in places I've never seen.
This is a much more
civilized way to travel.
- Your rig?
- Uh-huh.
When I go somewhere,
I like to go in style.
Do you like it?
Yeah, it's nice.
These cushions are real nice.
[Man] Hello, Miss Michelle.
Well, here we are.
Well, thanks for the lift.
Should have known you
two would get together.
Why, Miss Julie, I do
believe you're jealous.
Well, the first thing I seen was Conrad
standing there with his gun in his hand.
And the next thing I seen was the sheriff,
shot through the chest and dead as Moses.
Wasn't wearing
his gun or nothing.
Where was his gun?
Bottom desk drawer.
Yeah, Conrad come in and shot
him before he could even get it open.
Objection. Witness
is speculating.
I know that. Sit down.
Well, what about them?
- Well, they ain't standing up.
- [snoring]
I mean, aren't you going to tell
them to disregard what he just said?
Hell, look at them.
Half of them's asleep,
the other half wouldn't know what
I was talking about if I told them.
Now sit down.
But, Your Honor...
I've had about enough
of you, Mr. Matlock.
I've got to be in Carson
City come sundown
because at sunup I've got to
preside over Buck Macy's trial,
because if he ain't
hung pretty quick,
them outlaws he's running around
with is going to bust him out of jail,
and a whole lot of people are
going to get killed in the process.
Now, I can't get down there
if you keep jumping out of your chair
every 10 seconds like some jackrabbit.
Now, I've had
enough. You sit down!
How many times
was the sheriff shot?
Once.
And there was only one bullet
missing from Conrad's gun.
Thank you. You can go sit.
What about my cross-examination?
I don't want a
cross-examination.
[spectators chatter]
Anybody else got
anything to say?
Yes, sir.
May I call somebody
else to the stand?
Who?
Michelle Thomas.
[Man] Miss Michelle.
[wolf whistle]
I suppose a woman
in your profession
gets to know the cowboys
around here pretty well.
[laughter]
That's one way of putting it.
What they do, where they
work, when they ride watch.
Most of them got better things
to do when they're with me
than talk about their
jobs, Mr. Matlock.
Yeah, but they tell
you, though, don't they?
Sometimes, when they're
down here having a drink,
especially when they ride watch?
And then you pass that
information along to Ned Salem,
and then, between
the two of you,
you decide which cowboy
you'll lure up to your room.
And while he's busy
with you up there,
Ned Salem and his boys are busy
helping themselves to the cattle
that cowboy is supposed
to be watching, aren't they?
That's the craziest
notion I've ever heard.
It's so crazy, it worked
every time, didn't it?
Ned would sell the cattle right
away and give you your cut,
and nobody ever knew because
the cowboys you got up to your room
were too embarrassed or afraid
of being fired to say anything.
Until... Rudy came along.
Now, as it happened,
Rudy was with you
instead of watching a
Broken Rock herd that night.
It rained last week, but
a couple of days later,
he came across some
of those stolen cattle,
only by now they were
part of Ned Salem's herd,
so Rudy told the sheriff that he
thought you and Ned were in cahoots.
Then the sheriff confronted you,
and soon thereafter, you shot him.
Me? Shoot somebody?
Why, I wouldn't even know
which end of a gun to point.
[laughter]
And then Rudy confronted you,
but you couldn't shoot him
right there in your room...
You wouldn't have
anybody to frame...
So you paid him off with
a solid gold candlestick
and made him promise to keep
his mouth shut about the cowboys,
your relationship with Ned
Salem, and everything else.
And he was all prepared
to do that until last night,
when I explained to
him what perjury means.
Now, if I put him where you're sitting,
Miss Thomas, he's not going to lie.
Mr. Matlock, I don't reckon
that half the people in this room
know what the word conjecture
means, but I do, and I've had enough.
Now, either you prove what you're
saying, or stop saying it and sit down!
Proof, right. Proof.
Believe it or not, that's
just what I was coming to.
[gunshots]
[Man] Gunshots! Sounds
like it's coming from the jail.
Hold it, hold it, hold
it, hold it, hold it.
Everything is all
right. Everything's fine.
See, that's just Bob shooting
Conrad's gun off over at the jail.
- See?
- [judge] Order.
Order in the court!
Everybody back here!
Everybody back
here and sit down!
I've always wondered why
nobody heard the fatal shot.
Yet you all heard
that shot just now.
You even had a pretty good
idea where it came from.
So why didn't
anybody hear it then?
I'll tell you.
Here's why.
Would you tell the
judge what this is, Tom?
Well, it looks like one of those
cushions off Miss Michelle's buggy.
That's right.
Jake King watched
me take it off her buggy
over at the livery stable this
morning, didn't you, Jake?
This is why you
didn't hear the shot.
The other afternoon,
when Conrad came in here
wearing his gun, looking for the sheriff,
you went and got this
cushion, didn't you?
And you also got a gun, and
you went over to the sheriff's office,
and not only was the sheriff still
alive, but Conrad was unconscious,
and you saw your opportunity,
and you put your gun into this pillow
and fired through it so no one
could hear the shot and come running.
And then, with the sheriff
dead, you walked over to Conrad,
took one bullet out of his pistol,
and put the gun in his hand.
Then you slipped out
without anybody seeing you.
And finally, you put this
cushion back in your buggy,
thinking no one would notice.
But I noticed yesterday, when you
were so kind to give me that ride.
There.
[judge] Here, here, here.
Order, order!
All right, don't nobody move.
- Now, see here, young lady.
- Sit down!
Now, I'm leaving here,
and if anybody tries to stop
me, the lawyer here gets a bullet.
- Get out of my way.
- Nope.
I'll kill him, I swear I will.
I've got nothing to lose.
- [Man] Let her go!
- She makes a good point, Tom.
- Move.
- Nope.
Ohh! No. Oh.
Ben, are you all right?
What happened?
That sign came loose and
whacked you on the head.
You're alive.
Of course I'm alive.
[Julie] You've
been out cold, Ben.
The mechanic's here.
Wait, wait. Don't get
up. You should rest.
- That's all right.
- Ben?
That's okay. I can get... I can get
plenty of rest on the stagecoach.
I mean... I mean the bus.
[hammering]
Excuse me, sir.
How long do you think it will
take for you to get us rolling again?
I don't know. Now get
on the bus and sit down.
- She just asked you a simple question.
- Ohh!
Look, I've got to be in
Carson City come sunup
because another one of
these buses broke down,
and if I don't fix it, there's going
to be one mad busload of tourists.
Now, a man's got to do
what a man's got to do,
so get on the bus and sit down!