Maverick (1957–1962): Season 1, Episode 23 - The Seventh Hand - full transcript
Samantha Crawford invites five of the wealthiest and most influential poker players in the west to a game and stakes Bret to $20,000 to compete in the contest. After the game is robbed of more than $100,000 by two gunmen, Bret is accused of complicity and discovers that Samantha received the money she gave Bret from a shady third party. Their reputations at stake Bret and Samantha pursue the crooks into Sioux territory in the Black Hills in order to recover the money.
- You sure it was him?
- It's him all right.
- Alive?
- So far. But he won't be by morning.
They've got him tied
up in one of the tepees.
Well, then, let's get to it.
If we went down there now,
we wouldn't have a chance.
What if they kill
him before morning?
Well, if you think you can
make it alone, you just go ahead.
- When do we go?
- Tonight.
He's on his way down now.
- Bret? Bret Maverick.
- Well, Samantha Crawford.
Oh, ha, ha, how nice to see you
again. I was thinking of you the other day.
- How much did it cost me?
- Ha, ha.
That's the nicest
compliment I've ever had.
How long will you be
staying in Kansas City?
Well, I was going to stay a week,
but I think I'll take the afternoon train.
- Oh, are you afraid of me, Bret?
- No. No, not exactly.
It's just that when I'm with
you I feel like I'm living...
- through the last days of Pompeii.
- Ha-ha-ha.
Oh, how is brother Bart?
I think he'll get well...
if I don't mention your name.
He's sweet.
I was going to ask you to
take me to dinner. Will you?
- Why?
- Because I like you.
I feel at home with you, Bret.
If you weren't so
beautiful, I'd refuse.
- Seven o'clock?
- Seven.
It's wonderful running into you
again like this. It'll be like old times.
- I'll try not to hold the thought.
- Ha, ha.
- May I?
- Oh, please do.
No, thank you.
Tell me, Bret, what have
you been doing lately?
Oh, this and that,
here and there.
Oh, well that
sounds interesting.
Mm-hm.
- Why are you looking at me like that?
- I'm waiting.
What for?
Sam, you didn't just run
into me this afternoon.
- Oh, I didn't?
- No.
I'm not staying at this hotel.
I came to see someone.
Oh, what does that prove?
You're not staying
here either. I asked.
Well, don't you
believe in coincidence?
Only for two other people.
All right, Bret. I have
been looking for you.
Look inside.
If you count it,
you'll find $20,000.
Well, doesn't that surprise you?
Sam, finding the British crown
jewels in your bag wouldn't surprise me.
Do you recognize
any names on this list?
If these men knew you were carrying
their names in a bag with only $20,000...
- they'd feel hurt.
- Heh.
- Have you ever met any of them?
- No, have you?
Well, indirectly. I've
watched them play poker.
Bret, each of them thinks he's
the world's greatest poker player.
But I know who is.
We're getting to the
point now, aren't we?
The $20,000 is yours. A stake
in a poker game with these men.
- You're staking me?
- Why not?
One question: Where
did you get the $20,000?
I broke my piggy bank.
Bret, the money is mine.
I came by it honestly.
Sam, you'll go far because
you believe every word you say.
I'm offering you a chance
to make a lot of money.
These men play for high stakes.
But believe me, they don't play
like you do, they just think they do.
Are we partners?
- What's the split?
- Fifty percent of all you win, you keep.
I'm the only one that can lose.
What makes you think you can
get these men in a poker game?
Heh, vanity.
You're going to claim to be
the world's greatest poker player.
And challenge them
to prove that you're not.
Oh, they'll come running for the
chance at your scalp. They'll play.
- And you're just as sure that I will.
- Well, won't you?
- Vanity?
- Money.
All right, Sam.
I feel like I'm looking
into a bubbling volcano...
but it's a deal.
As you said, you're the
only one who can lose.
Now, when do you
plan to invite these men?
Well, I already have. I sent
the telegrams right before dinner.
What's the matter with
you? You shouldn't be here.
- I came up to see how things was.
- Things is just fine, Mr. Logan.
Please go before
the others get here.
- It's gonna be all right, ain't it?
- Certainly. Now go, please.
You seem anxious
to get rid of me.
Well, I was never
more anxious in my life.
You're a fool. You
could spoil everything.
I came up here to see
that things ain't spoiled.
I don't trust nobody.
Do you wanna
back out, Mr. Logan?
No.
No.
But you just remember, Miss
Crawford, I'm not gonna be far away.
- I'm gonna be watching you.
- Please do.
From a safe distance.
There's only one word
for it, Sam. Opulent.
Oh, well, we have to make an
impression, don't we, honey?
You will.
- You just keep all that Southern charm.
- Ha, ha.
You're sweet.
- Uh, Sam?
- Mm?
You have told me
everything, haven't you?
- Everything?
- About the game?
Well, of course. What
would I be hiding from you?
I don't know.
But there's a little voice inside
me that keeps whispering:
"This is Samantha Crawford, Bret.
Close all the doors and windows."
Oh, heh.
Here's your $20,000.
It's all the money I have in the
world. I'm trusting you with it, Bret.
This game would be a matter of luck.
I know the way these men play poker.
Oh, you can outplay them.
When you're playing with
men as good as you are...
poker is no longer a game
of skill. You're gambling.
I may be broke in an hour.
Hmm. We may be broke in an hour.
You Logan?
I'm Pritchard. That's Wells.
Well?
I, uh...
- I'm pleased to meet you.
- Sure. Sure.
We're ready.
Well, it can't be done now.
It's gotta be done a little later.
I wanna get one thing straight.
Don't try anything funny.
You do what I told you,
you'll get what I promised.
I got somebody else
watching you, you understand?
Okay, Logan. You're the boss.
It ought to be
starting anytime now.
Three hundred and fifty.
Three hundred and fifty, huh?
LOCKRIDGE: I'm out. I'm out. Enh.
I call, Mr. Maverick.
- Kings over threes, Mr. Gilling.
- Thank you.
- May I get you something, Mr. Gilling?
- Three aces, if possible.
- Oh, it's early yet, your luck may change.
- Maybe.
I'll have 10,000 more,
Miss Crawford, please.
All right.
You're a skillful
player, Mr. Maverick.
It seems the skill is
spread pretty well here.
Heh. Coming from you,
that's quite a compliment.
I haven't had such bad luck
since that Saint Louis game.
Hmm, you didn't do
too badly back there.
Uh, you better check my count.
With the way Mr. Maverick is
playing, I don't think I'll have time.
- Cards, Mr. Maverick?
- These are good enough, Mr. Lockridge.
- Mr. Tabor?
- Two, please.
You holding a kicker, Mr. Tabor?
I may make four of a kind.
- Keep your seats and behave.
- Put your hands on the table.
Don't nobody move.
You just stay glued
for five minutes.
First one pokes his head out
the door are gonna get it shot off.
Friends of yours, Mr. Maverick?
Hardly, Mr. Tabor.
Bret, be careful.
I'm sure you'll know where
to look for them, Mr. Maverick.
I hope you don't mean what I
think you mean, Mr. Lockridge.
It was very neat and unexpected.
- Now, wait a minute.
- No, you wait a minute.
We were the only ones who knew
where this game was being played.
- That's right. We were.
- Bret, I...
Almost a hundred thousand dollars
went out that door, Mr. Maverick.
I've lost more than that
overnight in a bad business deal.
But I've never
looked so foolish.
You're judging me
pretty fast, aren't you?
- On the evidence, Mr. Maverick.
- What evidence? Now, you listen to me.
Mr. Maverick, you're a
thief. I repeat, sir, a thief.
But one with imagination.
What better way to steal a
hundred thousand dollars?
- And we can't prove a thing.
- And so much safer than holding up a bank.
All right, Maverick.
It's over and done.
I'll charge it off to profit
and loss. A lesson learned.
But my fellow sufferers don't want
the kind of publicity this would make.
- No, we certainly don't.
- Now, look...
I have a business deal on the fire
and it won't help any if this comes out.
Exactly.
If you ever come to Colorado,
Maverick, bring a shroud.
But, Mr. Tabor, I had no...
- Good night!
I throw a lot of weight
in the Wyoming territory.
It can all come down on you
if you touch your toes there.
- Are you coming, gentlemen?
- Let me add my two cents' worth.
What Mr. Tabor and Mr. Fayette
said goes double for Texas.
I hope you didn't get any
enjoyment out of poker, Maverick.
You'll have a hard time
finding a game from here on in.
Let's have a talk, Sam.
- Well, Bret, you don't think that I...
- Who else?
Oh, I should've known.
I'm disappointed, Sam.
This was pretty crude.
- You're drawing conclusions too fast.
- What do you think they did?
Look, Sam, these men are powerful.
They can do exactly what they said.
If I show my face in
their stamping ground,
I've lived my whole
life right then and there.
You think I'd do
something like this to you?
- It just happened!
- Let me talk, Bret.
You can do what you
like, but let me talk.
Talk or lie?
Now, you listen to me a minute.
I like you very much, Sam.
It's fun trying to stay
one step ahead of you.
But this is a blue-chip deal,
beautiful, with my head for an ante.
Tabor and the others weren't joking
when they told me what to expect.
Gilling was right. The
story will get around.
I'll have to go to Hong
Kong to find a game.
Now you talk.
All right, Bret.
The 20,000 I gave
you wasn't mine.
I guessed that. Now
I'm through guessing.
Try to tell me the truth
even if it comes hard.
A man named Logan gave me the
money and asked me to set up the game.
- Why you?
- Because you wouldn't do it for him.
- You know where he is?
- He's here in the hotel.
- Which room? Do you know?
- Yes.
Even when I think I believe
you, I know I'm wrong.
It's the truth, Bret.
All right. Let's
go see Mr. Logan.
You do have your
thousand-dollar bill, don't you?
You want that too?
Oh, Bret.
Come on. Logan's room is
just around the corner, 305.
He was playing it pretty close.
This is the only kind of calling card
your Mr. Logan would understand.
- All right. Where is he?
- Well, I don't know.
- You're gonna take me to him.
- How, Bret?
Oh, look, I knew nothing about the
holdup. Just about the card game.
- Where did you meet him?
- Well, he came to me with the money.
- Why did he come to you?
- I don't know.
He offered me 10 percent of the
profit if I'd set up a poker game.
That sounded all right to me.
You must have known him well.
Oh, I didn't know
anything about him.
Where is he from?
What does he look like?
I don't know where he's from. But
I'll know him again when I see him.
I wanna know him when I see him.
Well, he's, um... He's
short and squat, like a frog.
Bret, I swear, I knew
nothing about the holdup.
- It was Logan's idea?
- Well, it had to be.
And he's long gone.
He's not in his hotel room.
He won't stay in Kansas City.
He'll get out.
He'll probably take the train.
Oh, no. He wouldn't go by
train. That's the last way he'd go.
It's too easy to get
caught on the train.
- What are you doing?
- Ask questions. Stay where I can find you.
You're not gonna
lock me in this room.
- I'm not?
- Bret.
And don't jump out the
window, it's three floors down.
- Bret.
- Good night, Sam.
Yes, Mr. Maverick?
- Do you have a Mr. Logan staying here?
- Uh, yes, sir.
Room 305. But he checked out.
- When?
- Oh, not more than about 20 minutes ago.
Was he alone?
I really don't know. I
didn't pay much attention.
Never mind. Are there
any trains out tonight?
Yes, sir. In fact, there's
one pulling out right now.
- But you couldn't catch that one.
- I could try.
If you miss it,
there's one tomorrow.
All aboard!
- Well, just made it, huh?
- And the last car.
- Can I buy a ticket from you?
- Why, yeah, where you headed for?
- How far do you go?
- Twin Rocks, Wyoming.
- That be enough?
- Well, that'll take you a mite further.
A mite further may
be just the place.
I'm looking for someone, conductor,
uh, who might be on this train.
- Oh, is that so?
- Yeah.
A very pretty girl
who's traveling alone.
Blond, about 23, 24.
Blue eyes. And, well...
I've been making this run for seven
years, I've never seen anything like that.
Well, I guess you haven't seen
her. You still got your watch.
- What are we stopping for?
- Pulling in to stock up on wood.
Hi, Sam.
Oh, well, imagine
meeting you way out here.
What am I supposed to
say. "It's a small world?"
- Even tiny.
- But cozy.
I thought you'd be watching
the station back in Kansas City.
I was.
If you didn't see me get
on in Kansas City, how...?
You told me.
When we were discussing
Mr. Logan, you said:
"No one would be obvious
enough to take the train out of town."
Now, Sam, you
never do the obvious.
Unless you want someone
to believe you won't.
- Is that clear?
- Much too much.
Trying to find you in Kansas
City would have been a hard job.
But I knew you wanted to find
Mr. Logan as much as I did...
so I figured you'd go after him.
Bret, I don't even know where he's from,
how would I know where to look for him?
You didn't board the train
five miles out of town...
so you could give me the slip and
find Mr. Logan yourself, did you?
Sometimes I forget
how clever you are.
All right, Bret, I'll
tell you the truth.
Please make it sound
like a lie so I'll believe it.
Now, I told you I knew
nothing about the holdup.
Logan played me
for a sucker too.
You mean to tell me you went into this
deal without knowing anything about him?
I checked a little. He's from
a small town in Wyoming.
I thought that would be the best
place to start asking questions.
Last night, Logan and two men did
exactly what you said they wouldn't do.
They took a train west.
Well, how was I to know?
Sometimes I think you think
I forget how clever you are.
What does that mean?
You could be joining
Logan for your cut.
- Oh, Bret, you're so suspicious.
- And without cause too.
- Where are you going?
- I'm going for a walk.
Oh, stay with me, Samantha,
I get lonely on trains.
Oh, Bret, I couldn't very well get
off, could I? The train's moving.
So it is, but you're
Samantha Crawford...
and the engineer is only a man.
I'm sorry to have to bring
you into a place like this, Sam...
but as long as your supply
of hairpins holds out...
- I can't trust the locks on hotel doors.
- Heh.
I hate to bring you into
a place like this, Bret.
Now, you just keep an eye
on your purse, Samantha.
I wanna talk to that
bartender over there.
Excuse me.
- Hello.
- Hello.
Would you join us?
- Well, I...
- Please.
Uh, could I buy you a drink?
Look, maybe I better go.
No, no, my sister doesn't
mind, do you, Cynthia?
Oh, no, no.
Remember what Mother
told you, brother Bret.
Somehow, I always
remember what Pappy told me.
- You two just come in town, huh?
- Twenty minutes ago.
- What will you have?
- Beer.
Make it a double
whisky. I've got a cold.
- And two glasses of...?
- Sherry.
- Uh, how long have you worked here?
- A year, I guess. Maybe more.
Well, then, you must have known a
man named Logan, he worked here.
- Maybe I know lots of men.
- Oh, you're pretty enough. Ha, ha.
That's quite true, Cynthia.
We're looking for Mr. Logan.
What for?
Well, he was engaged to my sister
and he left her waiting at the church.
You was engaged
to him, the frog-face?
Uh, well, I loved the inner man.
You mean Logan went and
left you? Why, that dirty crumb.
- Then you knew him?
- Knew him?
You know, he'd done the same
thing to me he done to your sister.
So you ain't alone, honey.
You're a great comfort. He
promised to marry you too?
He sure did.
Tended bar here for a
long time, then he left.
Said he was coming
back with lots of money.
I could've done
better than frog-face.
But he showed me $20,000 he had.
Where did he get that money?
Mister, he was the
original penny-pincher.
Do you know he lived
out in a room in the back...
so he wouldn't have to pay rent?
Ate nothing but sourdough
and beans three times a day. Ha!
You could've knocked
me over with a feather...
when he showed me
that money. He saved it.
Uh...
So he showed you the money
and, uh, said he's gonna come back...
- with a lot more?
- That's right.
Well, did he come back?
Well, he came back all
right, a couple of days ago.
- Two days ago?
- Yeah. And you know what he said?
- What?
- That he didn't have no money.
Not even the 20,000?
He told me he had a
hundred thousand dollars.
- So I says, "Where is it?"
- A logical question. What did he say?
Two men stole it...
and he was going
out after them. Huh.
He never had no
hundred thousand.
If you ask me, even
that 20 wasn't real.
- Did he say where he was going?
- I stopped listening.
Oh, please, did he tell you?
Honey, when he comes back,
you can have him. I can do better.
Yeah, well, I can't.
I mean, he's the
only man I'll ever love.
That does beat all.
Now, now, where did he go?
Said something about
Deadwood, I think.
- You sure?
- Yeah.
Then he was coming back for
me. Make a queen of me, he said.
Mister, he's a liar.
- Deadwood, that's where he went?
- Yeah.
Come along, Cynthia.
The sooner we find Logan, the sooner
the kiddies will have their daddy back.
There ain't a good
man in the whole world.
- That's a fine thing to say.
- It was all in fun.
Well, have fun alone.
I'm through. I'm tired.
We've come a long way, Bret.
Well, not long enough.
We're going after Logan.
Happy hunting.
Oh, no, you're
forgetting one thing.
Logan, and maybe you,
cost me my livelihood.
I can't play solitaire in a bear cave
until I find him and get that money back.
- You know, I am sorry about that.
- Yeah, well, so am I.
If it makes you feel better, I don't think
you had anything to do with the holdup.
Bret, you're losing faith in me.
That girl told us that Logan had plans
to make big money before he left here.
Now, that doesn't
clear you, but it helps.
Anyway, I'd feel better if
there's just a little doubt.
And trusting you all the way
would take half the fun out of life.
Oh, I wonder what
it would be like.
- What?
- Being married to you.
- We couldn't afford it.
- Oh.
As my pappy always said...
marriage is the only game
of chance that he knows of...
where both people can lose.
Come on, we gotta get to Deadwood.
Logan's got a big jump on us.
- Howdy.
- You got a room?
- I got a hotel full of them.
- I'm looking for two friends.
Everybody's looking for a friend,
mister, why do you want two?
Don't get smart, I wanna
know if they're staying here.
- Well, how do I know? What's their names?
- Pritchard and Wells.
Mm-mm. Not here.
They gotta be here,
I trailed them this far.
Look for yourself.
Oh, maybe they
used different names.
- Like what?
- I don't know.
One of them was tall,
mean-looking, had reddish hair.
The other one
was short, like me.
The tall one was the
one with the reddish hair.
Yeah, I remember them two.
- Are they here?
- Room 7.
I'll take a room, maybe
the one next to it.
Number six.
I told you I'd
catch up with you.
What the devil do you
want? Who are you?
Oh, excuse me.
Keep that gun pointed at me...
and I'll take it away from you
and jam the bullets in your teeth.
That's better.
Now, what do you want?
I, uh, was looking
for a couple of friends.
Friends?
I didn't mean to bust in on you.
Well. then, bust right out.
All right, mister, I got
some questions to ask you.
I, uh, just made a
mistake, that's all.
You made a bigger
mistake than you thought.
I was told you've come here
looking for two men. Why?
They was old friends of mine.
One of them ain't gonna get
any older, mister. He's dead.
- Which one?
- Which one would you like to be dead?
Well, I ain't killed nobody, I just
came looking for Pritchard and Wells.
- You still ain't told me why.
- I don't guess I have to.
Like I said, I haven't
killed anybody.
Ain't no law against
somebody looking for a man.
I guess not.
Only I wanna know why
one of them killed the other.
Was Pritchard the big man?
Yeah.
Why did he kill Wells?
I don't know. Maybe
they had a fight.
Maybe.
- You planning on staying in town?
- No, I'm just passing through.
That's fine. Take your
time. Take an hour.
Sheriff?
- Did you catch up with Pritchard?
- Nope.
- Then he's still loose?
- That depends.
Depends on what?
Me and my posse chased
him as far as we wanted.
Maybe he didn't know it, but he
headed right into Sioux country.
And the Sioux
are in a bad humor.
Looks like they're gonna save
the territory the price of a hanging.
You wanna catch him
pretty bad, don't you?
But I ain't gonna.
I ain't ever gonna.
Why? Pritchard know the country?
I do.
What do you mean?
I'm for hire,
mister, for a price.
- How much?
- Five hundred dollars.
Two-fifty.
Don't wanna catch up
to him too bad, do you?
All right, 500.
You'd have been better off if
you'd said yes the first time.
I don't like to dicker.
The price has gone up.
It'll cost you a thousand now.
All right, all right.
When can we get started?
I'm packed.
And Sloan told me they was going
up the Kennon Trail into Sioux country.
You might be able to find
them but I wouldn't advise it.
Well, that's probably the best
advice we've had today. Thanks.
Couldn't you have waited dinner?
Leave it alone.
You can put them down now.
Now, what we've got to do, we're
gonna have to trust each other.
At least for a while.
They've got him.
- You sure it was him?
- It's him all right.
- Alive?
- So far. But he won't be by morning.
They've got him tied
up in one of the tepees.
Well, then, let's get to it.
If we went down there now,
we wouldn't have a chance.
What if they kill
him before morning?
Well, if you think you can
make it alone, you just go ahead.
- When do we go?
- Tonight.
We'll try to get some
rest, sleep if we can.
Once we get him out, you're not
gonna have time to take a deep breath.
You did see him,
didn't you, Bret?
Now, Sam, you don't think
I'd try to outsmart you, do you?
You're sweet, heh.
All right, Logan,
you go first. Sloan.
Bret, it's still not
too late to forget it.
You're scared?
Sam, I don't believe
you're afraid of anything.
Maverick.
He's alone. Sloan, you stay
here. Logan, come with me.
- You dirty, slimy double-crosser.
- Logan.
- Where's the money, Pritchard?
- For the love of...
- Get me out of here.
- Have you got the money with you?
They're gonna kill me.
We're gonna let them unless
you tell us where the money is.
I lost it. I lost it coming here, and
then those devils got ahold of me.
You're a liar. You've
got that money.
Keep your eyes out there, Logan.
It's gonna be dawn in three hours. They're
whipping themselves into a lather...
and they're gonna whip
you into something else.
Maverick.
There'll be another one along
to see what happened to him.
Now, you got about five
seconds left to talk, or be left here.
Now, you make up your mind.
I buried the money.
I'll take you to it.
You think of everything,
don't you, Logan?
Now, we don't want any shooting,
do we? It might disturb our friends.
Now, come on, gentlemen.
I believe it was your
deal, Mr. Lockridge.
I trust you'll accept our apologies,
Mr. Maverick, and congratulations.
Well, thank you, Mr. Gilling.
I hope there'll be no
interruptions this time.
I don't think there will be,
what with Mr. Pritchard in jail...
and Mr. Logan very, very safe.
Well, looks like I
can open this pot.
Fifty dollars, gentlemen.
- It's him all right.
- Alive?
- So far. But he won't be by morning.
They've got him tied
up in one of the tepees.
Well, then, let's get to it.
If we went down there now,
we wouldn't have a chance.
What if they kill
him before morning?
Well, if you think you can
make it alone, you just go ahead.
- When do we go?
- Tonight.
He's on his way down now.
- Bret? Bret Maverick.
- Well, Samantha Crawford.
Oh, ha, ha, how nice to see you
again. I was thinking of you the other day.
- How much did it cost me?
- Ha, ha.
That's the nicest
compliment I've ever had.
How long will you be
staying in Kansas City?
Well, I was going to stay a week,
but I think I'll take the afternoon train.
- Oh, are you afraid of me, Bret?
- No. No, not exactly.
It's just that when I'm with
you I feel like I'm living...
- through the last days of Pompeii.
- Ha-ha-ha.
Oh, how is brother Bart?
I think he'll get well...
if I don't mention your name.
He's sweet.
I was going to ask you to
take me to dinner. Will you?
- Why?
- Because I like you.
I feel at home with you, Bret.
If you weren't so
beautiful, I'd refuse.
- Seven o'clock?
- Seven.
It's wonderful running into you
again like this. It'll be like old times.
- I'll try not to hold the thought.
- Ha, ha.
- May I?
- Oh, please do.
No, thank you.
Tell me, Bret, what have
you been doing lately?
Oh, this and that,
here and there.
Oh, well that
sounds interesting.
Mm-hm.
- Why are you looking at me like that?
- I'm waiting.
What for?
Sam, you didn't just run
into me this afternoon.
- Oh, I didn't?
- No.
I'm not staying at this hotel.
I came to see someone.
Oh, what does that prove?
You're not staying
here either. I asked.
Well, don't you
believe in coincidence?
Only for two other people.
All right, Bret. I have
been looking for you.
Look inside.
If you count it,
you'll find $20,000.
Well, doesn't that surprise you?
Sam, finding the British crown
jewels in your bag wouldn't surprise me.
Do you recognize
any names on this list?
If these men knew you were carrying
their names in a bag with only $20,000...
- they'd feel hurt.
- Heh.
- Have you ever met any of them?
- No, have you?
Well, indirectly. I've
watched them play poker.
Bret, each of them thinks he's
the world's greatest poker player.
But I know who is.
We're getting to the
point now, aren't we?
The $20,000 is yours. A stake
in a poker game with these men.
- You're staking me?
- Why not?
One question: Where
did you get the $20,000?
I broke my piggy bank.
Bret, the money is mine.
I came by it honestly.
Sam, you'll go far because
you believe every word you say.
I'm offering you a chance
to make a lot of money.
These men play for high stakes.
But believe me, they don't play
like you do, they just think they do.
Are we partners?
- What's the split?
- Fifty percent of all you win, you keep.
I'm the only one that can lose.
What makes you think you can
get these men in a poker game?
Heh, vanity.
You're going to claim to be
the world's greatest poker player.
And challenge them
to prove that you're not.
Oh, they'll come running for the
chance at your scalp. They'll play.
- And you're just as sure that I will.
- Well, won't you?
- Vanity?
- Money.
All right, Sam.
I feel like I'm looking
into a bubbling volcano...
but it's a deal.
As you said, you're the
only one who can lose.
Now, when do you
plan to invite these men?
Well, I already have. I sent
the telegrams right before dinner.
What's the matter with
you? You shouldn't be here.
- I came up to see how things was.
- Things is just fine, Mr. Logan.
Please go before
the others get here.
- It's gonna be all right, ain't it?
- Certainly. Now go, please.
You seem anxious
to get rid of me.
Well, I was never
more anxious in my life.
You're a fool. You
could spoil everything.
I came up here to see
that things ain't spoiled.
I don't trust nobody.
Do you wanna
back out, Mr. Logan?
No.
No.
But you just remember, Miss
Crawford, I'm not gonna be far away.
- I'm gonna be watching you.
- Please do.
From a safe distance.
There's only one word
for it, Sam. Opulent.
Oh, well, we have to make an
impression, don't we, honey?
You will.
- You just keep all that Southern charm.
- Ha, ha.
You're sweet.
- Uh, Sam?
- Mm?
You have told me
everything, haven't you?
- Everything?
- About the game?
Well, of course. What
would I be hiding from you?
I don't know.
But there's a little voice inside
me that keeps whispering:
"This is Samantha Crawford, Bret.
Close all the doors and windows."
Oh, heh.
Here's your $20,000.
It's all the money I have in the
world. I'm trusting you with it, Bret.
This game would be a matter of luck.
I know the way these men play poker.
Oh, you can outplay them.
When you're playing with
men as good as you are...
poker is no longer a game
of skill. You're gambling.
I may be broke in an hour.
Hmm. We may be broke in an hour.
You Logan?
I'm Pritchard. That's Wells.
Well?
I, uh...
- I'm pleased to meet you.
- Sure. Sure.
We're ready.
Well, it can't be done now.
It's gotta be done a little later.
I wanna get one thing straight.
Don't try anything funny.
You do what I told you,
you'll get what I promised.
I got somebody else
watching you, you understand?
Okay, Logan. You're the boss.
It ought to be
starting anytime now.
Three hundred and fifty.
Three hundred and fifty, huh?
LOCKRIDGE: I'm out. I'm out. Enh.
I call, Mr. Maverick.
- Kings over threes, Mr. Gilling.
- Thank you.
- May I get you something, Mr. Gilling?
- Three aces, if possible.
- Oh, it's early yet, your luck may change.
- Maybe.
I'll have 10,000 more,
Miss Crawford, please.
All right.
You're a skillful
player, Mr. Maverick.
It seems the skill is
spread pretty well here.
Heh. Coming from you,
that's quite a compliment.
I haven't had such bad luck
since that Saint Louis game.
Hmm, you didn't do
too badly back there.
Uh, you better check my count.
With the way Mr. Maverick is
playing, I don't think I'll have time.
- Cards, Mr. Maverick?
- These are good enough, Mr. Lockridge.
- Mr. Tabor?
- Two, please.
You holding a kicker, Mr. Tabor?
I may make four of a kind.
- Keep your seats and behave.
- Put your hands on the table.
Don't nobody move.
You just stay glued
for five minutes.
First one pokes his head out
the door are gonna get it shot off.
Friends of yours, Mr. Maverick?
Hardly, Mr. Tabor.
Bret, be careful.
I'm sure you'll know where
to look for them, Mr. Maverick.
I hope you don't mean what I
think you mean, Mr. Lockridge.
It was very neat and unexpected.
- Now, wait a minute.
- No, you wait a minute.
We were the only ones who knew
where this game was being played.
- That's right. We were.
- Bret, I...
Almost a hundred thousand dollars
went out that door, Mr. Maverick.
I've lost more than that
overnight in a bad business deal.
But I've never
looked so foolish.
You're judging me
pretty fast, aren't you?
- On the evidence, Mr. Maverick.
- What evidence? Now, you listen to me.
Mr. Maverick, you're a
thief. I repeat, sir, a thief.
But one with imagination.
What better way to steal a
hundred thousand dollars?
- And we can't prove a thing.
- And so much safer than holding up a bank.
All right, Maverick.
It's over and done.
I'll charge it off to profit
and loss. A lesson learned.
But my fellow sufferers don't want
the kind of publicity this would make.
- No, we certainly don't.
- Now, look...
I have a business deal on the fire
and it won't help any if this comes out.
Exactly.
If you ever come to Colorado,
Maverick, bring a shroud.
But, Mr. Tabor, I had no...
- Good night!
I throw a lot of weight
in the Wyoming territory.
It can all come down on you
if you touch your toes there.
- Are you coming, gentlemen?
- Let me add my two cents' worth.
What Mr. Tabor and Mr. Fayette
said goes double for Texas.
I hope you didn't get any
enjoyment out of poker, Maverick.
You'll have a hard time
finding a game from here on in.
Let's have a talk, Sam.
- Well, Bret, you don't think that I...
- Who else?
Oh, I should've known.
I'm disappointed, Sam.
This was pretty crude.
- You're drawing conclusions too fast.
- What do you think they did?
Look, Sam, these men are powerful.
They can do exactly what they said.
If I show my face in
their stamping ground,
I've lived my whole
life right then and there.
You think I'd do
something like this to you?
- It just happened!
- Let me talk, Bret.
You can do what you
like, but let me talk.
Talk or lie?
Now, you listen to me a minute.
I like you very much, Sam.
It's fun trying to stay
one step ahead of you.
But this is a blue-chip deal,
beautiful, with my head for an ante.
Tabor and the others weren't joking
when they told me what to expect.
Gilling was right. The
story will get around.
I'll have to go to Hong
Kong to find a game.
Now you talk.
All right, Bret.
The 20,000 I gave
you wasn't mine.
I guessed that. Now
I'm through guessing.
Try to tell me the truth
even if it comes hard.
A man named Logan gave me the
money and asked me to set up the game.
- Why you?
- Because you wouldn't do it for him.
- You know where he is?
- He's here in the hotel.
- Which room? Do you know?
- Yes.
Even when I think I believe
you, I know I'm wrong.
It's the truth, Bret.
All right. Let's
go see Mr. Logan.
You do have your
thousand-dollar bill, don't you?
You want that too?
Oh, Bret.
Come on. Logan's room is
just around the corner, 305.
He was playing it pretty close.
This is the only kind of calling card
your Mr. Logan would understand.
- All right. Where is he?
- Well, I don't know.
- You're gonna take me to him.
- How, Bret?
Oh, look, I knew nothing about the
holdup. Just about the card game.
- Where did you meet him?
- Well, he came to me with the money.
- Why did he come to you?
- I don't know.
He offered me 10 percent of the
profit if I'd set up a poker game.
That sounded all right to me.
You must have known him well.
Oh, I didn't know
anything about him.
Where is he from?
What does he look like?
I don't know where he's from. But
I'll know him again when I see him.
I wanna know him when I see him.
Well, he's, um... He's
short and squat, like a frog.
Bret, I swear, I knew
nothing about the holdup.
- It was Logan's idea?
- Well, it had to be.
And he's long gone.
He's not in his hotel room.
He won't stay in Kansas City.
He'll get out.
He'll probably take the train.
Oh, no. He wouldn't go by
train. That's the last way he'd go.
It's too easy to get
caught on the train.
- What are you doing?
- Ask questions. Stay where I can find you.
You're not gonna
lock me in this room.
- I'm not?
- Bret.
And don't jump out the
window, it's three floors down.
- Bret.
- Good night, Sam.
Yes, Mr. Maverick?
- Do you have a Mr. Logan staying here?
- Uh, yes, sir.
Room 305. But he checked out.
- When?
- Oh, not more than about 20 minutes ago.
Was he alone?
I really don't know. I
didn't pay much attention.
Never mind. Are there
any trains out tonight?
Yes, sir. In fact, there's
one pulling out right now.
- But you couldn't catch that one.
- I could try.
If you miss it,
there's one tomorrow.
All aboard!
- Well, just made it, huh?
- And the last car.
- Can I buy a ticket from you?
- Why, yeah, where you headed for?
- How far do you go?
- Twin Rocks, Wyoming.
- That be enough?
- Well, that'll take you a mite further.
A mite further may
be just the place.
I'm looking for someone, conductor,
uh, who might be on this train.
- Oh, is that so?
- Yeah.
A very pretty girl
who's traveling alone.
Blond, about 23, 24.
Blue eyes. And, well...
I've been making this run for seven
years, I've never seen anything like that.
Well, I guess you haven't seen
her. You still got your watch.
- What are we stopping for?
- Pulling in to stock up on wood.
Hi, Sam.
Oh, well, imagine
meeting you way out here.
What am I supposed to
say. "It's a small world?"
- Even tiny.
- But cozy.
I thought you'd be watching
the station back in Kansas City.
I was.
If you didn't see me get
on in Kansas City, how...?
You told me.
When we were discussing
Mr. Logan, you said:
"No one would be obvious
enough to take the train out of town."
Now, Sam, you
never do the obvious.
Unless you want someone
to believe you won't.
- Is that clear?
- Much too much.
Trying to find you in Kansas
City would have been a hard job.
But I knew you wanted to find
Mr. Logan as much as I did...
so I figured you'd go after him.
Bret, I don't even know where he's from,
how would I know where to look for him?
You didn't board the train
five miles out of town...
so you could give me the slip and
find Mr. Logan yourself, did you?
Sometimes I forget
how clever you are.
All right, Bret, I'll
tell you the truth.
Please make it sound
like a lie so I'll believe it.
Now, I told you I knew
nothing about the holdup.
Logan played me
for a sucker too.
You mean to tell me you went into this
deal without knowing anything about him?
I checked a little. He's from
a small town in Wyoming.
I thought that would be the best
place to start asking questions.
Last night, Logan and two men did
exactly what you said they wouldn't do.
They took a train west.
Well, how was I to know?
Sometimes I think you think
I forget how clever you are.
What does that mean?
You could be joining
Logan for your cut.
- Oh, Bret, you're so suspicious.
- And without cause too.
- Where are you going?
- I'm going for a walk.
Oh, stay with me, Samantha,
I get lonely on trains.
Oh, Bret, I couldn't very well get
off, could I? The train's moving.
So it is, but you're
Samantha Crawford...
and the engineer is only a man.
I'm sorry to have to bring
you into a place like this, Sam...
but as long as your supply
of hairpins holds out...
- I can't trust the locks on hotel doors.
- Heh.
I hate to bring you into
a place like this, Bret.
Now, you just keep an eye
on your purse, Samantha.
I wanna talk to that
bartender over there.
Excuse me.
- Hello.
- Hello.
Would you join us?
- Well, I...
- Please.
Uh, could I buy you a drink?
Look, maybe I better go.
No, no, my sister doesn't
mind, do you, Cynthia?
Oh, no, no.
Remember what Mother
told you, brother Bret.
Somehow, I always
remember what Pappy told me.
- You two just come in town, huh?
- Twenty minutes ago.
- What will you have?
- Beer.
Make it a double
whisky. I've got a cold.
- And two glasses of...?
- Sherry.
- Uh, how long have you worked here?
- A year, I guess. Maybe more.
Well, then, you must have known a
man named Logan, he worked here.
- Maybe I know lots of men.
- Oh, you're pretty enough. Ha, ha.
That's quite true, Cynthia.
We're looking for Mr. Logan.
What for?
Well, he was engaged to my sister
and he left her waiting at the church.
You was engaged
to him, the frog-face?
Uh, well, I loved the inner man.
You mean Logan went and
left you? Why, that dirty crumb.
- Then you knew him?
- Knew him?
You know, he'd done the same
thing to me he done to your sister.
So you ain't alone, honey.
You're a great comfort. He
promised to marry you too?
He sure did.
Tended bar here for a
long time, then he left.
Said he was coming
back with lots of money.
I could've done
better than frog-face.
But he showed me $20,000 he had.
Where did he get that money?
Mister, he was the
original penny-pincher.
Do you know he lived
out in a room in the back...
so he wouldn't have to pay rent?
Ate nothing but sourdough
and beans three times a day. Ha!
You could've knocked
me over with a feather...
when he showed me
that money. He saved it.
Uh...
So he showed you the money
and, uh, said he's gonna come back...
- with a lot more?
- That's right.
Well, did he come back?
Well, he came back all
right, a couple of days ago.
- Two days ago?
- Yeah. And you know what he said?
- What?
- That he didn't have no money.
Not even the 20,000?
He told me he had a
hundred thousand dollars.
- So I says, "Where is it?"
- A logical question. What did he say?
Two men stole it...
and he was going
out after them. Huh.
He never had no
hundred thousand.
If you ask me, even
that 20 wasn't real.
- Did he say where he was going?
- I stopped listening.
Oh, please, did he tell you?
Honey, when he comes back,
you can have him. I can do better.
Yeah, well, I can't.
I mean, he's the
only man I'll ever love.
That does beat all.
Now, now, where did he go?
Said something about
Deadwood, I think.
- You sure?
- Yeah.
Then he was coming back for
me. Make a queen of me, he said.
Mister, he's a liar.
- Deadwood, that's where he went?
- Yeah.
Come along, Cynthia.
The sooner we find Logan, the sooner
the kiddies will have their daddy back.
There ain't a good
man in the whole world.
- That's a fine thing to say.
- It was all in fun.
Well, have fun alone.
I'm through. I'm tired.
We've come a long way, Bret.
Well, not long enough.
We're going after Logan.
Happy hunting.
Oh, no, you're
forgetting one thing.
Logan, and maybe you,
cost me my livelihood.
I can't play solitaire in a bear cave
until I find him and get that money back.
- You know, I am sorry about that.
- Yeah, well, so am I.
If it makes you feel better, I don't think
you had anything to do with the holdup.
Bret, you're losing faith in me.
That girl told us that Logan had plans
to make big money before he left here.
Now, that doesn't
clear you, but it helps.
Anyway, I'd feel better if
there's just a little doubt.
And trusting you all the way
would take half the fun out of life.
Oh, I wonder what
it would be like.
- What?
- Being married to you.
- We couldn't afford it.
- Oh.
As my pappy always said...
marriage is the only game
of chance that he knows of...
where both people can lose.
Come on, we gotta get to Deadwood.
Logan's got a big jump on us.
- Howdy.
- You got a room?
- I got a hotel full of them.
- I'm looking for two friends.
Everybody's looking for a friend,
mister, why do you want two?
Don't get smart, I wanna
know if they're staying here.
- Well, how do I know? What's their names?
- Pritchard and Wells.
Mm-mm. Not here.
They gotta be here,
I trailed them this far.
Look for yourself.
Oh, maybe they
used different names.
- Like what?
- I don't know.
One of them was tall,
mean-looking, had reddish hair.
The other one
was short, like me.
The tall one was the
one with the reddish hair.
Yeah, I remember them two.
- Are they here?
- Room 7.
I'll take a room, maybe
the one next to it.
Number six.
I told you I'd
catch up with you.
What the devil do you
want? Who are you?
Oh, excuse me.
Keep that gun pointed at me...
and I'll take it away from you
and jam the bullets in your teeth.
That's better.
Now, what do you want?
I, uh, was looking
for a couple of friends.
Friends?
I didn't mean to bust in on you.
Well. then, bust right out.
All right, mister, I got
some questions to ask you.
I, uh, just made a
mistake, that's all.
You made a bigger
mistake than you thought.
I was told you've come here
looking for two men. Why?
They was old friends of mine.
One of them ain't gonna get
any older, mister. He's dead.
- Which one?
- Which one would you like to be dead?
Well, I ain't killed nobody, I just
came looking for Pritchard and Wells.
- You still ain't told me why.
- I don't guess I have to.
Like I said, I haven't
killed anybody.
Ain't no law against
somebody looking for a man.
I guess not.
Only I wanna know why
one of them killed the other.
Was Pritchard the big man?
Yeah.
Why did he kill Wells?
I don't know. Maybe
they had a fight.
Maybe.
- You planning on staying in town?
- No, I'm just passing through.
That's fine. Take your
time. Take an hour.
Sheriff?
- Did you catch up with Pritchard?
- Nope.
- Then he's still loose?
- That depends.
Depends on what?
Me and my posse chased
him as far as we wanted.
Maybe he didn't know it, but he
headed right into Sioux country.
And the Sioux
are in a bad humor.
Looks like they're gonna save
the territory the price of a hanging.
You wanna catch him
pretty bad, don't you?
But I ain't gonna.
I ain't ever gonna.
Why? Pritchard know the country?
I do.
What do you mean?
I'm for hire,
mister, for a price.
- How much?
- Five hundred dollars.
Two-fifty.
Don't wanna catch up
to him too bad, do you?
All right, 500.
You'd have been better off if
you'd said yes the first time.
I don't like to dicker.
The price has gone up.
It'll cost you a thousand now.
All right, all right.
When can we get started?
I'm packed.
And Sloan told me they was going
up the Kennon Trail into Sioux country.
You might be able to find
them but I wouldn't advise it.
Well, that's probably the best
advice we've had today. Thanks.
Couldn't you have waited dinner?
Leave it alone.
You can put them down now.
Now, what we've got to do, we're
gonna have to trust each other.
At least for a while.
They've got him.
- You sure it was him?
- It's him all right.
- Alive?
- So far. But he won't be by morning.
They've got him tied
up in one of the tepees.
Well, then, let's get to it.
If we went down there now,
we wouldn't have a chance.
What if they kill
him before morning?
Well, if you think you can
make it alone, you just go ahead.
- When do we go?
- Tonight.
We'll try to get some
rest, sleep if we can.
Once we get him out, you're not
gonna have time to take a deep breath.
You did see him,
didn't you, Bret?
Now, Sam, you don't think
I'd try to outsmart you, do you?
You're sweet, heh.
All right, Logan,
you go first. Sloan.
Bret, it's still not
too late to forget it.
You're scared?
Sam, I don't believe
you're afraid of anything.
Maverick.
He's alone. Sloan, you stay
here. Logan, come with me.
- You dirty, slimy double-crosser.
- Logan.
- Where's the money, Pritchard?
- For the love of...
- Get me out of here.
- Have you got the money with you?
They're gonna kill me.
We're gonna let them unless
you tell us where the money is.
I lost it. I lost it coming here, and
then those devils got ahold of me.
You're a liar. You've
got that money.
Keep your eyes out there, Logan.
It's gonna be dawn in three hours. They're
whipping themselves into a lather...
and they're gonna whip
you into something else.
Maverick.
There'll be another one along
to see what happened to him.
Now, you got about five
seconds left to talk, or be left here.
Now, you make up your mind.
I buried the money.
I'll take you to it.
You think of everything,
don't you, Logan?
Now, we don't want any shooting,
do we? It might disturb our friends.
Now, come on, gentlemen.
I believe it was your
deal, Mr. Lockridge.
I trust you'll accept our apologies,
Mr. Maverick, and congratulations.
Well, thank you, Mr. Gilling.
I hope there'll be no
interruptions this time.
I don't think there will be,
what with Mr. Pritchard in jail...
and Mr. Logan very, very safe.
Well, looks like I
can open this pot.
Fifty dollars, gentlemen.