The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (1955–1961): Season 1, Episode 19 - The Assassins - full transcript

♪ Wyatt Earp, Wyatt Earp ♪

♪ Brave, courageous, and bold ♪

♪ Long live his fame and long live his glory ♪

♪ And long may his story be told ♪

Last night's steak was the best I've ever had, Wally.

It'll get better.

I don't know how you do it.

Well, it takes a lot of practice.

And a perfect memory.

Didn't anybody ever win from you?

Oh, a couple have tried,



a couple have cheated.

I'll bet they were sorry.

Well, I wouldn't know. He's a dead man.

But like I was saying, Mr. Brandywine, about a perfect memory.

I don't remember every card that's been played, but I

know right to the dime how much I took in for the house.

Well, I just counted it.

It comes to a little under $870.

You better count it again.

Exactly $300 off.

I don't see how I can make a mistake like that.

Oh, it's possible.

I wouldn't have brought it up,

except that affects my 20% commission.



That's an extra $60 for me.

If I were you, I'd count it again, boss.

No, no, no. I'll take your word for it.

Let's see, uh...

20% of 1170 is, uh...

234.

Right.

Here you are.

Thank you.

Mornin', Mr. Brandywine.

What do you want? Marshal, I'm not open for business.

Well, I had a few complaints about your Faro table, Mr. Brandywine.

Nobody can prove anything.

No, neither can I.

And you're wasting my time.

Well, ordinarily I don't pay too much attention to these complaints,

but when I heard that, uh,

Max Wiley was working for you, I figured that made sense.

Wichita is a nice town, Max

It's nice, Marshal. Real nice.

If you don't mind, I'd like you to leave it.

Now, just a minute, Marshal.

You can't prove a thing...

No, Marshall, I think I'll stay here.

Like you say, it's a real nice town.

You know, Max, uh...

I had to arrest you once in Ellsworth.

He served a long term, then I run him out of town. Remember?

Umm, hmm, I remember.

I can do the same thing here.

On what grounds?

Suspicion of cheating.

How are you going to prove anything?

Look, Max, don't push your luck too far.

I'm giving you a chance to live peaceably.

Earp, in Ellsworth you got me for carrying a gun.

I'm unarmed now.

You know, you may be the best dealer on the frontier circuit,

but to me, you're just a stinking coward.

You can call me any name you want to, Marshal, but you can't arrest me.

And you can't run me out of town.

You cheat.

Sometimes you get caught at it.

But you ain't got the guts to go without a gun, even against an unarmed.

Look, Marshal, I'm warning you. I don't...

Max, I do the warning around here.

Something else I remember about you, too.

You're left handed, aren't you?

So?

So I figured you should be wearing a gun somewhere near your left hand.

I've seen these before.

Straighten out the arm and spring shoves a gun down on your hand.

Like I said, Max, you're a coward.

Let go my arm. You'll hurt me.

It looks like you're going to have to rest your gun hand for a while.

Look, I don't like the idea of putting you in

jail and having to feed you for 60 days.

So how'd you like to leave town, all of a sudden?

All of a sudden, it's a good idea.

Earp, you'll regret this.

Mr. Brandywine, I've regretted a lot of things, but
not this, and neither will the rest of the citizens.

Now...I want to tell you something.

Don't you hire any more crooked gamblers.

You can't prove a thing.

Mister, I've had enough of you and people like you.

That's all I'm going to say.

Good morning.

And I've had about enough of it. He's meddlin' in things.

he's got no right to.

And we're paying for it.

And I could show you my books.

Business is a way off since he come in as marshal.

Well, complaining about it don't help.

Near as I can see, nothing else does either.

We try to get rid of Earp before, remember?

With Manning Clements.

But it didn't work.

The way it looks to me is the way he says.

Well, we leave Wichita.

Sit down.

I got an idea.

One that'll work.

Ah, you said that before.

And after he got rid of Manning Clements,

John Wesley Hardin came to town looking for trouble,

and Earp fixed him, too.

Here's my idea.

You know these frontier towns better than any of us.

You're probably know every gunslinger there is.

Maybe I do.

But offhand, I don't know of one man who would stand up to Earp.

How about two, two gunslingers working as a team>

Suppose you offer them $1500 to get Wyatt?

1500 dollars?

We'd each put up a third.

Isn't it worth it to run your place the way you want to?

We'd make it back in two nights.

It's worth it to me.

You think you can find a couple of men who would.

Not here.

Let me think.

It seems to me that I...

Yeah.

Yeah.

I know a couple of gunslingers who' shoot their own brothers for $1500.

And after we get a pair of professionals,

only one will be in sight.

At least, that's the way I do it.

I had something like that in mind.

Come here.

Collins hires the men, and they work it out any way they want.

What do you say?

Suppose it don't work out?

It'll work out.

Where do you figure you'll go?

Well, maybe...

Dodge City.

Yeah, that's a pretty wide open place.

Or Abilene, if I have to.

Always a lot of guns for hire in a place like that.

And I'm ready to go right now.

Tomorrow morning will be early enough.

Okay, Tom?

Yeah, I suppose it's all right.

Good boy. I knew you'd come up with something.

Oh, good morning, Mr. Murdoch.

Wyatt, you're in trouble.

What, again?

I mean it. They're plotting to kill you.

If you don't do something about this, you're as good as dead.

Look, Mr. Murdoch, there have been plots against
me ever since I came to Wichita. You know that.

No, Wyatt. But, you don't understand.

Just relax.

Come on. Sit down.

You'll get yourself all worked up.

It's all part of the job.

All right. This is serious.

Believe me.

All right. Who is it this time?

Well, Collins is one of them.

I suspect Brandywine and Plummer are in on it, too.

They've always been pretty thick.

I've got the same grievances.

I do.

If you mean crooked gambling by grievance.

Wyatt, you've been in any number of dangerous

situations since you've been here.

Mr. Murdoch, I appreciate your concern.

I'm grateful.

Now, what's it all about?

This is a letter from an acquaintance of mine in Dodge City.

A man I helped once when he was in trouble.

Hmm.

Who is he?

I'd rather not say.

He's not a good man, but he trusts
me. That's why he wrote me this letter.

All right. I want to ask you again.

Collins is in Dodge City.

He's been trying to hire some gunmen.

He's gone as high as 1500 dollars.

Whew!

That's a lot of money.

He hasn't been able to hire anybody, yet.

The job is too dangerous.

You can guess what it is.

And I'm complimented.

You know, it's only a matter of time before he finds someone.

It's looking for a team.

Two men, not one.

Wyatt, you've got to do something.

All right, Mr. Murdoch. But...

let's assume for the moment that your, uh...

informant is telling the truth.

What am I going to do about it?

Hire some extra deputies,

bodyguards.

The City'll pay for it.

I'll see to that.

What kind of a marshal goes around hiring a bodyguard?

Look, you're going to let your pride
get in the way of your common sense?

Pride's got nothing to do with it.

It's a matter of my own effectiveness.

Now, how...how effective would I be as a marshal of Wichita

if I hired somebody to guard me night and day?

That's not the point.

The problem is to keep you
alive so you can still function here.

You're wrong, Mr. Murdoch.

If I did something like
that, I couldn't function at all.

If there's any bodyguardin' to do, I'll do it.

It's my job.

I'm supposed to be that bodyguard of Wichita.

I like the job. I like the city.

And I like the people in it.

Most of them.

Sometimes I'm sorry I ever asked you to come to Wichita.

Well, I'm not sorry.

I don't know what more I can say, Wyatt...

except...if there's anything I can do,

I'll do it.

Well, you've already done a lot.

By warning me, I appreciate it.

As far as anything else is concerned...

stay out of it.

Wichita needs you and your fine
newspaper a lot more than it needs me.

I doubt that very much.

Wyatt? Maybe you can think of something better

than the bodyguard idea, huh? Maybe.

Maybe.

Thanks again.

Come on, we haven't got all day.

That's it.

Afternoon, gents.

Uh, there's a law here.

Whiskey.

Oh, sure.

Say, boys, if you want to stay out of trouble.

Two glasses.

All right.

Would you boys mind taking a look at that sign over there?

That's the same sign that's on the outskirts of town?

Yeah, that's right.

It says you're not allowed to carry, but..

We can read.

Listen, we don't want any trouble in this place.

The boss and the law don't get along too well as it is, and we...

Where is he?

The boss?

Yeah.

I'll get him.

Where are they?

That's them over there.

Bring them in the office.

He says, would you mind seeing him in the office?

We don't mind.

What do we owe ya?

Uh, nothin'. That's on the house.

Step right in, gentlemen.

After you.

My name's Brandywine. James Brandywine.

Sit down, gentlemen.

You know what? Like you.

What'll I call you?

We won't be here long enough for it to make any difference.

Well, now, what can I do for you?

The way I understand it, we can do something for you..

friend.

That may be so.

Excuse me for being so careful, but, uh,...

you understand I want to be sure I'm talking to the right man.

You are. We met your friend Collins in Abilene.

He hired us.

Oh, excuse me. Just a minute.

Sauly. Sauly.

Yes, sir.

Go next door and tell Tom Plummer I want to see him right away.

Yes, sir.

Plummer is one of my associates, also.

Oh, by the way, did Collins come with you?

No.

Why not?

How do I know? You're asking a lot of questions.

Now look, we came here to do a job for $1500.

Let's either get on with it or forget it.

Oh, gentlemen, please.

It's just that...

well, I-I don't want anything to go wrong.

Don't get nervous.

Nothing is going to go wrong.

Yes.

It's me. Tom Plummer.

Oh, yes, Tom.

Come in.

Tom, shake hands with these two gentlemen.

They are the men we've been expecting.

Howdy.

About this marshal.

Where is he?

Oh, he's probably in his office.

He generally is at this time of day.

And tell me, do you have some sort of plan?

Yeah. The first part of it to collect half the money.

Well, uh...

I told you we'd probably be taking a long ride for nothing.

Wait a minute.

We didn't come for nothing,
like he said. We came to do a job.

You don't want us to do it, you pay us anyway...

for our trouble.

Now cough up with $750.

All right.

All right.

But we still want you to do that.

Wait a minute.

All right.

One, two, three, four, five, six,

seven, ten,

20, 30, 40, 50.

There you are, 750.

All right, let's get to work.

Do you have some sort of a plan? If not...

Sure, we have.

I'm going to walk out in the street and wait for him.

You stay by that big front window and when he gets close enough,

let him have it.

All right.

Unless one of you got a better idea.

That's good.

That's real simple.

We could have done that ourselves.

Yeah, still can.

Which of you wants to meet him in the street?

I see what you mean.

Well, I, uh...

I think I'll go back to my place.

Marshal.

There's a gunslinger outside, waiting right in the middle of the street.

What's he waiting for?

For you.

He's dressed all in black, and he's wearing two white-handled guns.

I guess I better go see what's on his mind, huh?

Go ahead and shoot.

Shut up.

What's going on out there?

They're laughing.

Let's go outside and see.

You look wonderful. How have you been?

Fine, Wyatt. How about yourself?

Hey, where did you get that outfit?

Well, it wasn't easy, Wyatt. Believe me.

How about you? Where did you get that small cannon?

That's my, uh, Buntline Special.

It's kind of awkward-looking, isn't it?

It's very effective at long-range shooting.

Funny story how I got it. I'll tell you about it later.

Hey, uh, Morgan inside?

He ought to be out any second.

Hi, Wyatt.

Hi ya, Morgan.

Good to see you.

Good to see you.

What's the matter, Mr. Brandywine? You look sick.

But your gonna get a lot of rest. You'll be in jail a long time.

On what charge?

Attempted murder.

But before you go, I'd like you to meet Morgan and Virgil Earp,

two of my brothers.

No.

That's right.

Well, they're new in town, Mr. Brandywine.

So, uh, would you mind showing my brother where the jail is?

Hey, Virgil, uh...

Is anybody else in on this besides Brandywine and Collins?

A fellow named Plumber.

Saloon keeper said he was going back to his place.

I figured he was in on it.

Wyatt, thus fella Collins showed up with anybody yet?

No, not yet.

We'll be waiting for him when he does.

Hope it doesn't take too long.

Morgan and I got work to do back in Dodge.

Yeah, I know.

Come on, let's go see Mr. Plummer.

Who is it?

It's Collins. Open the door.

This here is Mr. Collins.

Collins?

At least, you need to know what my friend's name is.

I checked under Luke Maguire.

He's not registered.

Yes, I know.

You're very careful.

Where do we find this fellow, Earp?

He patrols Douglas Avenue most of the night.

You pay us now?

No, my friend has the money.

You'll get half first and the balance after.

How do we collect...after?

Well, my partner will hand you the money through a back window.

Where's the back window?

I'll show you.

Made me on the corner across
from Ronnie Cate's...in 5 minutes.

This is it.

Brandywine.

Brandywine.

Brandywine? Yeah, it's

Yeah?

It's me.

It's me, Collins.

And I've got our two friends with me.

You have, huh?

Yeah.

Don't anybody move.

You heard the man. Don't move.

Well, what's this all about?

You'll find out in jail, Collins.

I'll try to fix it up

so you have a cell with your two friends, Plummer and Brandywine?

No, wait.

Go on, move.

Morgan.

Oh, yeah, here's the other one.
Name's George Chance, alias...

Well, anyways, wanted in Kansas City for armed robbery.

McLennan County, Texas, for a stage holdup,

and Amarillo, Texas, for the same thing.

It says here he is a very desperate character
and will undoubtedly resist arrest.

But there's been a correction on that, Wyatt.

They didn't cause us any trouble at all.

That black outfit of yours....

would scare anybody.

Oh, you think so?

Hey, Wyatt.

What about this $750?

What do you think we ought to do with it?

That's up to you, boys.

As far as I'm concerned, you earned it.

We wouldn't feel right keeping that kind of money, Wyatt.

We'll take our expenses.

You can have the rest.

No, I don't want it.

Maybe you could do some good with it.

Must be somebody around here who has a need for something.

What are you laughing about?

I was just thinking.

The school needs a couple of new classrooms.

Fine. That's a good cause if I ever heard of one.

You know, I can just see Brandywine's face
when he finds out what happened to his money.

Oh, thanks.

And this ought to, uh...cover your expenses.

Look, how do you go about...

thanking somebody for saving your life?

You don't.

That's what brothers are for, isn't it?

I guess.

I hope I can return you the favor someday.

I hope you don't have to.

Come on, Morgan.

We better get on our way.

So long, Wyatt.

So long, Virgil.

Thanks a lot for coming.

We'll drop you a line.

Why don't you do that?

Goodbye, boys.

Goodbye, Wyatt. Keep yourself out of trouble, will ya?

I'll try.

With my job, that's not too easy.

Have a good ride.

We'll try to.

You'll hear from us.

Give my love home.

♪ Well, he cleaned up the country ♪

♪ The old Wild West country ♪

♪ He made law and order prevail ♪

♪ And none can deny it ♪

♪ The legend of Wyatt ♪

♪ Forever will live on the trail ♪

♪ Oh, Wyatt Earp, Wyatt Earp ♪

♪ Brave, courageous and bold ♪

♪ Long live his fame and long live his glory ♪

♪ And long may his story be told ♪

♪ Long may his story ♪

♪ Be told ♪