The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (1955–1961): Season 2, Episode 30 - The Nice Ones Always Die First - full transcript

Well, they're wearing guns, Ed.

I think you ought to wait for Bat.

All I'm gonna do is serve him with a subpoena.

No call to be having a gunfight over that.

Look, they're killers.

Oh, Wyatt.

You and Bat are carrying this thing too far.

If I go over and talk to those fellas in a nice way,

there won't be any trouble.

You know what your trouble is?

You're too nice.



The nice ones always die first.

Ah, all this talk about dying.

Those fellas don't hate me.

I'll just go over and explain it to them nice and friendly.

You watch.

♪ Wyatt Earp, Wyatt Earp

♪ brave, courageous and bold

♪ long live his fame

♪and long live his glory

♪and long may his story be told. ♪

The life and legend of Wyatt Earp...

The deadly business of gunfighting

has never known an abler exponent

than Marshal Wyatt Earp.



In ellsworth and Wichita, Dodge City and tombstone,

Wyatt was forced into more than a hundred gun Battles.

But it was his shrewd understanding of men

which made him the Master of so many gunslinging hoodlums and outlaws.

Wyatt's Ability to judge the precise moment

a bad man had determined to go for his gun

was more important than his Ability to draw faster.

Wyatt had taught Bat Masterson the secret

of staying alive in frontier towns,

and then Bat's brother Ed came to Dodge City.

Hey you!

Howdy, friend.

You the guy that was whistling?

Yeah, that's right.

Why? Didn't I have it right?

I was probably a little off key.

That song's my jinx.

I'll bet that's why I drew the wrong card...

Because you whistled.

Well now, I'm right sorry about that.

Well, no sense getting sore about it.

Here, my name's Ed Masterson.

Reckon you know my little brother, Bat.

Fixes things hunky-dory.

I've got a good mind to...

Whoa now, chum.

I said I was sorry.

Hold it, judge! No reach.

That's my brother you're getting hostile with.

Well, speaking of a little devil.

- Boy, howdy.
- Wait, Ed!

Take off that gun belt.

Stay out of this, boy.

Gosh Bat, you got to calm them down.

You get on your feet!

You get out of town.

And you don't want me to see you again.

Now we can say howdy, Ed. How's it going?

- Fine.
- It's good to see you.

I got your letter.

Come on, we'll go over to the hotel and talk.

Boy, you ain't changed much.

But I never saw my brother act so raunchy before.

This is Dodge City.

We do have a good hotel though.

- Come on, let's move.
- Wait.

You hurt that fellow, Bat.

- Let's see if there's...
- He can take care of himself!

Come on.

Thanks, sal.

And I can't take you on as one of my deputies.

It wouldn't look good.

Sure, I understand.

Well, didn't I say in my letter it was just in case

you needed a hand at the sheriff's office?

Forget it, brother.

Here's to our meeting after all these months.

Huh?

It's wonderful to see you.

- How are things?
- Aww, fine.

- Jim-dandy.
- No, they're not.

You contradicting, little lad?

My boy, you have changed.

Mom wrote me.

Oh.

Can't keep a secret in the Masterson family.

And you can't run a hardware store

trusting every deadbeat in Topeka, Kansas.

- Well...
- You're too nice to everybody.

Mom taught us to be kind, Bat.

She's too good for this world.

You always did favor her, Ed.

Oh.

I try to act the way she'd want me to...

But I usually miss a mile.

Being a peace officer, I just don't know.

You see, Ed, there's more to...

Every time you get a few drinks, you want to fight.

Come on, get your gun!

Hold it!

That's Wyatt Earp. Now you watch.

You leave 'em there.

You do your fighting outside with fists.

Deacon Earp. Let's get him.

Now get outside and stay there.

See what I mean?

He doesn't argue.

Well, Mr. Masterson, you sit here and drink beer

while I do all the work.

Which Masterson are you? Ed or Jim?

Well, I'm Ed, but how'd you know...

Your brother's got all your pictures.

Welcome to Dodge, Ed.

Well, thank you, Marshal.

Draw up a chair. Rest yourself.

Join us for a beer or some hard stuff?

He drinks milk.

But not now. 'Scuse us a moment, Ed.

Got a personal matter.

Talk to you in the back room, huh?

Sure. Talk to you later.

Right.

Well...

And the whole thing is I can't tell Ed

I don't think he'd make a good peace officer.

He's had too much discouragement already.

Yet you don't want to be responsible for hiring him.

brothers. Well, I can understand that.

Virg and morg have been pestering me for deputy jobs.

I guess it's getting too civilized out in California.

They're looking for a little excitement.

Oh, Ed doesn't care about that.

He's almost broke.

Put him on as one of my deputies.

Yeah, I knew you'd say that.

But Ed wants to reason with hoodlums

instead of discouraging them for the moment.

Well, maybe he'll learn.

You learned fast.

It ain't right asking you to turn teacher again.

He'd probably listen to me.

I'm not his kid brother.

I'll take him on over to the office.

And have a little talk with him.

Me a deputy Marshal. Boy howdy.

Can't tell you how much this means, Wyatt.

It's just a dangerous, low-paying job of work.

No... no, it's more than that.

See, I've always been kind of the old, slow-going member of the family.

Kind of a ne'er-do-bad and a ne'er-do-well either.

Now it's high time I started making good at something.

I tell you, we'll show your brother what you can do.

Yes, sir. We sure will.

Hey, ain't you Ed Masterson?

From the hardware store in Topeka.

Dooley grogan, you old Irish rascal!

Well, doggone. Hey, how'd you get out of jail?

Oh, it was easy. I served my time.

Excuse me. Marshal Earp, this is Mr. Grogan.

Dooly and I went to school together.

- Howdy, Marshal.
- Howdy.

Say, you make a deputy out of old Ed?

He sure did.

And I'm on duty so keep your distance.

Oh, sure.

How about a little sing-song

up to chalkey beeson's tonight?

Dooley, that sounds great. I'll be there.

- Fine. I'll see you.
- Good.

Um, dooley got put in jail in Topeka.

He set fire to the town last fourth of July.

He pointed some Roman candles the wrong way.

There's no real harm in dooley though.

Do you always greet friends like long-lost brothers?

Well, I... that wrong?

In our line of work, yeah.

The best method is to shake hands with your right

and keep your left hand by your gun.

That is if you're wearing two guns.

Course if you're only wearing one gun on your right hip

like you do, you just don't shake hands at all.

Not even with an old friend?

My advice, no.

Keep your gun hand clear at all times.

All right, Wyatt.

I'll remember.

Ed, you check these fire barrels

on every patrol.

If they're shy of water, you go into the store or the saloon.

Have the boss fill 'em.

This corner here marks a deadline.

South of this deadline, give the cowhands a break.

They can get drunk on the streets,

have fistfights, but no gun-toting.

North of here, why...

It's strict law and order at all times.

You see those drunks come?

You go turn them back south.

Sure, Marshal. Whoa up, friends.

Head south and sleep it off.

Hadn't I better go with them?

Find them someplace to sleep?

Naw, they're good drunks.

Couldn't you tell the difference?

- Drunk's a drunk, ain't he?
- No.

All right.

Guess you mean, I should pick out the friendly ones

from the hostile ones, uh?

That's right.

Might save your life sometime, Ed.

You see, mean bad drunks

are usually just killers at heart.

You got to be awful careful how you approach 'em.

Now there goes Jake Stevens into the Lone Star.

He's a bad drunk and he's carrying his .45.

I told him to check it this morning.

I guess he didn't.

Better pick him up fast. You make the arrest.

- I'll back you up.
- Jake Stevens?

Say, didn't he used to be an officer in Abilene when Bat was there?

That's right.

Drunk himself out of the job.

Now he's just a hoodlum with a pretty fast gun.

You watch yourself.

Howdy, Mr. Stevens.

- Who are you?
- I'm Ed Masterson.

I think you knew my brother in Abilene.

- Bat?
- Yeah.

I'm sorry we have to meet like this sir,

but I've got orders to arrest you.

What for?

Ah, come on now, Mr. Stevens.

You've been a peace officer.

You know there's an ordinance here

obliging you to check that gun.

I'll have to ask you for it.

Oh, sure.

Take his gun quick.

He was just gonna hand me his gun.

No, he wasn't.

You go and sit over at that table.

Put a tourniquet on his arm.

I'll do that. Come on, Mr. Stevens.

Lucky for you Earp was here...

All you Mastersons need killing.

Come on.

Mr. Stevens sure has changed.

Now what's this all about, Earp?

Jake tried to draw on one of my deputies.

Another Masterson, I hear.

- That's right, friend.
- Don't call me "friend."

Me, either.

Look, I don't understand this.

What have I ever done to you two fellas?

Ed, there's no sense in arguing

with Mr. Wagner and Mr. Walker.

Come on, Jake.

Now you two settle your court judgment?

It's none of your business, is it?

I'm just trying to warn you.

Don't go playing rough with Mr. Masterson.

He'll gun ya'.

Go on, Ed. I'll explain this over at the office.

The worst thing that a peace officer can do, Ed,

is to, well, say too much,

or act too kind, or be too reasonable in making an arrest.

The killers, they just don't give him credit.

They think he's scared.

I can see that point of it.

But I still can't believe that Jake Stevens

had any reason to hate me enough to try to kill me.

Well, bad drunks hate everybody.

You can make up your mind to that.

All right.

You know a heap more about this job than I do.

Now, there's just one more thing.

Your brother and I have a lot of personal enemies around town.

You take those two fellows down at the Lone Star.

Wagner and Walker?

That's right.

See, they don't pay their debts.

So the bank has got a judgment against them

and they know that your brother as sheriff

has to either collect or close 'em.

- And they hate Bat just because...
- That's right.

Well, I know, but hoodlums don't reason, Ed.

If they could reason, or had brains enough to,

why, they wouldn't be criminals in the first place.

Well, I guess so.

Boy, I sure have learned a lot today.

It took me a long time to learn.

Oh, here comes your brother.

- Now you get out of here.
- Huh?

Well, I want to make a report on you.

Kind of talk behind your back.

Oh, sure, Wyatt. See you later.

Right.

Oh, hi, Ed. How'd it go?

Uh... you better check with Wyatt.

Well, say it.

Say what?

You had to shoot Jake Stevens to save Ed from getting killed.

Well, didn't you?

He's a greenhorn in this business.

Give him a little time.

How 'bout Alf Walker and Jack Wagner?

Well, they took Ed into their quarrel with you.

I warned them what to expect if they got rough.

They know I'll help you do it.

Thanks, Wyatt.

Maybe I ought to ask Ed to quit.

Will you give him a chance to learn?

All right.

But if he does one more stupid thing,

I'm gonna put my foot right down.

Well, I may do that, but you won't.

Now come on, Sheriff Masterson.

Just take it easy.

Ed may turn out real well.

Howdy, Mr. Wagner.

Got here as fast as I could.

Guns working, kid?

Sure. What's the deal?

Mr. Walker and I have been trying to convince Bat Masterson

that he shouldn't foreclose on us.

Today his friend Earp

said that Bat was gonna gun me and Alf.

You want me to get Masterson and Earp both?

- You're loco.
- You think I'm scared of them?

They're the best two gunfighters in Dodge City.

I can take them.

Later, kid. Later.

Right now I got a more important job to do.

More important than Earp and Masterson?

Yes. Yeah.

It's another Masterson. Bat's brother, Ed.

- But...
- Now do you want to argue,

or do you want to get 200 bucks?

Now, you gotta be across the street

at the hotel pretty quick.

You wait for him at the lobby.

It's been a long day, Ed.

You go ahead and turn in.

Oh, boy. Will I.

I thought all a peace officer had to do

was sit around saloons and wait for gunfights.

Well, now you're learning fast.

I'll see you in the morning.

- Bright and early.
- Good night, Wyatt.

Good night, Ed.

You Ed Masterson?

Yeah. That's right young fella'.

I'm gonna gun ya'.

Want it here? Or out in the alley?

Nope. We'll fight in a couple years.

- When you grow up.
- Hold it.

Right here and now. Start for your gun.

You drunk or something?

You don't want to...

I had to hit you, Sonny.

Somebody go for a Doctor, would you?

You all right, Ed?

Why, sure, Wyatt.

I had to clout this boy. He was shooting at me.

He got you in the shoulder.

Doggone. I guess he did scratch me some.

I'll take care of this little brat.

You were pampering this kid and he had another gun?!

Why'd you let him draw on you in the first place?

I just didn't think he'd do it.

Do you think he'll be all right?

- I whacked him pretty hard.
- Never mind about him.

You just go on over to Doc McCarty.

Let him patch that up. Go on!

Yes, sir, Marshal. Yes, sir.

Gosh, Ed, are you hurt?

It's nothing but a scratch.

It ain't even bleeding much.

Marshal Earp's kind of concerned about it though.

So I'm going over to the Doctor.

Obeying orders.

Pete, take this little buzzard on over to jail.

Couple you men, help him.

- I want to talk to you upstairs.
- Yeah, I know.

So you were right in the first place

and I was wrong.

Just not cut out to be a peace officer.

Well, is he?

No, I guess not.

Do you know what Ed was doing when I got there?

He was mopping this kid's scalp before he disarmed him.

This kid could have been playing possum

and your brother'd be dead now.

Yeah.

I'm sorry, but it's his life

we've been experimenting with.

I can either fire him or transfer him over to you,

but I think the honest thing for you to do

is just to tell him he's not cut out for this kind of job.

All right.

I'll tell him.

Wyatt, I can't do it. He's my brother.

Mom would think I let him down.

He just can't take more failure.

We'll trade deputies, huh?

All right.

I just hope you know what you're doing.

Thanks.

Well, how you feel this morning, Ed?

Oh, shoulder is a little stiff.

- Don't hurt.
- Good.

Wyatt, did Bat tell you

he wants me to work for him?

Well, yeah, he's been having a little trouble

with one of his deputies, Pete Loring.

I told him I'd take Pete. I getting the worst of the deal.

That's the way it was, huh?

Yeah, officially,

but just between you and me...

Why, I think your brother wanted you from the start.

What do you know?

I was scared you were both sore at me about last night.

That little brother of mine's a horse-trading scamp.

Ain't he?

Yeah, he's a shrewd one, all right.

By the way where is he? Is he still sleeping?

Oh, no. Not him.

He's talking to that kid I had trouble with.

There.

Moved from Deputy Marshal to Deputy Sheriff.

Is that up or down?

It's a promotion, Ed.

No fooling?

Well, boy, howdy.

I've always jumped from the frying pan

right into the fire up to now.

Say, I got a present for you.

Figure a man should show his appreciation.

Well, there's no need for that, Ed,

but I do like presents.

Well, silver rosettes.

They're mighty handsome, Ed.

Figure they'd dress up the bridle

on that horse of yours.

They sure will.

Tell you, Candy thanks you and I thank you.

You know, we've been looking kind of seedy lately.

That kid was hired to gun Ed.

I just got the truth out of him.

Who hired him?

Jack Wagner for $200.

Sounds like Wagner.

Well, today I'm gonna close the Lone Star.

Those fellows weren't Texans anyway.

Disgraceful they should use the name "Lone Star."

Walker and Wagner can...

Oh, hold up brother. I don't get this.

Huh?

Well, why would those fellows hire a gun

to kill me? No, Bat...

It don't make sense.

Now there you go. I swear, Ed...

Let me try and explain it, will you?

See, Ed, it's typical hoodlum thinking.

If the kid had got you, then Wagner and Walker,

they could claim that your brother was trying

to close 'em for personal revenge.

But he has court order to collect what they owe

or put the saloon up for sheriff's sale.

No more talk.

I'll get the papers and a couple of deputies.

Bat, wait a minute!

You and Bat figure to be shooting over this?

- Maybe.
- Why?

Those fellows know they can't resist a court order

and they ain't a match for you in a gunfight.

We'll talk about it later, Ed.

Wyatt, if you'd only cool off and listen,

maybe you could talk...

Shooting over a saloon.

No. No, not if I can stop it.

Masterson and Earp

have gone over to the sheriff's office.

They coming here?

Nobody would tell me anything.

Set him up.

Right.

What's your hunch, Alf?

Maybe the kid talked. I don't know.

Well, it's either run or fight.

Horses are out in the back.

Let's run for it.

Let's wait and see who we're running from.

Wait a minute.

Now look, I know this is your fight,

but I'm asking you not to lose your temper.

All right.

I don't think Wagner and Walker got the sand to fight.

Hey, where's Ed?

I left him with you.

Pete, you ride by the jail

and pick up Ed Masterson.

Pretend like you got some kind of errand to run

that'll keep you away from the Lone Star.

And if he's not at the jail, you find him.

Watch the office, Sam.

Well, look who he sent to close us up.

His big brother, Ed.

I want to talk to you man to man.

There's no sense to be shooting over this foolish quarrel.

It's my brother's sworn duty to...

Look!

Ed. Ed!

They killed him. They killed Ed!

No! You can't shoot him again.

If he gets well, he'll pay for what he did.

I'll take him on over to Doc McCarty's.

You got some weeping to do.

Go on in the back room where nobody can see you.

Yes, sir.

Ed was too decent and nice.

Nice ones die first...

But they die for kindness.

That's almost worth a man's life.

♪ 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 ♪