The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (1955–1961): Season 2, Episode 37 - The Wicked Widow - full transcript

You won't draw, Earp.

You won't take a chance on killing her.

Please, Marshal Earp, he might...

I'm sorry, Miss Myra,

but you've been reading too many dime novels.

Mr. Larson, you ought to know there's too much of you

to hide behind a slim little lady.

But you go ahead and try it.

No!

♪ 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,

starring Hugh O'Brian.

Marshal Wyatt Earp had to deal with

the women of the frontier as well as the men.

Most of the women he met in Dodge City

were realists.

They knew that life was rough

and men were often violent.

But the '70s were a sentimental decade in American history,

and Myra Malone was a sentimentalist.

Dodge City called her "the wicked widow,"

but it was her sentimentality, not her wickedness



which made her a deadly peril to Marshal Earp.

Well, that's the second time this week that's happened.

Both of them got slugged and shot near the widow's house.

Yeah.

Well, the real trouble is none of them even admit

that they know Mrs. Malone.

Oh, they knew her all right, Wyatt.

You ask me, they were sparking her.

Yeah, but we got no proof.

Guess I'll have to go down there and ask some nosey questions.

Well, take me along.

Marshal Earp?

Yeah?

Could I talk to you alone?

Well, who are you?

Sorry, I'm Ted Styles.

I own the Bar J spread.

This here's a private and personal matter.

Well, fine. Hal, you want to

step inside for a minute?

I'm not scared, Marshal.

It... it's just embarrassment.

Read this note.

It's a warning from some jealous idiot,

but I want to keep her out of it.

Mrs. Malone, the dressmaker?

Yeah, how did you know?

Come on over here and sit down, Mr. Styles.

Now you're the third man this week that's gotten into trouble

because of this young lady.

The other two were winged near her house.

You were lucky.

You got a warning.

I don't understand this.

Myra...

Mrs. Malone said nothing to me

about...

I can't believe it.

She's not that sort at all.

She's not, huh?

Mr. Earp, I've asked her to marry me.

She can explain.

Just a minute.

Now Mrs. Malone may be entirely innocent,

but what about those two men that got shot near her house?

I just don't know.

All right, look. Your life has been threatened.

I think I'd better go out there

and have a little talk with the lady.

Miss Myra?

Visited by the town Marshal?

Oh, no.

I'll handle this.

I couldn't think...

All right, then I'm gonna have to hold you.

What?

For your own protection.

Now you stay here. Hal?

Yes, sir?

We're gonna hold Mr. Styles for an hour or so.

Oh, he just came in from the trail,

so get him some food and something to drink, will you?

It's Marshal Earp.

Anyone in the kitchen?

No, they all left.

It's safe to open up.

I don't see why you're bothering us.

Nettie.

Yes'm. Excuse me.

Take a chair, Mr. Earp.

I'll be with you in a moment.

Thanks.

But this isn't exactly a social call.

You might pass a word that I wouldn't like getting shot at.

Now, really.

You think I had anything to do with those incidents?

Well, do you?

I don't know.

Do you...

Do you know Mr. Ted Styles?

Ted?

Has anything happened to...

That's just a cheap John law trick.

Mr. Styles received an anonymous note

warning him that he'd be killed

if he saw you again.

And he showed it to you?

Well, tell him not to worry.

I've got to finish this before bedtime.

So, if you'll excuse me?

No, I won't excuse you.

What?

Mr. Styles looks to me like an honest young cattleman.

I don't want anything to happen to him while he's in Dodge.

But I told you...

All right.

I'm a dressmaker and a widow.

That makes me a suspect.

I'm probably wicked and an outlaw.

I didn't say that, Mrs. Malone.

But that's what you think,

isn't it?

You've got a nice little house here.

I'd like to see the rest of it.

Certainly not.

Why not?

You have to have a search warrant.

You know that.

Now, I'm very busy.

I'll have to ask you to leave.

There's one thing that you ought to know.

If anything should happen to Mr. Styles,

there's gonna be a search warrant.

I like Ted.

Where is he?

He's down at the jail.

I'm gonna have to turn him loose.

Now your helper, Miss Nettie,

I've seen her picture on a wanted poster.

Isn't she Tobe Larson's girl?

More John law talk.

Goodnight.

Goodnight.

You know, wanted posters tell their own stories.

Nettie!

No.

Get inside quick.

Your move, isn't it?

What's wrong? Did Myra...

Nothing happened.

Miss Myra has said for you not to worry.

I'm released?

That's right.

Thanks.

I've got a question.

Yes, sir?

Miss Myra tell you what she was doing here in Dodge

or where she came from?

She told me everything

in confidence.

Oh.

Well, it's your problem.

Thanks again.

Be seeing you.

On the Tobe Larson gang?

Yeah.

There was a girl, Nettie Barnes.

Pinkertons have a picture of her on a wanted poster.

Oh, yeah. I remember.

She was the first woman I ever saw posted.

Yeah, I guess that's why I remember.

Is the widow Malone...

Two riders went down front street.

Here, let me do that.

Come on, sit over here.

Did you know those two men?

Never saw them in my life.

Mm-hmm.

Well, it's my problem now.

You don't blame her?

Mr. Styles, I try not to go off half-cocked.

Come on, I'll get you to the doctor.

They galloped out of town, Wyatt.

Yeah, I figured that.

Hal, I'll need you and two other deputies.

Come first light in the morning.

Gonna execute a search warrant.

Hal, you wait here.

This is the first interesting job

we've had in a long time, so why wait here?

You just be careful you don't get yourself plugged from the window.

Hold your temper now.

You can't let him search the house.

I won't.

He hasn't a warrant.

Good morning, Mrs. Malone.

I've got a warrant to search your house.

Let's be sure.

He can't search my room.

Now take it easy, Miss Barnes.

Barnes?

I'm Nettie Smith.

The wanted poster says your name is Nettie Barnes.

Close friend of Tobe Larson.

You can holster that gun, Mr. Earp.

Well, Ted Styles didn't have a gun last night,

and he still got his hand busted up with a bullet.

That couldn't happen. They promised me...

Myra, don't tell him anything.

Well.

Tobe Larson must be a pretty fancy dresser,

or do you keep these around for masquerade parties?

Having male garments ain't a crime.

That'll do, Nettie.

My room is next door.

I suppose you want to search it, too.

Yes'm.

This way, Mr. Earp.

Nettie, clean up this truck,

and make that bed.

Make a thorough search. Toss everything out.

You know it's against the law

to harbor fugitives from justice, Mrs. Malone.

Fugitives from what justice?

State and federal law.

Yankee justice?

Driving poor boys who fought for the South

into the hills and woods.

Forcing them to steal for food,

and then calling them outlaws.

Well, Miss Nettie might say something like that,

but I can't understand why you would.

My husband rode with the Larsons.

Yank cavalry ambushed him in Missouri.

Killed him?

Murdered him.

That's where your guests sleep, huh?

You prove it.

Well, I don't have to prove it, Mrs. Malone.

Nettie's a fugitive, you're harboring her.

I could arrest you both.

Why don't you?

Because I like Ted Styles.

He thinks he'd like to marry you.

Now how do you feel about it?

I'm loyal.

Loyal?

Mr. Larson, the man you call an outlaw,

took care of things when my husband was murdered.

He gave him money to rent this house.

Mr. Larson and his boys are real gentlemen.

I explained all this to Ted.

You mean you turned down an honest man

to run a hideout for Larson?

Myra, get down.

Don't move, Johnny law.

Don't be stupid.

He's got deputies outside.

I'll take that.

Miss Nettie, you can start packing.

Tobe and the boys will let us know when to move.

Look, you got a little common sense left.

I'm trying to give you a break.

This hideout's no good now. We'll leave.

That's right.

Are you going to keep your deputies watching us?

No.

Mr. Larson might misunderstand.

Don't you trust a gentleman like Mr. Larson

to trust you too far.

Good day, Miss Myra.

We can't move.

At least for a couple of days.

Tobe is on the run and he'll be heading here.

How do you know that?

The boys who took a shot at Styles told me.

Are they still in town?

We've got to get word to Mr. Larson

and warn him not to come here.

Why?

He'd be riding into a trap.

Tobe and the boys aren't scared of Wyatt Earp.

Tobe's a friend of Jesse James

and Cole Younger.

Oh, I'm sick of your lady baby act.

I want Tobe to ride in here.

You want more bloodshed?

I suppose you had to do it.

Yep.

If you'd take my advice,

you'd forget Miss Myra and go on back to the Bar J.

That's giving up mighty easy.

I'm very much in love you know.

Sure.

With a girl that thinks Tobe Larson is a gentleman.

A Robin Hood that steals from the rich

and gives to the poor.

I know outlaws are victims of circumstances,

and there but for the grace of God

go you and I.

Well, that's partly true, isn't it?

First offenders, yes.

But not when they make a profession out of it.

Not when they hide behind the Confederate flag

and talk sentimental women into helping them.

Yeah, I know.

But I still think I can bring Miss Myra to her senses.

You haven't got that much time.

Why not?

Because they promised me they'd pack up and leave Dodge.

I pulled all my deputies off

just in case Mr. Larson should ride in

and think Miss Myra double-crossed him.

So what if he should catch her talking to you?

Can you shoot left handed?

I'm not very good with either hand.

Thanks for the advice, Marshal.

You're going out there, hmm?

Yeah.

Haven't you done enough to square your debt with Larson?

If it's the money he loaned you...

Now, Ted, please.

There's some debts that can't be

settled by money.

All right.

Where can I find the man?

I'll go talk with him.

No, you won't.

What's wrong with that?

I won't back off from my duty,

or let you do it for me.

Duty.

Well, just call it being loyal.

I'm sorry, Ted, but it just can't be.

It's the truth, I swear. You can ask Myra.

- Get out of here quick.
- No, if that's Larson...

All right, ask her.

Do I know you, sir?

No, Mr. Larson.

This is Ted Styles,

he was just...

I think we can excuse you, sir.

You're in no danger from me, Mr. Larson.

I haven't a gun, and I couldn't shoot it.

All I want is a talk.

About what?

Please, Ted...

Let me handle this, Miss Myra.

I've asked her to marry me.

But she thinks you'd object.

That's all it was, Tobe.

Just sports like him chasing Myra.

It was a lot more than that.

Women always do it to us.

Myra and Nettie got the house searched

by the town Marshal.

Now we have to move on.

Why?

You ain't scared of a cow town Marshal

and a handful of deputies?

I haven't time to explain.

Aah!

- Nettie!
- Hold it, friend.

Take him out to the horses, boys.

She isn't hurt much.

Mr. Larson, it's not you. It can't be you.

Hitting her with a gun.

She was stupid.

You better be smart.

Have you been drinking?

What's come over you?

I was ambushed by Yank soldiers

40 miles east of here.

Oh.

I lost all my boys but those two.

I don't feel polite.

Understand?

Yes, I understand, but...

These your things?

All right.

Get up. We're riding.

Well, get some legs...

- But Nettie's hurt.
- There isn't time.

We can jab after we make a safe camp.

Nettie can tell her troubles to Wyatt Earp.

You go in the kitchen, get some grub in a bag and hurry.

Come on.

Wyatt.

Ted Styles ever leave with that widow?

Well, he hoped she'd go with him.

Well, the three men with Styles didn't look like Bar J people.

Oh, what'd they look like?

I may be seeing things, they were about a half a block away from him,

but one of those strangers looked like Tobe Larson.

I'd better check that house again.

Where were they headed?

Oklahoma. Where else?

They know the country south of here?

Bushwhacker.

He knows the trail.

I rode it with him once in a miserable Kansas blizzard.

All right, Hal, you get her over to Doc McCarty,

get her patched up, and get her a hotel room.

If I'm not back by tomorrow, organize a posse.

But Wyatt...

He's gonna lone wolf it once too often.

Tobe will kill him.

You'd better get a posse started right away.

Who does that hick Marshal think he is?

All the tough men aren't on your side of the fence.

No dust. No posse.

We'll rest the horses and have something to eat.

Why keep on with this, Larson?

You don't need us.

That's for me to decide.

Now leg down, both of you.

I can't make out how a man like you thinks.

Don't even try, mister.

I've offered you money to call this off.

I've told you Wyatt Earp isn't going to bother his head about us.

He warned me not to see Miss Myra again.

So you've made a clean getaway, haven't you?

I guess so.

Then if I was in your shoes,

I'd forget about hostages,

or whatever is in your mind.

You really want to know what I'm thinking, mister?

I sure do.

Women.

That's what bellyaches me.

I didn't trust Nettie. She was stupid.

I thought Myra would be loyal.

Earp could have set a trap for me back there in Dodge.

Myra knew he'd search the house.

She let me ride in without a word of warning.

I might have been killed, mister.

Don't blame me.

Why not?

I wanted to send somebody out to find you,

but Nettie talked me out of it.

Nettie couldn't talk you out of anything.

You weren't thinking about me and the boys...

You figured to run off with him.

- That's not true.
- She turned me down cold, Larson.

Why...

Why you must be sick in the head,

taking out your spite on a woman.

Is that fair, Sonny?

I haven't touched her.

All right, let's drop it.

Certainly.

Now Myra, please.

He's not going to drop it.

But turn him loose, Mr. Larson.

He's no outlaw.

He doesn't know what kind of people we are.

How crookedly we think.

Yeah.

Sassing me!

- I oughta blow...
- No!

You've hurt him enough.

All right.

All right.

He needs water. Why isn't Spike bringing it?

He'll be back directly.

He's been gone 10 minutes.

I'll get it myself.

No.

Hey, Missouri?

Go see what's keeping Spike.

Trouble.

Let me go.

You'll walk into the Springs with me.

I might need you.

Hold it.

You wouldn't shoot a lady, would you?

Mr. Earp, get back. Wait for your men.

You can't hide behind her, Larson.

She's not big enough.

Is he dead?

No, just creased his scalp a little.

But you might have hit me.

Well, that's a rotten thing to say.

I'm glad you took the risk.

Well, there wasn't much risk, Miss Myra.

Mr. Larson must have been reading too many dime novels.

Dime novels?

Yeah, you see, the outlaw usually

hides behind a woman, so a gentleman will be afraid to shoot.

Well, I'm not a gentleman,

but I can crease a man's scalp

15 paces all day long

with this old Buntline Special.

Mr. Larson knew it was an easy shot,

but I guess all those fairytales about outlaws

sort of addled his judgment.

Yes, I see.

Ted's hurt.

I've got to get some water from the spring.

No.

I'll fetch the water, Miss Myra.

You see, in real life,

a woman muddies the mischief out of a spring.

Mr. Earp?

I didn't think he'd help us.

But this is real life,

so he did.

♪ 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 ♪