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01x04 - Marshal Earp Meets General Lee

Episode transcripts for the TV show, "The Life & Legend of Wyatt Earp". Aired: September 6, 1955 – June 27, 1961.*
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Series is loosely based on the life of frontier marshal Wyatt Earp.

01x04 - Marshal Earp Meets General Lee

Post by bunniefuu »

( Male vocals

Humming melody )

♪ Wyatt earp ♪

♪ Wyatt earp ♪

♪ Brave, courageous,

And bold ♪

♪ Long live his fame ♪

♪ And long live his glory ♪

♪ And long may

His story be told! ♪

( Humming melody )

Male narrator:

Though the w*r ended in ,

There were sections

Of the land

Where passions were

Still flaming in ' .

And wyatt earp, as marshal

Of ellsworth, kansas,

Finds himself embroiled

With cowmen

Of strong, strong views

About that w*r.

- ( Men arguing )

- Marshal earp!

Marshal earp!

Man:

Here, here!

Wait a minute!

- ( Men shouting )

- Stop it, stop it!

Stop it!

- ( g*nsh*t )

- Hold it!

I'll sh**t

The next man

That moves.

You're all

Under arrest.

There's a law that says

You got to check your g*ns,

And you know that.

Mike, take their g*ns

And send 'em to jail.

Everybody put their g*ns

On the table here.

Move. Move!

I'm much obliged

To you, mr. Earp.

Five minutes more,

And they wouldn't have

Left me anything.

They'll have to pay

For it, mrs. Danaher.

- Help mike take 'em to jail.

- Yes, sir. Let's go.

A sherry,

Mr. Larsen.

I know you don't

Drink, marshal,

But a bit of wine would

Calm my irish temper.

What started all

The trouble, ma'am?

They're still

Fighting the w*r

Between the states.

All those cowhands

Were southern men.

They wanted me

To move general lee

From my parlor in here.

- General lee?

- A picture of him.

They called her

A traitor.

- You better clean up.

- Yes, ma'am.

I can't understand it,

Mr. Earp.

My dear departed husband

Was a confederate veteran.

He died last year.

God rest him.

Len wanted

To forget the w*r.

So do i.

Well, ma'am, folks

Aren't all that sensible.

These men

That drive the cattle

Up from the south,

They still carry

The stars and bars.

Why is that?

Some of our

Yankee politicians

Weren't good winners.

They rubbed it in

Every way they knew how.

Give a cowhand

A pint of whiskey,

And, well,

He starts remembering

His grievances.

But am I the one

To pay on that

Account, mr. Earp?

No, ma'am.

I'll collect

The damages for you.

- Mr. Larsen.

- Yes, sir?

How much do you think

It'll cost to put this

Place back into order?

Two or three thousand.

- Three thousand, huh?

- Don't be asking

A swede.

, Is

The irish of it.

Mrs. Danaher,

This is business.

, , Mr. Earp.

I'll see that you get it.

I'll have a talk

With judge miller.

Lord love you,

Mr. Earp.

Good day, ma'am.

( Overlapping dialogue )

All right, men,

Stand up.

Judge miller.

Take your hats off.

You men are charged

With drunkenness

And malicious destruction

Of property.

I suppose that's

Your idea of fun--

Wrecking a poor widow's

Only inheritance.

Just a minute, judge.

We got something

To say about this.

Order in the court.

Marshal earp, what's

Your recommendation here?

I think between them

They ought to be

Fined $ , ,

And stay in jail

Until they pay it.

- That's yankee justice.

- ( All murmuring )

Order.

The court fines you

$ , , Prorated.

You'll be held in jail

Until payment.

Deputy teague,

Remove the prisoners.

All right, men.

This way.

- ( Men murmuring )

- Go on.

Marshal earp...

This is marsh murdock,

A newspaper man

From wichita.

- We've been friends

For a long time.

- Hello, mr. Murdock.

Glad to know you,

Mr. Earp.

I came here

On business.

Mighty important business

For you, wyatt.

It's such an opportunity

That I can't stand

In your way.

I'll see you

Later, marsh.

- And I hope he

Turns you down.

- I hope not, ed.

Miller seems to think

You're going to be the best

Marshal in the west.

( Chuckles )

Well, ed's my friend.

Your friend, but also

A newspaper man.

We learn to size up

Men pretty well.

I'll come to the point.

How would you like to be

Marshal of wichita?

Wichita?

That's a...

That's a mighty big job.

Too big?

Well, I don't know.

Wichita ranks

With dodge city

For size and trouble.

It'll be worse when

The railhead moves in.

I'm laying all my cards

On the table.

( Chuckles )

How'd you happen

To hear about me?

You're better known

Than your modesty

Allows you to think.

What really brought me here

Was a chance remark

In ed's last letter.

- Oh?

- He said you know

How to handle

Southern cowhands.

Well, I have had to make

Quite a study of 'em,

But i...

Uh... Mr. Murdock,

I always think better

When I'm walking.

Would you mind

Getting a little sun?

Not at all.

Good idea.

You know, getting

Along with southerners

Is our big problem.

Bill hickok let

Some texas men

Run in over him last week

And had to quit.

And with sheriff

Smith retired,

We have to start

All over.

I heard that hickok's

A might too quick

On the trigger.

Wild bill didn't

Have the intelligence

To reason with cowhands.

He shot 'em.

They take

A lot of patience.

I can't say I'm

Any too well liked

By 'em.

No northern

Peace officer's

Going to be liked.

The best he can do is

Convince the johnny rebs

That he means

To be just and fair.

That and understanding

Their pride.

Pride?

Yeah, it seems to me

That's the key to it.

Just about all the w*r

Left them was their pride.

That's true.

You've heard folks

Speak about it

As a foolish pride,

But I've never held

For that.

I got two brothers

That fought for the north,

And they tell me

That southerners have

Every right to be proud.

They fought real well.

They sure did.

When I took this job,

I made up my mind

I'd never sh**t a cowhand

If there was

Any other way

Out of it.

You mean there

Are other ways?

Well, I hit 'em

With my fists a little,

Or buffalo 'em

Over the head

With my g*n barrel.

It's a lot more effective

Than sh**ting 'em.

You take an awful

Risk, though.

You buffalo a cowhand,

And all he has

Is a headache.

But if you sh**t

Him, well...

A lot of fellows

Can say to themselves

It wasn't a fair fight,

And then they

Lay in for you.

You're right.

What happens

If the cowhands

Decide to stay in jail?

Who's going to pay

For that work?

Well, then we'll

All chip in.

But I think

They'll pay for it.

What makes you

So sure?

A cowhand hates to spend

Much time in jail.

It hurts their pride.

What happens if they

Can't raise the , ?

Well, then their bosses

Will pay for it.

- Hurts their pride, too.

- Pride?

I never thought

Of the cowhand problem

In just that way.

You're the man

For the job in wichita.

We can pay you

$ A month.

Nominally, you'll serve

Under the new sheriff todd,

But you'll be in charge

Of law enforcement.

Well, what

Do you say?

Well... Bat masterson

Will want to come with me,

But he's going to

Have to go to school.

Ed miller

Isn't too happy

About my leaving.

No, but he realizes,

With the railhead

Moving on to wichita,

This town will change

From a cowhand whoop-de-do

To a normal community.

- Well, I'd--

- ( Hoofbeats )

- Man: are you wyatt earp?

- That's right.

- Where's judge miller?

- Who are you?

Ramser's the name.

Kirby ramser.

You got some

Of my men in jail.

We want to talk to you

And the judge in private.

All right.

First, ride over

To the jail and check

Your g*ns with my deputy.

I think not, sir.

- How is that

For yankee impudence?

- ( Both laughing )

There's nothing yankee

Or impudent about it,

Mr. Ramser.

It's a city ordinance.

Why, of all things,

- Aren't you

Captain ramser?

- Madam.

You wouldn't

Be remembering me?

I'm mary danaher,

Len's wife.

Ah, yes.

Running this tavern,

I believe.

I was, captain,

But a bunch of

Pesky cowhands

Just about put me

Out of business

This morning.

Heard about that.

Turned yankee lover,

Didn't you?

Why, captain,

You and my husband

Were great friends.

You were his captain.

You know I wouldn't--

( Chuckles )

Very welcome

You are,

You and your friend.

I'd like to honor--

No, thank you.

Good day, madam.

Hold it.

I meant what I said

About the g*ns.

All right.

Find judge miller.

We haven't

Any time to waste.

I'll be apologizing

For the captain,

Mr. Earp.

He never used

To be like that.

It's the captain

That should apologize

To you, ma'am.

I got to go find

Ed miller,

See what this

Is all about.

Excuse me.

There's a limit

To our patience, miller.

This town has lived

Off of us southerners,

Lived well,

And, in return,

You all hire this fellow

Earp as marshal,

And you did it

Knowing that he hates

All southern men.

Quite to the contrary,

Wyatt earp is--

I'm not here

To argue with you.

I'm here to tell you.

I want those cowhands

Released.

And no nonsense

About $ , fine.

The danaher woman

Got what she deserved

For turning yankee.

That's a stupid lie.

What did you say?

I called you

A stupid liar.

Now, wyatt.

You made us

Check our g*ns.

- Now I understand why.

- Miller: gentlemen.

Don't call him

A gentleman.

- He's a liar and a fool.

- Why, you--

- Now tell the judge

What you really want.

- We want you fired.

We'll give you six hours

To get out of town.

- You want to hear

The rest of it?

- I do not.

Well, you'll

Hear it anyway.

If earp hasn't left ellsworth

By : this afternoon,

We'll run him out.

If we have to do that,

We'll burn this town

To the ground.

You cross our city limits,

And there'll be a fight.

Get rid of earp

By : this afternoon.

The civil w*r

All over again.

Maybe not, ed.

Ramser wasn't bluffing.

No, but how many

Gunfighters

Can he raise?

You know anything

About the captain?

He's a hotheaded

Professional southerner.

He owns a big cattle

Spread in north texas.

He can hire plenty

Of gunfighters

In the camps.

Well, shall I let 'em

Run me out of town?

This is serious, wyatt.

We'll need to arm

At least a hundred men,

- Get the women

And children to safety--

- Hold on.

You may be

Overestimating

The captain.

No, there must be

Another way

To handle him.

Is that the picture

That caused

All the trouble?

General lee.

God rest him.

Was he really better

Than president grant?

Well, if he'd have had

The same number of men

And equal equipment,

He'd have licked us.

Why, mr. Earp,

You admit it?

Well, it's

Just my personal

Opinion, ma'am.

I'm not

A military expert.

But going

Way down the line

To captain ramser,

What do you

Know about him?

- Well--

- You can tell us.

Ramser's giving me

Until : to leave town.

If I don't, he says

He's going to run me out

And burn ellsworth.

- Just joking, you are.

- Nope.

Then it's all true.

A plague on that man.

Him that was

Me own len's captain

And a great gentleman.

He loves the south.

It's more hate

Than love, mr. Earp.

- You think

He's a fanatic?

- Daft.

Poor, wicked man,

A great worshipper

Of general lee.

Yet he doesn't know

The general was

Always praying

That the north and south

Would live together

Like brothers,

To forgive each other

For what's past.

I'll bet that ramser

Doesn't even know

The date of

General lee's birthday,

Or even his middle name.

Let's see.

Robert edward lee,

Born january th, .

- Have I got it right?

- Oh, devil and come

Saint patrick,

You certainly have.

Is there anything

You don't know, mr. Earp?

( Chuckles )

Well, lee just happens

To be one of my heroes,

But I don't know

Much about ramser.

You think he...

You think he

Was bluffing?

Was he cold sober

When he threatened you?

- Mm-hmm.

- Then he'll be after

Trying it, mr. Earp.

And don't take

Him lightly.

What kind

Of a following

Could he have?

A few friends

And a lot of money.

There's hundreds

Of southern men in

The cattle camps right now.

Yeah.

- Mr. Masterson,

I got a job for you.

- Yes, sir?

I want you

To take your horse

And scout the camps.

See if you can pick up

A line on ramser

In a couple of hours.

But if they

Catch him spying,

He might get hurt.

Don't worry.

They won't catch me.

- Mr. Earp's learning me

To be a marshal.

- "Teaching me."

When we get you into

School, they'll pound

The difference into you.

There are two things

I want to know quick--

Is ramser coming at : ?

And with how many men?

Yes, sir,

I'll find out.

Mr. Earp, a strong

Sense of justice

Has bedeviled us irish

From the start.

Why should you,

Who've refused to g*n

So many cowhands,

Be put among

Their enemy?

- Well, it is kind of

Mixed up, isn't it?

- It truly is.

You being the kind

Of man you are,

Ramser can't chase

You out of town.

Yet, if you stay,

There'll be

A bloody battle,

And that, none

Of your making.

Well, maybe ramser

Will change his mind.

Would you approve

Of my driving out

To the camps?

I'd have no influence

On ramser,

But I do know

A lot of cowhands.

Ma'am, it's good of you

To offer, but, no.

You will hide behind

No woman's skirt.

( Chuckles )

I'm not wounded

And down to my last

Cartridge yet.

Too bad.

It was a silly

Whim of mine.

Think nothing of it.

I'll go count

My liquor bottles.

Number eights?

That's bird shot.

- That's right.

- What's the idea, wyatt?

You ought to use

Buckshot or slugs.

I haven't heard

From bat.

If ramser was coming for us,

We'd have heard talk

In the nearest camp.

- So?

- Either he's not

Coming at all,

Or he'll make some

Fanatical johnny reb move

With just a few men.

Well, you haven't

Been wrong yet.

Of course,

We could always meet

Ramser with a posse.

( Laughs )

I heard about

That posse ride

At the bushwhacker inn.

This time

I could be right.

Yes, you could.

If ramser's coming with

A small army, we haven't

Got enough to fight.

If he's only going to

Come with a few men,

Then we can discourage

Him with some bird shot.

I still say ramser

Needs a double dose

Of buckshot.

What do you think,

Mr. Murdock?

I'm afraid

I must agree

With mr. Earp.

k*lling ramser might bring

The whole southern army

Down on you.

Thank you.

And just one more thing,

Ye old yankees.

Be careful not

To hit the horses.

I never did meet a horse hit

That cared a whinny about

The mason-dixon line.

I found this tacked

Onto the crossroad sign

Down at the coroner's.

"Miller, tell earp

I'm giving him until

: A.m. Tomorrow

To leave town.

Kirby ramser."

Just a bragging faker.

He talks too much

For a real johnny reb.

The real ones just

Come a-shootin'.

I don't know.

It might have taken him

Longer than he figured

To get his crowd

Together.

Bat should have

Been back by now.

I don't like it.

You think ramser

Might come in

This morning?

Bat can tell us that,

If they haven't caught him.

Almost five hours

Of waiting.

I'm afraid something

Happened to that boy.

What's going to

Happen at sunup?

Hope he can handle

These cowhands.

Well, we've armed

About men.

Earp can't ask you

To risk a whole

Town for him.

He won't run.

If he did that,

He'd be no use

To you in wichita.

Or anywhere else

As a law officer.

I like earp.

Hate to see him lose

His big chance

In wichita,

Lose his reputation

Or his life,

And through no fault

Of his own.

Why must you hurt so?

Bat's a smart, handy lad.

He'll take care

Of himself.

Mrs. Danaher,

I sent him out there.

They say a woman's

Lot is hard,

But a woman can weep

And be no smaller for it.

A woman can

Have fear and run.

It's expected of her.

But you men, must you

Be held by courage

Till it's

The death of you?

- I'm going to go

Out and get him.

- Oh, god, no. Heavens, don't.

- Mr. Earp.

- Mr. Masterson.

Are you all right?

A couple of ramser's men

Caught me spying on 'em.

I found out what you

Wanted to know, sir.

Ramser's coming at sunup.

He's hired all the top g*ns.

- We'll have to fight him

With every man we can get.

- I'll get the medicines.

He's coming

With mannie clements,

John wesley hardin,

Curley bill, ringo,

Mclaury boys.

Just rest yourself.

Don't talk anymore.

Put your feet up.

- Ed, I want you

To call off the fight.

- You're leaving town?

Ramser wants me.

It's my fight, not yours.

I know clements,

And hardin,

And the rest of them.

Are you planning to let

Them sh**t you down?

No.

Tomorrow's going to be

General lee's birthday.

We're going to

Make it his birthday.

- We are?

- Do you think

They'll respect that?

I don't know,

But it's my only chance.

Give me a break, ed.

Call off the fight,

And keep everybody

Out of it.

All right, wyatt.

Come along, marsh.

We'll pass the word.

Good luck

To general lee...

And you.

Thank you.

- I have some arnica

In a towel--

- Shh!

He's asleep.

Go get me

Some hot water.

Halt!

Halt!

- Morning, captain.

- What is this?

You can read.

It's the general's

Birthday.

I know that.

Why would a blue-bellied

Yank town in kansas

Remember it?

The general belongs

To all of us, sir.

This is a trick.

You're trying to hide

Behind general lee,

Talk us out of what

We came here for.

No, mr. Ramser, I decided

To make my fight here.

I thought that

About six of you

Might like to pay

Your last respects to him.

- ( Gunfighters murmuring )

- What's holding this up?

Quiet, back there.

It's the general's

Birthday.

- Man: whose birthday?

- Lee. Robert e. Lee.

You men will show

Your respect,

And you will show

Your respect.

I'm always willing

To do that, captain.

But I don't think

The general would want

My regard for him

To put me

At a disadvantage.

Your regard is

An insult, sir.

I didn't choose

His birthday to bring in

A bunch of hired K*llers

To g*n one man

And to wreck

A defenseless town.

Man:

I thought marshal robert

Was born in october.

- What's that all about?

- They ain't sure

This is his birthday.

The idiots.

They think I don't

Know the date?

They'll respect his memory.

In review! Forward!

h*!

I'll move away

From the general's picture.

Now it's a fair fight,

The way he'd want it.

You commencing

To learn something

About wyatt earp?

I think so.

The wichita job

Is yours, wyatt,

- And on your terms.

- Thank you, mr. Murdock.

I can accept it now

With a clear conscience.

I don't think you'll have

Any more trouble, ed.

But if you want me to,

I'll stay.

No. Wichita's too big

An opportunity for you.

I think you

Should accept it.

$ , From ramser

To mrs. Danaher.

Thank you.

I'll take it

On over to her.

I'll see you both

Later, huh?

Right.

Is that straight now?

Good and straight,

Just like him.

- Mr. Earp, sir?

- Yes, mr. Masterson.

How long do I have

To stay in that school?

Until you learn

The date of general

Lee's birthday.

I already know that.

January, uh...

- Th, .

- That's it.

Those ignorant

Johnny rebs.

Mr. Masterson,

Don't ever call

Them ignorant.

They knew

The main fact--

That they loved

General lee.

- They were wise men.

- God bless them all.

You know, we're

Going to miss you

Around here, mr. Earp.

- Thank you.

- Won't you change

Your mind about wichita

- And let me

Go with you?

- Nope.

- Why not?

- You want to be

A marshal someday?

- Sure.

- You're going to have to

Go to school in topeka.

The first date

I want you to learn

And always remember

Is general lee's

Birthday.

Masterson:

January th, .

That's right.

Remembering dates comes in

Mighty handy sometimes.

♪ 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! ♪

( Male vocals

Humming melody)