Black Hills (1947)

[bunniefuu]

Hello, Janet.

Good morning, dad.

You're looking

very pretty

this morning.

Oh, dad, I kind of

think you like me.

Going out on

the south range?

No.

Riding into town?

No.

You wouldn't be

keeping secrets,

would you?

Maybe.

There's your mail, dad.

Thanks, Larry.

Nothing but bills.

Who's your letter

from, Larry?

And old friend--

Eddie Dean of blue river.

He's heading here

for a cattle drive--

says he'll visit.

I'll be glad to see if he's

that fast-sh**ting

hard-riding wonder

you've told me about.

You'll find out.

Dad, we need

a new foreman--

Eddie's the man

for the job

if he'll take it.

I'm afraid we can't afford

the extra expense,

unless we can get

the land company

to give US more time

on our mortgage payment.

If they'll only wait

until after spring roundup,

we can make it.

You're really

not worried, are you?

Not too much--

in fact,

I'm hoping to have

some good news very soon.

What do you mean, dad?

You'll find out.

Dad's been acting

kind of mysterious lately.

He sure has.

I wonder why old Hadley's

heading into the blind canyon.

Well, it's on

his own place, ain't it?

He'd probably want to know

what you're doing on the bar-x.

I guess he would.

He told me once

never to set foot

on his ranch again.

He claimed he got a crooked deal

in a poker game at my saloon.

Well, he probably did.

He couldn't prove it.

But he did keep

a lot of business

away from me

for a while.

Hey, look at what

he's doing now.

It's a hidden cave.

Let's find out

what's going on.

Hello, Kirby.

Howdy.

Looks like

you found something.

Look at this

vein of ore.

Holy cats,

what a ledge!

I've seen gold strikes

in my time,

but never anything

to equal this.

I had a hunch I'd strike it.

But I've been

keeping quiet about it.

I haven't even

told my youngsters--

didn't want them

to build up false hopes.

You mean nobody

knows anything about this?

That's right. I reckon

I'll spread the news, now.

You're not going to

tell anyone about this.

[ g*nsh*t ]

Open up that powder

and set the fuse.

[ expl*si*n ]

No one would ever know

there's a fortune in gold

under that land slide.

And no one will

until I take over this ranch.

How you gonna do it?

Allen's land company

will own the place

as soon as they

foreclose on it.

I've got some ideas about that--

let's get back to flagstone.

There you are, chiquita,

you've been bringing me luck.

I head they've give

old man Hadley up for dead.

Why shouldn't they?

It's two weeks

since they found his horse

and no sign of him.

I suppose they'll be

finding his body

at the bottom of

a ravine someday.

Are his kids gonna

sell the bar-x?

Nope. Young Hadley's

refused all offers.

You tried to buy,

didn't you, Kirby?

Yes, I think the boy's

a fool not to sell.

I'll open.

Oh, Don, can I have

this afternoon off?

No, you're paid to work here.

But Dan--

I'm busy!

Larry Hadley's in town--

he just sold some of

the bar-x cattle.

He can't be getting a good price

this time of year.

He only got enough to meet

his payroll and expenses.

That'll get him out of the hole

till roundup time.

The bar-x has got to

stay in a hole

or it'll interfere

with my plans.

Where is he now?

Up at the land company,

cashing a check.

Take some men,

trail him out of town,

and get that money.

Is young Hadley still

in the land company office?

Yeah, he's still over there.

There you are, Larry.

It's too bad you had to

sell any cattle at this time.

I still have the main herd--

if nothing happens

between now and roundup time,

I'll be in the clear.

Good. I'll be back

from my trip east about then,

tuttle here'll run things

while I'm away.

I'll try to run things.

Look, Mr. Allen,

the mortgage on my ranch

fall due in two weeks--

now, don't worry.

You've had plenty of trouble,

losing your dad and all,

I'll just extend the due date

till after I've got back.

I don't know

how to thank you.

Don't even try,

my boy.

Just keep up your courage

and run the ranch right.

I'm countin' on

a friend of mine

to help me out--Eddie Dean.

Eddie Dean...

I've heard of him.

You're lucky to

have him for a friend.

Thanks, and goodbye.

Goodbye.

♪ Black hills of south Dakota ♪

♪ strange land ♪

♪ of a million stars ♪

♪ tall spires ♪

♪ reaching to heaven ♪

♪ night winds ♪

♪ playing soft guitar ♪

♪ memories come

with the evening ♪

♪ and stay till

the dawn's growing pale ♪

♪ little white clouds

in the moonlight ♪

♪ riding with me ♪

♪ they sail down the trail ♪

♪ and I long for ♪

♪ old south Dakota ♪

♪ the black hills ♪

♪ and a million stars ♪

♪ and I long for ♪

♪ old south Dakota ♪

♪ the black hills ♪

♪ and a million stars ♪♪♪♪♪

This is where we turn off

for the bar-x ranch.

You're not gonna

let anybody there

talk US into

anything like work,

are you?

Not me--I'm figurin' on

a nice little vacation.

You and me both, son.

[ g*nshots ]

Say, four to one--

that ain't fair.

Let's even things up

a little, soapy.

Climb down

and hand over

your money.

Eddie Dean!

Larry! What's going on?

A holdup--

they got my payroll!

Let's get it back!

[ b*llet ricochets ]

[ g*n empty ]

Hey, maybe it'll fit me.

I got my payroll back.

At least they

didn't get that-

who were they?

I don't know.

Looks like one of 'em

lost his hat.

A.q.--that's sort of

an unusual initial.

A.q.--it could be

al quillen.

What does he do

for a living?

All I've ever seen him do

is play poker at the saloon.

I think I'll

look into this.

Gee whiz, dad b-b-b-burn it,

aw, heck--

there goes our vacation.

First thing we'll do

is get you back home

with the payroll.

How are the folks?

I have some bad news, Eddie.

Tell me about it

as we ride.

Eddie:

A nice layout, Larry.

By roundup time

we should have it

in good shape.

Larry:

Boys, meet Eddie Dean--

our new foreman.

Hiya, boys.

Sis, this is Eddie Dean.

How do you do,

miss Hadley?

Please, call me Janet,

I've heard so much about you,

I feel as though

we're old friends.

And this is his pal,

soapy Jones.

Hello, soapy.

Howdy, ma'am.

A little card trick

I'd like to show you, ma'am.

Pick a card,

pick any card,

but be sure and don't

show it to me, see?

You got it?

Okay, put it back.

♪ Doh, Dee doh, Dee doh... ♪

This your card?

No, queen of hearts.

Well, that's

a good card, too.

It shows you're

lucky in love.

[ Horse whinnies ]

Oh, yeah?

That's all, brother.

Ha ha!

You better drop card tricks

and take up fortune tellin'.

I've told Eddie

how things are going,

and he's agreed

to be our foreman.

That's wonderful,

because we do need help.

That's what friends are for.

Larry told me

about your father--

I'm sorry to hear it.

It could be that someone's

trying to make trouble for you.

That attack on you today

might be part of it.

But we have no enemies

that I know of.

I think I'll ride

into flagstone

and look up the man

who lost that hat.

Come on, soap.

Oh, I'm so sorry.

That's all right.

Ah, senorita--

do you know

anything about cards?

Sure, I know

all about them.

I've got this card trick

I'd like to show you.

So I'm going into a trance

and you just pick a card, see?

Okay.

So I'm going

into the trance now.

I'm in the trance now.

Seven of spades.

No, senorita,

you pick a card,

but pick a card

out of the d-d-d-deck!

Oh, I get it,

pick a card out of the deck.

Yeah. Si, si.

Try it again.

Ace of hearts.

No, pick a card

out of the deck,

but don't tell me

what it is!

Oh, I'm not supposed

to tell you what it is?

Noooo.

Oh.

All right,

try it again.

Atta girl.

♪ Doo, Dee doo, Dee doo ♪

Queen of hearts.

No, it was

the ace of diamonds.

Well, that shows you're going to

marry a very rich man.

Oh! I'm going to marry

a very rich man.

Don't look at me.

Ha ha ha!

Oh, yes--i think this hat

belongs to a man

named al quillen.

It looks like al's--

he's playing poker back there.

Would you mind

giving it to him?

No, not at all.

Marry a rich man--hah!

A man just

found your hat, al.

Say, uh,

you went to a lot of trouble

to return this, stranger.

Maybe you went to

a lot of trouble losing it.

That's the man that

messed up our payroll grab.

You better give quillen a hand.

What's it to you

if my hat blows off

while I'm riding the range?

I'm foreman of the bar-x,

and that's where I found it--

under funny circumstances.

That doesn't

prove anything,

except that the wind

blew it there.

Stay out of the wind.

You might lose your head

next time.

Don't tell me

what to do.

Hands off of your g*ns, men.

We're gonna keep this fight

sorta private.

We can wake these two rats up

in time for supper.

Come on, Eddie.

So Mr. Dean is the new foreman

of the bar-x ranch.

We can take care

of him, all right.

Yeah, looks like it.

Never mind him now--

it's the ranch I'm after.

And I'm ready to

make my next move to get it.

How are you,

tuttle?

Fine. What can I

do for you

I don't like

to pressure, tuttle,

but these I.O.U.'S

for your poker losses

at my place--

what about them?

I need more time.

I've already paid back $2000

of what I owe you.

That's right.

What I'd like to know is

how you raised

that much money

on your salary.

I, uh, sold some

property I owned.

You're not fooling me.

You've been stealing

the cash receipts here

and juggling the books.

That's not true!

I can tell Mr. Allen to examine

the records.

No, no, don't do that,

it'll mean jail for me.

Take it easy.

How would you like to have me

tear these up,

and give you the money

to replace what you took?

You mean that?

Would you do it?

On one condition--

sell me the mortgage

on the bar-x ranch.

I can't without

Allen's permission.

He promised Larry

to extend the time on it.

But you could write a letter

with Allen's signatue

agreeing to sell.

Allen'll find out

when he comes back.

I'll take care of that

when the time comes.

Do this and I'll cut you in

on something big later.

All right.

Date that letter

so I can foreclose

while the bar-x people

are away on their roundup.

♪ Punchinello, punchinello ♪

♪ punchinello

the punchy cow puncher ♪

♪ oh, he hails

from the wide open spaces ♪

♪ he's the pride

of the tenderfoot trail ♪

♪ Punchinello, punchinello ♪

♪ punchinello,

the punchy cow puncher ♪

♪ he lassoed a poor little

doggie one day ♪

♪ and the crowd on the bench

shouted hip-hip-hooray ♪

♪ but he branded himself

and the calf got away ♪

♪ he's the pride

of the tenderfoot trail ♪

♪ what a fellow, punchinello ♪

♪ oh, the things that he did

were a sin ♪

♪ he would saddle

his pony up backwards ♪

♪ 'cause he wanted

to see where he'd been ♪

♪ Punchinello, punchinello ♪

♪ punchinello,

the punchy cow puncher ♪

♪ he twirled his two 6-g*ns

round with a spin ♪

♪ and the roar of the shots

made a terrible din ♪

♪ now he has but nine toes ♪

♪ where he used to have ten ♪

♪ he's the pride

of the tenderfoot trail ♪

♪ what a fellow, punchinello ♪

♪ oh, the things that he did

were a joke ♪

♪ he would start out

to break in a bronco ♪

♪ but he'd wind up

the one who got broke ♪

♪ Punchinello, punchinello ♪

♪ punchinello,

the punchy cow puncher ♪

♪ he swore he could ride

anything with four feet ♪

♪ till he mounted a horse

known as poisonous Pete ♪

♪ now he sleeps on his face ♪

♪ and he stands up to eat ♪

♪ he's the pride of

the tenderfoot trail ♪

♪ what a fellow, punchinello ♪

♪ oh, the things that he did

were a laugh ♪

♪ when the cook put some salt

in his coffee ♪

♪ punchy sawed

the Chuck wagon in half ♪

♪ Punchinello, punchinello ♪

♪ punchinello,

the punchy cow puncher ♪

♪ he packed up his duds

and he pulled out of town ♪

♪ but he soon became known

as a man of renown ♪

♪ for he's famous at last ♪

♪ as a rodeo clown ♪

♪ he's the pride

of the tenderfoot trail ♪

♪ what a fellow, punchinello ♪

♪ oh, the dough that he's makin'

ain't hay ♪

♪ now he owns a big ranch

down in Texas ♪

♪ where I'm workin'

for two bucks a day ♪♪♪♪♪

Ha ha ha!

Larry, it's been

a great roundup,

never saw finer beef

ready for market.

We're gonna get top prices

for 'em, thanks to you.

We couldn't have done it

without your help.

Aw, you folks'll

make my head swell.

Plan on startin' a drive north

in a couple of days?

Yeah, it'll take that time

to round up the strays.

Sis, we'll get you back

to the ranch in the morning.

Boys, better get some sleep--

we got a lot of work ahead.

Hey, what about our

v-v-v-vacation?

Oh! Whoo!

Now, what are quillen

and his men doing on my ranch?

Let's find out.

Have you got any business

here on the Hadley ranch,

quillen?

Hadley ranch?

Take a look at

that foreclosure notice.

There must be some mistake.

This paper is signed

by Dan Kirby.

That's right--he bought the

ranch

from the land company.

I'm takin' possession

for him right now.

This notice doesn't take effect

until tonight at midnight.

Take it with you.

Don't move!

That's my boy

that did that, you rats!

Now take your men

and get out of here.

I can't understand why Allen

sold the mortgage to Kirby.

He certainly didn't intend to

when he went away.

Now what are we

going to do, Eddie?

We'll stop in at

the land company office

and find out about this.

I'll be over at the saloon

in case you need me.

Tuttle:

Hiya, folks,

what can I do for you?

Isn't Allen back yet?

No, he's still

in Chicago.

Then who sold Kirby

the mortgage on my ranch?

I did--i had to,

it was Mr. Allen's

written orders.

Here's the letter

he wrote me.

"My business hasn't

turned out so well,

and I need cash.

"If Kirby still wants

to buy the bar-x mortgage,

sell it to him at once."

It's signed by Allen,

all right.

I wouldn't have

believed it

if I hadn't seen it

in his own writing.

When will he be back?

I don't know.

Well, I guess that's all

we can find out here.

I still don't like

the looks of this.

Where does Allen

usually stay in Chicago?

The imperial hotel.

Let's telegraph him,

see if he confirms that letter.

That's a splendid idea.

Uh, ma'am, p-p-p-pick a card

out of the deck,

but d-d-d-don't

t-t-t-tell me

what it is.

This your card?

No. This my card.

Ha ha ha!

Well, ma'am, I finally

got this trick all worked out.

Now, you just

p-p-p-pick a card,

any card.

No, not that one!

Go away--Kirby will sh**t you

if he finds you in here.

sh**t me? Why?

He'll think you're

spying on him--

please go!

Kirby, I gotta talk to you

about the bar-x situation.

Kirby:

Something wrong?

Plenty.

Quick, hide!

No, no, here!

Hurry, hurry!

I'm hurrying.

Better come inside.

I got a letter from Allen

postmarked El Paso.

Tuttle:

He'll be here in an hour

on the 3 o'clock stage.

When he finds out

about the bar-x mortgage,

we'll all land in jail.

He's not going to find out--

he's not even going to get here.

Quillen, take some men

and meet that stage

outside of ranchito.

Just leave it to US.

You'd better stay here

until you calm down.

There's a bottle

of my private stock

in the closet--help yourself.

Meow! Meow!

Meow! Meow!

The basket,

it must have fallen

on your head

from the shelf.

Yes.

Ha ha ha!

Kirby just sent quillen

and some men over

to stop the stage

near ranchito.

What for?

Allen's on it.

And I heard tuttle admit

that there's something crooked

with the bar-x

mortgage sale.

Then Allen's life

is in danger.

I can cut through regal pass

and beat them to the stage.

Tell Larry and Janet

to get out to the ranch

and say nothing

about this.

Eddie:

Hold it, driver.

Do you have a passenger

by the name of Henry Allen?

I'm Henry Allen.

What do you want?

My name's Eddie Dean,

foreman of the bar-x.

Your life's in danger,

Mr. Allen.

This is a good spot,

the stage will have to slow down

when it hits

the curve in the road.

Yeah, it oughta

be along pretty soon.

If what you say is true,

there's crooked work

going on in my office,

and the sooner

I get back there,

the better.

But Kirby's men will never

let you get there alive.

One way or another,

they're out to k*ll you.

Have you any plans?

Yes, I have.

Take my horse,

wait till it's dark,

and slip into town.

Meet me back at

your office at 8 o'clock.

All right.

I'll ride the stage in.

Don't take the regular route,

swing around bayou flat.

There's the stage now.

He's taking

a different road!

Heeyah!

How did Dean

get on the stage?

I don't know,

but Kirby's

gonna raise Cain

when we tell him.

[ Moaning ]

What I'd like to know is

why did Dean get on the stage

and where is Allen?

They ain't in town,

I've got men posted everywhere.

We've got to find him,

or we lose the bar-x

and a fortune in gold.

It's a cinch that Dean

knows where Allen is.

Right. Dean's up to something,

and we can find out what

if we watch every move he makes.

Hello, Dean.

I'm glad you

got here safe, Allen.

Let's get over

to my office

and have a look

at those records.

We better go in

the back way.

Allen!

What's the idea, tuttle?

Making a getaway?

I was just balancing the books

and the cash on hand.

I'm curious

to see those books.

And you might show him

that letter

you said he wrote

about the bar-x mortgage.

Yes, of course--

it's in this drawer.

Hold it.

You can't clear yourself

with a 6-g*n, tuttle.

You better come clean.

All right--

I'll tell you the truth.

I lost all my money

gambling in Kirby's saloon.

Then I started to

use your cash.

This is our chance

to take care of Allen

and pin the whole thing

on Dean.

Now, don't slip up on this.

Don't worry.

Kirby threatened me

with exposure,

so I had to

take his orders.

Kirby isn't a cattle man--

why did he want the bar-x?

I don't know.You're lying.

There's something

behind all this.

It's tied up with Hadley's death

in some way, isn't it?

I-I wasn't in on that!

Kirby k*lled the old man!

Why?

Because Hadley had struck gold

in a cave on his ranch.

He's kept it secret

from everyone.

That's why Kirby

wants the ranch

at any price.

Write down everything

you've said--

quillen:

Don't move!

Drop those g*ns, Dean.

What do you men

want here?

They're Kirby's men.

Cooper, give US time

to get to the saloon

and then--

right.

Sheriff:

"Your soul is like

a ship on the ocean of life

"with its Roman billows

and the wave of strife.

"When you have not

traveled this ocean before,

"how can your own hand

guide you safe to the shore?"

Evenin', sheriff.

Hiya, soapy.

"Here lie sunken rocks and..."

I haven't got time--

I'm a busy man.

"The lure of divine love".

I can see

you're awful busy.

Have you seen Eddie Dean

around town?

Not tonight.

I've been lookin'

all over for him.

It ain't like Eddie just to

disappear like that.

[ g*nsh*t ]

Uh-oh!

[ g*nshots ]

[ Crowd murmuring ]

Sheriff:

What's goin' on here?

Cooper:

Robbery and m*rder--

you better come inside, sheriff.

Break it up, boys.

Eddie!

It's Henry Allen!

It's too late to

do anything for him.

How did you get

mixed up in this?

I was passing by,

I heard a sht

and busted in here.

Dean was standing at the safe,

holding his g*n.

He shot at me

as I came in,

we tangled,

and I knocked him out.

Let me see your g*n.

Hasn't been fired.

You'd better take a look

at Dean's g*n.

It this Dean's g*n?

Yes, but--

there's been three shots

fired from it.

Are you gonna believe

that hyena's story

before you hear

Eddie's side of it?

I'm puttin' Dean

under arrest right now.

Cooper, be in town

for the inquest tomorrow.

I'll be here.

Help me get him

over to the jail.

Then the sheriff says,

"Cooper, be at the inquest,"

and I says, "I'll be there."

Ha ha ha!

Did you spread the word

around town like I told you?

Yeah, there's a crowd

gathering right now.

They're gonna take the law

into their own hands.

Well, I guess that

takes care of Mr. Dean.

How does your head feel?

It'll feel better

when I find out

if you believe my story.

I'm gonna surprise you--

I do believe it.

You see, I ran into Allen

earlier this evening

and he told me why he was

slipping into town to meet you.

Then why did

you arrest me?

To keep the crowd

from grabbing you.

They're plenty worked up

over Allen's m*rder.

Hey, sheriff!

It's soapy j-j-j-,

soapy j-j-j---

you know me,

let me in!

There's a mob forming.

They're planning on

busting in here

and getting Eddie.

We'll go over to

the silver dollar

and get Kirby.

Kirby:

What time is it, tuttle?

Quarter to twelve.

In fifteen minutes,

I'll be legal owner

of the bar-x.

Here comes the sheriff

with Dean--what's up?

What's on your mind, sheriff?

We just want to

get things straightened out.

Dean here says that Allen

was k*lled by your men

on orders from you.

Why on earth would

I want Allen k*lled?

Because he could have proved

he never sold you that mortgage.

Tuttle confessed

the whole plot.

Is that true?

No, it's a pack of lies.

Have you got any witnesses

to prove what you say?

You see, sheriff,

Dean k*lled Allen

and was caught red-handed.

Now he cooks up

phony charges against me.

You're forgetting one thing.

When the sheriff

opens that gold mine

on the bar-x,

it'll uncover evidence

that'll hang you--

the body of John Hadley.

You fool!

Did you tell him about that?

You're under arrest.

Sheriff, take care of tuttle--

come on, soapy!

[ g*nshots ]

Soapy:

Keep your hands up,

or I'll blast ya!

[ g*n empty ]

Eddie, would you

change your mind

and stay on with US

a while longer?

No, thanks,

but I'll drop around

every once in a while

to see how you're getting along.

We'll be doing all right

with a prosperous ranch

and a rich gold mine,

and we owe it all to you.

I've got a card trick

I'd like to show you.

All you got to do is

pick a card,

but don't let me see

what it is.

Yes, soapy.

Know what it is?

Okay, just put it back.

Ready?

♪ Doo, doo, Dee doo doo ♪

♪ doo, doo, Dee doo doo ♪

This your card?

Why yes,

the queen of hearts!

Let me see those cards.

Uh-huh, just as I thought--

they're all queens of hearts.

The queen of hearts...

♪ Let's go sparkin' ♪

♪ I'll run out the rig ♪

♪ and we'll go

drivin' down the Lane ♪

♪ for the moon is mellow ♪

♪ and the wise old owl says ♪

♪ we won't be

bothered by rain ♪

♪ so let's go sparkin'

when the chores are done ♪

♪ old dobbin will understand ♪

♪ that a boy and a girl ♪

♪ when out beneath the moon ♪

♪ are bound to

be holding hands ♪

♪ now I'll borrow

pa's best suit ♪

♪ you wear your mother's shawl ♪

♪ I can almost hear

the church bell's ringin' ♪

♪ maybe they will in the fall ♪

♪ so let's go sparkin',

I'm fit to be tied ♪

♪ and my heart's

thumpin' with glee ♪

♪ 'cause everyone knows

you're my best girl ♪

♪ and you only go sparkin'

with me ♪

♪ [ accordion solo ] ♪

♪ [ Lap-guitar solo ] ♪

♪ [ Guitar solo ] ♪

♪ Let's go sparkin' ♪

♪ I'll run out the rig ♪

♪ and we'll go drivin'

down the Lane ♪

♪ for the moon is mellow ♪

♪ and the wise old owl says ♪

♪ we won't be

bothered by rain ♪

♪ oh, let's go sparkin'

when the chores are done ♪

♪ old dobbin will understand ♪

♪ that a boy and a girl ♪

♪ when out beneath the moon ♪

♪ are bound to

be holding hands ♪

♪ now I'll borrow

pa's best suit ♪

♪ you wear your mother's shawl ♪

♪ I can almost hear

the church bell's ringin' ♪

♪ maybe they will in the fall ♪

♪ so let's go sparkin',

I'm fit to be tied ♪

♪ and my heart's

thumpin' with glee ♪

♪ 'cause everyone knows

you're my best girl ♪

♪ and you only go sparkin'

with me ♪♪♪♪♪