I Shot Jesse James (1949) Movie Script
#JesseJames was a lad who killed many a man #
#He robbed the Glendale train #
#He took from the rich
and give to the poor #
#He'd a heart and a hand and a brain #
That alarm bell's something new.
They must have stayed up all night
trying to figure out a way to discourage us.
Sorry I dropped the money.
- Forget it.
- How's it look?
Clean through.
You know what they say.
When you save a man's life, you, uh...
assume his responsibilities.
There's only a hundred dollars on my head.
That ain't much when you say it fast.
We got a long ways to go.
Think you can hang on?
- Sure. Where we goin'?
- Home.
It ain't I'm not charitable...
but Bob Ford's all healed now
and able to git.
Says in the paper they're selling a handsome
cuspidor secured by a screw to -
He just spells trouble,
him and his brother Charlie.
Why don't they leave you alone?
You got out of the wrong side
of the bed all week, Zee.
I ain't been to bed since you carried
Bob in here with a bullet in his back.
He's a good boy.
Been ridin' with me for a length of time.
Been living here for a length of time too.
Six months.
I don't mind your brother Frank,
but them Fords.
You've been a devoted wife, Zee.
And I don't say that you speak falsely.
I promise. Right after the -
What is it, Jess?
I only see one rider.
Charlie Ford.
You can look at that map now
if you want to.
I spoke my piece.
What's ailing her?
That's funny.
I wonder what happened.
Why didn't Frank ride in with ya?
He stayed behind to study the roads
we'll have to use.
We picked a good bank in Dodge City. The
four of us can handle it without any trouble.
- No alarm bells this time.
- When are we to meet him?
Eleven days from today.
The bank'll be fat.
He'll be here. The west bank of the
Arkansas River, couple of miles from Wichita.
- Ah.
- Thought you might be hungry.
Thanks, Zee.
May as well sit.
We're gonna eat.
I stopped by in town
to find out what was new.
Guess who's there, Bob.
Your girl.
Cynthy?
- In St. Joe?
- Yeah. Still playacting too.
At the Opera House.
Had a show last night, I was told.
- If you're recognized, Bob -
- They don't know us in St. Joe, Mr. Howard.
Watch out for Marshal Craig.
And don't get into a gunfight.
That's not my intention.
You love Cynthy, don't ya?
Since I was old enough to crawl.
Then why don't you marry her
and settle down and buy land?
You're a farmer at heart.
We all are.
By the way, Cynthy, there's a very good
friend of mine - a gentleman -
well, someone I know
- and he's seen the show every night this week.
- He says -
- We only opened last night.
Yeah. So - So we did.
Well, maybe he saw the rehearsals.
Anyhow, he's most anxious to see you.
And he says -
Veronica, will you make up some more of that sugar
and water? I didn't like the stuff Harry fixed.
Well, look.
He's a very important man.
He's the... silver king of Colorado
or something. And he - he feel -
Harry, how could you expect anyone
to back our show if they've seen it?
Well, he's very fond
of heartwarming dramas.
- Oh, thanks. Oh, a little more water, please.
- Now look.
Uh, how would it be if
I brought him here sometime this week?
- If you like.
- Maybe, uh, tomorrow.
Or tonight. Or, uh -
Just a minute.
- Mr. Kelley.
- Yes.
Mr. Kelley, this is Miss Waters.
Uh, Veronica.
- How do you do, Miss Waters?
- Mr. Kelley.
Well, what do you favor?
Light opera?
- Oh, uh -
- Uh, heavy opera.
- Oh, yes. I, uh -
- Maybe heartwarming dramas.
- Well, that -
- Don't forget Lily Langtry.
Of course. Lily Langtry.
Oh, please, Cynthy. We -
Miss Waters, Mr. Kane,
you don't know this...
but I've seen a lot of your shows.
- I saw you in Joplin, uh -
- Maybe Kansas City?
- Oh, yes, yes. Kansas City.
- Jefferson City too, huh?
- Oh, yes. Jefferson City too. Yes.
- That's fine.
Seen lots of your shows. Uh, all bad.
But don't let that bother you, Miss Waters.
I'm sure it wasn't your fault or Mr. Kane's.
Just, uh, bad plays.
But I'd, uh, like to
talk to you a little more.
Uh, maybe I could see you
after the show, hmm?
Mr. Kelley, if you're gonna put a nickel
in this show, you'll lose it.
- Oh?
- We don't make money.
Oh, Cynthy.
- What is it, Veronica?
- It's Mr. Miller.
He's outside.
Hello, Harry.
They want you outside, Harry.
Cynthia.
Uh, Mr. Kelley. Mr. Miller.
- Hello, Miller.
- Hi.
- Are you a member of the company here?
- No. My business is prospecting.
What, in here?
I like Miss Waters's acting very much.
- Do you have a match, Mr. Miller?
- Yeah.
Yeah.
Miss Waters, don't be worried about me
losing any money in your show.
I don't have any.
But I'd still like to talk to you again.
Cynthy.
Cynthy Waters.
If you'd listened to me three years ago...
we could have been married.
You're a good farmer.
Farmer.
After the next bank-
And what if lead poisoning sets in first?
Mm-mmm. When I marry,
it won't be to a man on the run.
But, Cynthy, I -
Look atJesse's wife.
Last time I saw her hiding out in a
mountain cabin, she looked 50 instead of 30.
I don't want that kind of a life.
Maybe -
Maybe you don't feel for me
the way she feels aboutJess.
I'm still in Missouri.
Bob.
Yeah.
When you're free, I'll marry you.
All right.
I'm leaving theJames Gang for good.
I know Mr. Meredith. He - He's
the prosecuting attorney ofJackson County.
Tell him.
Tell him I'm...
gonna be a farmer.
You've been gone long enough to get
10 pardons. What did Meredith say?
Pumped Cynthy livid trying to find out
where I'm hiding.
Said if I gave myself up,
he'd see I only got 20 years.
Twenty years.
Think they may have
followed you back from St. Louis?
No.
- Where's Jess?
- Took Zee and the kids to church.
Did Meredith tell her
what the governor just came out with?
Everybody in St. Joe's
been talkin' about it.
- Don't seem to worryJess none.
- What?
Amnesty for any of the gang
who turns in Jess, dead or alive.
- Amnesty?
- Yeah. Act of pardon.
Means if you're on the run
and you turn in Jess, you're free.
- No time in jail?
- Not even a day.
Means you could walk down the street
and nobody'd bother ya.
Yeah. It means just that.
Means I could get married.
Yeah. $10,000 goes with that,
dead or alive.
Means we could buy a farm.
Nobody could takeJess alive.
That'd be suicide.
She wouldn't have to tear up old wheat sacks
to make herself a pair of drawers.
- Bob, what are you -
- I'm...
thinkin' of Cynthy.
What about FrankJames?
What'd you do that for?
Meanin' I'm afraid of Frank?
Ain't ya?
Sure.
If I want to think I'm afraid
or say I'm afraid...
I'll think it and I'll say it.
Nothing gonna stop me
from marryin' Cynthy.
Nothin'.
Hey, Bob.
Bob.
Hey, hurry up, Bob.
That's wonderful.
That's more like it.
It's nice and warm now.
Be back in a minute.
- Bob.
- Yeah?
Pick up that blanket, will ya?
It's a Colt. 45.
Improved pattern.
Silver-mounted, pearl handle.
It's beautiful.
It's loaded.
Sure. When I give a present,
I like to make it complete.
Well, go ahead, Bob.
What are you waitin' for?
There's my back.
Here. Scrub it.
Hey, Bob.
I'm goin' to town.
I'll see you in the mornin'.
What are you doin'
pokin' around out there, Bob?
Come on in. Let's talk.
It's kind of lonesome without Frank around.
It ain't lawful. Even folks in town what
don't likeJesseJames is sayin' it ain't lawful.
Don't you fret about it, Zee.
It's just as if the governor was advertisin'
to hire an assassin to go and kill you unawares.
I ain't killed yet, Zee.
I pick my friends, and I know 'em.
No friend of mine would swallow
that immunity offered by the governor.
Ain't that -
What are you so nervous for?
Did Cynthy turn you down?
Yeah. Kind - Kinda.
Think I'll go in to St. Joe
and buy a new horse.
You can fetch the children
home from school with ya.
Yeah. I'll do that, Zee.
I'm tired.
I guess maybe Zee's right.
Time I settled down.
That's what you ought to do, Bob -
get yourself a wife and a home.
That's what I'm aimin' to do, Jess.
It's only 11:00.
Think I'll wait until later
this afternoon and go in town.
It's an awful hot day.
Feel kind of naked without my weapons.
No, sir.
Nothin' like putterin' around a home.
There's no 10,000.
The governor didn't conspire with you
to assassinateJesse.
The reward was $5,000
for his apprehension.
Five for conviction.
All you get is 500.
Bob, you ought to see the way folks
look at me when I walk down the street.
You ought to see 'em, Bob.
- That $10,000?
- 500.
- What happened to the rest of it?
- What's the difference?
I got enough to buy Cynthy a ring -
a diamond ring. A great big one.
- You can be best man.
- Oh, not me.
I'm not hanging around waiting
for a ball from FrankJames's gun...
or buckshot from some of the folks
what don't like what happened toJess.
- Scared?
- He'll get you, Bob.
He'll get both of us.
I'm ridin' out.
Stake me, Bob?
- Here's a hundred.
- Thanks, Bob.
- Watch yourself.
- Yeah.
I still got enough to buy Cynthy
a big diamond ring.
Miss Waters.
Miss Waters.
I beg your pardon.
It's Kelley.
John Kelley.
I, uh, was talking to the manager,
Mr. Kane.
He told me you changed your mind.
You're not going to leave the show.
I'm glad to hear it.
There's something troubling you,
Miss Waters. Uh, can't I help?
I'm, uh...
living at the North Hotel
if there's anything I can do to help.
John Kelley, North Hotel.
Cynthy.
Cynthy.
- What's the matter?
- How could you have done it?
Jesse, your best friend.
How, Bob? How?
- I didn't do it for the reward.
- I know, I know, I know!
Then why are you looking at me
like I'm poison?
Can't you understand what's happened?
You got me kind of all mixed up.
When you pulled that trigger,
all the love I had for you -
- But I done it for you.
- Don't say that! Don't ever say that!
- But it's true, Cynthy.
- Can't you see how wrong it was?
- It was legal.
- It was murder.
Don't look at it that way.
You ought to be proud of me.
The governor's grateful. The law says it's legal.
Don't look at it no other way.
What other way can I look at it?
Cynthia.
I ain't on the run no more.
I can walk down the street, and nobody-
not even the whole militia - can bother me.
That's what the shooting means to you?
What it means to me -
It means I'm a free man.
Ain't that what you wanted, Cynthy?
Ain't it?
'Tweren't easy shootin'Jess.
It weren't easy.
But there's nothin'
I wouldn't do to have you.
Nothin'.
Your weddin' ring.
I can't.
- Cynthy!
- You're hurting me.
What do you think you're doing to me?
Listen, Cynthy.
When I killed Jess, I had a cause.
If you turn against me, I got no reason.
The way you did it, Bob -
Oh, can't you understand?
The love I had for you was -
No, it ain't that.
Something else has turned you from me.
I ain't a murderer.
So there's gotta be a reason.
Kelley! That's who it is! Kelley!
You're talkin' crazy.
What was he doin' here when I came in?
Did you see him much
when I was in jail?
- Stop it!
- I knew there had to be a reason.
I knew.
Bob, you're wrong about Kelley!
He's got nothin'to do with us!
Come in.
You've got to leave St. Joe at once -
right away.
- I have to what?
- Bob Ford's gonna kill you.
Yeah? Why?
Because he thinks we're in love.
- Oh, he does, huh?
- Yes.
- How does he know?
- There's no time to waste. You've got to leave.
Is that, uh - Is that an order?
Oh, it's a fact that'll save your life.
- Or, uh, his?
- Oh, please, Mr. Kelley.
Just a minute, Miss Waters.
We, uh, hardly know each other. Up to now -
- There's no time to - - You're not
giving me any chance to get to know ya.
You barge in here
and tell me I have to run away...
just because that hotheaded Ford
says we're lovers.
- Don't make sense.
- His guns do.
Yeah. That does give him quite an edge.
- He's dangerous.
- Why?
Because he killed his best friend?
Look, I'm telling you to go
because I don't want any more bloodshed.
- He's jealous and -
- Was, uh, JesseJames in love with you too?
- It was for the amnesty.
- And not the reward.
- He wanted to be free to marry me.
- Look. We're wasting time.
He's on his way up here now
looking for you.
I don't think he'll shoot
unless I turn my back.
He killed JesseJames because of me.
He didn't want money.
He wanted me.
Just as if I pulled that trigger myself.
And now he thinks we're lovers.
Oh, don't you see, Mr. Kelley?
I don't want any more murders because of me.
Please help me.
I'm sorry. I didn't understand.
Then you'll go at once? Right now?
Do you love him?
Yes.
I don't believe you.
You couldn't love him.
I don't like what I'm doing, but...
if it's what you want,
it's good enough for me.
Come on.
Eight.
- Ten.
- All right.
There goes another four bits.
So you really know
the whole clan, hmm?
All of them. The mother of the Dalton boys
was Adelaide Younger-
half sister of the Younger brothers,
cousins of theJames boys.
Six.
Nine.
- So they're all kind of related.
- Just one big family.
Cole and Jim
and Bob and John Younger and...
Grat and Emmett Dalton
and Frank and Jess...
and Jim Reed and Belle Starr
and their son.
Four.
Eight.
You're just having a run of bad luck.
Yeah. Uh...
would you mind letting me
look at that. 45 now?
You know...
this gun'll probably end up
in a museum someday.
Not while I'm alive to tote it.
Uh, curtain'll go up at the usual time.
You better hurry up.
I mean, take your time. I'll see you later.
I'll be around.
Been waitin' for you, Cynthy.
I'm sorry for what I said.
I was wrong about Kelley.
He checked out of town.
You ain't sore, are ya?
No.
You know, I've been thinkin'
about us, and...
it's wrong for us to get married now.
I know what you were trying to tell me
without hurting my feelings.
- Do you, Bob?
- Sure. It ain't right for a man...
to get married if he ain't got
enough money to take care of his wife.
So I got myself a job.
- On a farm?
- No.
Well, whatever it is, I'm proud of you.
Well, I - I hope you feel that way
when I tell you what it is.
Do you want me to guess?
I'm gonna be... a performer.
And I'm going to rideJumbo
in Barnum Circus in New York.
Mr. Kane and I talked it over.
I'm going to be what he called a -
a special added attraction.
Well?
Well, every night I'm gonna -
I'm gonna show folks
how I shotJess.
No.
That's what I aim to do.
Have you lost your mind?
How can you put yourself up li -
like a freak?
- People will pay-
- I don't care about people.
I'm talking about you - Bob Ford.
How do you feel about it?
You mean you're going to useJesse as a -
Oh, Bob!
What's the difference? He's dead.
I gotta make money so we can get married,
and farmin' will take too long.
I don't regret what I done,
'cause it was to have you.
I don't regret what I aim to do...
'cause the whole thing's
kind of tied up in one big reason.
Oh, I - I can't stomach you
using Jesse's ghost.
You're right about that, Cynthy.
Look, I ain't much good with words, but...
seems to me that real honest love
is like ghosts...
which everybody hears about
and few people see.
Well, I see it, I feel it and I got it.
If that can't make you see
what's driving me on, nothin' can.
I just want a chance to prove
I ain't no murderer...
traitor or assassin.
It's a hot day.
Think I'll dust off
some of these pictures.
Blank.
#A wanderin' minstrel man I am #
# I sing my songs in trade #
#And in the course of travelin' #
# My fortune I have made #
# If I sing a liltin' air #
#To any purty miss #
# Even though she may be shy #
# She pays me with a kiss #
# Now in this room
I feel an urge #
#To tell you what I think #
# If someone pays the cost
I'll trade #
#A ballad "fer" a drink ##
Give him a drink.
I just blew into town.
I can use a drink, mister.
I'll sing you one everybody likes.
A song everybody likes.
#JesseJames was a lad
that killed many a man #
#He robbed the Glendale train #
#He took from the rich
and give to the poor #
#He'd a heart and a hand
and a brain #
#Young Jesse had a wife
who mourned for his life #
#Three children, they were brave #
# But the dirty little coward
what shot Mr. Howard #
#Has laid Jesse dead in his grave #
# 'Cause it was Robert Ford
the dirty little cow -#
Anything wrong, mister?
I'm Robert Ford.
Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Ford.
I didn't know.
So everybody likes it, huh?
Oh, nobody likes it very much,
Mr. Ford.
Go on. Sing it.
- Oh, please, Mr. Ford.
- I wanna hear it.
# 'Cause it was Robert Ford
the dirty little cow -#
- I can't.
- Sing it.
# 'Cause it was Robert Ford
the dirty little coward #
#Wonder how he feels #
# He ate ofJesse's bread
and slept in Jesse's bed #
# Then he laid Jesse dead in his grave #
#JesseJames sat at home
on a Saturday night #
#Talkin' to his family brave #
# Robert Ford come around
like a th-thief in the night #
#And laid Jesse dead in his grave #
# No man you ever saw
on the side of the law #
# Could takeJesse dead or alive #
# 'Twas his friend Robert Ford
who collected that reward #
# By shootin'JesseJames
on the sly #
# Young Jesse had a wife
who mourned for his life #
#Three children, they were brave #
# But the... dirty little
coward what shot Mr. Howard #
# Has laid Jesse dead #
# In his grave ##
Don't shoot. Don't shoot.
Don't shoot.
I'm outta bullets.
Why pick me for target practice?
You shotJesseJames.
Anybody would shoot you becomes
the biggest gunman in the country.
Silver! Silver!
Silver! Silver!
Silver! Colorado!
Creede, Colorado!
Silver!
Silver! Silver!
Silver! Colorado!
Creede, Colorado!
Oh! I wanted to find you.
You've got to get out of town.
I overheard some men talking.
You're the target for every
gun-happy man around here.
They think killing you will make them famous.
It isn't safe for you here anymore.
- It'll be the same wherever I go.
- You could change your name.
No. I'm not gonna do
whatJesse did.
But you can't go on like this.
Every minute, I expect someone to shoot you.
So do I.
What are we gonna do, Bob?
Well, there's a silver strike in Colorado.
- Maybe if I go there, I might -
- Please.
No. I'm not gonna change my name.
- I didn't mean that.
- What did you mean?
It's about us.
Cynthy, it might take a short time.
It might take long.
If I strike it rich, I'll send for you.
- But, Bob, I -
- I'm leavin' tonight.
Howdy, mister.
Howdy. My horse is beat.
- Brush him off.
- I'll do that.
- Feed 'im too.
- I'll feed him.
You got a clean stall
for my horse?
Why, sure.
You look like you could use
a clean stall yourself.
Where do I find one?
There's not a room
in the whole town, mister.
Unless you can talk yourself into one
down at the Silver King...
and that's down the street
to the left.
You can't miss it.
It's a sure thing.
It's worth a million.
- If I could just start right along this -
- Sorry, Lucky.
Nobody'll grubstake you
on that piece of ground.
Well, uh, could you loan me
a half-dollar?
No. You owe too much already.
- How about a room?
- Filled up.
Unless you want the bridal suite -
a hundred dollars a night.
Say, how'd you like
to sell that ring?
I got a little more than $40.
How about that room?
Well, we're doubling up.
If you can get the fella here in 124
to share his with you...
it'll be $10 for the night.
- Where is it?
- Upstairs to the right.
It's open.
Hey, I know you.
You're -You're Kelley.
- Hi, Miller.
- I got no place to sleep.
You mind if I share your room?
It's big enough.
Help yourself.
- How are things in St. Joe?
- Quiet.
Guess everybody
and his brother's in town.
Yeah, that's the way these booms are.
It's lucky it's this time of year.
No snow on the ground.
Makes it easier to find the veins.
- This your first crack at it?
- Yeah.
Gonna find it pretty rough, Miller.
There's a lot of old-timers here
know every rock and hole in Colorado.
Well, before I share your room,
I oughta tell you my name ain't Miller.
That's none of my business.
I ain't ashamed of it.
It's Ford - Robert Ford.
How about the room?
It's still big enough.
You, uh, through with this?
No. Leave it there.
#Beating madly #
#I love you #
Yeah, the boys have been talking
about you again, Mr. Kelley.
- Everybody likes you, and -
- No chance.
It's good-payin' money.
They'd make you marshal in five minutes.
I've been kickin' around too long
to hang up in one place.
Is that what you want - endin' up
like most of these broken-down sourdoughs?
I got no reason
to stick around this town.
Sure wish you'd change your mind.
All the storekeepers think highly of you.
Joe, all peacemakers are targets.
That's not for me.
- What have you got to eat?
- Sweet corn, cornmeal mush...
cornpone with cracklings
and corn whiskey.
I'll have it.
#Beautiful dreamer #
#Wake unto me #
- Say, I, uh -
- You remember Cynthy Waters?
Yeah, I remember.
I'm gonna bring her back
a mountain of money.
Is that what she wants?
Mm-hmm. We're gonna get married
when I strike it.
#Beautiful dreamer #
# Queen of my song #
# List while I woo thee #
#With soft melody #
- # Gone are the cares of #
- That's what Cynthy used to sing to me.
#Life's busy throng #
# Beautiful dreamer
awake unto me #
# Beautiful dreamer #
#Awake unto me ##
Yahoo!
Yahoo! I made it!
Yahoo!
Kelley! Kelley, my lad, I made it.
Look at it.
A ton'll carry $200.
- Yahoo!
- Be careful now, Soapy. Be careful.
Don't let anybody know where.
You're drunk.
Sure, I'm drunk.
Come on. Let's all get drunk.
- Right, Soapy.
- Ajug of your best for my friend Soapy.
- Those men with him, do you know 'em?
- Nope.
Looks like they're gonna
strike it rich tonight too.
A man gets that drunk,
it's his own neck. Whiskey.
All you gotta do is sign, Soapy,
and we give you 500 in cash.
- Sign what?
- We're buyin' your rights for 500.
- In cash.
- Remember?
Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure, sure, sure.
Come on, Soapy.
I'm gonna take you home.
Go on, Kelley! Give it to 'im!
Attaboy!
I don't mind you pullin' a gun
on a man when he ain't got one.
That's his own fault.
Anything can happen to a man
when he ain't got his guns.
That old drunk there,
if you want his mine...
why don't you shoot him and take it?
I don't like a man going around
the back way and pulling a sneak.
Kelley, you-you're great.
Come on, Soapy.
I'm gonna take you home.
Yahoo! Yahoo!
- Where's Kelley?
- He got up early.
- Where'd he go?
- He checked out.
- Where's Kelley?
- Nobody tells anybody where they're workin' a claim.
I ain't anybody!
- He stole my ring.
- Kelley wouldn't.
He checked out.
Bring me some coffee.
Heard what you did for me
last night, Mr. Ford...
and I wanna tell ya
it was decent of ya.
And you're wrong about Kelley.
- I think maybe -
- Who asked you to think?
You're here to make a strike,
ain't ya?
You got a piece of ground?
Ever do any prospectin'?
You know, for an old man,
you ask a lot of questions.
Yeah, I guess you're right.
Everybody wants to live long,
but nobody wants to be old.
I'm old and a little tired.
Well, I just left a bed.
You can have it.
No, I mean tired of workin' my mine.
I was thinkin', maybe -
Look, you don't have to give me a reward
for shootin' them two fellas.
Who said anything about a reward?
You'll have to work.
And you can't tell. We're liable
to run into Kelley anywhere along the river.
What do you wanna cut me in for?
You -You struck it.
What do you need anyone for?
The bartender told me
why you was here for diggings.
Most of us just want the money.
You want it to get hitched.
That's the highest point
in a man's life, Mr. Ford - gettin' hitched.
- What are you drivin' at?
- There ain't no place so high...
that you can't reach it
with a burro's load of pay dirt.
You know, you don't look like a man
that makes much sense, but you sure do.
Why sit here eatin' your heart out
waitin' for a man you think stole your ring...
when you've got a chance to win gold
and wear it or hoard it...
or spend it or lend it or lose it...
or use it to get hitched?
I got nothin' to work with.
You got hands.
Better than hardtack, ain't it?
And I shot that mountain lion,
which was only 20 feet behind Soapy.
We've been digging for weeks,
and we're going to keep on digging.
Nighttime is when it's-
Well, it's nighttime.
What'll you do
if he does strike it rich?
I don't know.
I don't remember if it was
Shakespeare or Aristotle...
but one of them once said...
"No one loves the man
whom he fears. "
Telegram.
- For me?
- Uh, no. For you, Miss Cynthy.
I seen you wear black before,
but now it -
it kinda makes you seem taller.
Hello, Bob.
Yeah, but not taller maybe. You're -
You're lookin' kinda different.
Perhaps I'm tired.
Yeah.
Your telegram said
you'd be arriving at 6:00.
Oh, it was the other way around.
I said we'd be leaving at 6:00.
Yeah, I - I'm kinda mixed up.
Oh, I see you brought him with you.
Harry had a little tough luck in St. Joe,
and he thought -
Well, as long as this is a boomtown...
maybe they'd like to pay money
for a real heartwarmin' drama.
I hope you got yourself
a new leading lady, Harry...
'cause Cynthy and I, we -
Come on.
I got a surprise for ya.
What's the matter, Cynthy?
Don't you like it?
I guess you're all wore out
from the trip.
You know, I sent to Denver for a dressmaker
to make you a weddin' dress.
You've gone to a lot of trouble, Bob,
and I -
You know, people'll see us courtin'.
It'll be the biggest weddin' in -
No, it ain't the trip that's tired you.
There's somethin' bothering you.
When somethin' bothers us -We gotta
talk things out when somethin' bothers us.
Come in.
Go on.
All right, tell him.
I stole your ring
when you went to sleep that night.
Give it to him.
Go on. Get outta here.
Don't ever call me a thief.
He can put that ring
on your finger now, Mrs. Ford.
I'm not Mrs. Ford yet.
You go freshen up.
You must be tired, huh?
I'll fix up a room for Kane and myself.
You go freshen up.
That clerk shot outta here like a bullet.
I knowed the minute you blew back,
you'd clear that up.
He did the same thing last year
in Jefferson City.
When you grabbed him behind his desk,
I sure thought he was a dead one.
- How'd you make out with your claim?
- No good.
You should've come in
with me and Ford.
He's rich now, real rich.
- You need any grubstakin'?
- Nope.
You got any money?
You goin' out
to hammer them hills again?
- Got a cigar?
- Sure.
How long did you say it would take
to make me marshal?
- Five minutes.
- You'd better tell your friends.
Fella's gotta eat.
Let me have my bag.
You got a reason
to stay in town now, eh?
- Yep.
- Hey, did you see the bride?
She's no bride yet.
Uh, Veronica...
better wait with those bags.
Have you told him yet?
- I couldn't.
- Why are you wasting time?
I'm not particularly fond of him,
but even a traitor like Bob Ford -
- Harry.
- Yes, even he deserves consideration.
- Well, it isn't easy.
- Why, of course it isn't easy...
but you've got
to tell him the truth.
Tell him that you're on your way to Denver,
that we're going to open a new show.
Cynthy.
Perhaps I've exaggerated now and then
about... your acting ability.
But your honesty,
that's a quality I've -
I've always admired in you.
Thank you, Harry.
So you'll tell him you're not
going to marry him. Now.
I can't.
Why? Why? Why can't you?
I'm afraid of him.
All right, Veronica,
you can take the bags in.
Well, I -
I guess I'm stuck in this town too.
Oh.
You heard him, Veronica.
I bought her 20 dresses and - Say, you
oughta try getting married too, Soapy.
Listen, Soapy.
Think what we could do here.
I'm offering you a chance to invest in the first
professional theater in the town of Creede.
- How much gold will it take?
- We could make it a double wedding.
- Just you and me and - - Gold is nothing
but the last corruption of degenerate man.
But to be just a little corrupt
for the sake of art, that I wouldn't mind.
- How much? - I bought her
hats and dresses and shoes and -
- How much gold will it take?
- Now you're talking like an intelligent bachelor.
Anyone can get married.
Mr. Soapy, I just want -
I just - I just wanted to -
- Hello.
- Hello.
You're going to marry him
tomorrow, huh?
Well, not tomorrow.
You're not ever going to marry him,
because I won't let you. Pack up.
You can't come in here
and tell me what to do.
You didn't let that stop you
when you ordered me out of St. Joe.
You're making it worse for me.
Cynthy.
We don't need talk
to understand each other.
You don't love him.
I can't hurt him.
Then why did you come here?
Tell me.
- Well, I -
- Why?
I- I - I wanted to tell him
to his face.
What were you going to say?
What were you going to say? What?
I'm sorry for you.
I could never marry you.
I don't love you, Bob.
I don't love you. I really don't love you.
I don't love you, Bob.
I don't love you.
I really don't love you.
- I don't love -
- Cynthy!
- It's Kelley.
- Oh, Kelley!
- It's Veronica.
- No.
She's not here.
Frank! FrankJames.
Hello, Cynthy. Sit down.
Sit down, Mr. Kelley.
I'm not lookin' for you.
I'm lookin' for Bob Ford.
I tried to climb into Bob's room,
but his window was locked.
- If you kill him, you'll hang.
- Shut up. Sit down.
I didn't mean to listen to what
you were saying, Cynthy.
I, uh, got a little reckless
and knocked over a bottle of perfume.
Ain't used to female things, you know.
- I know how you feel -
- Shut up.
Soon as we hear the verdict,
we'll get back to work.
I still can't figure out how Kelley
got the best of FrankJames.
Mr. Kelley happens to be a very-
Well, he's a very smart man.
What do you think they'll give Frank?
Ten years maybe?
I don't know.
What number do you -
What number do you wanna rehearse?
Maybe 20 years, maybe.
They'll never keep him in jail, Bob.
He's been there a week,
but they won't keep him long.
You're right. The trial is over.
- Uh, waiter.
- How many years did they-
He's free.
I don't understand. There wa -
There was a price on his head.
There is, Bob,
but not in Colorado.
I don't have to kill you.
But I'm gonna tell you something
that will kill you.
You're aimin'to marry Cynthy.
When you put your lips up close to hers,
she'll be kissing you...
but she'll be thinking of Kelley.
It's you she's sorry for,
but it's him she wants.
Anyone seen the marshal?
I kept away because of you, but I -
I don't like this hiding from him.
Everybody knows what he'll do
the minute he sees you.
I've gotta figure out some way
to talk to him.
- But he's crazy with jealousy.
- I'm not gonna run away from something I want.
- Then take me away. Anywhere. Let's
leave right - - You wouldn't like that.
Do you want to spend
the rest of your life behind a bolted door?
They tell me
Ford's on his way over here.
- Well, I've gotta talk to him.
- He'll kill you.
I've got to try
and talk some sense into him.
I hope what I'm going to do now
turns out right...
for all of us.
I hope so.
# Someday
you'll need my love at last #
You got your back to me, Kelley!
Turn around!
Turn around, Kelley!
Turn around!
I ain't waitin', Kelley!
Turn around!
Kelley! Turn around!
Go on. Shoot.
I ain't waitin', Kelley!
Turn around!
- Keep away from your gun and listen.
- I'm listenin'.
I was hopin' I could talk some sense
into you without the help of-
- I'm still listenin'.
- She's not gonna marry you.
She came here to tell you that.
We both love her-
you in your way...
and me - me in my way.
Some men will kill for a woman.
Some won't.
You won't
'cause you don't love her enough.
He just wouldn't listen to me.
- Aw, Cynthy.
- Shh.
I - I want to tell you somethin'
I ain't never told anyone.
Oh, Bob.
I'm sorry for what I done toJess.
I loved him.
#He robbed the Glendale train #
#He took from the rich
and give to the poor #
#He'd a heart and a hand and a brain #
That alarm bell's something new.
They must have stayed up all night
trying to figure out a way to discourage us.
Sorry I dropped the money.
- Forget it.
- How's it look?
Clean through.
You know what they say.
When you save a man's life, you, uh...
assume his responsibilities.
There's only a hundred dollars on my head.
That ain't much when you say it fast.
We got a long ways to go.
Think you can hang on?
- Sure. Where we goin'?
- Home.
It ain't I'm not charitable...
but Bob Ford's all healed now
and able to git.
Says in the paper they're selling a handsome
cuspidor secured by a screw to -
He just spells trouble,
him and his brother Charlie.
Why don't they leave you alone?
You got out of the wrong side
of the bed all week, Zee.
I ain't been to bed since you carried
Bob in here with a bullet in his back.
He's a good boy.
Been ridin' with me for a length of time.
Been living here for a length of time too.
Six months.
I don't mind your brother Frank,
but them Fords.
You've been a devoted wife, Zee.
And I don't say that you speak falsely.
I promise. Right after the -
What is it, Jess?
I only see one rider.
Charlie Ford.
You can look at that map now
if you want to.
I spoke my piece.
What's ailing her?
That's funny.
I wonder what happened.
Why didn't Frank ride in with ya?
He stayed behind to study the roads
we'll have to use.
We picked a good bank in Dodge City. The
four of us can handle it without any trouble.
- No alarm bells this time.
- When are we to meet him?
Eleven days from today.
The bank'll be fat.
He'll be here. The west bank of the
Arkansas River, couple of miles from Wichita.
- Ah.
- Thought you might be hungry.
Thanks, Zee.
May as well sit.
We're gonna eat.
I stopped by in town
to find out what was new.
Guess who's there, Bob.
Your girl.
Cynthy?
- In St. Joe?
- Yeah. Still playacting too.
At the Opera House.
Had a show last night, I was told.
- If you're recognized, Bob -
- They don't know us in St. Joe, Mr. Howard.
Watch out for Marshal Craig.
And don't get into a gunfight.
That's not my intention.
You love Cynthy, don't ya?
Since I was old enough to crawl.
Then why don't you marry her
and settle down and buy land?
You're a farmer at heart.
We all are.
By the way, Cynthy, there's a very good
friend of mine - a gentleman -
well, someone I know
- and he's seen the show every night this week.
- He says -
- We only opened last night.
Yeah. So - So we did.
Well, maybe he saw the rehearsals.
Anyhow, he's most anxious to see you.
And he says -
Veronica, will you make up some more of that sugar
and water? I didn't like the stuff Harry fixed.
Well, look.
He's a very important man.
He's the... silver king of Colorado
or something. And he - he feel -
Harry, how could you expect anyone
to back our show if they've seen it?
Well, he's very fond
of heartwarming dramas.
- Oh, thanks. Oh, a little more water, please.
- Now look.
Uh, how would it be if
I brought him here sometime this week?
- If you like.
- Maybe, uh, tomorrow.
Or tonight. Or, uh -
Just a minute.
- Mr. Kelley.
- Yes.
Mr. Kelley, this is Miss Waters.
Uh, Veronica.
- How do you do, Miss Waters?
- Mr. Kelley.
Well, what do you favor?
Light opera?
- Oh, uh -
- Uh, heavy opera.
- Oh, yes. I, uh -
- Maybe heartwarming dramas.
- Well, that -
- Don't forget Lily Langtry.
Of course. Lily Langtry.
Oh, please, Cynthy. We -
Miss Waters, Mr. Kane,
you don't know this...
but I've seen a lot of your shows.
- I saw you in Joplin, uh -
- Maybe Kansas City?
- Oh, yes, yes. Kansas City.
- Jefferson City too, huh?
- Oh, yes. Jefferson City too. Yes.
- That's fine.
Seen lots of your shows. Uh, all bad.
But don't let that bother you, Miss Waters.
I'm sure it wasn't your fault or Mr. Kane's.
Just, uh, bad plays.
But I'd, uh, like to
talk to you a little more.
Uh, maybe I could see you
after the show, hmm?
Mr. Kelley, if you're gonna put a nickel
in this show, you'll lose it.
- Oh?
- We don't make money.
Oh, Cynthy.
- What is it, Veronica?
- It's Mr. Miller.
He's outside.
Hello, Harry.
They want you outside, Harry.
Cynthia.
Uh, Mr. Kelley. Mr. Miller.
- Hello, Miller.
- Hi.
- Are you a member of the company here?
- No. My business is prospecting.
What, in here?
I like Miss Waters's acting very much.
- Do you have a match, Mr. Miller?
- Yeah.
Yeah.
Miss Waters, don't be worried about me
losing any money in your show.
I don't have any.
But I'd still like to talk to you again.
Cynthy.
Cynthy Waters.
If you'd listened to me three years ago...
we could have been married.
You're a good farmer.
Farmer.
After the next bank-
And what if lead poisoning sets in first?
Mm-mmm. When I marry,
it won't be to a man on the run.
But, Cynthy, I -
Look atJesse's wife.
Last time I saw her hiding out in a
mountain cabin, she looked 50 instead of 30.
I don't want that kind of a life.
Maybe -
Maybe you don't feel for me
the way she feels aboutJess.
I'm still in Missouri.
Bob.
Yeah.
When you're free, I'll marry you.
All right.
I'm leaving theJames Gang for good.
I know Mr. Meredith. He - He's
the prosecuting attorney ofJackson County.
Tell him.
Tell him I'm...
gonna be a farmer.
You've been gone long enough to get
10 pardons. What did Meredith say?
Pumped Cynthy livid trying to find out
where I'm hiding.
Said if I gave myself up,
he'd see I only got 20 years.
Twenty years.
Think they may have
followed you back from St. Louis?
No.
- Where's Jess?
- Took Zee and the kids to church.
Did Meredith tell her
what the governor just came out with?
Everybody in St. Joe's
been talkin' about it.
- Don't seem to worryJess none.
- What?
Amnesty for any of the gang
who turns in Jess, dead or alive.
- Amnesty?
- Yeah. Act of pardon.
Means if you're on the run
and you turn in Jess, you're free.
- No time in jail?
- Not even a day.
Means you could walk down the street
and nobody'd bother ya.
Yeah. It means just that.
Means I could get married.
Yeah. $10,000 goes with that,
dead or alive.
Means we could buy a farm.
Nobody could takeJess alive.
That'd be suicide.
She wouldn't have to tear up old wheat sacks
to make herself a pair of drawers.
- Bob, what are you -
- I'm...
thinkin' of Cynthy.
What about FrankJames?
What'd you do that for?
Meanin' I'm afraid of Frank?
Ain't ya?
Sure.
If I want to think I'm afraid
or say I'm afraid...
I'll think it and I'll say it.
Nothing gonna stop me
from marryin' Cynthy.
Nothin'.
Hey, Bob.
Bob.
Hey, hurry up, Bob.
That's wonderful.
That's more like it.
It's nice and warm now.
Be back in a minute.
- Bob.
- Yeah?
Pick up that blanket, will ya?
It's a Colt. 45.
Improved pattern.
Silver-mounted, pearl handle.
It's beautiful.
It's loaded.
Sure. When I give a present,
I like to make it complete.
Well, go ahead, Bob.
What are you waitin' for?
There's my back.
Here. Scrub it.
Hey, Bob.
I'm goin' to town.
I'll see you in the mornin'.
What are you doin'
pokin' around out there, Bob?
Come on in. Let's talk.
It's kind of lonesome without Frank around.
It ain't lawful. Even folks in town what
don't likeJesseJames is sayin' it ain't lawful.
Don't you fret about it, Zee.
It's just as if the governor was advertisin'
to hire an assassin to go and kill you unawares.
I ain't killed yet, Zee.
I pick my friends, and I know 'em.
No friend of mine would swallow
that immunity offered by the governor.
Ain't that -
What are you so nervous for?
Did Cynthy turn you down?
Yeah. Kind - Kinda.
Think I'll go in to St. Joe
and buy a new horse.
You can fetch the children
home from school with ya.
Yeah. I'll do that, Zee.
I'm tired.
I guess maybe Zee's right.
Time I settled down.
That's what you ought to do, Bob -
get yourself a wife and a home.
That's what I'm aimin' to do, Jess.
It's only 11:00.
Think I'll wait until later
this afternoon and go in town.
It's an awful hot day.
Feel kind of naked without my weapons.
No, sir.
Nothin' like putterin' around a home.
There's no 10,000.
The governor didn't conspire with you
to assassinateJesse.
The reward was $5,000
for his apprehension.
Five for conviction.
All you get is 500.
Bob, you ought to see the way folks
look at me when I walk down the street.
You ought to see 'em, Bob.
- That $10,000?
- 500.
- What happened to the rest of it?
- What's the difference?
I got enough to buy Cynthy a ring -
a diamond ring. A great big one.
- You can be best man.
- Oh, not me.
I'm not hanging around waiting
for a ball from FrankJames's gun...
or buckshot from some of the folks
what don't like what happened toJess.
- Scared?
- He'll get you, Bob.
He'll get both of us.
I'm ridin' out.
Stake me, Bob?
- Here's a hundred.
- Thanks, Bob.
- Watch yourself.
- Yeah.
I still got enough to buy Cynthy
a big diamond ring.
Miss Waters.
Miss Waters.
I beg your pardon.
It's Kelley.
John Kelley.
I, uh, was talking to the manager,
Mr. Kane.
He told me you changed your mind.
You're not going to leave the show.
I'm glad to hear it.
There's something troubling you,
Miss Waters. Uh, can't I help?
I'm, uh...
living at the North Hotel
if there's anything I can do to help.
John Kelley, North Hotel.
Cynthy.
Cynthy.
- What's the matter?
- How could you have done it?
Jesse, your best friend.
How, Bob? How?
- I didn't do it for the reward.
- I know, I know, I know!
Then why are you looking at me
like I'm poison?
Can't you understand what's happened?
You got me kind of all mixed up.
When you pulled that trigger,
all the love I had for you -
- But I done it for you.
- Don't say that! Don't ever say that!
- But it's true, Cynthy.
- Can't you see how wrong it was?
- It was legal.
- It was murder.
Don't look at it that way.
You ought to be proud of me.
The governor's grateful. The law says it's legal.
Don't look at it no other way.
What other way can I look at it?
Cynthia.
I ain't on the run no more.
I can walk down the street, and nobody-
not even the whole militia - can bother me.
That's what the shooting means to you?
What it means to me -
It means I'm a free man.
Ain't that what you wanted, Cynthy?
Ain't it?
'Tweren't easy shootin'Jess.
It weren't easy.
But there's nothin'
I wouldn't do to have you.
Nothin'.
Your weddin' ring.
I can't.
- Cynthy!
- You're hurting me.
What do you think you're doing to me?
Listen, Cynthy.
When I killed Jess, I had a cause.
If you turn against me, I got no reason.
The way you did it, Bob -
Oh, can't you understand?
The love I had for you was -
No, it ain't that.
Something else has turned you from me.
I ain't a murderer.
So there's gotta be a reason.
Kelley! That's who it is! Kelley!
You're talkin' crazy.
What was he doin' here when I came in?
Did you see him much
when I was in jail?
- Stop it!
- I knew there had to be a reason.
I knew.
Bob, you're wrong about Kelley!
He's got nothin'to do with us!
Come in.
You've got to leave St. Joe at once -
right away.
- I have to what?
- Bob Ford's gonna kill you.
Yeah? Why?
Because he thinks we're in love.
- Oh, he does, huh?
- Yes.
- How does he know?
- There's no time to waste. You've got to leave.
Is that, uh - Is that an order?
Oh, it's a fact that'll save your life.
- Or, uh, his?
- Oh, please, Mr. Kelley.
Just a minute, Miss Waters.
We, uh, hardly know each other. Up to now -
- There's no time to - - You're not
giving me any chance to get to know ya.
You barge in here
and tell me I have to run away...
just because that hotheaded Ford
says we're lovers.
- Don't make sense.
- His guns do.
Yeah. That does give him quite an edge.
- He's dangerous.
- Why?
Because he killed his best friend?
Look, I'm telling you to go
because I don't want any more bloodshed.
- He's jealous and -
- Was, uh, JesseJames in love with you too?
- It was for the amnesty.
- And not the reward.
- He wanted to be free to marry me.
- Look. We're wasting time.
He's on his way up here now
looking for you.
I don't think he'll shoot
unless I turn my back.
He killed JesseJames because of me.
He didn't want money.
He wanted me.
Just as if I pulled that trigger myself.
And now he thinks we're lovers.
Oh, don't you see, Mr. Kelley?
I don't want any more murders because of me.
Please help me.
I'm sorry. I didn't understand.
Then you'll go at once? Right now?
Do you love him?
Yes.
I don't believe you.
You couldn't love him.
I don't like what I'm doing, but...
if it's what you want,
it's good enough for me.
Come on.
Eight.
- Ten.
- All right.
There goes another four bits.
So you really know
the whole clan, hmm?
All of them. The mother of the Dalton boys
was Adelaide Younger-
half sister of the Younger brothers,
cousins of theJames boys.
Six.
Nine.
- So they're all kind of related.
- Just one big family.
Cole and Jim
and Bob and John Younger and...
Grat and Emmett Dalton
and Frank and Jess...
and Jim Reed and Belle Starr
and their son.
Four.
Eight.
You're just having a run of bad luck.
Yeah. Uh...
would you mind letting me
look at that. 45 now?
You know...
this gun'll probably end up
in a museum someday.
Not while I'm alive to tote it.
Uh, curtain'll go up at the usual time.
You better hurry up.
I mean, take your time. I'll see you later.
I'll be around.
Been waitin' for you, Cynthy.
I'm sorry for what I said.
I was wrong about Kelley.
He checked out of town.
You ain't sore, are ya?
No.
You know, I've been thinkin'
about us, and...
it's wrong for us to get married now.
I know what you were trying to tell me
without hurting my feelings.
- Do you, Bob?
- Sure. It ain't right for a man...
to get married if he ain't got
enough money to take care of his wife.
So I got myself a job.
- On a farm?
- No.
Well, whatever it is, I'm proud of you.
Well, I - I hope you feel that way
when I tell you what it is.
Do you want me to guess?
I'm gonna be... a performer.
And I'm going to rideJumbo
in Barnum Circus in New York.
Mr. Kane and I talked it over.
I'm going to be what he called a -
a special added attraction.
Well?
Well, every night I'm gonna -
I'm gonna show folks
how I shotJess.
No.
That's what I aim to do.
Have you lost your mind?
How can you put yourself up li -
like a freak?
- People will pay-
- I don't care about people.
I'm talking about you - Bob Ford.
How do you feel about it?
You mean you're going to useJesse as a -
Oh, Bob!
What's the difference? He's dead.
I gotta make money so we can get married,
and farmin' will take too long.
I don't regret what I done,
'cause it was to have you.
I don't regret what I aim to do...
'cause the whole thing's
kind of tied up in one big reason.
Oh, I - I can't stomach you
using Jesse's ghost.
You're right about that, Cynthy.
Look, I ain't much good with words, but...
seems to me that real honest love
is like ghosts...
which everybody hears about
and few people see.
Well, I see it, I feel it and I got it.
If that can't make you see
what's driving me on, nothin' can.
I just want a chance to prove
I ain't no murderer...
traitor or assassin.
It's a hot day.
Think I'll dust off
some of these pictures.
Blank.
#A wanderin' minstrel man I am #
# I sing my songs in trade #
#And in the course of travelin' #
# My fortune I have made #
# If I sing a liltin' air #
#To any purty miss #
# Even though she may be shy #
# She pays me with a kiss #
# Now in this room
I feel an urge #
#To tell you what I think #
# If someone pays the cost
I'll trade #
#A ballad "fer" a drink ##
Give him a drink.
I just blew into town.
I can use a drink, mister.
I'll sing you one everybody likes.
A song everybody likes.
#JesseJames was a lad
that killed many a man #
#He robbed the Glendale train #
#He took from the rich
and give to the poor #
#He'd a heart and a hand
and a brain #
#Young Jesse had a wife
who mourned for his life #
#Three children, they were brave #
# But the dirty little coward
what shot Mr. Howard #
#Has laid Jesse dead in his grave #
# 'Cause it was Robert Ford
the dirty little cow -#
Anything wrong, mister?
I'm Robert Ford.
Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Ford.
I didn't know.
So everybody likes it, huh?
Oh, nobody likes it very much,
Mr. Ford.
Go on. Sing it.
- Oh, please, Mr. Ford.
- I wanna hear it.
# 'Cause it was Robert Ford
the dirty little cow -#
- I can't.
- Sing it.
# 'Cause it was Robert Ford
the dirty little coward #
#Wonder how he feels #
# He ate ofJesse's bread
and slept in Jesse's bed #
# Then he laid Jesse dead in his grave #
#JesseJames sat at home
on a Saturday night #
#Talkin' to his family brave #
# Robert Ford come around
like a th-thief in the night #
#And laid Jesse dead in his grave #
# No man you ever saw
on the side of the law #
# Could takeJesse dead or alive #
# 'Twas his friend Robert Ford
who collected that reward #
# By shootin'JesseJames
on the sly #
# Young Jesse had a wife
who mourned for his life #
#Three children, they were brave #
# But the... dirty little
coward what shot Mr. Howard #
# Has laid Jesse dead #
# In his grave ##
Don't shoot. Don't shoot.
Don't shoot.
I'm outta bullets.
Why pick me for target practice?
You shotJesseJames.
Anybody would shoot you becomes
the biggest gunman in the country.
Silver! Silver!
Silver! Silver!
Silver! Colorado!
Creede, Colorado!
Silver!
Silver! Silver!
Silver! Colorado!
Creede, Colorado!
Oh! I wanted to find you.
You've got to get out of town.
I overheard some men talking.
You're the target for every
gun-happy man around here.
They think killing you will make them famous.
It isn't safe for you here anymore.
- It'll be the same wherever I go.
- You could change your name.
No. I'm not gonna do
whatJesse did.
But you can't go on like this.
Every minute, I expect someone to shoot you.
So do I.
What are we gonna do, Bob?
Well, there's a silver strike in Colorado.
- Maybe if I go there, I might -
- Please.
No. I'm not gonna change my name.
- I didn't mean that.
- What did you mean?
It's about us.
Cynthy, it might take a short time.
It might take long.
If I strike it rich, I'll send for you.
- But, Bob, I -
- I'm leavin' tonight.
Howdy, mister.
Howdy. My horse is beat.
- Brush him off.
- I'll do that.
- Feed 'im too.
- I'll feed him.
You got a clean stall
for my horse?
Why, sure.
You look like you could use
a clean stall yourself.
Where do I find one?
There's not a room
in the whole town, mister.
Unless you can talk yourself into one
down at the Silver King...
and that's down the street
to the left.
You can't miss it.
It's a sure thing.
It's worth a million.
- If I could just start right along this -
- Sorry, Lucky.
Nobody'll grubstake you
on that piece of ground.
Well, uh, could you loan me
a half-dollar?
No. You owe too much already.
- How about a room?
- Filled up.
Unless you want the bridal suite -
a hundred dollars a night.
Say, how'd you like
to sell that ring?
I got a little more than $40.
How about that room?
Well, we're doubling up.
If you can get the fella here in 124
to share his with you...
it'll be $10 for the night.
- Where is it?
- Upstairs to the right.
It's open.
Hey, I know you.
You're -You're Kelley.
- Hi, Miller.
- I got no place to sleep.
You mind if I share your room?
It's big enough.
Help yourself.
- How are things in St. Joe?
- Quiet.
Guess everybody
and his brother's in town.
Yeah, that's the way these booms are.
It's lucky it's this time of year.
No snow on the ground.
Makes it easier to find the veins.
- This your first crack at it?
- Yeah.
Gonna find it pretty rough, Miller.
There's a lot of old-timers here
know every rock and hole in Colorado.
Well, before I share your room,
I oughta tell you my name ain't Miller.
That's none of my business.
I ain't ashamed of it.
It's Ford - Robert Ford.
How about the room?
It's still big enough.
You, uh, through with this?
No. Leave it there.
#Beating madly #
#I love you #
Yeah, the boys have been talking
about you again, Mr. Kelley.
- Everybody likes you, and -
- No chance.
It's good-payin' money.
They'd make you marshal in five minutes.
I've been kickin' around too long
to hang up in one place.
Is that what you want - endin' up
like most of these broken-down sourdoughs?
I got no reason
to stick around this town.
Sure wish you'd change your mind.
All the storekeepers think highly of you.
Joe, all peacemakers are targets.
That's not for me.
- What have you got to eat?
- Sweet corn, cornmeal mush...
cornpone with cracklings
and corn whiskey.
I'll have it.
#Beautiful dreamer #
#Wake unto me #
- Say, I, uh -
- You remember Cynthy Waters?
Yeah, I remember.
I'm gonna bring her back
a mountain of money.
Is that what she wants?
Mm-hmm. We're gonna get married
when I strike it.
#Beautiful dreamer #
# Queen of my song #
# List while I woo thee #
#With soft melody #
- # Gone are the cares of #
- That's what Cynthy used to sing to me.
#Life's busy throng #
# Beautiful dreamer
awake unto me #
# Beautiful dreamer #
#Awake unto me ##
Yahoo!
Yahoo! I made it!
Yahoo!
Kelley! Kelley, my lad, I made it.
Look at it.
A ton'll carry $200.
- Yahoo!
- Be careful now, Soapy. Be careful.
Don't let anybody know where.
You're drunk.
Sure, I'm drunk.
Come on. Let's all get drunk.
- Right, Soapy.
- Ajug of your best for my friend Soapy.
- Those men with him, do you know 'em?
- Nope.
Looks like they're gonna
strike it rich tonight too.
A man gets that drunk,
it's his own neck. Whiskey.
All you gotta do is sign, Soapy,
and we give you 500 in cash.
- Sign what?
- We're buyin' your rights for 500.
- In cash.
- Remember?
Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure, sure, sure.
Come on, Soapy.
I'm gonna take you home.
Go on, Kelley! Give it to 'im!
Attaboy!
I don't mind you pullin' a gun
on a man when he ain't got one.
That's his own fault.
Anything can happen to a man
when he ain't got his guns.
That old drunk there,
if you want his mine...
why don't you shoot him and take it?
I don't like a man going around
the back way and pulling a sneak.
Kelley, you-you're great.
Come on, Soapy.
I'm gonna take you home.
Yahoo! Yahoo!
- Where's Kelley?
- He got up early.
- Where'd he go?
- He checked out.
- Where's Kelley?
- Nobody tells anybody where they're workin' a claim.
I ain't anybody!
- He stole my ring.
- Kelley wouldn't.
He checked out.
Bring me some coffee.
Heard what you did for me
last night, Mr. Ford...
and I wanna tell ya
it was decent of ya.
And you're wrong about Kelley.
- I think maybe -
- Who asked you to think?
You're here to make a strike,
ain't ya?
You got a piece of ground?
Ever do any prospectin'?
You know, for an old man,
you ask a lot of questions.
Yeah, I guess you're right.
Everybody wants to live long,
but nobody wants to be old.
I'm old and a little tired.
Well, I just left a bed.
You can have it.
No, I mean tired of workin' my mine.
I was thinkin', maybe -
Look, you don't have to give me a reward
for shootin' them two fellas.
Who said anything about a reward?
You'll have to work.
And you can't tell. We're liable
to run into Kelley anywhere along the river.
What do you wanna cut me in for?
You -You struck it.
What do you need anyone for?
The bartender told me
why you was here for diggings.
Most of us just want the money.
You want it to get hitched.
That's the highest point
in a man's life, Mr. Ford - gettin' hitched.
- What are you drivin' at?
- There ain't no place so high...
that you can't reach it
with a burro's load of pay dirt.
You know, you don't look like a man
that makes much sense, but you sure do.
Why sit here eatin' your heart out
waitin' for a man you think stole your ring...
when you've got a chance to win gold
and wear it or hoard it...
or spend it or lend it or lose it...
or use it to get hitched?
I got nothin' to work with.
You got hands.
Better than hardtack, ain't it?
And I shot that mountain lion,
which was only 20 feet behind Soapy.
We've been digging for weeks,
and we're going to keep on digging.
Nighttime is when it's-
Well, it's nighttime.
What'll you do
if he does strike it rich?
I don't know.
I don't remember if it was
Shakespeare or Aristotle...
but one of them once said...
"No one loves the man
whom he fears. "
Telegram.
- For me?
- Uh, no. For you, Miss Cynthy.
I seen you wear black before,
but now it -
it kinda makes you seem taller.
Hello, Bob.
Yeah, but not taller maybe. You're -
You're lookin' kinda different.
Perhaps I'm tired.
Yeah.
Your telegram said
you'd be arriving at 6:00.
Oh, it was the other way around.
I said we'd be leaving at 6:00.
Yeah, I - I'm kinda mixed up.
Oh, I see you brought him with you.
Harry had a little tough luck in St. Joe,
and he thought -
Well, as long as this is a boomtown...
maybe they'd like to pay money
for a real heartwarmin' drama.
I hope you got yourself
a new leading lady, Harry...
'cause Cynthy and I, we -
Come on.
I got a surprise for ya.
What's the matter, Cynthy?
Don't you like it?
I guess you're all wore out
from the trip.
You know, I sent to Denver for a dressmaker
to make you a weddin' dress.
You've gone to a lot of trouble, Bob,
and I -
You know, people'll see us courtin'.
It'll be the biggest weddin' in -
No, it ain't the trip that's tired you.
There's somethin' bothering you.
When somethin' bothers us -We gotta
talk things out when somethin' bothers us.
Come in.
Go on.
All right, tell him.
I stole your ring
when you went to sleep that night.
Give it to him.
Go on. Get outta here.
Don't ever call me a thief.
He can put that ring
on your finger now, Mrs. Ford.
I'm not Mrs. Ford yet.
You go freshen up.
You must be tired, huh?
I'll fix up a room for Kane and myself.
You go freshen up.
That clerk shot outta here like a bullet.
I knowed the minute you blew back,
you'd clear that up.
He did the same thing last year
in Jefferson City.
When you grabbed him behind his desk,
I sure thought he was a dead one.
- How'd you make out with your claim?
- No good.
You should've come in
with me and Ford.
He's rich now, real rich.
- You need any grubstakin'?
- Nope.
You got any money?
You goin' out
to hammer them hills again?
- Got a cigar?
- Sure.
How long did you say it would take
to make me marshal?
- Five minutes.
- You'd better tell your friends.
Fella's gotta eat.
Let me have my bag.
You got a reason
to stay in town now, eh?
- Yep.
- Hey, did you see the bride?
She's no bride yet.
Uh, Veronica...
better wait with those bags.
Have you told him yet?
- I couldn't.
- Why are you wasting time?
I'm not particularly fond of him,
but even a traitor like Bob Ford -
- Harry.
- Yes, even he deserves consideration.
- Well, it isn't easy.
- Why, of course it isn't easy...
but you've got
to tell him the truth.
Tell him that you're on your way to Denver,
that we're going to open a new show.
Cynthy.
Perhaps I've exaggerated now and then
about... your acting ability.
But your honesty,
that's a quality I've -
I've always admired in you.
Thank you, Harry.
So you'll tell him you're not
going to marry him. Now.
I can't.
Why? Why? Why can't you?
I'm afraid of him.
All right, Veronica,
you can take the bags in.
Well, I -
I guess I'm stuck in this town too.
Oh.
You heard him, Veronica.
I bought her 20 dresses and - Say, you
oughta try getting married too, Soapy.
Listen, Soapy.
Think what we could do here.
I'm offering you a chance to invest in the first
professional theater in the town of Creede.
- How much gold will it take?
- We could make it a double wedding.
- Just you and me and - - Gold is nothing
but the last corruption of degenerate man.
But to be just a little corrupt
for the sake of art, that I wouldn't mind.
- How much? - I bought her
hats and dresses and shoes and -
- How much gold will it take?
- Now you're talking like an intelligent bachelor.
Anyone can get married.
Mr. Soapy, I just want -
I just - I just wanted to -
- Hello.
- Hello.
You're going to marry him
tomorrow, huh?
Well, not tomorrow.
You're not ever going to marry him,
because I won't let you. Pack up.
You can't come in here
and tell me what to do.
You didn't let that stop you
when you ordered me out of St. Joe.
You're making it worse for me.
Cynthy.
We don't need talk
to understand each other.
You don't love him.
I can't hurt him.
Then why did you come here?
Tell me.
- Well, I -
- Why?
I- I - I wanted to tell him
to his face.
What were you going to say?
What were you going to say? What?
I'm sorry for you.
I could never marry you.
I don't love you, Bob.
I don't love you. I really don't love you.
I don't love you, Bob.
I don't love you.
I really don't love you.
- I don't love -
- Cynthy!
- It's Kelley.
- Oh, Kelley!
- It's Veronica.
- No.
She's not here.
Frank! FrankJames.
Hello, Cynthy. Sit down.
Sit down, Mr. Kelley.
I'm not lookin' for you.
I'm lookin' for Bob Ford.
I tried to climb into Bob's room,
but his window was locked.
- If you kill him, you'll hang.
- Shut up. Sit down.
I didn't mean to listen to what
you were saying, Cynthy.
I, uh, got a little reckless
and knocked over a bottle of perfume.
Ain't used to female things, you know.
- I know how you feel -
- Shut up.
Soon as we hear the verdict,
we'll get back to work.
I still can't figure out how Kelley
got the best of FrankJames.
Mr. Kelley happens to be a very-
Well, he's a very smart man.
What do you think they'll give Frank?
Ten years maybe?
I don't know.
What number do you -
What number do you wanna rehearse?
Maybe 20 years, maybe.
They'll never keep him in jail, Bob.
He's been there a week,
but they won't keep him long.
You're right. The trial is over.
- Uh, waiter.
- How many years did they-
He's free.
I don't understand. There wa -
There was a price on his head.
There is, Bob,
but not in Colorado.
I don't have to kill you.
But I'm gonna tell you something
that will kill you.
You're aimin'to marry Cynthy.
When you put your lips up close to hers,
she'll be kissing you...
but she'll be thinking of Kelley.
It's you she's sorry for,
but it's him she wants.
Anyone seen the marshal?
I kept away because of you, but I -
I don't like this hiding from him.
Everybody knows what he'll do
the minute he sees you.
I've gotta figure out some way
to talk to him.
- But he's crazy with jealousy.
- I'm not gonna run away from something I want.
- Then take me away. Anywhere. Let's
leave right - - You wouldn't like that.
Do you want to spend
the rest of your life behind a bolted door?
They tell me
Ford's on his way over here.
- Well, I've gotta talk to him.
- He'll kill you.
I've got to try
and talk some sense into him.
I hope what I'm going to do now
turns out right...
for all of us.
I hope so.
# Someday
you'll need my love at last #
You got your back to me, Kelley!
Turn around!
Turn around, Kelley!
Turn around!
I ain't waitin', Kelley!
Turn around!
Kelley! Turn around!
Go on. Shoot.
I ain't waitin', Kelley!
Turn around!
- Keep away from your gun and listen.
- I'm listenin'.
I was hopin' I could talk some sense
into you without the help of-
- I'm still listenin'.
- She's not gonna marry you.
She came here to tell you that.
We both love her-
you in your way...
and me - me in my way.
Some men will kill for a woman.
Some won't.
You won't
'cause you don't love her enough.
He just wouldn't listen to me.
- Aw, Cynthy.
- Shh.
I - I want to tell you somethin'
I ain't never told anyone.
Oh, Bob.
I'm sorry for what I done toJess.
I loved him.