Maverick (1957) s01e18 Episode Script
Diamond in the Rough
1
BART:
Notice anything unusual?
ROLAND:
No.
Yes.
Yes, it looks as if it had been broken.
Look at it again. Look at the break.
That is a diamond in its natural state,
right?
That's right.
One thing you never find in nature
is a straight line.
It's been cut, Mr. Roland.
Why, that doesn't make sense.
It is a diamond, isn't it?
It's a diamond.
Hello. It's nice to see you again.
This week's story is based on fact.
The great diamond swindle
that shook the financial world
of San Francisco in the 18705.
I think you're going to enjoy it.
It's called "Diamond in the Rough."
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
Who the devil is it? What do you want?
KINGSLEY:
Open the door, you feel.
Well, if it isn't Mr. Kingsley himself.
You can always tell a gentleman
by his manners.
Is that the stuff?
McCLURE:
Don't look like no diamonds I ever saw.
Diamonds in the rough
don't look like diamonds.
Look at the size of the bloody things.
Hey, they must be worth millions.
There's not a man in San Francisco
who'd tell you any different.
Fortunately.
Your share of this enterprise, gentlemen,
will come to ten times what they're worth.
Sn bear that in mind if either of you
is tempted to take the bait out of the trap.
Mr. McClure and I ain't exactly cranks,
you know.
Besides, we keep a pretty shrewd eye
on each other.
But still, do we have to stay in the desert
all of six months? That is to say--
Not a day less.
You'll be investigated when you come back.
Investigated?
I want to be certain that no one knows
you've had contact with civilization
for that length of time.
Six months is an awful long time.
- We shall need money. Supplies.
- That we will.
Money?
What happened to the money I gave you?
Well--
Well, San Francisco ain't exactly
the friendliest town, you know.
We had to spread around
to get acquainted.
Now, you listen to me.
I'm short of cash or I wouldn't be involved
in a scheme like this.
I've only my good name and reputation
to sustain me.
- It'll take more than that to sustain us.
- It will.
All right, all right.
I'm going to my club.
I can usually pick up a little cash there
at poker.
You'll have the money
before you leave town in the morning.
Stop getting acquainted
with San Francisco.
Stay in this room and don't leave it.
Now, whose turn was it?
I think it was mine.
[CROWD CHATTERING]
Well, this is where I turn off.
Roland, your guest seems
to be slowing down.
[CHUCKLES]
When Mr. Maverick slows down,
it's only to pick up speed.
- Ha-ha-ha!
- I'm not picking up much of anything else.
Ah! Here comes more money.
Oh, anytime Mr. Kingsley's late
to the table
that's a bad omen
for the stock market.
[ALL CHUCKLE]
- I don't believe I've had the pleasure.
- Oh, Mr. Kingsley, Mr. Maverick.
Perhaps Mr. Maverick would care
to see the club library?
Mr. Kingsley, I make it a paint
to always look in on the club library
just the minute the card room closes.
Oh, now, look here, Kingsley,
Mr. Maverick is my guest tonight.
May I speak to you privately
for a moment, please?
Of course.
- Excuse me.
Certainly.
No, it's all right.
When I play poker, I often win or lose
a hundred thousand dollars at a sitting.
In my own club,
I can be sure the men I play with
can afford the same stakes.
I can appreciate that, sir.
It must be a great comfort.
I mean no offense, Mr. Maverick,
but it's simply that
well, I don't know you.
Can you afford
to lose a hundred thousand dollars?
If you can't,
I suggest you find another game.
Mr. Kingsley, I've got $10,000
already invested in this game.
Seven thousand more to play.
Normally, I'd leave when that's gone.
I think you'd better leave now.
I'd love to oblige,
just as a graceful gesture
but there is money involved.
Holmes, does the gentleman have a hat?
Mr. Kingsley, I think--
[HOLMES PUNCHES]
[GRUNTS]
[STEEGER LAUGHING]
So you got it all pretty tough, eh?
Ha-ha-ha.
Who are you?
David Steeger, I'm the captain.
Captain? Of what?
Of the Silent William.
[LAUGHING]
How did I get here?
Ha, ha, not by your own steam, I tell you.
They had to carry you aboard
by the body.
Oh, were you drunk.
- They pull, they tug, they shove--
- All right, all right. That's--
They had to work hard,
but they got you aboard.
- Who got me aboard?
- Well, your friends.
They tuck you in nice.
They paid your passage money
and they made sure
you didn't miss the boat.
Where's my coat?
Your coat? Your coat is all right.
Where's my wallet?
Wallet, you didn't bring.
Must have been a very good party.
Ha-ha-ha.
Well, don't worry for money.
Your friend stuck you in the coat pocket
a surprise.
A thousand-dollar bill.
I stuck me in the coat pocket
3 thousand-dollar bill.
If my friends had known about it,
they would have taken care of that too.
What?
They were no friends?
- They were not friends.
- Ha, ha!
Oh. And I was not drunk.
What did these friends of mine look like?
Oh, drinking companions.
Not to have dinner with.
Wasn't shaved, wasn't washed.
Just talk like Irish. Both of them.
Wasn't there a third man?
Distinguished-looking? Well-dressed?
- Short-cropped mustache--
- Yeah, yeah, he was there too.
But wasn't as helpful as the others,
he stayed in the carriage.
- Haw scan can I get off this boat?
- Oh, scan.
We'll be in New Orleans in four months,
maybe five.
Wha--? Oh
BART“.
Five months is a long time anywhere.
But aboard the Silent William, surrounded
by thousands of miles of nothing
it got to seem like years.
But 1 had something pleasant
to think about.
Mr. Kingsley of San Francisco.
And all the fine plans 1 had for him.
I don't usually go in for vendettas,
but I could make an exception in this case.
By the time the Silent William
reached New Orleans
I had figured out
just what Kingsley owed me.
And only part of it was payable in cash.
I needed time to get the roll out my walk
and another roll into my pocket
and the races seemed
the quickest way to do it.
If the tip 1 got
on that white-faced gray gelding was right.
[CROWD SHOUTING]
[ALL CHEERING]
Four nights later, 1 had the cash I'd need.
In the morning,
I'd say goodbye to the captain
and be on my way to San Francisco.
Overland, of course.
[COUPLE SPEAKING FRENCH]
HENRIETTE:
I'll not tolerate it a moment longer.
I sympathize, madame.
Why do you not fling yourself
into the river?
Do you forget how one of us
is aristocracy?
Madame la comtesse,
an aristocrat does not shriek
like a Pullman porter about her wages.
Madame,
you have smashed your last plate.
My last?
Madame, have the goodness to depart.
You are fired!
To the pleasure of seeing you again,
General Beaujean
hanging from a lamppost.
Good evening.
[SPEAKING IN FRENCH]
[CHUCKLES]
And you've got a little of everything
in here
except your wages.
Is it that you laugh at me, monsieur?
I wouldn't think of it.
And do not condescend.
I will not be addressed like a waitress
in a cheap cafe.
Ah-ah. Ex-waitress.
Oh, I beg your pardon.
I'm sure I'm addressing the fairest flower
of Creole aristocracy.
Monsieur, there is no aristocracy
among the Creoles.
Well
And who are you, honey?
I'm Henriette De Colbert,
Comtesse De Vavasseur.
I'm sorry. Countess of what?
Vavasseur.
And who are you?
[WHISPERS]
I'm the Count of Monte Cristo. Shh.
That's enough.
Have the goodness to depart, monsieur.
I, uh-- I think I'd better walk you home,
countess.
Otherwise, you're liable
to destroy half the city.
HENRIETTE:
And here we are.
Thank you. Good night.
Countess,
I'm really sorry you lost your job.
No, no, really. Is there anything I can do?
Thank you, no. It was nothing, really.
Well, Henriette.
Will you stand in the street all night,
like a hitching post?
Good evening, ma'am.
Monsieur.
Grandmama, I was discharged
from my employment.
Good.
And this gentleman
brought me back home.
Do we stand here with the door open
to heat the street?
Come in, come in.
Monsieur Bart Maverick
my grandmother,
Madame Ia comtesse DeChauvrier.
Uh, countess, I'm honored.
Please be seated, Monsieur Maverick.
- Thank you.
- Please.
- Henriette, the coffee is ready.
- Yes, grandmother.
BART:
The funny thing is, every new and again
I got the feeling they were countesses.
They probably were.
Yeah.
Every few years, the French people decide
they want to be republic again.
And what happens?
Eighty-four of their dukes and duchesses
got no place to go.
Right now in New Orleans,
there is eight or ten dukes
a dozen countesses, maybe
two field marshals and five generals.
You fall over them in the street.
Ha-ha-ha!
Doesn't anybody try to help them out?
Oh, New Orleans is bad place
for countesses and such like.
People here already got
their own aristocracies.
If I were a duke or a countess
I would go some place
where they need dukes and countesses.
You know,
some place where they got no aristocrats.
You mean, some place like,
uh, San Francisco?
San Francisco, yeah.
No aristocrats there.
It's the perfect place for countesses.
[LAUGHING]
San Francisco, on the other hand,
is young and alive.
It's more your kind of a place.
And we refer to it
as the Paris of America.
You're beginning to repeat yourself,
young man.
What is it precisely that you propose?
- I propose to adopt you.
- Monsieur.
A whole new wardrobe.
You see, they have to dress more warmly
in San Francisco.
And what will be there?
We'll be wined and dined
go to parties and balls every night.
What is your return on this investment?
Two beautiful
and charming countesses
in a city
that's hungry for countesses
and an entree
into some of the wealthiest homes.
Monsieur is a jewel thief.
Afraid not, madame.
Are you a card cheater?
I've got a score to settle.
And you are gonna help me.
Are we? How?
Well, the gentleman I have in mind
travels in the highest circles.
And I can't fight him unless I
can move freely inside these circles.
Ah.
[SPEAKS IN FRENCH]
Well, yes.
And for us
a whole new wardrobe, huh?
And a suite of the best rooms
in the Great Western Hotel.
And my own carriage to ride about?
Oh, come on, Hank, don't be so greedy.
I'll tell you what I will get for you, though.
A husband. I guarantee you
at least three proposals from bachelors.
Young, handsome
and a minimum of $33 million
apiece. All right?
How dare you, monsieur.
I am French
and the French do not think of money.
They think only of love.
Henriette, do not talk nonsense.
My boy, I assure you,
the French are not like that at all.
Well?
Never.
[WHISTLE BLOWING]
I ask myself, Maverick
are there any old millionaire bachelors
in San Francisco?
BART: "Among those who graced
the audience with their presence
was Governor and Mrs. So-and-So
and so-and-so, and so"
[CHUCKLES]
And the Countess DeChauvrier
and her granddaughter,
the Countess De Vavasseur
and, uh, Mr. Bart Maverick."
And a lot of Nob Hill nobodies.
Fifth place in the Examiner.
That's a promotion. We were
nine places down in The Chronicle.
- Is that so important?
- Hank.
Honey, it's not important
till we're in first place.
And when will that be?
Well, all the elegant ladies started
about a half hour ago
tn write their friends in Paris
and New Orleans to check our credentials.
They'll figure two, three weeks
for the replies.
By the first of the month, at the latest,
we should be up to here.
In debt, Maverick?
In invitations, madame.
[BAND PLAYING "BLUE DANUBE WALTZ"]
- Dn you think they'll come?
- Oh, yes, indeed, they'll be here.
- Just think of it, two of them.
- It's really going to make the season.
ANNOUNCER:
Countess DeChauvrier.
Countess De Vavasseur.
Mr. Bart Maverick.
Good evening.
Mr. and Mrs. Shelbourne
Madame DeChauvrier,
Madame De Vavasseur.
Countess DeChauvrier, is it not?
And Countess De Vavasseur?
Excuse me, madame.
Madame.
May we introduce you to our guests?
Very well, yes.
Well, back in town so soon?
I just can't seem to get enough,
somehow, of San Francisco.
You always have to come back for more,
is that it?
Not exactly.
You're here on business?
Business and pleasure, Mr. Kingsley.
I came here to collect a debt.
And the pleasure?
That's the pleasure ton.
Last time I was here,
you were kind enough
to have me blackjacked
during a poker game
and tossed aboard an eastbound ship.
Besides the loss of time and pride
there's also the matter of $17,000
plus interest.
And you hope to collect it
while you're here?
You might say I'm, uh,
dunning you for it right now.
Heh-heh. It's interesting.
The least I can do
is give you a run for your money, eh?
Certainly, Mr. Maverick.
- Gold?
- No, paper is lighter.
What can I do for you?
We'd be obliged and behoven to you if we
could stash these somewheres for safety.
I'm sure that can be arranged.
What's in them?
What the devil business is it of yours?
I'm sorry, then.
We can't take responsibility for them.
That's the rules of the bank.
We can't carry the blithy thing
around with us.
Well, you better tell them
what they are then.
Are they diamonds?
Well, it isn't exactly rock candy,
is it new?
Say, where did you find those, friend?
If we told you that much, mister, you'd
know as much as we blithy well do.
Mr. Leverette. Mr. Leverette.
Would you wait just a minute?
Mr. Leverette is president of the bank
and he'll wanna see.
Couldn't have struck diamonds,
could they?
Why not?
They've struck everything else around here
except water.
Hello.
- Well, what's that?
- Embroidery.
I emboss pictures
with a needle and a thread.
- You do not have it in this country?
- Oh, yes.
I see little old ladies doing it all the time.
Perhaps it is because the little old
gentlemen are busy doing other things.
Well, that can't be your trouble.
Being out in society every night
having everybody fuss over you.
Feel good being a countess again?
Suddenly, it doesn't seem
that important anymore.
In Paris, it did.
And in Louisiana, even more so.
But in San Francisco, no.
You're finding out
you really don't need it.
Countess or no, you're the prettiest girl
in local society.
You're the belle of the ball.
Do you know, Maverick
I do not even care
to be the belle of the ball.
What do you wanna be?
I want to have the nicest husband
the pleasantest home
and the most beautiful children
in San Francisco.
Now, that takes time and money.
I'm still shopping around for you.
Do you ever want such things?
Well, I've been lucky so far.
Perhaps what I say seems silly to you.
Not at all, Hank.
Whatever you want,
I want you to have it.
I know what I want.
Just name it.
Now, that is silly.
A town full of solid, respectful types,
good husbands
and what do you drag in?
A loafer, a gambler
an irresponsible bachelor.
A man who needs the right wife.
You will not recognize yourself
when I'm finished with you, Bart.
When it comes to marrying you off,
we want nothing but the best.
Ah, ah! You'll see.
Good bye, Henriette.
Oh, Bart.
Grandmama?
MADAME:
Out“, Henriette?
Where did you put Maverick's list
of millionaire?
- Can't I buy you a drink, Bart?
- No.
- Shall we lack in an the game upstairs?
- Some other time.
I'm not keeping you
from choir practice, am I?
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
So what Hallidie proposes to do
is to hook cables onto those horsecars
and haul them up and down Clay Street
with steam power.
[ALL LAUGH]
- SO I said to him, "Look here--"
- Never mind what you said to Hallidie.
What did you say
to those two prospectors today?
Three people saw Leverette
dragging them over to your office.
What are you talking about, Vincent?
Oh, stop stalling, Van.
- The story is all over town.
- What story?
VINCENT: Two desert rats
showed up in Leverette's bank
with sacks full of rough diamonds.
One of them as large as a pigeon's egg.
And in no time at all
they were across the street
having pink tea with Mr. Kingsley.
Diamonds?
Nonsense. They were quartz crystals.
All right, then, why were they
in your office for 45 minutes?
And then, where did they disappear to?
How would I know?
MAN:
Come on, now, Kingsley.
You're holding out on us.
KINGSLEY:
There's nothing to it.
Look, two miners came into my office
and wanted to rent a box.
MAN:
To store quartz crystals?
VINCENT: They were diamonds.
My brother-in-law saw them.
Come on, Kingsley, tell us,
where did they find those quartz crystals?
I wouldn't know.
- I just bet you wouldn't.
- Hey, close the door, someone.
We'll have to pry it out.
- All right, all right.
- Tell them.
All right, gentlemen.
Now, the nearest I can figure out
is that they found afield somewhere
or said they did.
Probably in Nevada.
And they claim it bears real diamonds.
Now, I, for one, do not believe it.
Oh, what did you offer them?
Well, they weren't interested
in selling anything.
[MEN SCOFFING]
All right, all right, all right. I confess.
I did mention the possibility
of perhaps buying in
or perhaps putting up
some of the capital.
But only
only if they sent someone out
to see the actual field beforehand.
Now, gentleman,
I do not believe in diamond fields
nor do I believe in sugar plum trees.
[MEN CHATTERING]
BART“.
Kingsley was sounding more and more
like my old friend Dandy Jim Buckley
selling a goldbrick.
Suddenly, I remembered
two men with Kingsley,
the night 1 was put aboard the ship
unshaved, unwashed, talked like Irish.
The two prospectors in the bank today.
Why, you are just being pigheaded
about the whole thing.
It is possible, monsieur,
that you are being too skeptical.
You connect the diamond
with Monsieur Kingsley
and you do not like Mr. Kingsley,
and therefore
He saw Kingsley when the story got out.
Kingsley tried to pretend
that the whole thing never happened.
Roland, that is the first rule.
Whenever you sell a goldbrick
or an old Spanish treasure map
you never tell the sucker about it,
you let them overhear you.
Then, look very distressed when he does.
That is true.
Bart, you saw the diamonds yourself.
Anybody can go out and buy diamonds.
That many?
Oh, why, Selby, the best jeweler in town
evaluated those stones
at more than a half a million dollars.
I know.
That is the one part I can't figure out.
Well, let's talk of more pleasant things.
I promised Henriette a choice
of three millionaire bachelors to marry.
Would you care to join the group?
Grandmama,
he becomes insufferable again.
One must adjust to it.
Don't listen to him, countess.
Make him find you
some young millionaires.
Eh, countess?
Look, Bart,
I've investigated the two prospectors
Murphy and McClure.
They're legitimate.
They've both been scrabbling out there
in the desert for 20 years.
I know Kingsley ton.
How well? A hundred shares?
A thousand?
Oh, don't be silly.
Nobody is organizing anything.
Nobody is selling stock.
Just forgetting the whole thing, huh?
They're investigating it,
thoroughly and sensibly.
Kingsley's made the prospect
as an offer
based on their taking somebody out
to look over the field.
Oh, sure.
The prospectors find something, they can't
wait to tell somebody else where it is.
Oh, there's a way of doing it.
They could take Kingsley's man
out to the desert
and then lead him blindfolded
the rest of the way.
Ha, ha, ha.
Who will they show it to? You?
Benson? P.T. Barnum.
General George B. Marvin.
The sanest and most highly-respected
businessman in San Francisco.
With a blindfold.
[BART CHUCKLES]
And what did you like best, madame?
To go through Montgomery Street
and spend money.
[ALL LAUGHING]
I saw it. I saw it. Acres and acres of it.
Uh, we can't talk here.
- Let's go upstairs.
- All right now, Van, no more secrets.
Yes, let's hear the whole story.
Gentlemen, please. I
All right.
Diamonds,
acres of diamonds there in the desert.
The ant hills.
You'd see an ant hill powdered
with diamond dust.
When you dug into the ant hill
in the heart of it,
a great big beautiful diamond.
That's not possible.
These fantastic precious stones, uncut
but valuable, lying around everywhere.
In the rock crevices, in the sand.
Worth millions and millions of dollars.
I believe he's drunk.
Look.
Look at that.
MAN: Good Lord, look at the size
of those stones.
And you were trying to keep this
from us, man? Or would you?
In other words, gentlemen
only men of the highest business
and personal standing.
Men whose integrity is beyond a doubt.
And how do we proceed?
First, we'll send
a representative collection
of these stones to New York
for examination and estimation
by Tiffany 8; Co.
This let alone, the local jewelers say,
is worth $1 million.
Let's find out exactly what it is worth.
Then?
Then we'll set up a fund of $2 million
for initial expenses.
Now, we'll need 300,000 for a
down payment to Murphy and McClure.
We'll need to hire mining engineers,
rough laborers for the field
a cutter from Europe to keep
the whole operation here in San Francisco.
Get a bill through congress
to protect the diamond fields.
Kingsley,
I think these details are obvious.
Just tell us how much you think
the whole thing will take.
Twenty million dollars.
Seems reasonable.
Yes. Twenty million dollars
isn't bad.
[MEN CHATTERING]
[DOOR OPENS]
BART:
Oh, madame.
MADAME:
Ah.
Oh.
- Good.
- See?
Very good.
Now, what do you know
about diamonds?
What do I not know about diamonds?
Ha, ha.
When I was young
and ravishingly beautiful
I made a study of them.
I collect diamonds.
Where did you pick up
this sack full of stuff?
Oh, well, I--
Oh, souvenirs
from a stockholder's meeting?
You might say that.
How much did they take from you?
A hundred thousand.
You still think it's a can game,
don't you?
If anybody is stealing, it's us.
We capitalize for 20 million
and there's a hundred times that much
lying out there in the desert.
[CHUCKLES]
I'm a little nearsighted
where Mr. Kingsley is concerned.
I have trouble recognizing him
with the red costume
and the eight tiny reindeer.
I'd advise you to buy some
of that reindeer stock while it's still going.
We'll see.
Dear countess.
Good night, Bart.
You are disturbed, Maverick.
No, not at all.
Now, where is Henriette?
Who knows?
Out with the millionaires, no doubt.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
When something is on your mind,
it is never Henriette.
Alors, what is it? The diamonds?
Well, it still smells of a can game.
Except there's too much money
in the come-on.
So?
Madame, there isn't a grifter alive
who puts real gold in his goldbrick.
Not over a million dollars' worth.
I'm beginning to think I was wrong.
Mm-mm. You are not wrong, Maverick.
I studied those diamonds closely.
- They are quite unusual.
- How?
These stones lie in the desert
for thousands of years, huh?
Unseen, untouched by mankind,
n'est-ce pas?
That's the story.
The littlest diamond was the prettiest.
Except for one tiny flaw.
The mark of a diamond cutter's tool.
Being a jeweler himself
Mr. Selby was just itching
to get another look at the stones.
I was sure you wouldn't mind
showing him yours.
Well, of course not.
Sit down, Mr. Selby.
Nice.
Fine.
Uh, rather shabby-looking things,
aren't they?
Just like they'd come out of the ground.
Diamonds in the rough.
You're right.
- You're absolutely right.
- Right about what?
[BART CHUCKLES]
Notice anything unusual?
ROLAND:
No.
Yes.
Yes, it looks as if it had been broken.
Look at it again. Now look at the break.
That is a diamond in its natural state,
right?
That's right.
One thing you never find in nature
is a straight line.
It's been cut, Mr. Roland.
Why, that doesn't make sense.
It is a diamond, isn't it?
It's a diamond.
Mr. Selby, what do you think
that whole lot is worth?
Maybe, uh, $25,000.
Why maybe?
They're raw stones.
I'm not an expert an uncut jewelry.
Who is?
Nobody in San Francisco, really.
Only diamond dealers
know raw diamonds.
And there is no diamond expert
in San Francisco?
Oh, wait a minute.
Scharff got into town last week.
He knows rough diamonds.
Scharff?
SELBY: Yeah, Scharff of Scharff
and Company. Philadelphia.
One of biggest dealers in diamonds
on the East Coast.
Does he come out here often?
As far as I know, it's his first trip.
Came into town last week.
Nobody knows why.
Hasn't done any buying or selling yet.
Hasn't got in touch with anybody
in the business.
Could he possibly be here
to appraise this stuff?
No, he couldn't be.
Tiffany in New York is doing that.
Would he be trying to set up
a diamond cutting center?
No. They bring their cutters
from Amsterdam.
Then there's actually no reason for him
to be in San Francisco?
No apparent reason.
Diamond stocks, huh?
A thousand shares of nothing.
No, I wouldn't say that.
You're a hundred thousand dollars wiser.
A hundred and sixty-eight thousand
at the close of trading today.
[BART WHISTLES]
Could I play with this for a while?
I think I can make you a profit on it.
Oh, you can't sell that stuff.
Oh, Roland, it's hotcakes you can't sell.
Well, I may be a hard businessman, Bart,
but I'm not a swindler.
Fraud like this would be on my conscience
for the rest of my life.
Well, it isn't a swindle
if you give the buyer value for his money.
BART: Men who sell cut stones
don't know what uncut stones are worth.
Do they, Mr. Scharff?
I suppose not.
But a man who specializes in diamonds,
who processes them
he knows what they're worth,
doesn't he?
It stands to reason.
You, for an example
you knew how much those stones
were worth when you sold them.
When I sold them?
Let me try to guess how it happened.
Someone comes to you in Philadelphia
and says, "Mr. Scharff
I wanna buy uncut jewels,
diamonds, all you can spare."
Nobody comes to me with such an order.
So you sell them to him.
You know something's fishy about it,
but you don't know what.
So you decide to sit back and wait.
Word comes to Philadelphia that diamonds
have been discovered out west.
You know it's a big practical joke.
But you figure with that money
flying around San Francisco
you should have some of it
for just keeping your mouth shut.
Mr. Maverick
the House of Scharff has been in
the diamond trade for three generations.
It has a spotless reputation.
I don't doubt that for a moment, sir.
But I'd hate to see both you
and the reputation vanish overnight.
Believe me, I have no idea
what you're talking about.
Men who play for stakes like these
don't buy people off, Mr. Scharff.
They kill them off.
Your friend who sprinkles diamonds
over the Nevada Desert
has floated $20 million worth of stock.
He's buying heavily himself
to push the price up.
Now, when the stock gets as high
as it will, he figures to sellout
become the richest man in California
before it has a chance to go down.
California Diamonds closed today at 168.
Before it hits 200, you'll be dead.
Mr. Maverick,
you're talking to the wrong man.
You saw Kingsley and some of his men
twice since you came to town.
- Now, Monday was payday, wasn't it?
- How did you"?
I mean, why do you think"?
Before Monday you stayed in a cheap
boarding house an Stack Street.
But Monday night,
you moved into this expensive hotel.
That has nothing to do with
with anything.
Gentlemen, please.
Let's not talk about diamonds.
We're ruining a very good poker game.
[ALL CHATTERING]
- Good evening, gentlemen.
MAN: Mr. Maverick.
Oh, Mr. Maverick. Care to play?
Still only takes $100,000.
With you, Mr. Kingsley,
I think I need more than that.
Well, what do you figure you'd need?
Oh, a strong stomach and trusting heart.
Don't be subtle, Maverick,
you're going right over my head.
I'll be blunt then, Kingsley.
Your diamonds are a swindle.
MAN 1: Swindle?
MAN 2: What does he mean?
MAN 3:
What swindle?
That's a very irresponsible statement,
Mr. Maverick.
Would you care to explain it here
or in court?
I'll explain it here, Mr. Kingsley.
You can explain it in court.
Your diamond field is salted.
MAN 4: Salted?
- What is he talking about?
Gentlemen, this is one
of your ant hill diamonds
just as it came from the desert
by way of Amsterdam?
What do you mean by that, Maverick?
Mr. Pyne, this is a processed stone.
You can tell where it's been cut.
Well, of course it's been cut, gentlemen.
We cut into three or four of those.
Just to test the quality.
Oh, well.
Well, I'm certainly relieved.
I'm sure the stockholders
are relieved ton.
I'd hate to think
that stock was worthless.
I don't think you have to worry
about the stock, Mr. Maverick.
A half hour
after the market opens tomorrow
California Diamond will be selling
at $200 a share.
And I will be leading the buying.
Would you be interested
in buying a thousand shares right now?
MAN:
I'll buy your thousand.
I'm sorry, I offered them to Mr. Kingsley.
Two hundred dollars a share?
Two seventeen.
Well, that's a jump of $17,000, why?
For old time's sake.
You'll have my check in the morning.
I'd prefer the cash tonight.
Very well.
Would you cash my chips in, please?
A hundred and ninety-six
thousand dollars, Van.
There you are.
I think that settles us, Mr. Maverick.
Almost.
Is Mr. Roland in the hall?
[MEN MURMURING]
Gentlemen, this is Mr. Gerhardt Scharff
of Philadelphia.
Mr. Scharff is a diamond dealer.
I believe
you've already met Mr. Kingsley.
Six months ago in Philadelphia.
I sold Mr. Kingsley
a large lot of uncut stones.
Over a million dollars' worth?
I didn't put that value on them.
The whole lot is worth only $48,000.
MAN:
What?
That's what I charged Mr. Kingsley.
Have somebody go for the police.
You know, Maverick
it would have been cheaper
to let you stay in the game.
It will be a gloomy day
in the exchange tomorrow.
I suppose.
You know, I feel strange.
I'm the only man in San Francisco
who made a profit on diamonds.
I wish you'd take a split, Bart.
That was your stock, not mine.
And I did take a split, $17,000.
What do you do now?
Move on? Looking for the next game?
I suppose.
Well, you've certainly ruined this one.
Why don't you just marry
and settle down, like I'm doing?
Ha, ha. You?
Tn madame?
I'm not a bad catch.
Neither are you.
Uh, I promised her a millionaire.
I think she'd settle for less.
Hank?
Hank?
Maverick, I've wonderful news.
About madame and Roland?
- Oh, no.
- I heard about them.
- I'm here to talk about us.
- Us, Maverick?
Remember, you told me I wouldn't know
myself when you've finished with me?
I'd like to find out if you were right.
- You see, I'm--
- Wait, Maverick.
- That's the mistake I've been making. Now--
- Please.
The news I wanted to tell you
was not about grandmama, but about me.
I'm sorry, Bart.
The other day when you left me,
it was the end for us.
I met someone.
I'm in love with him.
Who is he?
He should be here now.
Hank, you--
Uh
Hank, you sure he's the right one?
I'm sorry, Bart.
You gave me no hope and I
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
Excuse me.
Jimmy
I want you to meet
a dear friend of mine.
Bart, this is James Grayson.
Bart, my boyfriend.
- How do you do?
- How are you?
Uh, $30 million, Mr. Grayson?
Ha, ha.
No, I'm afraid not, Mr. Maverick.
And what little money I have
is tied up in land
-back home in Texas.
- Uh-huh.
A friend of mine told me
she'd settle for a lot less.
Well, good luck, Hank.
Goodbye, Bart. Thank you.
- And congratulations, Mr. Grayson.
- Thanks.
Cattle?
No, uh, nil.
Well, as long as it isn't diamonds.
[English - us - SDH]
BART:
Notice anything unusual?
ROLAND:
No.
Yes.
Yes, it looks as if it had been broken.
Look at it again. Look at the break.
That is a diamond in its natural state,
right?
That's right.
One thing you never find in nature
is a straight line.
It's been cut, Mr. Roland.
Why, that doesn't make sense.
It is a diamond, isn't it?
It's a diamond.
Hello. It's nice to see you again.
This week's story is based on fact.
The great diamond swindle
that shook the financial world
of San Francisco in the 18705.
I think you're going to enjoy it.
It's called "Diamond in the Rough."
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
Who the devil is it? What do you want?
KINGSLEY:
Open the door, you feel.
Well, if it isn't Mr. Kingsley himself.
You can always tell a gentleman
by his manners.
Is that the stuff?
McCLURE:
Don't look like no diamonds I ever saw.
Diamonds in the rough
don't look like diamonds.
Look at the size of the bloody things.
Hey, they must be worth millions.
There's not a man in San Francisco
who'd tell you any different.
Fortunately.
Your share of this enterprise, gentlemen,
will come to ten times what they're worth.
Sn bear that in mind if either of you
is tempted to take the bait out of the trap.
Mr. McClure and I ain't exactly cranks,
you know.
Besides, we keep a pretty shrewd eye
on each other.
But still, do we have to stay in the desert
all of six months? That is to say--
Not a day less.
You'll be investigated when you come back.
Investigated?
I want to be certain that no one knows
you've had contact with civilization
for that length of time.
Six months is an awful long time.
- We shall need money. Supplies.
- That we will.
Money?
What happened to the money I gave you?
Well--
Well, San Francisco ain't exactly
the friendliest town, you know.
We had to spread around
to get acquainted.
Now, you listen to me.
I'm short of cash or I wouldn't be involved
in a scheme like this.
I've only my good name and reputation
to sustain me.
- It'll take more than that to sustain us.
- It will.
All right, all right.
I'm going to my club.
I can usually pick up a little cash there
at poker.
You'll have the money
before you leave town in the morning.
Stop getting acquainted
with San Francisco.
Stay in this room and don't leave it.
Now, whose turn was it?
I think it was mine.
[CROWD CHATTERING]
Well, this is where I turn off.
Roland, your guest seems
to be slowing down.
[CHUCKLES]
When Mr. Maverick slows down,
it's only to pick up speed.
- Ha-ha-ha!
- I'm not picking up much of anything else.
Ah! Here comes more money.
Oh, anytime Mr. Kingsley's late
to the table
that's a bad omen
for the stock market.
[ALL CHUCKLE]
- I don't believe I've had the pleasure.
- Oh, Mr. Kingsley, Mr. Maverick.
Perhaps Mr. Maverick would care
to see the club library?
Mr. Kingsley, I make it a paint
to always look in on the club library
just the minute the card room closes.
Oh, now, look here, Kingsley,
Mr. Maverick is my guest tonight.
May I speak to you privately
for a moment, please?
Of course.
- Excuse me.
Certainly.
No, it's all right.
When I play poker, I often win or lose
a hundred thousand dollars at a sitting.
In my own club,
I can be sure the men I play with
can afford the same stakes.
I can appreciate that, sir.
It must be a great comfort.
I mean no offense, Mr. Maverick,
but it's simply that
well, I don't know you.
Can you afford
to lose a hundred thousand dollars?
If you can't,
I suggest you find another game.
Mr. Kingsley, I've got $10,000
already invested in this game.
Seven thousand more to play.
Normally, I'd leave when that's gone.
I think you'd better leave now.
I'd love to oblige,
just as a graceful gesture
but there is money involved.
Holmes, does the gentleman have a hat?
Mr. Kingsley, I think--
[HOLMES PUNCHES]
[GRUNTS]
[STEEGER LAUGHING]
So you got it all pretty tough, eh?
Ha-ha-ha.
Who are you?
David Steeger, I'm the captain.
Captain? Of what?
Of the Silent William.
[LAUGHING]
How did I get here?
Ha, ha, not by your own steam, I tell you.
They had to carry you aboard
by the body.
Oh, were you drunk.
- They pull, they tug, they shove--
- All right, all right. That's--
They had to work hard,
but they got you aboard.
- Who got me aboard?
- Well, your friends.
They tuck you in nice.
They paid your passage money
and they made sure
you didn't miss the boat.
Where's my coat?
Your coat? Your coat is all right.
Where's my wallet?
Wallet, you didn't bring.
Must have been a very good party.
Ha-ha-ha.
Well, don't worry for money.
Your friend stuck you in the coat pocket
a surprise.
A thousand-dollar bill.
I stuck me in the coat pocket
3 thousand-dollar bill.
If my friends had known about it,
they would have taken care of that too.
What?
They were no friends?
- They were not friends.
- Ha, ha!
Oh. And I was not drunk.
What did these friends of mine look like?
Oh, drinking companions.
Not to have dinner with.
Wasn't shaved, wasn't washed.
Just talk like Irish. Both of them.
Wasn't there a third man?
Distinguished-looking? Well-dressed?
- Short-cropped mustache--
- Yeah, yeah, he was there too.
But wasn't as helpful as the others,
he stayed in the carriage.
- Haw scan can I get off this boat?
- Oh, scan.
We'll be in New Orleans in four months,
maybe five.
Wha--? Oh
BART“.
Five months is a long time anywhere.
But aboard the Silent William, surrounded
by thousands of miles of nothing
it got to seem like years.
But 1 had something pleasant
to think about.
Mr. Kingsley of San Francisco.
And all the fine plans 1 had for him.
I don't usually go in for vendettas,
but I could make an exception in this case.
By the time the Silent William
reached New Orleans
I had figured out
just what Kingsley owed me.
And only part of it was payable in cash.
I needed time to get the roll out my walk
and another roll into my pocket
and the races seemed
the quickest way to do it.
If the tip 1 got
on that white-faced gray gelding was right.
[CROWD SHOUTING]
[ALL CHEERING]
Four nights later, 1 had the cash I'd need.
In the morning,
I'd say goodbye to the captain
and be on my way to San Francisco.
Overland, of course.
[COUPLE SPEAKING FRENCH]
HENRIETTE:
I'll not tolerate it a moment longer.
I sympathize, madame.
Why do you not fling yourself
into the river?
Do you forget how one of us
is aristocracy?
Madame la comtesse,
an aristocrat does not shriek
like a Pullman porter about her wages.
Madame,
you have smashed your last plate.
My last?
Madame, have the goodness to depart.
You are fired!
To the pleasure of seeing you again,
General Beaujean
hanging from a lamppost.
Good evening.
[SPEAKING IN FRENCH]
[CHUCKLES]
And you've got a little of everything
in here
except your wages.
Is it that you laugh at me, monsieur?
I wouldn't think of it.
And do not condescend.
I will not be addressed like a waitress
in a cheap cafe.
Ah-ah. Ex-waitress.
Oh, I beg your pardon.
I'm sure I'm addressing the fairest flower
of Creole aristocracy.
Monsieur, there is no aristocracy
among the Creoles.
Well
And who are you, honey?
I'm Henriette De Colbert,
Comtesse De Vavasseur.
I'm sorry. Countess of what?
Vavasseur.
And who are you?
[WHISPERS]
I'm the Count of Monte Cristo. Shh.
That's enough.
Have the goodness to depart, monsieur.
I, uh-- I think I'd better walk you home,
countess.
Otherwise, you're liable
to destroy half the city.
HENRIETTE:
And here we are.
Thank you. Good night.
Countess,
I'm really sorry you lost your job.
No, no, really. Is there anything I can do?
Thank you, no. It was nothing, really.
Well, Henriette.
Will you stand in the street all night,
like a hitching post?
Good evening, ma'am.
Monsieur.
Grandmama, I was discharged
from my employment.
Good.
And this gentleman
brought me back home.
Do we stand here with the door open
to heat the street?
Come in, come in.
Monsieur Bart Maverick
my grandmother,
Madame Ia comtesse DeChauvrier.
Uh, countess, I'm honored.
Please be seated, Monsieur Maverick.
- Thank you.
- Please.
- Henriette, the coffee is ready.
- Yes, grandmother.
BART:
The funny thing is, every new and again
I got the feeling they were countesses.
They probably were.
Yeah.
Every few years, the French people decide
they want to be republic again.
And what happens?
Eighty-four of their dukes and duchesses
got no place to go.
Right now in New Orleans,
there is eight or ten dukes
a dozen countesses, maybe
two field marshals and five generals.
You fall over them in the street.
Ha-ha-ha!
Doesn't anybody try to help them out?
Oh, New Orleans is bad place
for countesses and such like.
People here already got
their own aristocracies.
If I were a duke or a countess
I would go some place
where they need dukes and countesses.
You know,
some place where they got no aristocrats.
You mean, some place like,
uh, San Francisco?
San Francisco, yeah.
No aristocrats there.
It's the perfect place for countesses.
[LAUGHING]
San Francisco, on the other hand,
is young and alive.
It's more your kind of a place.
And we refer to it
as the Paris of America.
You're beginning to repeat yourself,
young man.
What is it precisely that you propose?
- I propose to adopt you.
- Monsieur.
A whole new wardrobe.
You see, they have to dress more warmly
in San Francisco.
And what will be there?
We'll be wined and dined
go to parties and balls every night.
What is your return on this investment?
Two beautiful
and charming countesses
in a city
that's hungry for countesses
and an entree
into some of the wealthiest homes.
Monsieur is a jewel thief.
Afraid not, madame.
Are you a card cheater?
I've got a score to settle.
And you are gonna help me.
Are we? How?
Well, the gentleman I have in mind
travels in the highest circles.
And I can't fight him unless I
can move freely inside these circles.
Ah.
[SPEAKS IN FRENCH]
Well, yes.
And for us
a whole new wardrobe, huh?
And a suite of the best rooms
in the Great Western Hotel.
And my own carriage to ride about?
Oh, come on, Hank, don't be so greedy.
I'll tell you what I will get for you, though.
A husband. I guarantee you
at least three proposals from bachelors.
Young, handsome
and a minimum of $33 million
apiece. All right?
How dare you, monsieur.
I am French
and the French do not think of money.
They think only of love.
Henriette, do not talk nonsense.
My boy, I assure you,
the French are not like that at all.
Well?
Never.
[WHISTLE BLOWING]
I ask myself, Maverick
are there any old millionaire bachelors
in San Francisco?
BART: "Among those who graced
the audience with their presence
was Governor and Mrs. So-and-So
and so-and-so, and so"
[CHUCKLES]
And the Countess DeChauvrier
and her granddaughter,
the Countess De Vavasseur
and, uh, Mr. Bart Maverick."
And a lot of Nob Hill nobodies.
Fifth place in the Examiner.
That's a promotion. We were
nine places down in The Chronicle.
- Is that so important?
- Hank.
Honey, it's not important
till we're in first place.
And when will that be?
Well, all the elegant ladies started
about a half hour ago
tn write their friends in Paris
and New Orleans to check our credentials.
They'll figure two, three weeks
for the replies.
By the first of the month, at the latest,
we should be up to here.
In debt, Maverick?
In invitations, madame.
[BAND PLAYING "BLUE DANUBE WALTZ"]
- Dn you think they'll come?
- Oh, yes, indeed, they'll be here.
- Just think of it, two of them.
- It's really going to make the season.
ANNOUNCER:
Countess DeChauvrier.
Countess De Vavasseur.
Mr. Bart Maverick.
Good evening.
Mr. and Mrs. Shelbourne
Madame DeChauvrier,
Madame De Vavasseur.
Countess DeChauvrier, is it not?
And Countess De Vavasseur?
Excuse me, madame.
Madame.
May we introduce you to our guests?
Very well, yes.
Well, back in town so soon?
I just can't seem to get enough,
somehow, of San Francisco.
You always have to come back for more,
is that it?
Not exactly.
You're here on business?
Business and pleasure, Mr. Kingsley.
I came here to collect a debt.
And the pleasure?
That's the pleasure ton.
Last time I was here,
you were kind enough
to have me blackjacked
during a poker game
and tossed aboard an eastbound ship.
Besides the loss of time and pride
there's also the matter of $17,000
plus interest.
And you hope to collect it
while you're here?
You might say I'm, uh,
dunning you for it right now.
Heh-heh. It's interesting.
The least I can do
is give you a run for your money, eh?
Certainly, Mr. Maverick.
- Gold?
- No, paper is lighter.
What can I do for you?
We'd be obliged and behoven to you if we
could stash these somewheres for safety.
I'm sure that can be arranged.
What's in them?
What the devil business is it of yours?
I'm sorry, then.
We can't take responsibility for them.
That's the rules of the bank.
We can't carry the blithy thing
around with us.
Well, you better tell them
what they are then.
Are they diamonds?
Well, it isn't exactly rock candy,
is it new?
Say, where did you find those, friend?
If we told you that much, mister, you'd
know as much as we blithy well do.
Mr. Leverette. Mr. Leverette.
Would you wait just a minute?
Mr. Leverette is president of the bank
and he'll wanna see.
Couldn't have struck diamonds,
could they?
Why not?
They've struck everything else around here
except water.
Hello.
- Well, what's that?
- Embroidery.
I emboss pictures
with a needle and a thread.
- You do not have it in this country?
- Oh, yes.
I see little old ladies doing it all the time.
Perhaps it is because the little old
gentlemen are busy doing other things.
Well, that can't be your trouble.
Being out in society every night
having everybody fuss over you.
Feel good being a countess again?
Suddenly, it doesn't seem
that important anymore.
In Paris, it did.
And in Louisiana, even more so.
But in San Francisco, no.
You're finding out
you really don't need it.
Countess or no, you're the prettiest girl
in local society.
You're the belle of the ball.
Do you know, Maverick
I do not even care
to be the belle of the ball.
What do you wanna be?
I want to have the nicest husband
the pleasantest home
and the most beautiful children
in San Francisco.
Now, that takes time and money.
I'm still shopping around for you.
Do you ever want such things?
Well, I've been lucky so far.
Perhaps what I say seems silly to you.
Not at all, Hank.
Whatever you want,
I want you to have it.
I know what I want.
Just name it.
Now, that is silly.
A town full of solid, respectful types,
good husbands
and what do you drag in?
A loafer, a gambler
an irresponsible bachelor.
A man who needs the right wife.
You will not recognize yourself
when I'm finished with you, Bart.
When it comes to marrying you off,
we want nothing but the best.
Ah, ah! You'll see.
Good bye, Henriette.
Oh, Bart.
Grandmama?
MADAME:
Out“, Henriette?
Where did you put Maverick's list
of millionaire?
- Can't I buy you a drink, Bart?
- No.
- Shall we lack in an the game upstairs?
- Some other time.
I'm not keeping you
from choir practice, am I?
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
So what Hallidie proposes to do
is to hook cables onto those horsecars
and haul them up and down Clay Street
with steam power.
[ALL LAUGH]
- SO I said to him, "Look here--"
- Never mind what you said to Hallidie.
What did you say
to those two prospectors today?
Three people saw Leverette
dragging them over to your office.
What are you talking about, Vincent?
Oh, stop stalling, Van.
- The story is all over town.
- What story?
VINCENT: Two desert rats
showed up in Leverette's bank
with sacks full of rough diamonds.
One of them as large as a pigeon's egg.
And in no time at all
they were across the street
having pink tea with Mr. Kingsley.
Diamonds?
Nonsense. They were quartz crystals.
All right, then, why were they
in your office for 45 minutes?
And then, where did they disappear to?
How would I know?
MAN:
Come on, now, Kingsley.
You're holding out on us.
KINGSLEY:
There's nothing to it.
Look, two miners came into my office
and wanted to rent a box.
MAN:
To store quartz crystals?
VINCENT: They were diamonds.
My brother-in-law saw them.
Come on, Kingsley, tell us,
where did they find those quartz crystals?
I wouldn't know.
- I just bet you wouldn't.
- Hey, close the door, someone.
We'll have to pry it out.
- All right, all right.
- Tell them.
All right, gentlemen.
Now, the nearest I can figure out
is that they found afield somewhere
or said they did.
Probably in Nevada.
And they claim it bears real diamonds.
Now, I, for one, do not believe it.
Oh, what did you offer them?
Well, they weren't interested
in selling anything.
[MEN SCOFFING]
All right, all right, all right. I confess.
I did mention the possibility
of perhaps buying in
or perhaps putting up
some of the capital.
But only
only if they sent someone out
to see the actual field beforehand.
Now, gentleman,
I do not believe in diamond fields
nor do I believe in sugar plum trees.
[MEN CHATTERING]
BART“.
Kingsley was sounding more and more
like my old friend Dandy Jim Buckley
selling a goldbrick.
Suddenly, I remembered
two men with Kingsley,
the night 1 was put aboard the ship
unshaved, unwashed, talked like Irish.
The two prospectors in the bank today.
Why, you are just being pigheaded
about the whole thing.
It is possible, monsieur,
that you are being too skeptical.
You connect the diamond
with Monsieur Kingsley
and you do not like Mr. Kingsley,
and therefore
He saw Kingsley when the story got out.
Kingsley tried to pretend
that the whole thing never happened.
Roland, that is the first rule.
Whenever you sell a goldbrick
or an old Spanish treasure map
you never tell the sucker about it,
you let them overhear you.
Then, look very distressed when he does.
That is true.
Bart, you saw the diamonds yourself.
Anybody can go out and buy diamonds.
That many?
Oh, why, Selby, the best jeweler in town
evaluated those stones
at more than a half a million dollars.
I know.
That is the one part I can't figure out.
Well, let's talk of more pleasant things.
I promised Henriette a choice
of three millionaire bachelors to marry.
Would you care to join the group?
Grandmama,
he becomes insufferable again.
One must adjust to it.
Don't listen to him, countess.
Make him find you
some young millionaires.
Eh, countess?
Look, Bart,
I've investigated the two prospectors
Murphy and McClure.
They're legitimate.
They've both been scrabbling out there
in the desert for 20 years.
I know Kingsley ton.
How well? A hundred shares?
A thousand?
Oh, don't be silly.
Nobody is organizing anything.
Nobody is selling stock.
Just forgetting the whole thing, huh?
They're investigating it,
thoroughly and sensibly.
Kingsley's made the prospect
as an offer
based on their taking somebody out
to look over the field.
Oh, sure.
The prospectors find something, they can't
wait to tell somebody else where it is.
Oh, there's a way of doing it.
They could take Kingsley's man
out to the desert
and then lead him blindfolded
the rest of the way.
Ha, ha, ha.
Who will they show it to? You?
Benson? P.T. Barnum.
General George B. Marvin.
The sanest and most highly-respected
businessman in San Francisco.
With a blindfold.
[BART CHUCKLES]
And what did you like best, madame?
To go through Montgomery Street
and spend money.
[ALL LAUGHING]
I saw it. I saw it. Acres and acres of it.
Uh, we can't talk here.
- Let's go upstairs.
- All right now, Van, no more secrets.
Yes, let's hear the whole story.
Gentlemen, please. I
All right.
Diamonds,
acres of diamonds there in the desert.
The ant hills.
You'd see an ant hill powdered
with diamond dust.
When you dug into the ant hill
in the heart of it,
a great big beautiful diamond.
That's not possible.
These fantastic precious stones, uncut
but valuable, lying around everywhere.
In the rock crevices, in the sand.
Worth millions and millions of dollars.
I believe he's drunk.
Look.
Look at that.
MAN: Good Lord, look at the size
of those stones.
And you were trying to keep this
from us, man? Or would you?
In other words, gentlemen
only men of the highest business
and personal standing.
Men whose integrity is beyond a doubt.
And how do we proceed?
First, we'll send
a representative collection
of these stones to New York
for examination and estimation
by Tiffany 8; Co.
This let alone, the local jewelers say,
is worth $1 million.
Let's find out exactly what it is worth.
Then?
Then we'll set up a fund of $2 million
for initial expenses.
Now, we'll need 300,000 for a
down payment to Murphy and McClure.
We'll need to hire mining engineers,
rough laborers for the field
a cutter from Europe to keep
the whole operation here in San Francisco.
Get a bill through congress
to protect the diamond fields.
Kingsley,
I think these details are obvious.
Just tell us how much you think
the whole thing will take.
Twenty million dollars.
Seems reasonable.
Yes. Twenty million dollars
isn't bad.
[MEN CHATTERING]
[DOOR OPENS]
BART:
Oh, madame.
MADAME:
Ah.
Oh.
- Good.
- See?
Very good.
Now, what do you know
about diamonds?
What do I not know about diamonds?
Ha, ha.
When I was young
and ravishingly beautiful
I made a study of them.
I collect diamonds.
Where did you pick up
this sack full of stuff?
Oh, well, I--
Oh, souvenirs
from a stockholder's meeting?
You might say that.
How much did they take from you?
A hundred thousand.
You still think it's a can game,
don't you?
If anybody is stealing, it's us.
We capitalize for 20 million
and there's a hundred times that much
lying out there in the desert.
[CHUCKLES]
I'm a little nearsighted
where Mr. Kingsley is concerned.
I have trouble recognizing him
with the red costume
and the eight tiny reindeer.
I'd advise you to buy some
of that reindeer stock while it's still going.
We'll see.
Dear countess.
Good night, Bart.
You are disturbed, Maverick.
No, not at all.
Now, where is Henriette?
Who knows?
Out with the millionaires, no doubt.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
When something is on your mind,
it is never Henriette.
Alors, what is it? The diamonds?
Well, it still smells of a can game.
Except there's too much money
in the come-on.
So?
Madame, there isn't a grifter alive
who puts real gold in his goldbrick.
Not over a million dollars' worth.
I'm beginning to think I was wrong.
Mm-mm. You are not wrong, Maverick.
I studied those diamonds closely.
- They are quite unusual.
- How?
These stones lie in the desert
for thousands of years, huh?
Unseen, untouched by mankind,
n'est-ce pas?
That's the story.
The littlest diamond was the prettiest.
Except for one tiny flaw.
The mark of a diamond cutter's tool.
Being a jeweler himself
Mr. Selby was just itching
to get another look at the stones.
I was sure you wouldn't mind
showing him yours.
Well, of course not.
Sit down, Mr. Selby.
Nice.
Fine.
Uh, rather shabby-looking things,
aren't they?
Just like they'd come out of the ground.
Diamonds in the rough.
You're right.
- You're absolutely right.
- Right about what?
[BART CHUCKLES]
Notice anything unusual?
ROLAND:
No.
Yes.
Yes, it looks as if it had been broken.
Look at it again. Now look at the break.
That is a diamond in its natural state,
right?
That's right.
One thing you never find in nature
is a straight line.
It's been cut, Mr. Roland.
Why, that doesn't make sense.
It is a diamond, isn't it?
It's a diamond.
Mr. Selby, what do you think
that whole lot is worth?
Maybe, uh, $25,000.
Why maybe?
They're raw stones.
I'm not an expert an uncut jewelry.
Who is?
Nobody in San Francisco, really.
Only diamond dealers
know raw diamonds.
And there is no diamond expert
in San Francisco?
Oh, wait a minute.
Scharff got into town last week.
He knows rough diamonds.
Scharff?
SELBY: Yeah, Scharff of Scharff
and Company. Philadelphia.
One of biggest dealers in diamonds
on the East Coast.
Does he come out here often?
As far as I know, it's his first trip.
Came into town last week.
Nobody knows why.
Hasn't done any buying or selling yet.
Hasn't got in touch with anybody
in the business.
Could he possibly be here
to appraise this stuff?
No, he couldn't be.
Tiffany in New York is doing that.
Would he be trying to set up
a diamond cutting center?
No. They bring their cutters
from Amsterdam.
Then there's actually no reason for him
to be in San Francisco?
No apparent reason.
Diamond stocks, huh?
A thousand shares of nothing.
No, I wouldn't say that.
You're a hundred thousand dollars wiser.
A hundred and sixty-eight thousand
at the close of trading today.
[BART WHISTLES]
Could I play with this for a while?
I think I can make you a profit on it.
Oh, you can't sell that stuff.
Oh, Roland, it's hotcakes you can't sell.
Well, I may be a hard businessman, Bart,
but I'm not a swindler.
Fraud like this would be on my conscience
for the rest of my life.
Well, it isn't a swindle
if you give the buyer value for his money.
BART: Men who sell cut stones
don't know what uncut stones are worth.
Do they, Mr. Scharff?
I suppose not.
But a man who specializes in diamonds,
who processes them
he knows what they're worth,
doesn't he?
It stands to reason.
You, for an example
you knew how much those stones
were worth when you sold them.
When I sold them?
Let me try to guess how it happened.
Someone comes to you in Philadelphia
and says, "Mr. Scharff
I wanna buy uncut jewels,
diamonds, all you can spare."
Nobody comes to me with such an order.
So you sell them to him.
You know something's fishy about it,
but you don't know what.
So you decide to sit back and wait.
Word comes to Philadelphia that diamonds
have been discovered out west.
You know it's a big practical joke.
But you figure with that money
flying around San Francisco
you should have some of it
for just keeping your mouth shut.
Mr. Maverick
the House of Scharff has been in
the diamond trade for three generations.
It has a spotless reputation.
I don't doubt that for a moment, sir.
But I'd hate to see both you
and the reputation vanish overnight.
Believe me, I have no idea
what you're talking about.
Men who play for stakes like these
don't buy people off, Mr. Scharff.
They kill them off.
Your friend who sprinkles diamonds
over the Nevada Desert
has floated $20 million worth of stock.
He's buying heavily himself
to push the price up.
Now, when the stock gets as high
as it will, he figures to sellout
become the richest man in California
before it has a chance to go down.
California Diamonds closed today at 168.
Before it hits 200, you'll be dead.
Mr. Maverick,
you're talking to the wrong man.
You saw Kingsley and some of his men
twice since you came to town.
- Now, Monday was payday, wasn't it?
- How did you"?
I mean, why do you think"?
Before Monday you stayed in a cheap
boarding house an Stack Street.
But Monday night,
you moved into this expensive hotel.
That has nothing to do with
with anything.
Gentlemen, please.
Let's not talk about diamonds.
We're ruining a very good poker game.
[ALL CHATTERING]
- Good evening, gentlemen.
MAN: Mr. Maverick.
Oh, Mr. Maverick. Care to play?
Still only takes $100,000.
With you, Mr. Kingsley,
I think I need more than that.
Well, what do you figure you'd need?
Oh, a strong stomach and trusting heart.
Don't be subtle, Maverick,
you're going right over my head.
I'll be blunt then, Kingsley.
Your diamonds are a swindle.
MAN 1: Swindle?
MAN 2: What does he mean?
MAN 3:
What swindle?
That's a very irresponsible statement,
Mr. Maverick.
Would you care to explain it here
or in court?
I'll explain it here, Mr. Kingsley.
You can explain it in court.
Your diamond field is salted.
MAN 4: Salted?
- What is he talking about?
Gentlemen, this is one
of your ant hill diamonds
just as it came from the desert
by way of Amsterdam?
What do you mean by that, Maverick?
Mr. Pyne, this is a processed stone.
You can tell where it's been cut.
Well, of course it's been cut, gentlemen.
We cut into three or four of those.
Just to test the quality.
Oh, well.
Well, I'm certainly relieved.
I'm sure the stockholders
are relieved ton.
I'd hate to think
that stock was worthless.
I don't think you have to worry
about the stock, Mr. Maverick.
A half hour
after the market opens tomorrow
California Diamond will be selling
at $200 a share.
And I will be leading the buying.
Would you be interested
in buying a thousand shares right now?
MAN:
I'll buy your thousand.
I'm sorry, I offered them to Mr. Kingsley.
Two hundred dollars a share?
Two seventeen.
Well, that's a jump of $17,000, why?
For old time's sake.
You'll have my check in the morning.
I'd prefer the cash tonight.
Very well.
Would you cash my chips in, please?
A hundred and ninety-six
thousand dollars, Van.
There you are.
I think that settles us, Mr. Maverick.
Almost.
Is Mr. Roland in the hall?
[MEN MURMURING]
Gentlemen, this is Mr. Gerhardt Scharff
of Philadelphia.
Mr. Scharff is a diamond dealer.
I believe
you've already met Mr. Kingsley.
Six months ago in Philadelphia.
I sold Mr. Kingsley
a large lot of uncut stones.
Over a million dollars' worth?
I didn't put that value on them.
The whole lot is worth only $48,000.
MAN:
What?
That's what I charged Mr. Kingsley.
Have somebody go for the police.
You know, Maverick
it would have been cheaper
to let you stay in the game.
It will be a gloomy day
in the exchange tomorrow.
I suppose.
You know, I feel strange.
I'm the only man in San Francisco
who made a profit on diamonds.
I wish you'd take a split, Bart.
That was your stock, not mine.
And I did take a split, $17,000.
What do you do now?
Move on? Looking for the next game?
I suppose.
Well, you've certainly ruined this one.
Why don't you just marry
and settle down, like I'm doing?
Ha, ha. You?
Tn madame?
I'm not a bad catch.
Neither are you.
Uh, I promised her a millionaire.
I think she'd settle for less.
Hank?
Hank?
Maverick, I've wonderful news.
About madame and Roland?
- Oh, no.
- I heard about them.
- I'm here to talk about us.
- Us, Maverick?
Remember, you told me I wouldn't know
myself when you've finished with me?
I'd like to find out if you were right.
- You see, I'm--
- Wait, Maverick.
- That's the mistake I've been making. Now--
- Please.
The news I wanted to tell you
was not about grandmama, but about me.
I'm sorry, Bart.
The other day when you left me,
it was the end for us.
I met someone.
I'm in love with him.
Who is he?
He should be here now.
Hank, you--
Uh
Hank, you sure he's the right one?
I'm sorry, Bart.
You gave me no hope and I
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
Excuse me.
Jimmy
I want you to meet
a dear friend of mine.
Bart, this is James Grayson.
Bart, my boyfriend.
- How do you do?
- How are you?
Uh, $30 million, Mr. Grayson?
Ha, ha.
No, I'm afraid not, Mr. Maverick.
And what little money I have
is tied up in land
-back home in Texas.
- Uh-huh.
A friend of mine told me
she'd settle for a lot less.
Well, good luck, Hank.
Goodbye, Bart. Thank you.
- And congratulations, Mr. Grayson.
- Thanks.
Cattle?
No, uh, nil.
Well, as long as it isn't diamonds.
[English - us - SDH]