The life and legend of wyatt
Earp
Wyatt, you owe me $ .
- For what?
- Collect telegram.
Mmm.
Hey, it's from ned buntline.
"Arriving in dodge city
In a few days on vacation.
Best personal regards."
I wonder
Why he sent it collect.
I don't know. That's not
What bothers me, though.
I'll never forget
That last visit he paid us--
Him, buffalo bill and that--
That german prince,
Remember?
( Chuckles ) yeah.
We pulled
That fake stage holdup,
Backfired and turned out
To be a real kidnapping.
( Chuckles )
Yeah, I'll never forget it.
Say, wyatt, buntline must be
In serious trouble
To send
A telegram collect.
Well, if he is in trouble,
I'll do my best
To help him out of it.
This old buntline special
He gave me has saved my life
A couple of times.
Yeah, mine too.
( Men vocalizing )
♪ Wyatt earp, wyatt earp
♪ Brave, courageous and bold
♪ Long live his fame
♪ And long live his glory
♪ And long may
His story be told. ♪
Announcer:
"The life and legend
Of wyatt earp,"
Starring hugh o'brian.
Well, we made it.
( Laughs, grunting )
I thank you, sir,
For your courtesy.
Ahh. Phew!
It was an arduous trip,
My friend.
An arduous trip.
Well, you didn't come
All the way by horseback,
Did you?
Oh no, I picked up
A wagon ride from
A migrating family,
Then from a farmer and--
The truth is, wyatt,
Ned buntline is broke.
Well, I'm sorry
To hear that, mr. Buntline.
Well, I have fallen
On some evil days.
Well, surely between
Your writing and that
Wild west show you have
With buffalo bill cody,
It seems that you would have--
Well, the wild west show
Doesn't start for another
Four months.
And as for my writing...
( Clears throat )
My last efforts
Have been rejected.
Rejected.
( Sighs )
Well, were they--
Were there any reasons?
Well, yes.
The publisher said
My new stories
Lacked authenticity.
Oh. Well, maybe they do.
Yes, well, the same thought
Occurred to me.
That's part of the reason
Why I'm here, wyatt--
To replenish the well.
I'm afraid you're going
To find it awfully quiet
Here in dodge, mr. Buntline.
It's my job
To keep it that way.
Now what's the other part
Of your reason?
Well, the other part is
That you're the only--
( Clears throat )
I mean, I hate
To impose on our frie--
Don't worry about it,
Mr. Buntline.
You go on over
To the hotel,
Check in,
Get yourself a room.
You charge
All your meals to me, huh?
Thank you, wyatt.
I'll pay you out of
The first week of the tour.
( Chuckles )
No, you won't.
No, I tried to repay you
For the buntline special,
You gave me
And you wouldn't accept it.
- Now you're gonna have to.
- ( Clicks )
You know, this is
The most accurate g*n
I've ever used.
I'm glad.
- Hello, mr. Buntline.
- Well!
- Good to see you.
- It's good to see you,
Young man.
( Chuckles )
Well, if you'll
Pardon me, wyatt,
I have to go over
To the hotel and register.
I'll-- I'll see you later.
- We'll have dinner, all right?
- Good, good. Splendid.
Ah. Thank you.
Well?
Mr. Buntline is
Temporarily broke.
Is that all?
Hal, for a proud little man
Like mr. Buntline,
That's enough.
( Flicks )
Hey, wyatt, wyatt,
There's a man after me.
- There's a man after me.
- Wait a minute.
Who's after you?
( Stammers )
He followed me
All the way from st. Louis.
He's gonna k*ll me.
He-- now don't do that,
Because I tell you
The man is after me.
- Just take it easy
And relax. Relax.
- He's very dangerous.
Now just tell me
The whole story.
Well, I've always been
Pretty good at cards, you know.
And when I found that
I needed a few dollars,
I took passage
On one of the better
Mississippi river boats.
And I was doing very well,
As a matter of fact,
Until I ran afoul
Of this fella.
This fellow
That's following you?
Exactly, the fella that's--
Of course,
He's a professional gambler,
You know--
Well, as a matter
Of fact, so am i.
And it was very exciting
Until he started to cheat.
- Oh, he cheated?
- Yeah, he-- he cheated.
Well, why--
Why didn't you expose him?
Oh, he was
Too clever for that.
And before I knew it,
My money was all gone
And I was deeply
In debt to him.
I'm surprised he didn't
Throw you in the mississippi.
- Mmm.
- Well, I gave him a check
For almost $ , .
And the check was no good.
Yes, no good at all.
Well, now surely,
Mr. Buntline,
You can't expect me to
Have sympathy for even
A good friend that would
Write bad checks.
I'm not asking
For sympathy.
I'm asking for protection.
- ( Door opens )
- Marshal, there's a man
In the long branch
Who won't check his g*n.
- Well, is he drunk?
- No, just won't take
His g*n off.
( Stammers )
It's probably-- maybe--
Mister, there's a law
In this town about
Checking g*ns.
You're breaking it.
I don't expect
To be here long.
Why don't you leave now
And save some trouble?
I'm not finished
With my business here yet.
You're refusing
To check your g*n
Or leave town, right?
That's right.
Mister, your business
Is finished.
Can I talk to you
Privately, marshal?
All right,
Not with that g*n on you.
Unbuckle it.
- ( Door rattles )
- ( Knocks )
It's wyatt,
Mr. Buntline.
Oh, just a minute.
- ( Door closes )
- Sit down.
- Now what's your name?
- Would you look at these
Papers first, marshal?
( Rustles )
Well, lieutenant,
I certainly don't intend
To arrest an army officer
On a special assignment,
But at the same time,
I can't let you walk
Around town wearing g*ns,
Not in civilian clothes.
But if I'm in uniform,
It defeats the purpose
Of my mission.
And if I'm unarmed--
Well, if I meet the man
I'm looking for--
He'll be unarmed, too,
If he's in this town.
Now you wanna tell me
Who you're looking for?
It's confidential, marshal.
This is one of my deputies
And a close personal friend
Of mine, mr. Ned buntline.
Well, two weeks ago,
The united states arsenal
In illinois was
Broken into and robbed.
r*fles were taken
And a gatling g*n,
Along with about
, Rounds of amm*nit*on.
( Whistles )
Wyatt:
A gatling g*n, huh?
And the army thinks they--
Thinks they're somewhere
Around here, huh?
Somewhere in the southwest
Apache territory.
Are you one
Of general crook's
Officers, young man?
- That's right.
- Well, what is your full name?
Charles a. Wharton,
First lieutenant,
United states--
- What are you doing, sir?
- I'm making some notes.
This'll make
The most sensational book
You ever read.
If one word
Of this leaks out,
Mr. Buntline,
I'll personally
See to it that you wind up
In front of a firing squad.
( Clears throat )
I beg your pardon.
Lieutenant, I think
Mr. Buntline is convinced.
- Go on.
- The g*ns were thought
To have been shipped
In cases marked "machinery"
Towards kansas city.
We almost intercepted
Them there awaiting shipment
To the southwest.
Mmm. What about this man
You're looking for?
Vincent slade,
But he has used other names.
- You know him?
- No, but I've memorized
His description.
About six feet, lbs,
Dark hair, dark eyes,
Sometimes wears
A mustache,
A deep cultured voice.
Identifying marks
And scars--
Diagonal knife scar
On the outside of his
Right hand.
That's the fella.
That's the fella
That's after me.
- He's here-- the gambler.
- Well, I'd be grateful
- If you'd point him out, sir.
- Wait a moment, lieutenant.
Are your orders
To bring in mr. Slade,
Recover the g*ns or both?
Preferably both.
However, if slade is
k*lled or captured,
It's doubtful the g*ns
Will reach the apaches.
- He's the brains.
- Well, he fits the description
Right down to the scar.
If there were just some way
That we could be sure.
Well, I think there is.
I think mr. Buntline
Can help us.
- Me?
- Mm-hmm.
I think the first thing
To do is to find out
If this man is really looking
For you, mr. Buntline.
- Oh, he is, he is.
- If he ignores mr. Buntline,
- That means he's here
For the stolen g*ns.
- Mm-hmm.
Suppose he doesn't
Ignore me?
Mr. Buntline, I'll tell you
What you'd better do.
You offer to repay him
Part of the money you owe.
- Well, I'd like to, but--
- I'll lend you the money.
All right, see,
There are four of us,
So I'll put on
A extra deputy
And we'll keep a watch
Around the clock.
Oh.
Mr. Buntline has
Found our man. Hal.
- Go check
His hotel room.
- Right.
Lieutenant, you'd better
Stay out of sight.
Some people might remember
You refused to check your g*n.
Bartender:
Drink's over here, sir.
Oh, I beg your pardon,
Sir, i--
Well, you remember me,
Surely.
- Ned buntline.
- I'm not sure I've had
The pleasure, sir.
Well, you must recall
Our recent joust at
The card tables.
Card tables?
I believe the last time
I did any gambling
Was several weeks ago
On the mississippi.
That was the very locale.
I'm terribly sorry.
I can't recall your name.
- Smith.
- Smith! Ah yes.
Yes, mr. Smith.
( Chuckles )
This is a little
Embarrassing for me.
I lost
Rather heavily to you.
But not too heavily,
Right, mr. Buntline?
- Oh, I'm afraid I did.
- As a matter of fact,
You've been on my conscience
For some time.
- I have?
- Well, that check I gave you.
Oh yes,
I do recall that check.
I lost it
The very next evening.
Oh, goodness.
I insist on making
That check good.
You may run
Into the gambler
You lost it to.
I'm not worried about it.
Why should you be?
Now here we are--
$ On account.
I'm afraid I couldn't
Take it, mr. Buntline.
Oh now now,
I insist, I insist.
- ( Chuckles )
- Slade: well, thank you.
I really must be going.
- Well, will you be
Around for some time?
- Not more than a few days.
- Oh?
- Good evening.
Good evening, mr. Smith,
And thank you for being
So understanding.
( Chuckles )
Did you see the scar?
He's our man.
Nice work,
Mr. Buntline.
Hal, find anything else?
No, that was all.
Apparently he doesn't
Even have a g*n.
He's probably got
His g*n on him.
Well, I hope
He doesn't try to use it.
If he does,
I'll have to arrest him
And there goes our plan
For seizing the r*fles
- Right out the window.
- I'll take the first shift
Of watching him.
All right, hal, thanks.
Ted, you relieve him at : .
Mr. Buntline,
You take over at :
- Right.
- I'll take the next shift...
If he's still in town.
- And what if he isn't?
- Then we won't be either.
We'll be out after him.
Well, they look
Like a couple of
Good horses to me.
Would you see that
They're all taken care of?
I'll be taking off tomorrow.
Sure.
He's back
In his hotel room.
He's probably waiting
For somebody to reach him.
Lieutenant,
Keep an eye on him, huh?
You know, I've been
Figuring out here how much
Those g*ns are worth to him.
There's $ ,
For the r*fles
And then there's
The gatling g*n
And the amm*nit*on.
And don't forget
The apaches pay in gold.
Yeah. You know,
Just to make sure
He doesn't sneak out on us,
We ought
To watch his horses.
They're all hobbled
In mr. Mckay's meadow.
The wagon's there, too.
- Yeah, wyatt,
That's a good idea.
- Hey, wyatt.
Let me do that will you?
I haven't been sleeping
Nights, anyway.
( Chuckles )
All right, mr. Buntline.
Ted, take him out there
And show him where
The meadow is, huh?
- And you come right back.
- Sure thing.
Thank you, wyatt.
I've been itching
For action.
( Chuckles )
( Crickets chirping )
- Mel.
- Here we are, vince.
Unhobble the horses
And hitch up the team.
Get me my saddle.
Well, these men won't be
Too hard to follow.
Hal, ted, bring the horses.
What about mr. Buntline?
We can't go looking
For him now.
If he's fallen asleep,
Let's hope he stays that way.
( Clicks tongue )
He must be
Out of his mind.
He hasn't even got a g*n.
We'll stay about
Five minutes behind 'em
Until daylight,
Then we'll drop back.
Hello, boys.
Any coffee inside?
- Man: plenty.
- Slade: good, let's have some
Before we load up.
Slade:
And once we're past cimarron,
It's easy.
We'll cross
The panhandle about here.
Thanks. In a few days,
We'll hit the pecos river.
- Then we'll head south.
- By night or day?
Day. Nobody'll stop
A covered wagon.
- Did you assemble
The gatling g*n?
- I sure did,
And I'm itching
To try it out.
We've got more cups
Than we need.
- What's the matter?
- ( Softly ) keep talking.
We've got company.
( Door closes )
Well, may get a chance
To use that gatling g*n
In case anybody gets nosy.
Now I want all of you
To study this map
Very carefully.
- Hal, I got
A good idea where they are.
- That old prospector's shack.
Yeah. We'd better
Split up and approach
From different directions.
( Grunts )
That's the last
Of the r*fles.
Good. Let's get
The gatling g*n.
( Grunting )
( Grunting )
- All right, let's go.
- ( Grunting )
- Vince, there's four
Of them trailing us.
- How far away are they?
Well, not more
Than minutes.
Hide the wagon over there
In those rocks.
We'll spot ourselves
Around the cabin.
No one is to fire a shot
Until we're sure we can get
Every one of them.
Understand?
Well, he's alive.
( Hoofbeats approaching )
It's ted and the lieutenant.
- The minute
They step outside...
- ( g*ns cock )
( Groans )
( Cocks )
Shh.
Did you hear something?
Yeah, a r*fle
Being cocked.
I saw something move.
Next time you see
Something move, sh**t.
- Oh. I--
- Mr. Buntline.
- Wyatt?
- What happened?
I heard them talk
About the route they're
Going to take--
Across the panhandle
And the cimeron,
And then south
Through the pecos.
They couldn't have started
Or we'd have seen them.
- There's one of them.
- ( Glass shatters )
( Cocks, fires )
Smoke 'em out, men!
Get the wagon.
- There goes one!
- Hal, close that door!
- Go on, I'm-- go on.
- We'll pick you up later.
- Ooh. Hold up.
- Whoa whoa.
Oh no.
- What is it?
- Get down on your faces,
Everybody!
Wyatt... Oh.
Hey, wyatt,
There's a cellar down here.
There's nobody alive
In there.
We'll make sure.
Burn it down.
I'll cover you.
Now's our chance.
I think they're reloading.
Mr. Buntline,
Here's where I use your g*n.
Well, I'm glad to say
I think he'll live.
Wow!
Well, now don't
Tell me you gentlemen
Have been up all night.
- Hello, wyatt.
- Good morning, marshal.
Lieutenant, I thought
You forbade mr. Buntline
To write about this.
Well, it certainly is
Fascinating to read about.
Of course, general crook
Will have to approve.
There.
There you are.
Here, wyatt.
Here.
It begins there.
And I defy any publisher
To turn this one down.
Well...
I never thought
I'd hear myself say it,
But sometimes
It certainly does pay
To be dishonest.
I beg your pardon?
I said it pays
To be dishonest...
For some people.
Suppose you hadn't
Written that bad check
On the riverboat?
Do you realize
You probably changed
The whole course
Of history?
You-- you put all that
In here, of course.
I certainly did not.
Don't you remember?
I told you that
That other fella cheated.
( All laughing )
♪ Well, he cleaned up
The country ♪
♪ The old wild west country
♪ He made
Law and order prevail ♪
♪ And none can deny it
♪ The legend of wyatt
♪ Forever will live
On the trail ♪
♪ Wyatt earp, wyatt earp
♪ Brave, courageous and bold
♪ Long live his fame
♪ And long live his glory
♪ And long may
His story be told. ♪