The life and legend
Of wyatt earp
( Male vocals humming melody )
♪ Wyatt earp
♪ Wyatt earp
♪ Brave, courageous,
And bold ♪
♪ Long live his fame
♪ And long live his glory
♪ And long may
His story be told! ♪
( Humming melody )
Male narrator:
William tecumseh sherman,
General of the army,
Made his fame
In the civil w*r.
But general sherman
Also commanded the army
When it fought
The indian wars
And opened up
The western frontier.
In the period
Between and ,
Uncle billy paid a visit
To every western fort
And every town of importance
West of kansas city.
When word got out
That general sherman was
On his way to dodge
To board the steam cars
Of the santa fe,
Marshal earp was soon
Up to his chin in trouble.
Oh, wyatt,
Thank goodness
You're here.
Howdy, mr. Page.
What are you
So excited about?
This telegram--
It's confidential.
Inside.
General sherman's coming!
General sherman's coming!
They just got a telegram.
It's general sherman!
General sherman's coming!
General sherman's coming.
He'll be here this afternoon.
- General sherman!
- Link hanson, what are
You yelling about?
Let go, sofie.
I got big news!
I got even bigger news.
You need a bath.
You go straight home
And take one.
But general sherman's
Coming to town!
- Oh!
- General sherman here in dodge.
He'll be here
This afternoon.
General sherman's
Coming!
And not only that,
A group of
Eastern newspaper men
Just got off the train.
Fellas from
The new york times,
And herald,
And the chicago tribune,
Kansas city star.
And you know what
The general thinks
Of newspaper men.
And the sante fe
Is right in the middle.
We can't afford
To offend the newspapers,
Yet general sherman is
One of the best friends
That the western roads
Has ever had.
And all he wants to do
Is to get on the train here
To go to kansas city.
Now, what am I
Gonna do, wyatt?
Well, there's
Not much you can do.
There are a lot
Of texas cowhands in town.
I'd sure hate
To see a ruckus
With a man
Like general sherman here.
He's in charge of
The whole western army
And the indian fights.
He certainly ought
To be able to board a train here
Without gettin'
Into a lot of trouble.
You don't think
There will be incidents?
Now, lookit here, wyatt,
The santa fe can't afford
To have demonstrations
Or disorders.
- Well, that won't be
The half of it.
- What?
General sherman has soldiers
After chief joseph,
And there's purses up north.
And in a couple of hours,
Dodge city will be jumpin'
With reports
That the indians are
About to attack us.
Oh, no.
Uncle billy sherman is
What the newspapers call
A controversial
Character.
Uh-oh,
Now you're in for it.
Oh, no, not me.
I'm going out
The back way.
If things get too rough,
Send word to me.
I've got to make up
The general's train.
I'll be in the yards.
Well, wasn't that
Jim bates?
Yes, sir, but I think
Your outfit scared him.
Oh, indeed now.
Well, I served
Under general sherman.
It's up to us
To arrange a fitting
Welcome for the general.
Yes. I've just now spoken
To chalk beeson.
He's going to call out
The cowboy band.
They'll play
"Marchin' through georgia"
As the general arrives.
- Then the judge and I
And the city council--
- Now, wait a minute.
The general
Doesn't like that song.
I read in the papers
Where he stopped them
From playing it in omaha.
We got a lot
Of southern sympathizers
In this town, judge.
- That's true, wyatt.
- Whose side are you on?
My father and two brothers
Fought for the union,
- But that's not the point.
- Indeed now?
I think you and the judge
Ought to think about this
A little bit more.
And can you convince him
To take this outfit off?
Well, it does fit him
Might snug in places.
I'm proud
To be wearing the blue.
Well, I fought
From shiloh to atlanta!
- Do you want a riot?
- And then i--
A riot?
Are you daft?
I'm not telling you
Anything you don't know.
This is not a northern town,
It's a border town.
He's right, jim.
Now, do you want
This town disgraced
With a lot of riots
And brawls? Do ya?
So that's it, huh?
I'm not allowed
To make a speech about
My great commander general.
Oh, no.
Look, he doesn't want
That kind of a speech.
He's heard
A thousand of 'em.
Now, you listen
To that boy, jim.
No, he won't listen to me--
He's irish and he's stubborn!
I'm gonna call out
All my deputies.
I'll probably
Need 'em.
( Men chattering )
Ah, we're on
A wild goose chase.
I need a drink.
On the herald, of course.
What makes you so sure
Old comp won't show up?
Sherman's not that crazy.
Your best, bartender--
All around.
Chief joseph's been making
Monkeys of his great
General howard.
And as for nelson miles,
I'll bet he's lost
His whole command
In the badlands.
You and the herald
Have sure made it rough
On the army, wendell.
Rough?
Wait till you read
My latest piece
To sherman and sheraton.
Incompetent,
Both of them.
Who's talkin'?
What was that, sir?
I asked who's talkin',
Mister.
You ever fought
Any indians?
That's a stupid
And irrelevant question.
You know, I don't think
I like you.
( Loud chattering )
Bartender:
This is no way
To settle differences.
Please! Stop!
Fight! Fight!
Arms alert!
Fight!
( Yelling to earp )
You stay out here.
All right, people!
Hold it!
- Now, who started this?
- I'm guilty, sir.
And I confess
To the strong arm
Of the law.
( Laughter )
- And who are you?
- Ah, me?
Haven't you ever
Heard of two-g*n wendell
Of the new york herald?
- ( Laughter )
- Mr. Murphy, I'm
Surprised at you.
Don't you know
We don't strike members
Of the newspaper profession?
Well, I do.
He had it comin' to him.
You should have
Heard what he said
About general sherman.
I don't care what he said.
Now, we don't take pokes
At newspaper men.
Oh, they can hit us,
But we dare strike back.
Now, you never
Fight a newspaper unless
You own one yourself.
Well,
A frontier socrates!
- Mind if I
Quote you in my paper?
- No, go ahead.
- And who are you?
- Yeah...
I asked you your name!
Take your hands
Off of me!
All right, hal,
They're all under arrest.
Put this one
And this one in cells.
- Now, get out of here!
- ( All arguing )
Just a minute, gentlemen.
Just a minute.
Let me handle this.
I, sir, am arthur ash burton
Of the new york times.
Yes, sir?
I demand to know reason
For this procedure.
I'm trying
To keep you all alive until
General sherman gets here.
Protective custody.
Now, come on, get out of here.
Oh, this is outrageous!
I'll fight this!
I'll take this to the supreme...
Hal, I'll be over
In the globe office!
- You'll hear from
The new york times!
- Come here.
What were they sayin'
About general sherman?
Are you arresting
Mr. Murphy?
No, I'll just hold him
For a while.
- You must be on our side.
- I'm not on anybody's side.
You don't like
General sherman?
Well, I've never met
The man, link-- have you?
No, sir.
But I'm gonna meet him today.
Well, I think
The general is gonna
Be a little bit busy.
But sofie said--
Hey, sofie!
Hey, sofie,
You come here!
You said I could shake hands
With general sherman.
Hush, link.
I haven't seen tom,
Not for weeks.
He's up north
With general howard.
- She's sweet on old tom.
- Shh!
We're engaged, marshal.
And I was wondering if
I could get close enough
To general sherman.
I mean,
Just a word of news.
Well, I'll see what
I can do, miss sofie.
Excuse me.
And you stay here
With your sister.
- You come back here!
- ( Groans )
Now, remember,
We are here
To make converts
Before that man
Sherman arrives!
% Of the people
Believe as we do.
They must be rallied
To the cause! Rallied!
Amen, brother!
All: amen!
Just a minute, folks.
I'm sorry, but you're going
To have to keep that sign
Out of view.
- Peace, young man.
- Well, I'm for that.
But I don't think you're going
To get much peace carrying
That sign down front street.
Very well,
Arrest us!
How many poor indians
Have you m*rder*d?
Leader:
Yes, how many?
Well, very few, ma'am.
Now, I'm giving you
A police order to keep that
Sign out of public view.
I don't want
These women hurt.
This town is full of tough men
That like general sherman.
You put it away.
Peace, friend.
We will go inside...
And ask for guidance.
- Amen, brother!
- Amen!
Amen!
Amen.
And we're putting out
An extra
With an editorial
Asking all factions
To stay calm.
It's a bad situation,
Marshal.
Indian haters,
Indian lovers,
Professional johnny reds
And yankees.
I'd rather have
A regular tornado hit town.
I don't suppose there's
Any way to detour
The general.
Hmm, sherman?
If he made up his mind
To visit hades,
He'd cuss the devil
Right out of his path.
Well, nothing
Much else can happen.
Oh, yes, it can.
Colonel bankhead of
The blaze v ranch,
Checked in
At the texas house.
Oh, no.
- Did he bring any gunslingers?
- I don't know.
- Well, I'll find out.
- ( Door opens )
Well, now,
That looks better.
Judge tobin's watin'
In your office.
Sam, I hope the globe
Would like my speech
Welcoming general sherman.
Of course, jim.
Have you checked
With wyatt?
Indeed not.
Who's the mayor
Of dodge city?
Well, you still have
A blue pencil, jim.
But... Don't let the eagles
Scream too loud, hmm?
( Chuckles )
I'll say to my old commander
What's in my heart.
Easy now, jim.
Pull up a chair
And sit down and compose
Your eloquent thoughts.
I've got to put
An extra on the street.
Now, here's the way
It will begin...
And furthermore,
I ask you,
Is there
A stare decisis?
Do the laws of kansas
Apply to newspaper men
From other states
To submit
To protective custody
Against their wills?
No, mr. Ashburton, but--
Then I demand
Our immediate release.
We are
Not children, sir.
The new york times--
Oh, shut up, artie!
I will not shut up
And I will be heard.
The new york times is
A great metropolitan newspaper,
And I will
Not be detained
At the whim of some
Petty folly tyrant
Who lords it over this--
This-this dust heap
In the prairie.
And furthermore--
( Door opens )
Yes'm.
I want a ruling,
Judge tobin, now!
We'll have
To release 'em, wyatt.
- Well, I want a drink.
- Wait!
We also expect an apology
From this-- this fellow.
You won't get it.
Now, clear out.
Tobin:
Now, wyatt!
Look, you've already
Turned them loose--
That's enough.
Now, you can write anything
Your editors tell you to write
About general sherman,
But you keep your mouth shut
As long as you're here.
- Is that a police order?
- That's advice, mr. Wendell.
Next time you sound off
Against general sherman,
I'm not gonna
Stop the fight.
You, sir, are
An arrogant yahoo!
You know, we're wrong.
I'm sorry.
No more fights.
Well, thank you,
Mr. Wendell.
- I'll see you around, I hope.
- Right.
You've angered
The new york times
And the chicago tribune.
Perhaps I should try to make
Peace with the others, huh?
- Why?
- In their present mood,
They'll blast poor sherman.
Heaven knows
What they'll write
About dodge city.
Well, you do what you--
What you think is best, sir.
All of us should feel guilty
About sherman.
We've blamed him
For every failure grant
Made in the white house.
We owe sherman.
He helped us build
This western country.
Well, keep your eyes peeled
For trouble.
Yes, sir.
And if it comes,
Hit 'em hard.
Senator forsythe
And mayor kelly are
Cookin' up a good one.
Big parade led by
The cowboy bands,
Speaker's platform
On the plaza--
We got the whole shebang
Of politics.
- All the deputies turn up?
- Yeah.
Go see the sheriff--
We'll need his boys too.
Why? You figure there's
Going to be a fight?
- Colonel bankhead's in town.
- Ooh.
Twelve years
Since the w*r ended.
Lee was the greatest general
Of course, but...
Sherman was great, too.
And he can't even
Visit a little cow town
In the middle of kansas
Without runnin' into a great,
Big nasty hullabaloo.
And I want you men
To check your g*ns.
No use havin' a run-in
With this man earp until
The right time comes.
You just circulate around
And gather some information.
We need to know
How many bummers
Old comp sherman
Is brining with him.
Then you report
Back to me at noon,
And we'll see then
What we have to do.
Man: all right,
Let's get out of here.
Peace, friends!
We will march
To the platform,
And let our brethren
Rally to us!
- All: amen! Amen!
- Hold on!
- What here got that sign?!
- Oh, peace, friend.
Read the sign
And join our march!
You're a fool, you,
Callin' general sherman
A butcher!
- Now, back, young man!
- No, back! This is
A man's work!
- Just a moment now!
- This'll teach ya!
( Women shrieking )
( g*nshots )
Now, you started this,
Mr. Murphy!
They gotta stop callin'
Uncle billy sherman names!
- Just read it!
- I've already read it!
Now, all these men are
Under arrest-- take 'em away!
- All right!
- Put us in jail!
The truth will go
Marching on!
The truth will go
Marching on!
Will you ladies please
Go inside? Please?
- ( Women gasp )
- Now, come on!
All of ya, get going!
This way, sir.
I'll make you a deal,
Mr. Earp.
A deal, huh?
I know some men
That are gonna try
And k*ll general sherman.
Yeah?
I heard 'em talking
Outside the texas house.
All right,
What's the deal?
You fix it for me and sofie
To meet the general.
I guess you heard
Colonel bankhead givin'
The rebel yell, huh?
Yeah.
Well, that's all right.
The deal still stands.
I'll do what I can.
Gosh, thanks, mr. Earp!
Now, wait a minute,
Wait a minute.
You go home,
Wash out your ears,
And put on
A coat and tie.
Yes, sir!
Howdy, marshal.
Join us?
No, thank you.
- Howdy.
- Mmm? Oh, howdy.
- You mind if I join ya?
- Sit down.
I-- I don't suppose
I could persuade you
To show a little gratitude?
And what thanks
Do I owe you, mr. Earp?
None, but you owe
General sherman.
I owe him a b*llet.
When the bloody shirts
Wanted to put mr. Davis
And general lee in prison,
Who stopped them?
- The south, sir.
- Grant and sherman.
They said they'd resign
Their commissions
If the terms
Of the parole were violated.
And who burnt atlanta
And colombia, south carolina?
Sherman!
Well, I tried.
Good work, marshal--
Arresting those crackpots
With the sign.
Yeah.
What time is
General sherman expected?
About : .
I figure to have a committee
On the north trace
To meet the general.
My suggestion is that
You and the sheriff
Head the committee.
How many soldiers
Does the general have with him?
About four to six.
He uses doherty wagons
On the prairie, you know.
- I don't like any of this.
- Now, wyatt!
Come on in, mr. Bates.
I want you to hear
What I have to say.
Something gone wrong?
This whole thing can turn
Into a big sh**t' match.
Are you scared of
Old man bankhead?
Yes.
Judge, we've got
Enough union men
To drive out every single
Johnny red in an hour.
Oh, now, I think
You're both exaggerating.
I know colonel bankhead,
And I can get his word
To keep his people in order.
I already tried that, judge.
Well, if he
Won't give his word,
Throw him in jail!
What's got
Into you, wyatt?
I guess
I'm ashamed of us all.
You certain there's
Gonna be trouble?
Mr. Bates, there are
Only two people in dodge that
Want to welcome general sherman
With completely
Honest motives.
You're thinkin'
About the sante fe,
Mayor kelly was
A union soldier--
He's worried
About the votes--
The judge is worried about
What the eastern newspapers
Are gonna say,
And, well, I can't
Rightly welcome the general
Because I'm worried
About a riot.
Well, stupid talk!
I'll hear no more of it!
And I'll lay down the law
To colonel bankhead.
And wyatt, you put
A tag of rain on that
Imagination of yours.
What do you want me
To do, wyatt?
Well, mr. Bates, I sure wish
You'd pull the general's
Special train
Into the siding
East of town.
Not let the general
Come into dodge at all?
Well, that's
Up to him to decide.
If he wants a hero's welcome,
He can always back the train
Into the depot.
All right, if you'll
Explain it to him.
I wouldn't dare.
I don't relish
The job myself, but...
Well, I owe
General sherman.
My two brothers
Served with him.
Whoa!
Colonel...
Sir, how far is it
To dodge city?
About six miles, general.
Well, I don't think I can face
Another fool reception
Without losing my temper.
You ride into town
And ask the sante fe people
If I can't board the train
Somewhere out here.
Sir, they'll be counting
On your visit.
Colonel, you get me
Out of this.
Now, general...
( Horses approaching )
Travelers heading
Toward us.
I'd better
Check them out.
Newspaper men, I'll bet.
No interviews.
- If they get sassy, arrest 'em.
- Yes, sir.
- Whoa!
- Who are you?
I'm marshal wyatt earp
From dodge city.
This is miss sofie
And master
Lincoln hanson.
We're in a hurry, sir.
I suggest that you pass on.
Whoa, calm!
Colonel,
Whoa, dernit!
That's him!
- Link, you come back here!
- Link, come back here!
Hello, sonny!
Don't you go
Into dodge, general.
There's a lot of johnny reds.
- I know the whole story--
- That'll do.
General, sir, I'm marshal
Wyatt earp of dodge city.
May I present
Sofie hanson.
She's worried
About her young man, sir--
Corporal jones-- he's in
General howard's detachment.
I haven't heard from him
For almost seven weeks,
General.
We'll find out, miss.
- Colonel?
- Sir?
Get some information
From this young lady.
Then we'll telegraph
Our people at helena
And get a report.
- Thank you, sir.
- It's my pleasure, miss.
Ah, marshal, what's
All this about johnny reds?
Why, I thought
They surrendered, son.
( Chuckles )
And I warn you,
Gentlemen,
We're going to open fire
Once that blue-bellied k*ller
Enters this town.
None of you'll be alive
Long enough to do that.
And believe me, gentlemen,
I mean what I say!
And law is on our side,
Colonel bankhead.
So, you see, sir,
The decision is up to you.
Now, if you'd like
To come into dodge city,
I'll need about a half an hour
To disarm the southerners.
( Groans )
What about those friends
Of the american indian?
Well, I'm afraid you'll
Have to handle them, sir,
And also the newspaper
Correspondence.
( Groans )
- How many welcoming speeches?
- Well, sir--
Link:
Mayor kelly's good
For an hour,
Judge tobin
Another half hour,
- And senator forsythe--
- ( Groans )
- Link!
- Yes, sir?
I'm not going into dodge.
What do you think
Would be a...
Nice, polite excuse?
Dodge ain't big enough
For you, general sherman.
I'd write 'em a letter
And tell 'em they're
A fiddlin' little town.
( Sherman laughs )
Link hanson, children
Should be seen and not heard.
- You come down from there.
- But the general asked me--
That's right, I did.
Good luck, son.
- Good bye, general.
- Bye-bye. ( Laughs )
Well, how would
You put it, marshal?
Well, sir, I'd even be
Less polite than link.
I wouldn't
Say anything at all.
Yeah, I'll have send them
A telegram of regrets.
You know, chief joseph'll be
Rounded up pretty soon,
And then the west'll
Be opened up
All the way
To the pacific.
But how do you open up
The human mind and spirit?
Well, you pray, I guess,
And keep on prayin'.
I started that
Some time ago.
Looks like it's
Gonna be a long job.
I hope you'll put your g*ns away
As soon as you can, marshal.
It won't be
Too many years now, sir.
It's a big country
With small people,
All of us.
I hope our lord
Will be patient.
♪ Well, he cleaned up
The country ♪
♪ The old wild west
Country ♪
♪ He made law and order
Prevail ♪
♪ And none can deny it
♪ The legend of wyatt
♪ Forever will live
On the trail ♪
♪ Oh, wyatt earp
♪ Wyatt earp
♪ Brave, courageous
And bold ♪
♪ Long live his fame
And long live his glory ♪
♪ And long may his story
♪ Be told
♪ Long may his story
♪ Be...
♪ Told!
( Humming harmony )