02x21 - Curfew Cannon

[bunniefuu]

♪ Jim Bowie, Jim Bowie

♪ He was a bold adventuring man ♪

♪ Jim Bowie, Jim Bowie

♪ Battled for right with a powerful hand ♪

♪ His blade was tempered and so was he ♪

♪ Indestructible steel was he

♪ Jim Bowie, Jim Bowie

♪ He was a fighter, a fearless and mighty adventuring man ♪

- [Jim] In the city of New Orleans,

curfew was sounded each evening at 9 o'clock.

[cannon fires]

Not by a tolling bell, but by a cannon.

It was a good law, it kept thieves

and cutthroats off the street after dark

and reduced crime to a minimum.

But there was one evening

when even if we went to jail for it,

my brother Rezin and I had to steal that curfew cannon.

[intense music]

Neither Rezin nor I could possibly have foreseen

the part that curfew cannon was to play in our lives.

On the evening we were invited to the house

of Andre and Etienne Rochambeau, newly arrived from France.

[gentle upbeat music]

- [speaks in foreign language] James and Rezin Bowie.

- I'm Rezin.

- Then I must be James.

- Gentlemen, I can thank you for coming here.

- How do you do, sir. - How do you do.

- How do you so, sir. - How do you do, sir.

- I am Andre Rochambeau and this is my brother Etienne.

- I am Etienne.

- And my daughter, Lisette.

[speaks in foreign language]

Pleasure.

- [speaks in foreign language], I am delighted.

- Gentlemen pray be seated.

- Pray be seated.

- Everything is which way.

So we have come to your country to make it our own.

- To make it our own.

- Well you couldn't have picked a better place.

- Well sir, it seemed to us and naturally we hoped

to make the good investment here.

- Oh, naturally!

- Naturally.

- We are prepared to buy the plantation

which you offer in the neighborhood of Alexandria

and our check is already prepared.

- $124,000!

- Oh gentlemen, we cannot go higher than that.

- Oh it's not that sir, I assure you.

The fact is we've sold it this morning for 90,000.

- We had our hearts so set on it.

- It's our loss [speaks in foreign language].

- Would you be kind enough to suggest a suitable bank

where we can deposit our funds from Dijon.

- Well we bank at Citizens, I'd be happy to introduce you.

- Ah, [speaks in foreign language].

Ah!

Gentlemen, some wine.

[cannon fires]

- Ah, there's the curfew, we best be on our way.

- Aw gentlemen.

[speaks in foreign language]

- [speaks in foreign language], sorry we had

to leave so soon.

- I could stay all night.

[speaks in foreign language]

- Goodnight sir. - Goodnight.

- Goodnight. - Goodnight.

[grunts] [speaks in foreign language]

[sighs]

[laughs]

- Oh, what a relief. [laughs]

[speaks in foreign language]

[speaks in foreign language]

- Put it down.

- But what about our performance, was it not worth a glass?

- Actors come cheap but not their thirst.

There is nothing to celebrate yet.

- Two brothers, one girl, which shall it be huh?

- Both, favor both,

until we find out which one controls the money.

- That big one, that Jim.

Oh, I need a drink to keep sober.

When I think of him, ooh la la.

[scoffs]

- What'd I do?

You haven't said a word to me all the way home,

now what'd I say was wrong?

- Well in the first place,

do you think it's very good manners

to say to a young lady, "I could stay all night"?

- Oh. - And then her hand,

the way you, [kisses]

it's not a pastry, you smacked it,

you positively smacked it. [kisses]

- Well anyway it is honest, the way I do and say it.

Not just a lotta high pollutin' words.

- Well maybe you should learn few, the ladies like 'em.

- I haven't had any complaints.

Not always cutting sugar cane

while you're off kissing ladies' hands.

- She is kinda nice, isn't she?

- Oh yeah.

Her whole family, her father

and that fine old soldier, her uncle.

- Oh you did notice that, huh?

Oh, don't forget we have an appointment with them,

Citizens Bank 11 O'Clock tomorrow morning.

- Alright.

- Of course I don't imagine that she'll be there.

- No probably not.

I can't be there either,

I gotta be at the sugar market at 11.

- Oh, well, sweet dreams.

[clock chimes]

- [Lisette] [speaks in foreign language] Bowie!

[speaks in foreign language]

It was so good of you to come.

- Morning ma'am.

I, I brought this as kind of a peace offering.

- Oh, how lovely!

Peace offering?

- For my bad manner last night.

My brother thought it was pretty crude

the way I kissed your hand, he said I smacked.

- Oh but you were charming.

Show me, show what it is that you did wrong, please.

[kisses]

But, that is very nice the way that you do.

It has sincerity.

- You tell that to Jim.

- Oh, Jim.

- Don't you like him?

- [speaks in foreign language], he is so, oh so polished,

like the new boot, myself I better like one

who fits me with comfort, like the old slipper.

Oh what will you think of me?

- I wish I could tell you what I think of you,

the way Jim would say it.

- Aw, my friend, my comfortable friend.

[gentle upbeat music]

[men mumble outside of the door]

- Darling!

Please come in.

Ah, [speaks in foreign language] Bowie,

what a pleasure to see you here.

- And, what a surprise.

- [Rezin] I just stopped by to see how things were going.

- Oh and how are things going, Rezin?

- I mean at the bank.

- Oh, at the bank.

- Not good I'm afraid.

Gentlemen please sit down.

- Thank you.

- Would you have a cigar?

- Oh, thank you. - No thanks.

- What is wrong Papa?

- The bank will pay only 3%

for our money [speaks in foreign language].

- That is bad?

- [Andre] Uh-huh, at Dijon we get five.

- How much money do we have in Dijon?

- Oh, a million and a half Franc, roughly speaking.

- Gosh, that's a lot of money.

You'd be loosing the difference between 3% and 5%.

- Correct.

- Well in dollars that's, erm.

- Nearly $6,000 a year interest, roughly speaking.

- Papa, why don't you open your own bank?

Oh, you have the money, the experience.

- That's about the only way of gettin'

more than 3% around here.

- Believe me I have thought of it,

but we are not known here,

and a banker needs the confidence of the people.

I would need partners with good names

that people can trust.

- I know one.

- [Andre] Oh, that would be

the ideal arrangement, your names.

- For banking business?

We don't know the first thing about it.

- It is not mysterious.

Take it from an old banker,

you pay the deposit of 4% instead of three,

then you make the investment to pay 6, 7 and 8%,

and the difference is your profit.

- Sounds easy the way you say it.

A Bowie brothers bankage.

What do you say Rezin?

- Well, oh it'd be wonderful.

But it is not for us.

- Why not?

- Banking, you couldn't stick to it for two months.

- I certainly could.

- Not one month.

Excuse us [speaks in foreign language], sir,

and thank you for your very kind offer.

Come on, Jim.

- You go ahead, I'll se you later.

- Suit yourself.

- [speaks in foreign language] my friend.

- I will see you to the door.

- Hm, he does all the work,

and I do all the play, ha.

'Spose I do bang around a little.

Well that's none of his business.

Why, I've made more money than he'll ever make.

- I'm certain that you have [speaks in foreign language],

but he may be right about the banking.

- How's he right?

- Well, you are not cut out for a banker, Jim,

banking is so confining, so dignified.

- Oh, I can be dignified.

- Forgive my Jim, but your femaling.

- I do not female, much.

- And the fighting all over the country?

- I don't fight.

Well, not all over the country.

- No, you are too adventuresome.

- Well banking could be an adventure,

a big one, an important one.

- But it is not romantic and you are very romantic, Jim.

- I am?

[speaks in foreign language]

- No I'm not.

I know what you mean,

you mean I'm not smart enough to be a banker.

- I did not say that.

- Yeah, but that's what you meant.

- I only meant what your brother said.

That you could not stick to it.

- I could stick to it.

While with my own money invested,

you just see how I could stick to it.

- Do you mean you will do it?

- Mm-hmm, I'll do it, I'll prove you both wrong.

- Oh Jim, that is wonderful.

Papa,

Papa,

Papa,

Papa, I have the wonderful news for you.

[speaks in foreign language] Bowie insists

on being a banker.

[upbeat music]

- [Jim] And that's how the Bowie Brothers

got into the banking business.

Not that it wasn't a success from the very start.

When the people heard that our partner

was a French millionaire,

and that we were paying 4% interest,

nothing could keep them from bringing their money to us.

- Three hours for lunch huh.

Where you been?

- Oh, I was lunching with a very important client.

- How is she?

- You ought to know,

she tells me she had dinner with you last night.

- When I have dinner with her,

it's with the family.

When you have lunch with her it's alone.

- You know, what I'm looking forward to

is a breakfast with her.

[upbeat music]

- Ha, over $200,000 in deposits.

- [Jim] Not a bad start huh.

- No, if we are good to it,

it will be good to us.

Oh, by the way, is my key made yet?

- No, not yet, An.

Should be finished soon.

I'd say, just about the time

your money gets here from France.

- Jim!

- Huh. - That can only mean

that you do not trust me.

- Not at all.

- You may call it good business

in this barbarous country

to question the integrity of a partner,

but where I come from we call it something else.

- More matter like a key, it is abominable.

Who would Papa was the thief?

That we are all thieves.

- It isn't like that at all, now, believe me honey.

- And you, my friend, my closest friend,

you did nothing.

- Well what could I do?

Jim's the president.

Oh Lisette, you're not gonna let a little old key

come between us, are you?

- How can I help it?

You let it come between us.

- Well I am not gonna quarrel over a miserable little key.

Look, I'll get Andre's key.

[speaks in foreign language]

- Don't you know that there's just nothing in the world

I wouldn't do?

[upbeat music]

[cannon fires]

[upbeat music]

- Can't you even wait 'til closing time?

- Why, I got an important appointment

with Jean Lafitte.

- What about?

- He wants a loan on a shipment of merchandise.

I wanna see if it's still in cargo.

- You sure your date is with Jean Lafitte?

[tisks]

I asked you a question.

- I answered it.

- Well your date better be with Jean Lafitte,

'cause I'm asking Lisette to marry me.

- Marry you?

Oh Rezin, come on, don't do it.

- Why not?

- Well look, I've been wonderin' about them.

They keep asking for keys, "Where's the key?"

Where's their money?

- Well it's on the way.

- Don't marry her Rezin.

She's not in love with you.

- And how would you know?

- Let's just say I'm guessin'.

- Well you guess again.

- Don't make a fool of yourself.

- Oh, we'll see who's a fool.

- All right, have it your way.

Lock up will ya.

[door closes]

- We'll see who's a fool.

[speaks in foreign language]

- Oh, they must all be asleep.

- Well, I will just go tell Maxine that we are here.

- Don't be long.

[door opens]

- Lisette, help me, Lisette?

[paper crackles]

- What is that you have there?

- Oh, something for you.

It has a message on it.

"Lisette, ask me for anything."

And it's signed Rezin.

- May I see it?

- There's the key to our bank safe.

Where is my brother?

- Well, how should I know?

I've been with you.

- Yes, but your father wasn't,

and your uncle wasn't.

Where's Maxine.

Rezin was here, with this,

he must have been, where is he now?

He'd never left this here unless he had to.

Where is he?

- Jim.

Look out.

[screams]

- All right [speaks in foreign language].

- [Rezin] You're right Jim,

they're all thieves, all of 'em.

Cut me loose.

I was gonna give Lisette the keys,

lucky I found out in time, they jumped me.

They're going down to blow the safe.

I hid the key.

- [Jim] Yeah I found it.

- They're timing it to go off at nine O'Clock,

the exact moment that the curfew canon is fired.

- Nine O'Clock, that's only 10 minutes,

we might not make the bank by then.

But the palace dom is on the way,

we could stop that canon being fired.

- How?

- Steal it.

Good night [speaks in foreign language]

[screams]

- What if the canon does not go off

at the exact minute?

- It always has.

I set my watch by it.

Five minutes more.

[horse hooves clop]

- Back up the carriage.

- Hurry up, the police will be here in a minute.

- Almost ready.

- Hey, what do you do there?

Stop, stop I tell you.

[whistle blows]

- Hi-ya.

[whistle blows]

- I know you Jim Bowie, I know you.

You will go to jail for this.

- What time does your watch say now?

- In two minutes precisely the canon goes off

and this goes off with it.

[horse hooves clomp and carriage rattles]

[whistle blows]

And now 25 seconds, I will begin counting at 10 seconds.

At nine, strike your match.

Six, light the fuse.

[horse hooves clomp and carriage rattles]

Seven,

six,

five,

four,

three,

two,

one.

[expl*sive bang]

- Ah hot.

- I hope no one heard.

- How could they?

With the sound of the canon to cover it.

When I plan something, it works.

[horse hooves clomp]

- Whoa.

[whistle blows]

- The whistle of a [speaks in foreign language]

- Something went wrong, what could it be?

- Your plan perhaps.

[glass breaks]

- Well gentlemen, you don't keep bank that's ours, do ya?

- Stand aside [speaks in foreign language].

This shoots straight.

- Oh, I'm sure it does [speaks in foreign language],

but my pistols bigger than yours.

And hasn't been fired yet tonight, gentlemen.

But how would you know that

with the sound of your own little expl*si*n in ears?

Carry your bag sir?

[gentle upbeat music]

Ah, you were taking it all, weren't you?

[upbeat music]

And that was how the Bowie Brothers

got out of the banking business.

The Rochambeau family, which wasn't a family at all

but a g*ng of unrelated thieves,

got unrelated cells in the New Orleans jail.

Poor Rezin was hit hard.

[laughs]

Oh, cheer up Rezin.

She'll still be quite a young woman

when she gets out of jail.

- Say, tell me somthin'?

- Hmm.

- What made you suspicious of them in the first place?

- Oh experience, my boy, experience,

you know, adventuring, femaling,

fighting all over the country.

- All right, all right.

[laughs]

- Hey, you were right about one thing though.

I was never cut out to be a banker.

Let's go.

Can you lend me a couple dollars, I haven't been --

♪ Jim Bowie, Jim Bowie

♪ He was a fighter, a fearless and mighty adventuring man ♪