The Life and Legend
of Wyatt Earp
- You sure that's Wyatt Earp
down there riding shotgun?
- Wells Fargo advertised he's
going to take that stage through
to Hays, Kansas.
There's the ad.
Read it yourself.
- The point is, what are
we gonna do about Earp?
- Gonna k*ll him
and rob the stage.
- You mean take all the boys
and ride down there
and blast him, huh?
- No. This time we're gonna
use an old Injun trick.
Earp won't die right away.
But in the end he'll
be just as dead.
♪♪ 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 ♪♪
- Wyatt's old friend and former
employer Wells Fargo and Co.
operated an important stage line
connecting the
Santa Fe at Dodge City
with the Union Pacific
at Hays, Kansas.
A hundred miles of wilderness
stretched between
the two railroads.
It was a natural hunting ground
for the stage robbers,
and in the Pervis
g*ng moved south
to prey upon the shipments
of money and bullion
entrusted to Wells Fargo.
- Packing g*ns...
drunk and disorderly
in the street...
fist fighting.
Anything else?
- Yeah. This one
resisted arrest.
- That's probably
more days for you.
Well howdy, Mr. Tom Russell!
- Howdy, Wyatt!
- Mr. Masterson,
put 'em in the cell.
Come on back
for the pow-wow.
- Yes, sir. Let's go.
- Ah, you're looking
in pretty good shape.
- Feel pretty good.
- Wells Fargo never
thinks of me anymore
unless you're in
some kind of trouble.
Now what brings a
chief special agent
all the way
from San Francisco?
- The whole Pervis g*ng is
camped at your back door.
- Hmm. Sit down.
Now, they're operating in
Hodgeman and Pawnee counties,
aren't they?
- Yeah, I know it
isn't your territory.
So the company forgives you.
- Heh! Well, that's nice.
Hey, that's a mighty
handsome ring you got there.
New, isn't it?
- Oldtimer's ring.
The company just started
awarding them.
- Oldtimer's ring, huh?
I like the design.
- You stamp it in
red wax on a letter,
and the big chief
himself reads it.
And all the power and glory of
Wells Fargo is at my command.
- Ha! Well, I'm an oldtimer.
They ought to give me one.
- Maybe they will.
- What's the catch?
- Find me a map of Kansas,
Wyatt. I'll show you.
- All right.
- And you know, we're supposed
to be like the Texas Rangers.
Touch a Wells Fargo stage,
and if it takes
years, we'll get you.
- We always do, Mr. Tom.
- That sure makes for
a lot of long chases, though.
- Ah, that's just the
point, Mr. Masterson.
The Pervis outfit
are real rough boys.
They don't scare easy.
- Hard men, huh?
- Wyatt and I were joshing
before you came in.
He wants an oldtimer's
ring like this one.
- Very nice.
- I told him there'd be a catch.
- Yeah, what is it?
- Ride shotgun on one of our
stages. North to Hays.
And let us advertise
in the local paper
that you're
going to do it.
- Well, wait a minute!
Wyatt'd be asking for trouble.
- Yes, he would.
- I can think of a
lot more sensible ways
of you getting k*lled.
- Mr. Russell's got the
makings of a good idea.
I'm your man
on one condition.
You and Mr. Masterson follow
behind me with a posse.
- How close?
- Ten miles.
- What good would that do? You'd
be dead and the money gone--
- Mr. Masterson, I'm
asking Wells Fargo
to do me a big favor.
- A posse.
I don't quite understand why.
- I want the Pervis
g*ng caught.
If they do jump the stage,
you'll be close enough behind
to pick up a fresh trail.
Not years from now, either.
- All right, Wyatt.
I'll wire the main office and
see if I can get permission.
And don't let Mr. Masterson
talk you out of it.
I'll be at the hotel, Wyatt.
- Right. See you later.
- You and Wells Fargo...
Do they got a mortgage
on you or something?
- No. I owe them,
Mr. Masterson.
They gave me a job when
I was nothing but a kid.
They trusted me with
passengers, teams, and money.
Why do you think you owe me?
- Well, it's...
That's different.
- No.
I took you on when you were
just years old as a deputy.
- Yeah, but that's personal.
Wells Fargo is a big company.
- No, sir.
It's a fine name.
They got a great reputation.
They fought for law and order
on trails that you never rode,
and in towns that
you've never heard of.
- All right.
But look, will you make the
distance to the posse miles?
- Well, Pervis and his g*ng
would see the dust at miles.
You'd scare him off.
- Ten miles.
And I promise to give you
a decent Christian burial.
- Well, that's very nice
of you, Mr. Masterson.
- Twenty, twenty, twenty...
Wells Fargo and
their $ bills!
I'm gonna write
their president
and tell them to send their
payroll shipments in hundreds!
[ All laugh ]
- Hey, Danny.
- Oh, shut up! You made
me lose my place!
- This pile, Danny.
- This is something
you ought to see.
- A newspaper?
I never read 'em.
- You better read this one.
They hired Wyatt Earp
to ride shotgun.
- Wyatt Earp?
- "A regular stage bound for
Hays and northern points
"will leave Dodge City at
: am as usual tomorrow.
"Marshal Wyatt Earp
will ride shotgun.
"The stage will carry
men passengers only
"and they will ride
at their own risk.
Wells Fargo and Company."
- You know, Danny, if
Wyatt Earp is ridin' shotgun,
there must be an awful
lot of money on that stage.
- You got a brain.
Of course there's
a lot of money on it!
Twenty... twenty...
Twenty...
- Now, Mr. Masterson,
I want you to give us exactly
a one hour head start.
You'll be travelling
faster than us,
so I want you to make
check stops here...
Jones Hill here, right at
the beginning of the narrows,
making time allowances.
Now, we all know the
schedule of the stage.
I have a firm agreement
with Wells Fargo Company
to keep that posse miles
back at all times.
You understand that?
- Yes, sir.
- I'm still against
taking passengers, Wyatt.
I think we should pile
freight in the coach.
- Well, that would
be a dead giveaway.
That g*ng has never hurt
any passengers yet.
The agent over at
the stage depot
has been told to
repeat the warning
that people are going to be
travelling at their own risk.
Besides, we may not
have any passengers,
in which case I suggest
we load with freight.
- I'll settle for that.
- You know actually,
I don't think that Pervis
is going to jump us.
Not because I'm riding shotgun
but because I think
he'll smell a trap.
- He's not that smart.
- Well, that's one
of the reasons
why I agreed to this deal.
Just how smart is Danny Pervis?
I've always been a fool for
questions like that. Right, Hal?
- Yeah.
- Now you're a
fool for Wells Fargo.
- Tell him the truth, Mr. Tom.
- The truth?
- Sure! I've always wanted
an oldtimer's ring.
Say, who's going to
be driving number ?
- Pat Duncan.
- Hmm.
He's a good man, but I'd
rather have Milt Caney.
- Milt's loco!
- Well, Mr. Masterson, in order
to be a great stage driver,
you gotta be a might loco.
Now you put Milt
Caney on the box.
I rode with him once
through an Apache ambush
on the Phoenix Trail.
He was popping Indians
off the lead horses
with a blacksnake whip.
It was like swatting flies.
- All right, Wyatt.
Milt Caney.
- I just got one
final question, Mr. Tom.
- What's that?
- Does your company
pay for Wyatt's funeral?
- All expenses, Bat!
- Let's break this up.
Tomorrow may be a busy day.
- Before you buy
your tickets, read that!
- Well, what's it say?
- "Our regular stage bound
for Hays and northern points
"will leave Dodge City
at : am as usual tomorrow.
"Marshal Wyatt Earp
will ride shotgun.
"The stage will carry
men passengers only
and they will ride
at their own risk."
- Ah...
- There must be
robbers on the trail
or they wouldn't
be warning us.
- So, what if there are?
There's gold in the Black Hills.
- We can wait
one day, Sammy.
- Gold claims don't
wait. I'm going.
- OK...
- Wyatt, I think it's
much ado about nothing.
- Could be, Milt.
- I've got to write them bosses
in San Francisco another letter.
They ain't answered
my last one yet.
And they ain't sent me my
oldtimer's ring neither!
- Well, give them time.
They've been kind of busy.
- Wyatt, you was always
a clean-living boy.
How do you stand
with him now?
- Him?
You mean the good Lord?
Well, I guess I can only
claim a fair to middling rank.
- I'll put in a
good word for you.
- Well, thank you.
That's mighty kind of you.
- Oh, take nothing.
You there.
Do you see this?
I want you to keep a
tight trace on this trip.
And I don't want no bitin'
or snortin' or staggerin'.
Do you hear me?
Wyatt, you check
the passengers.
I've got to cuss these
horses in a quiet way.
Now Joe, I'm gonna
tell you somethin'.
- Oh Ma'am, I'm sorry.
But there are no women
allowed on this trip.
- Who's putting me off?
My name is
Wilkins, young man.
And I'm a great-grandmother.
My first great-grandson was
born up at Hays last week,
and I aim to see him.
And I aim to go
on this coach.
- Well I'm sorry, Mrs. Wilkins,
but you see,
the company thinks there's
going to be some trouble.
- Trouble? Ha!
I've had trouble all my life.
- Well, I'm sure you could
postpone your trip one day.
You see, there's liable
to be some sh**ting--
- Young man,
when you get to be my age,
you don't postpone things.
Now you just climb up there
in the boot, young fella,
and if the bandits give you any
trouble, I'll give you a hand.
- Yes'm.
- Three passengers,
Marshal Earp.
- Four.
- Huh?
- Grandma Wilkins
is going along.
- Oh no! The company
gave me strict--
- All right, you pull her off.
- You just try it and
they'll be a fight!
- Will you explain it
to Wells Fargo, Mr. Earp?
- Yeah.
- All right, there's the
money box. You sign here.
- I'm Sam Price, Marshal.
This is my
partner Ned Hilling.
- Clayton.
Lee Clayton.
- Mr. Price, Mr. Hilling,
Mr. Clayton...
Climb aboard, gentlemen.
- Wyatt's wrong, you know?
They're gonna jump him
just as soon as he gets
across that county line.
- Wyatt said miles.
I gave him my word.
- Hal?
- Yeah?
- Look, I think we ought
to follow Wyatt closer.
How do you boys feel?
- Same as you do, but
Wyatt's running the show.
- He said to wait an hour.
I always try to be reasonable.
- All right, then we go?
- In minutes.
- Look, Mr. Russell--
- Bat! Bat! Hold it!
Mr. Russell's straining
the point already.
- Yeah...
- Well, do we take
'em from here, Danny?
- No. We wait and see if
a posse's following 'em.
Then we'll ride along either
side of 'em at r*fle range.
You understand?
- You mean pick off
Earp and the driver?
- If we can sh**t that good.
If we can't we'll have to
move in a little closer
and drop some of the horses.
- And then close in.
- Divide the boys
so we'll have some g*ns
on the west side too.
Wait a minute.
I don't want any of that
fancy Jesse James stuff
until I give the word.
- Yes, sir.
Bill, Ted, Charlie, you go
over to the other way.
- Why can't we have
some air in here?
- The sun's on that side.
It'll burn you up.
- And second, we don't
want to be sitting ducks.
- What?
- We don't want to
make ourselves targets
for road agents.
- Ah, city fellers!
Road agents! They
wouldn't jump us here.
We're too close
to Dodge City.
- Grandma's right.
- Do they usually sh**t
at the passengers?
- Not unless some tarnation
idiot sh**t at them.
- Won't we be expected
to help Mr. Earp?
- Well, that's what
he's hired for.
- Correct, sonny. Correct.
But you let Mr. Clayton
here help Marshal Earp.
If it comes to that.
- Not me, Grandma.
- Oh, you're a
g*n-fightin' man, sure!
I took a good look at
your g*n and holster.
That holster's Texas hide.
Cured stiff for a quick draw.
And all the bluing's worn off
the front side of your coat.
Ah, you got the eyes of
a g*n-fightin' man.
- Relax, friends. I don't
help no John Law.
- Oh, drat it!
There, I dropped a stitch!
Now that's bad luck!
- Is that Earp riding shotgun?
- Ah... too far to tell.
As they come abreast of us,
we'll start playing
Indian with 'em.
- Milt! Riders!
- Do you suppose
they want us?
- Yeah.
Pull 'em up. I got to
get those passengers out.
- Whoa!
- Whoa!
- What are we
stopping here for?
- Sorry, but this
is as far as we go.
- What's happened?
- Outlaws. Mr. Caney and I are
going to make a run for it.
The rest of you out.
Come on, Grandma.
- I will not!
I'm comfortable!
- Well, I want out!
Come on, Sammy!
- No! I've got a g*n,
Marshal! I'll help!
- Come on, get out of there.
- Well, shall we dust 'em?
- Not yet. I'll
tell you when.
- Now there's a posse following
us. You just wait here.
Come on, Mr. Clayton.
Come on, Grandma.
- No!
- Should I lift her out?
- Yeah, but take it easy.
- You just try it,
you old coot,
and I'll pick your eyes out
with my knitting needles!
- Come on, Grandma!
- Now!
- Get aboard!
Them's b*ll*ts!
- I'll stay with Grandma.
- All right.
- Ya!
[ g*nshots ]
Ya!
- Get down, Grandma!
- Here now! Here now!
Here! Now save your cartridges.
It's still a r*fle fight!
- I got a hunch
they jumped Wyatt.
- Ten miles behind,
Wyatt said.
- Well that
doesn't go anymore.
You come with me, or you
mosey along with Russell.
- Well, if you want to go fast,
I'll race you there. Hiya!
- All right!
[ g*nshots ]
- We can't outrun 'em, Wyatt.
Let's stop and
make a fight of it!
- No, head for those
rocks that way!
- Hiya!
- Stay down there! You want
to get yourself k*lled?
- Ah!
If I stay down there,
I will get myself--
[ g*nshots ]
Look at that.
Good! I knew it!
I knew you could do it!
- Ya!
I'm hit, Wyatt!
In the shoulder!
- Give me the reins!
Hey!
[ g*nshots ]
[ g*nshots ]
You all right?
- Reload as fast as you can.
Ed, you and Charlie and
Fred keep after them.
Rest of us will cut across
through the narrows over here.
They can't travel
as fast over there.
- They certainly can't.
- We'll pick 'em off.
Go ahead and keep wide apart so
they won't know we split up.
- Mr. Clayton!
Mr. Clayton!
- Mr. Clayton's been hit!
- How bad?
- Well, you don't hear
him sh**t', do you?
I picked up his revolver.
I'm reloadin'.
What happened? They give up?
- Well, Grandma,
I don't think so.
It's some kind of a trick.
Probably reloading
back there somewhere.
[ g*nshots ]
Here they come!
Keep down so you don't
get yourself shot!
Hiya! Let's go! Come on!
- Drat it!
- Whoa!
Come on, Mr. Caney!
- I'm afraid I can't
be much help, Wyatt,
- I know, but come on down.
Just try to keep
the blood stopped.
Get him over there on the rock.
- I'll take care of him. Just
get out of my way, young boy.
Say, what are you
doing that for, sonny?
- Trying to prevent
a wreck and a runaway.
Pervis knows we're
heading into winding roads.
He's cut his men in half.
Sent half of them cross country
so they could pop up
in front of us.
Hey! Get going!
The minute that
firing started again,
those horses would run off and
gotten themselves into a wreck,
busted up that stage.
- Well, that's real
good thinking, son.
No sense in busting up a good
stage and k*lling animals.
- Come on, Milt.
Grandma, pick up
that Winchester.
Let's go up the
hill. Let's go!
Watch yourself.
Just take it easy.
- Drat it!
- You get down in
there, Milt. Stay there.
Grandma, get on that
rock to the left.
Come on.
To the left here.
Now stay behind that rock.
Start reloading that Winchester.
Milt, you keep undercover!
- I sure like a young feller
that's got a brain
and you've got one.
- Hush up, Grandma.
Here they come.
Grandma, save your sh*ts!
You just keep reloading,
I'll do the firing.
The posse better show up before
we run out of b*ll*ts.
- You got one, sonny!
How many are there?
- I can't tell.
Here, reload that.
Gimme that Winchester.
- Well, this might have been
a good trick for Indians.
But we ain't Indians.
I think we ought
to hide the horses
and try to take
Earp on foot.
- Yeah. Maybe you're right.
- Say, hope I didn't spoil
nothin', sonny.
This darn thing
almost jammed on me!
- Thank you, Grandma.
Hey, you're a pretty rugged gal!
- Yeah. Always was.
But you should have
knowed my Grandma.
Oh! Grandma was a case!
Drat him!
- Hey, you're doing
right well, Grandma!
[ Horses ]
- Say, here come some
men. Are they ours?
- Well, they better be.
- Posse coming!
- Hold it, Pervis!
- Determined cuss, ain't he?
Some people just
won't stop at nothin'!
- You stay put!
Drop your belts!
Come on, Milt.
- All right, Wyatt?
- [Bat]: I told you miles
was too far!
- Stop yakking
and round 'em up.
You tough old buzzard.
You're going to be good as
new in a couple of weeks.
- You folks sure
did a good job!
I can't make a Wells
Fargo speech for you.
Well, here.
Mail it back
when you get yours.
- Well thank you, Mr. Tom.
Milt, hold out your good hand.
- No joking!
- Sure, you earned it.
Now, when Wells Fargo
sends you your own,
you just mail that
one back to Mr. Tom.
- My oldtimer's ring.
But I didn't pay
for Wells Fargo.
I only cussed the horses!
[ All laugh ]
- Hey, sonny! Come on!
Let's get moving!
That little baby
will be walking
before his grandmother
ever gets up to Hays.
- Grandma, he may be walking by
the time we find those horses.
Hey Hal, give me
a hand, will you?
♪♪ 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 ♪
♪ Hmm ♪♪