04x13 - Plague Carrier

Episode transcripts for the TV show, "The Life & Legend of Wyatt Earp". Aired: September 6, 1955 – June 27, 1961.*
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Series is loosely based on the life of frontier marshal Wyatt Earp.
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04x13 - Plague Carrier

Post by bunniefuu »

( 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. ♪

( Men vocalizing )

Narrator: frontier communities,

Like dodge city,

Had a lot of problems.

One of the worst

Was scarcity,

Of goods and of men,

The right kind of men

For the jobs that needed

To be done.

And sometimes

The pressing needs were

A problem for the law...

And for wyatt earp.

Of course I have nothing

Against president grant

Myself,

But this salary grab

Just don't seem to

Sit well with folks.

$ , . You know, that's

A lot of money, marshal.

In fact, they say $ ,

Is a little too much money

For an ordinary congressman.

At that rate, I might

Go into politics myself.

In fact, my friends

Have been suggesting it

For some time.

( Laughs )

You certainly have

The wind for it.

Well, you see now,

Marshal,

The trouble is

I don't settle down

In any one place.

I happen to be in hides,

Buying and selling.

In fact, that's what

Brings me right here

To your city, marshal.

You, uh...you care

For a cigar, sir?

Ha ha.

You, young man?

No, thanks.

Oh. You don't talk much,

Now, do you, huh?

I guess you do enough

For all of us.

Well, I was only trying

To be sociable, marshal.

No offense.

You go ahead

And enjoy your cigar.

This your first trip

Out west?

This far west, yeah.

You going on

To the mountains?

I don't know yet.

Just sightseeing.

I'm not a criminal, marshal.

I didn't suggest

You were.

I'm not being very sociable.

I'm sorry, marshal.

It's just that I hate

Travel so much.

I'll be glad when

We get to dodge.

Yeah, so will i.

Well, it won't be

Too long now.

Get out of the way, lem!

Go around if you want!

I got as much right

On this road as you!

Ain't enough room

To pass! Move over!

Come on, lem!

Move over! Coming by!

Hyah! Hyah!

( Groans )

Darn you,

George haywood!

I'll sue the company,

That's what I'll do!

Are you all right,

Mrs. Evans?

It's my head, marshal.

Clem, you've hurt

Your arm.

Hurts like fury.

It's broke sure.

No, I don't think so.

Move your fingers.

All right, all right.

Just keep still.

Where's my bag?

- Ohh! I'm all blood.

- Here.

No, no! No whiskey.

And not that dirty

Handkerchief, marshal.

Here. Put it

Up here.

Thank you.

Now this may sting

A little bit, mrs. Evans,

But it's necessary.

All right.

Oh!

It's all right.

Just take it easy, honey.

There.

What about lem's arm?

Well, it's just a bad bruise

And a sprain.

I'll just bandage it up,

Give him a pill

To ease the pain.

You, too.

Sure was a good thing

You was here, doc.

Why didn't you tell

Us you were a doctor?

Why should i?

Whoa! Whoa!

You have a good

Trip, george?

Well, a little rough.

Hyah!

And i, uh, thought maybe

You better look 'em over, doc.

Sure thing.

Won't you come

With us, doctor?

No, no, they're your

Patients now, dr. Mccarty.

I hope you don't mind.

No, I just

Administered

First aid.

Be with you

In a minute.

You know, the thing

That interests me

Is what is a doctor doing

Riding a stagecoach out here

And not sure how far

He's going?

You just can't stop asking

Questions, can you, marshal?

Well, I haven't had

Any answers yet.

I haven't done anything

Wrong, marshal.

A man has a right

To his privacy.

I'm sorry.

My interest is personal,

Not professional.

Let's start all over

Again, shall we?

I'd like to.

Glad to know you.

Now, what's so strange

About my traveling west?

Half the nation seems

To be nowadays.

People traveling west,

Settling new towns.

They'll be needing

Doctors, I think.

Need 'em badly.

So, then why should

A young man stay in

The crowded east?

Uh, whereabouts in

The east are you from?

Cincinnati.

That's where I first

Set up practice.

But I decided I wanted

Something different.

Well, there are not

Many places out here

That have doctors.

Those that do have them

Need more.

Here, for example.

I was thinking of

Something further west.

Denver maybe.

( Door opens )

Doctor mcdowell here

Left me with

Nothing to do.

- Wonderful job.

- Thank you.

I offered to pay him,

But he wouldn't take nothin'.

If you was gonna

Stay here,

I'd bring in a split a' hog

And some greens fer ya.

He says he's going on west, lem.

Gonna settle out there.

Well, jehoshaphat!

What better place to settle

Than right here? Hmm!

Uh, of course we got

Doc mccarty.

I'm all for it, lem.

We need another doctor.

Well, it's mighty

Tempting, but...

By the way, what's your

School? Mine's chicago.

Maryland.

I'm from back there.

Baltimore.

Maryland.

Let's see, uh...

Doc fletcher's

The dean there.

Is he still there?

Yes, last I heard.

You want a place

All your own.

I wouldn't give you

Any trouble here.

There are too many

Folks dying

Because I can't be in

Two places at once.

Think it over.

I will.

Doc, thank you.

Thank you.

Good-bye, wyatt.

See you later.

( No audible dialogue )

Hello, doc.

- Hi, doctor.

- Hi, donald.

Good day, doctor.

Marshal.

Man: well, the horse had

A loose shoe on him.

Nobody's fixing it.

- Why don't you?

- I don't know.

Mcdowell?

He's doing a good job.

People like him.

Have you seen

His credentials?

What are you driving at?

Well, I wrote a letter

To cincinnati.

This is the answer I got.

Well?

There never was

A dr. Carl or c.m.

Mcdowell in cincinnati.

So he lied.

Does that mean he doesn't

Know how to take care

Of sick people? No.

Wyatt, the west is full of men

Who call themselves doctors

But have

No credentials to show.

You're a genuine doctor,

And that doesn't

Bother you?

In some ways.

But this is new country.

We need 'em,

And some of 'em are good.

Yeah, and some of 'em

k*ll people that

Needn't have died.

Yes, that happens.

It happens, too, to men

With diplomas sometimes.

Mcdowell's good.

I've watched him.

He knows what he's doing.

Look, wyatt,

Suppose carl mcdowell

Isn't a bona fide doctor.

As long as he's

Doing good...

How long will that be?

How long will it be

Before he makes his

First mistake, huh?

Look, I'm responsible

For him,

And you vouched for him

In front of the mayor

And the council.

I took that responsibility.

Without seeing his

License or diploma.

He doesn't have one.

Not from maryland anyway.

How do you know that?

There's no

Dean fletcher there.

You knew that

All the time

And still you asked

Him to stay, huh?

Diplomas aren't what matter

Out here on the frontier.

There'd be little medicine

Practiced if there were.

Why, even the state board

Doesn't require it

If a man can pass

The examination.

There aren't enough

Medical schools,

And there's too much need.

I understand then.

Look, wyatt,

It takes a man with insides

To come out here and practice.

There are no hospitals.

You're one man alone

Doing everything in

All kinds of weather,

Hours a day.

I know, doc.

It takes quite a man.

A man like carl mcdowell.

I don't know where

He got his knowledge.

I'm just glad he's here.

And you'll be, too,

If the smallpox epidemic

Gets this far west.

It's already to wichita.

You can do what you want.

Look, doc, if he's

Breaking the law,

I gotta know about it.

That's your job, wyatt.

I got my own to do.

Delivering a baby...

And babies don't wait.

Thank you, doc.

You'll be sure

And come back

Tomorrow.

I'll do that.

Well, jimmy.

Looks like you were

In another fight.

No. Just a little

Old argument.

Hi, marshal.

Hi.

Come on in.

Have a cup of coffee.

No coffee for me, thanks.

I see you've been

Patching up jimmy again, huh?

He's one of my

Best customers.

You seem to be

Doing very well here.

People like you.

Well, I owe you

And doc mccarty thanks.

I'm happy here.

Maybe you'll stay

Around for a while,

Hang up your decoration.

You mean my diploma?

And your license.

Why, I thought

You knew, marshal.

They were destroyed

In a fire in cincinnati.

Yeah, I know.

By the way, what, uh...

What was that address

In cincinnati?

Why?

Because a u.s. Marshal

In cincinnati's

Never heard of

A dr. Carl mcdowell.

You had to ask

Questions, didn't you?

It's my job.

You lawmen!

You're all alike!

Above other people!

I could k*ll you!

Don't try it, carl.

Put it down.

I'm not that

Kind of man.

But sometimes any man

Gets fed up.

Even a lawman.

Look, carl, I don't like this

Any better than you do.

We could use you here.

Doc says you're a good man.

I didn't mean

Those things.

You've been decent

To me, marshal.

Marshal...

I'd like to

Tell you a story.

Just supposing...

It's about a man

I once knew.

He lived on a plantation

In the south.

That's where it started.

With animals.

When they were sick

Or hurt,

He learned

How to help them.

His ambition was

To be a doctor.

He was ready to go

To medical school when

The w*r broke out.

The w*r changed

A lot of lives.

So he went into nursing.

Four horrible years.

He worked with

The doctors,

Studied medical books,

Learned everything

He could.

And then, when the w*r

Was over...

You went home?

There was nothing left.

Nothing.

Nobody.

So he drifted west,

Trying to make

A living.

But one thing he knew:

Wherever he went,

There was always somebody

Needed his help,

And he had to give it.

Can you understand that?

Yes.

He was a good doctor!

But he didn't

Have a license.

And what happened?

He drifted farther west.

Sooner or later,

He always had to move on.

Well, he could have gone

To the state board

And passed

The examination.

They're pretty tough on

A man without a diploma.

But he was as good as

Many with licenses.

As good as you?

As good as doc mccarty.

Well, that's a very

Interesting story.

But just supposing still

That this young man,

Who's very much like you,

I'd still have to say

Get a license before

You practice.

Because if you don't,

You're going against

The law.

And, carl,

I wrote to maryland.

I should be getting

An answer in a few days.

You love to hound

People, don't you!

Did you ever stop to think

About how much trouble

You'd be in

If somebody died

Because of your mistake?

They call it m*rder.

( Door closes )

Manuel, is the doc in?

Si.

Doc!

Doc!

Doc, you gotta come.

It's my wife, marcie.

Something terrible's

Wrong with her.

I can't, mr. Evans.

You'll have to get

Doc mccarty.

I already been!

And he ain't there.

Doc, you gotta come.

She might be dying,

And there's nobody but you.

Please, doc.

All right.

Whoa!

In here, doc.

Doc...

Is it serious?

Yes, mr. Evans.

It's smallpox.

Ah, morning, doc.

Something on your mind?

Wyatt, I stopped

And got this package.

It came in on

The "santa fe"

From wichita.

Oh?

What is it?

Inoculation for smallpox.

Well, that's good to

Have around, isn't it?

Yeah, but wrapped up

Were some reports on

The epidemic so far.

One tells how it

Started in wichita.

It seems that this

Young doctor

Diagnosed

A case f measles.

Took him three or four

Days to find his mistake.

By then, several other

Cases had shown up.

You mean if he hadn't

Made the mistake,

These other cases

Wouldn't have happened.

That young doctor's name

Was carl mcdowell.

Mcdowell?

And I was feeling

Sorry for him.

Fine doctor he is.

Can't tell the difference

Between smallpox and measles.

Oh, that's an easy

Mistake to make,

In an adult especially.

Why, any doctor might

Under certain

Circumstances.

But the report admits

He saved the patient's life.

Yeah, but think of him

Treating people around here,

Maybe making mistakes.

That's not what's

Worrying me.

What is?

He was exposed

To smallpox.

He might be

Carrying it.

And he oughtn't be

Treating people

Unless he's taken

Full precaution.

Let's go find him.

Manuel, have you

Seen the doctor?

No, senor,

Not since yesterday.

Any idea where he went?

With lem evans.

His wife is bad sick.

Oh?

Come on, doc.

Will she...

She be all right?

I don't know yet,

Mr. Evans.

I'm doing

Everything I can.

I know. I know, doc.

It's just that...

If I lose her...

I'll get you some coffee.

Lem?

Lem?

Lem?

I'm here, marcie.

Some water.

Just a little.

And keep her covered.

( Groans )

( Carriage approaching )

Wyatt, doc,

Don't come in.

The place is

Contaminated.

No use you being

Exposed to it.

That's what I was

Afraid of. Smallpox?

Yeah.

You know what

This means?

You brought it

From wichita.

You know about that?

I know

All about it.

I'll have to

Take over, carl.

Yeah.

I'm sorry.

Are you, marshal?

I suppose this means

I'm under arrest.

Do you want to wait outside?

I'd like to get

A little air.

Don't worry.

I won't run away.

What's up?

What's doc mccarty

Doing here?

Where's the young

Doc gone?

You're gonna find out

Sooner or later, lem.

He's not really a doctor.

You mean...

He's one of them quacks

That don't know nothing?

He's a good man.

We think he's competent.

You think?

Why, if I had

Known that--

He might have done

Something to k*ll--

She's dying

In there now.

It's maybe his fault

She's lying there,

Near dead!

- Take it easy, lem.

- Can you deny it?

Look, he only

Tried to help her.

Besides, your wife

Is gonna be fine now that

Dr. Mccarty's here.

Now just take it easy, lem.

Calm down.

That'll make you sleep,

Mrs. Evans.

How is she?

Oh, she'll live.

Not many folks

Die of the measles.

- What?

- Measles.

Same mistake,

Other way around.

After wichita, I'd lean

Over backwards, too.

But he took

Good care of her,

And she's gonna be

Just fine.

Lem?

Lem?

Now where'd he go to?

I don't know, but you

Better find him.

He might be coming down

With the measles.

He might be coming down

With worse than that.

Lem! Stop!

Lem, I'm sorry.

Why didn't you stop

When I yelled?

I meant to k*ll him.

Here, let me look at that.

You hear me?

I'm gonna k*ll you.

Yeah, I heard you.

Let me fix this first.

How is it?

Just a flesh wound.

He'll be swinging

At you in a week.

When I was

Aiming at you,

You just stood

And waited,

Like you wanted me

To k*ll you.

Maybe I did.

Why?

Because I must have given

Your wife the smallpox.

I wanted to die.

I'll oblige...

Soon as I'm able.

Why do you want

To k*ll him, lem?

For what he done

To marcie!

For treating her

For the measles?

Measles?

You just can't seem

To tell the two

Apart, can you?

She'll be fine in

A couple of days, lem.

Of course you'll

Probably come down

With the measles.

( Laughs )

Glory be.

Who cares?

I'm sorry, doc.

Everything

All right here?

Yeah, just

A flesh wound.

You want to take over now,

Dr. Mccarty?

Nope. Your patient,

Dr. Mcdowell.

What's worrying him

Is that you might be

Carrying the smallpox.

Well, I was careful.

Burned the clothes,

Scoured everything.

Good.

The only thing that's

Worrying wyatt

Is that license.

The state board

Is having exams over

In hays next week.

I'll be there.

Of course I can't

Promise you how I'll do.

You'll do all right.

♪ 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 ♪

♪ Long may his story

♪ Be

♪ Told.

( Men vocalizing )
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