10x19 - Company of Forgotten Men

[bunniefuu]

- Candy! Ho-oh!
- Whoa.

Candy!

[LAUGHS] Come on!

Sergeant Russell.
What are you doing here?

- Waiting for you. I'd seen you coming.
- It's been a long time.

Yeah, six years, plus a
payday or two here and there.

Oh, I'm a... I'm a
civilian now, Candy.

Mr. Russell. Yes, sir.

The Army figured that 30 years
was long enough, so they retired me.

- What are you doing now?
- Scratching along with the chickens,

doing the best I can.

Of course, the Congress
voted the officers a pension.

The enlisted men, we didn't
even get a "Thank you kindly."

I know.

Is there anything
I can do to help?

Well... yeah, maybe you could.

I could use a little spot
to camp on for a while.

Well, that's easy. The
Ponderosa's a big spread.

You pick out a spot. I'm sure I
can clear it with Mr. Cartwright.

A man couldn't ask
for more than that.

The fact is, I already
picked out a likely spot.

It's over here east. You want to
ride along, I'll show you where it is?

- Sure. Lead the way.
- OK.

[CLUCKS TO HIS HORSE]

Sergeant, you're back.

- Yep.
- Hi, Sergeant.

Sergeant... I'm beginning to think
that running into you wasn't an accident.

Now, you don't think I'd sandbag
an old friend, now do you, Candy?

- Yeah.
- [CHUCKLES] Maybe you're right,

but it's in a good cause.

Me and the boys here are
a bunch of over-age rejects

and we've been
traveling together.

[HORSES APPROACHING]

All right, you squatters, who
gave you permission to camp here?

We're just about as
welcome as the plague.

Every place we stop, somebody
comes along, wants to move us on out.

Well, this time, we're staying.

Carson City people don't
want ex-soldiers around here.

Your kind make nothing but trouble.
We've had all we're gonna take!

- Wait a minute. Wait just a minute.
- Now, hold on, Candy.

The man's only
saying what he feels.

We don't intend to
make any trouble, Mister.

But we don't intend
to move on either.

We didn't come
out here to argue.

I'm telling you, get out,

or we'll come back here
with a posse and run you out.

[r*fle CLICKS]

[r*fle CLICKS]

I guess maybe you
didn't know, Mr. Gibson,

but me and my boys
here spent about 30 years

looking trouble
right in the eye.

Never run before.
We're not gonna run now.

You'll run...

if we have to bring out
every man from Carson City.

This is Ponderosa
land, Mr. Gibson.

It's up to Mr. Cartwright
whether these men go or stay.

That's no problem. Ben
Cartwright will see it our way.

We'd better go
see Mr. Cartwright.

- Candy, I was hoping you'd say that.
- Come on.

- Perkins, you take over here for me.
- Yep.

All right. Go!

Mr. Gibson's got a lot of
reasons for not liking old soldiers.

Some of us have
caused a lot of trouble.

Right. Gunplay, hold-ups,
stealing livestock, chickens,

- everything that isn't nailed down.
- MAN: That's right.

Mm-hm. I won't deny it.

I won't even try.

Criminals. No
other name for them.

If you let them squat on your
land, you'll never be rid of them.

But George... it is my land.

So why don't you let
me take care of that?

There's no sense to
you hanging around.

We're sick of being
asked for your handouts.

We're not asking for charity.

We aim to pay our own way.

How?

We brought our own jobs with us.

Anybody ever hear
of ginseng root?

Ginseng? Yeah,
from my sailing days.

It's an oriental herb. They
use it for medicinal purposes.

That's right. More to the point,
the Chinese here in this country

will buy all they can get of it, and
they'll pay a good price for it too.

Let me tell you something, Ben.

If these has-been soldiers
make one wrong move,

we'll find a way
to get rid of them,

whether you like it
or not. Come on, Al.

[DOOR CLOSES]

It looks like I'm putting you
in bad with your neighbors.

I sure didn't wanna do that.

Ah, don't worry about 'em.
Mr. Gibson, he'll come around.

I hope so. Well, I guess
I'd better be getting back.

You know, the boys will be
anxious to know how I made out.

- Sergeant, how you fixed for rations?
- I've been in that camp.

They're fresh out of everything.

Well, you come by
tomorrow morning early

and pick up anything
you need, Sergeant.

That's... that's not
charity. It's a loan.

All right, sir. If you put it that
way, I'll accept, and with thanks.

- Candy.
- Sergeant.

See you in the morning. Joe.

Take care.

- Beau.
- Sergeant.

- How are you?
- Am I glad to see you.

- Same here.
- Sure happy you could make it.

- Thank you.
- How'd you make out, Sergeant?

OK, good news.
Cartwright says we can stay.

I'm going over there tomorrow morning
to pick up a whole wagonload of rations.

Good! Jeb Gantry's here. Inside.

Ah! Used to be my good rider.

- Don't burn your Confederate money.
- I won't.

Jeb. I'm glad you got here.

You got enough stuff there
to blow up the state of Nevada.

Better too much than too little.

Besides, you didn't
say what the target was.

[CHUCKLES] You
don't really care, do you?

As long as it's something
you can blow to smithereens.

Well, you can't fault a
man for enjoying his work.

No. No, maybe that's what
makes you one of the best.

Here, you better stow your play-pretties
in there in case we have any visitors.

- I want them out of sight.
- Naturally, Sergeant.

You... still haven't told us
why you got us together.

There's one man still to come.
I'm expecting him any time now.

As soon as he gets here, you'll
all know what I have in mind.

I guarantee it's
something you'll enjoy.

That'll be nice. I haven't
had much pleasure lately.

I'll just keep that
key until you need it.

Jeb, if you want to eat,
you better get it now.

Evening, Colonel.
It's been a long time.

The good old Reb days
are long gone, Jackson.

There are no more
Confederate colonels.

This one here. He signed up in
the US Army as an enlisted man

and he was retired
as an enlisted man.

Any of you damn Yankees
don't like the way I talk or act,

come on, try to change my style.

[CART TRUNDLES]

- MAN: Whoa!
- RUSSELL: Webster. Bring it on down.

Whoa! Hold it right there.

- Hi, Webbie.
- Hi, Sergeant.

Well, I'm glad to see you. I was
beginning to worry about you.

Heavy load, worn-out
horses. Wonder I got here at all.

- Yeah. You got it?
- Take a look.

Hmm. [CHUCKLES]

Come on, Webbie. Cherokee?

Men, I want you to
listen to me a minute.

You can go on
eating if you want.

You've all been wondering
just why we're here,

so I figure it's
time that I told you.

We're a company of experts.

Every man here has been
selected for his own special skill.

Together we're going to
wind up with more money

than the entire US
Army ever saw before.

- [EXCITED MURMURS]
- How we gonna do that?

It took me a year to plan this.

I'll tell you in my own
way, in my own good time.

We're listening, Sergeant.

Yeah, we're soldiers, ain't we?

[GROUP MUMBLES ASSENT]

I should say, ex-soldiers.

Thrown out of the Army to
root with the hogs or starve.

Soldiers! We're forgotten men.

Well, we're gonna do something
to make 'em remember us,

make 'em sit up and take notice.

We're going to do something that'll
make the whole world remember us.

One thing we all want,

something that we all
earned fair and square,

we're entitled to...
our pension, right?

- Right!
- Long overdue!

So I think it's high time that
we just helped ourselves.

And that's why we're
here, where the money is.

In Carson City Mint.

Hey. We're going to break that mint
wide open and take every last red cent.

[CHATTER]

But it's guarded too well, Sergeant.
We'd never get away with it!

Sergeant, that's been tried before
and nobody ever even came close.

Uh-huh. Well, nobody
ever had insurance.

Come on over here. I
wanna show you something.

- [MEN EXCLAIMING]
- MAN: Ain't she pretty, Colonel?

There it is, the key to the Carson
City Mint. Now what do you say, huh?

- We're with you!
- All right, we got everything we need.

We're going to operate
strictly as a m*llitary unit.

That's the first thing I want
you to get into your heads.

m*llitary discipline all the way,
one man in command. That's me.

- [ASSENTING CHATTER]
- Are you with me?

- You holler frog and we jump.
- With you all the way, Sergeant.

- Yeah.
- [EXCITED CHATTER]

- That's fine. That's more than enough.
- Nah, you need salt and bacon.

I'd surely appreciate a little
corn meal, if you've got it to spare.

I would too, cause I been
hungering for hoe cake

and fried corn meal mush
for a year of Sundays.

We got plenty in the storehouse.
You can help yourselves.

All right, thank you.

- Corn meal's right here, Jeb.
- Thank you.

- You got it?
- Thanks again.

You bet.

RUSSELL: I gave you
the key to that locker,

so I can't have any
objection to you opening it up.

I thought I just
better find out why.

Sergeant, getting us
into the mint is your job.

Getting into the vault is mine.

And if you had told me what you
wanted, I would have come better prepared.

Better prepared?

I've seen you blow up a railroad bridge
with less dynamite than you got there.

That's true. And that bridge
was made of pilings and planks,

whereas the vault is
of case-hardened steel.

So you drill a hole, plant
a charge, blow it open.

Yes, I could do that
in six or eight hours.

25 minutes.

They change the
guards every two hours.

The officer of the guard makes
his round every 30 minutes.

Which means we'll need nitro.

Nitro? And how do you
figure on getting that?

I'll make it, out of dynamite.

And with a little luck, I won't
blow up the camp while I'm doing it.

But it's a slow job,
Sergeant, slow and careful,

and that's why I thought I
had better get started now.

Three days. Does that
give you enough time?

- It should.
- Good.

What you got there?

Detonators. Where'd
you get them?

Gently, Sergeant. You keep shaking
it and we'll both be missing an arm.

The Ponderosa is the only
place you could have gotten them.

- Why not?
- You fool, you!

You risk the whole operation
stealing something you don't even need!

It's a big job, Sergeant.
They might just come in handy.

You'd steal anything just as
long as it blows up, wouldn't you?

Suppose the Cartwrights
discover they're missing,

and come down here and ask
us what we intend to dynamite?

Well, Sergeant... I
have every confidence

that you will think of
something to tell them.

Well, Perkins?

I thought you ought to know.
Some of the men are griping.

About what?

Those who haven't
been in Carson City

think they ought to get a
look at it before we hit the mint.

The entire company will
see Carson City tomorrow.

That's part of the
plan. That's all, Perkins.

Whoa!

Hup!

Dismount.

Tie up your horses here.
We'll walk the rest of the way.

- Good morning, Sergeant.
- Good morning, gentlemen. Morning.

- Morning.
- We rode in to go to church.

We thought we'd tie
off our horses here

so we wouldn't crowd the
hitching rail down at the church.

Good idea. Why don't
you sit with us, Sergeant?

Thank you. Would like to. Jeb, take
the men in, form a column of twos.

- I'll go along with the Cartwrights.
- Detail, column of twos.

I'm kind of surprised to see you
gentlemen in this neck of the woods.

Thought you'd be going
to church in Virginia City,

- closer to home.
- Yeah, we usually do.

They got a visiting preacher
over here. Old friend of Pa's.

Ah, yes. Well, sure it'll be beneficial
to all of us to hear the good word.

Give us something to think about
while we're out digging the ginseng root.

- The service should be starting.
- Yeah.

- Candy.
- Sergeant.

I... I don't remember you
being much of a churchgoer.

Candy, the older you get,

the more you start thinking about the
hereafter, the great day of judgment.

I gotta be prepared for just
about anything at my time of life!

Yeah, right. I got a notion that
it's not salvation you got in mind.

Well, to tell you the
truth, you're right.

I've just been trying to
make a favorable impression

on the good citizens
of Carson City.

Well, don't you think you'd be
better off if you stayed out of sight?

- [CHURCH BELL RINGING]
- No. No, I wanna convince them

that we're just as honest
and decent, clean-living,

no different than
they are. I mean it.

Maybe that way, they'd let us
stay put someplace for a while,

instead of running us out
of the country all of the time.

That's a good idea. As long
as that's all you've got in mind.

- What else would I have in mind?
- I don't know.

An old sinner like you going
to church seems a little strange.

- [LAUGHS] Oh, no!
- You better be careful.

It's liable to get
to be a habit.

- [LAUGHS] Let's go find out.
- All right.

I never saw Jackson and
Perkins run from anything in my life.

What happened?

JEB: I suppose I don't care for
people looking over my shoulder.

So you play games, do you?

Those men have been
soldiering for 30 years.

They ought to know by now it takes
more than fire to detonate dynamite.

Besides, as I think I mentioned,

I don't like anyone looking
over my shoulder, Sergeant.

Your privilege.

Next time, you let me
know, I'll take care of them.

Oh, fine, fine.

And while I'm out
hunting you up,

one of the men takes
this bottle and shakes it...

and you're short two men.

Are you telling
me the truth, Jeb?

That stuff, is...

Is it that touchy?

- Touchy, Sergeant?
- Yeah.

Nitro is the meanest
stuff in the world to handle.

Even when it's pure,
as clear as water,

you can't let it get
too hot or too cold.

You can't bump the container.

You certainly better not drop it,
unless you want to depart suddenly.

And this stuff is a long,
long way from being pure.

Matter of fact, it reminds
me of a batch I made once.

Blew up, just sitting in
the shade, nobody around.

At least... I don't think
there was anybody around.

How are you gonna get it
from here to Carson City?

I'll fill the bottle clear to
the top so it doesn't slosh.

I'll put it in a box packed
tightly with torn-up blanket strips.

And when we get
there, if we get there...

I'll show you a trick
you've never seen.

How long is it gonna take
you to open up the vault?

Four minutes, give
or take 30 seconds.

Of course, that's
after we get to it.

There'll be four sentries,

one at each side
of the building.

And how do you
propose to take them out?

Maybe I'll show you a little
trick you never saw before.

Candy. [CHUCKLES] It's
always a pleasure to see you.

You mind if I talk to you alone?

Why not? Perkins,
you've got your orders.

What's on your mind, son?

There's a box of detonators missing
from the Ponderosa store room.

They were there when you and your men
came for supplies and they're gone now.

- You think we stole them, huh?
- Think? I know you did.

- [CHUCKLES]
- I locked the store room

after you left. Nobody's been
in there till I went in this morning.

Would you mind telling me
what a box of dynamite caps

has got to do with
digging ginseng?

Not a thing, Candy. But I
will tell you something else.

Your coming over here to
look for them dynamite caps

will save me the trouble
of coming after you.

Coming after me? Why?

Got a little job I need
your help on in Carson City.

Carson City? I was right, then.

Churchgoing wasn't what
brought you there after all, was it?

No, it wasn't.

Me and my men are gonna
bust into the Carson City Mint.

[LAUGHS]

Come on, you're joking!

No! No joke. You're gonna
open the front door for us.

Aw, come on!

Sure. Yes, I've looked into
it. I've found out lots of times

you deliver gold and silver
there for Mr. Cartwright.

So all you gotta do is go up
and knock on the front door

and they'll open it for you.

You're insane.

[CHUCKLES] Oh, no, Candy.

No, I will admit the idea... well, it
could take a little getting used to.

I kinda hate to put you in
the middle, but don't you see,

with your help it's gonna
make the job a whole lot easier?

Now, wait a minute,
wait a minute. [SIGHS]

You're not putting
me in the middle.

Because you just showed
me that I don't owe you a thing.

Not loyalty, not respect,
not even friendship.

What's happened to you?

You used to be a good
topkick, one of the best.

Maybe you didn't
always go by the book,

but when you bent the regulations,
it was to protect your men.

Now you're using those stripes to
turn them into a bunch of outlaws.

- You all through?
- Yeah.

You had your say.

Now you listen to me
for a minute, young fella.

I'm gonna tell you something
that even my own men don't know,

and I'm not turning
outlaw in my old age either.

Me and every one
of them men out there

served their country
for over 30 years.

And then they were turned
out to pasture, to starve.

That's why I'm gonna take that
gold from the Carson City Mint

and I'm gonna
hold it for ransom.

People all over the country will
hear about it, and they'll realize

how desperate our situation is.
And the newspapers will get hold of it.

- No.
- Yes. And they'll make Congress

pass a law to give
us our pensions.

And then, then, Candy, I'm
gonna turn the gold back to them.

No, that's not the way to do it!

Even if you're lucky enough to pull it off,
you'll just turn everybody against you.

It'll work, Candy,
believe me, I tell you.

- Well, you can count me out.
- [WHISTLES]

Candy...

I'm gonna have to
show you a few things.

Well, first off, that wagon over there
with the insignia painted on the side...

is a decoy. It's gonna get
us to the front of the mint.

It's gonna get you sh*t. You
don't even look like soldiers.

But we will. We will. A supply
sergeant friend of mine's

come up with four
brand-new regulation uniforms.

Candy, everything's been
planned right down to the last detail.

r*fles, amm*nit*on,
uniforms, nitro, and...

this.

This is gonna open the
door of the mint for us.

Of course, a lot of the good
people inside could get k*lled.

It'd save a lot of bloodshed if
you'd open the door for us, Candy.

So you're declaring w*r on
the United States Government?

It can be that way or
we can get what we want

without one sh*t being
fired. It's all up to you.

Oh, no, no. You're gonna have
to do it without me, Sergeant.

[SIGHS]

Tie him up.

I think you'll change your mind,
Candy. I'm sure hoping you will.

[MEN CHATTING]

Hey.

You all got your orders.
You know what to do.

Just make sure that
not more than two of you

ride into town at the
same time. Good luck.

Prepare to mount.

Mount.

Single file left.
Forward. Ho-oh!

Hold it gently, Sergeant.

It's nitro, Mr. Canady. Think about
that on our rough ride into town.

Set? Forward.

Ho-oh!

You sure this is where
Candy said they were camped?

Yeah, I'm sure. Look at all the tracks,
wagons, horses, men. And the fire.

Hmm. That's funny.

They ask permission to stay,

then they just up and leave. Does
that seem a little strange to you?

Yeah, to put it mildly.

I'd like to know what happened to
Candy and those dynamite caps.

And these tracks
head for Carson City.

Betcha this time they're
not going to church.

RUSSELL: Miller!

Just stand by.

[GROANS]

[THUD]

27 minutes left.

Make it 23, to be
on the safe side.

I told you, I only need four.

On the floor. It's the last of 'em.
He goes in with the rest of his friends.

Come on, hop in.
We gotta circle back.

- Time?
- We move in 90 seconds.

Bull's-eye, Candy.

This cannon's aimed
to make a bull's-eye

right on the front
doors of that mint.

Yep, it's all
loaded and waiting.

All I gotta to do is just...
set a spark to that fuse.

Candy, we're gonna bust into
that mint one way or the other.

Now, if you're going to help
us, you nod your head yes.

Cause if you shake it no...
you're gonna start a small w*r.

Good boy.

Canady, delivering
gold for Ben Cartwright.

Just a minute.

All right!

Now!

All right, nobody tries to
be a hero, nobody gets hurt.

Take Mr. Eccles and the rest
of his staff into the room there,

- tie and gag them.
- [ALL TALK AT ONCE]

- Get 'em in there!
- Move!

- Get in there!
- All in!

Get in there quick! Right away.

Take Candy over
there, tie and gag him.

Keep your eye on
him every minute.

He's trickier than a bucket full
of snakes. I know, I trained him.

Jeb, the vault's back
here through these doors.

Come on, get started.

Well then, send somebody
ahead of me, Sergeant.

With what I'm carrying, I'd rather
not get into a sh**ting match.

Perkins.

- It's all clear. Come ahead.
- Let's go.

- Can you open it?
- Yes.

But it's going to be more
like five minutes than four.

Can I help?

Yes. Stay out of the way.

Why would anybody
wanna leave a wagon

parked right in the middle
of the street like that?

Don't talk, just keep riding.

Hey, what's the matter?

That fella walking
guard in front of the mint.

He's one of Russell's men.

- Are you sure about that?
- You're darn right I'm sure.

He was with them when they
got supplies out at the Ponderosa.

Hey, that fella back there at the
wagon. Did you ever see him before?

No.

Could he be one of
Russell's men, do you think?

Yeah, he could be.

Joe, we better get some help.

Reece.

- Yes, Webbie?
- Two of the Cartwrights just rode past.

Beau is afraid they might
have recognized the sentry.

Now, that's your
problem, isn't it, Sergeant?

And you'd better
get set to handle it,

because this thing is going
in exactly a minute and a half.

Those two Cartwright boys
rode past a few minutes ago.

Maybe they recognized
Jackson and maybe they didn't.

Not townfolk. They come and go.

They pass by this place so
often, they never really see it.

Well, we hope they don't.

If the Cartwrights
should come back...

just open the door, ask them in.

I'll just do that.

Four minutes, ten seconds,
Jeb. How much longer?

Just as long as it takes
me to light the match.

Run, both of you!

[COUGHING]

- [CHEERING AND WHOOPING]
- Look at that gold!

We did it, Sarge. We
did it! Ain't it pretty?

[MEN WHOOPING]

I've done my part, Sergeant.

Good job, Jeb. Good job.

All right, get these dollies
loaded and get out of here.

- Give me a hand, Smith.
- It's heavy.

Hold it. Hold it right here.

Bring it all out into this room

and then we'll move it
all into the wagon at once.

Oh!

All right, boys.
Come on, move it.

Tell Russell the Cartwrights
just rode off, heading home.

All right, Russell's
man thinks we left town.

He's still out in front of the mint. You
get going, we'll take care of the wagon.

Russell, there's something
you haven't told us yet.

Where are we taking this gold
and where do we split it up?

We're not splitting it up. We're heading
up into the rimrock country as a unit.

Find someplace up
there that we can defend.

A place we can defend?
There is no such place.

Sarge, Beau said the street's
clear. We gotta get moving.

You're not making any sense, Russell.
Now, we all have a share in that gold.

And if we split it up and run, every
man for himself, some of us will make it.

I am in command here.

We're holding that gold for ransom
until Congress votes us a pension.

You mean, give back
the gold, after all this?

If we keep it, we're thieves.

If we do it my way, we're
just fighting for our rights.

If we do it your way,
we rot in jail or hang!

I am still in command!

[g*nsh*t]

He drew first.

- Yeah. He drew first.
- Let's go.

All right, the street is
clear. Open the door.

- Where's Sergeant Russell?
- He's sh*t.

That's right. He wanted to give the gold
back and when I said no, he drew on me.

- You sh*t Sergeant Russell?
- JEB: Hold!

Now, you open that door.

It's a long way to Mexico.

Open it!

I'll settle with you
when we get to Mexico.

Open it!

All right, come on, boys.

Hurry up.

- [g*nsh*t]
- We'll have to sh**t it out!

All right, men, drop them g*ns

or we'll blow you
to kingdom come.

Yellow bellies! Pick up those g*ns
and hold them off until I get the nitro.

No, you don't! It's all over.

- [GROANING]
- CANDY: Take it easy, take it easy, Sarge.

You're gonna be all right.

You know better than that.

It was a damn fool
idea right from the start.

I admire you, Candy.

The way you...
stood up against me.

Cause you raised
me right, Sergeant.