TV-14 | 30min | Western, TV Series | Episode aired 3 March 1958
Hardie delivers a race horse to Wells Fargo employee Ken Hunter to use in the race for land in the Oklahoma Strip to stake out a Wells Fargo depot. When there is no word from him, Hardie is sent to locate the missing man and the horse.
Director: Earl Bellamy
Writers: Martin Berkeley, Clarke Reynolds
Stars: Dale Robertson, Joel Ashley, Baynes Barron
Hardie delivers a race horse to Wells Fargo employee Ken Hunter to use in the race for land in the Oklahoma Strip to stake out a Wells Fargo depot. When there is no word from him, Hardie is sent to locate the missing man and the horse.
Director: Earl Bellamy
Writers: Martin Berkeley, Clarke Reynolds
Stars: Dale Robertson, Joel Ashley, Baynes Barron
Category
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Short filmTranscript
00:00It was a long way from Kentucky. That's where I'd been, to my uncle's breeding farm where
00:12I bought a thoroughbred. We'd traveled this way for hundreds of miles, and I must say
00:19I never knew a better mannered horse. He stood sixteen-two, and he was as fast as a horse
00:24ought to be. But he had to be fast, and he had to have stamina. That's why I bought him.
00:33It was 1889, and on April the 22nd, a gun would go off and thousands of land-hungry
00:40people would dash by wagon, on horse and afoot into the Oklahoma Strip, to fight over the
00:46choicest land and to stake out their claim. Wells Fargo knew the settlers would need a
00:55bank and a relay station. Like everyone else, we'd seen the map and knew where the government
01:00had laid out the new towns. We'd picked our spot, but we were sure others had the
01:04same idea, and that's why we bought the black. When the cannon boomed the signal,
01:14we wanted to take off first and get there ahead of everyone else. And with the black
01:18carrying our rider, we knew we couldn't lose.
01:44That's quite a horse, mister. He sure is. Thoroughbred. Gonna raise
02:14him? Maybe. Hello, Ken. Good to see you again, Mr. Hardy. What's Wells Fargo doing with
02:23a racehorse? I couldn't wait for the land run. I'd been called to St. Louis, but I was
02:33sure Ken and the horse couldn't miss, and that Wells Fargo would soon be in business
02:37at the new location. No one is to start until the gun goes off. Army patrols have cleared
02:44this area from the Kansas line to the Red River. There's no one inside the territory
02:49to take an unfair advantage. Good luck to you.
03:19Easy, boy. They're so far back, they can't even see our dust. I didn't expect anybody
03:43this soon. What, did he do fly? How are we going to convince him that we start at the
03:48same time? Now take it easy, Sloan. Come on, boy, we're almost there. Hold it, mister.
04:08The Army said the area had been cleared. The Army's been wrong before. All in that bag.
04:14He's from Wells Fargo. That's right. We planned to open a bank and relay station here. Just
04:19too bad. You've seen too much, mister, and Wells Fargo men have never learned to keep
04:23their mouths shut. The Army gets as soon as 20 years. I didn't get to this site early
04:29to spend the next 20 years in jail. Since leaving Ken at the railroad station, I'd been working
04:41out of the St. Louis office. One day, I received the usual message. Morning, Jim. Morning.
04:50You sent for me? I'm just checking. You haven't heard from Mason City, have you? No, why?
04:57Well, there's been no word from Ken Hunter since you left Oklahoma. It's more than a
05:01month now. Don't go on it. I told him to telegraph you just as soon as he'd stake the claim.
05:05I just got a letter from the land office. There was no claim filed. What? Well, we know
05:13he left for Mason City. They're still talking about the way he rode that horse. But there's
05:18been no word from Ken Hunter since then. He's just vanished. Vanished? By golly, Ken's always
05:25been reliable. I think you better find out what happened to him, Jim. Missing that claim
05:31isn't important. Wells Fargo can't afford to lose men. I'll look into it. Let you know as
05:38soon as I find out something. I got to Mason City just as fast as I could. I was sure there'd be
05:49people there who'd remember Ken or his big black thoroughbred. If Ken had been bushwhacked,
05:55it might be unhealthy to let on that I was from Wells Fargo.
05:58Hello there. You take care of my horse? Yeah, how long you be? Overnight, maybe a couple of days.
06:25Not too much water. Light on the grain. Mighty fine looking horse you've got, mister. Come a long
06:43way? All the way from Cheyenne. Well, there's not much around here to bring a man this far
06:49south. Depends on what you're looking for. Maybe you can help me. I'm looking for a fellow,
06:55a man named Ken Hunter. What do you want him for? A few things I want to talk over with him. Never
07:02heard of him. He rides a big black gelding. Big black gelding? That could be 15 or 20 people in
07:11this town. All right, if he's here, I'll find him. I didn't catch your name, mister. Name's Tucker,
07:19Jim Tucker. A horse trader. I'm Sloan. That big black horse he's riding belongs to me. I want to
07:27find him. There was something shifty about the livery man. That's why I gave him the cock and
07:45bull story about being a horse trader. It wasn't such a bad notion at that. For if no one remembered
07:52Ken, they'd sure recollect the horse. You don't see his kind very often. Good evening. Good evening
08:07to you, young fella. You want a room, huh? Well, you brought your good luck with you. We still got
08:13one. It'll be $5 in advance. I know it's high price, but there's no other place to go. Sign
08:22right here, please. Eating place right next door. Good food, too. I can tell my daughter runs a
08:29place. Thank you, sir. Yeah, she says I talk too much. But a man gets to be my age, well, there's
08:39nothing else left for him to do. Remember my mother always used to tell me that a man that talks all
08:45the time couldn't learn very much. Well, now, I don't want to disagree with the lady. Mr. Tucker,
08:53but there ain't anything goes on in this town that I don't get to know about sooner or later. What
08:59about a man named Ken Hunter? Did you ever hear of him? Oh, not around here. That is, nobody signed
09:05the register by that name. That's a gospel, Mr. Tucker. Yes, sir, you can depend upon it. I know,
09:12because I've been here ever since the land run. Thank you. You're welcome. He says he's a horse
09:22trader. So? What was that name we found in the wallet? Oh, Hunter, Ken Hunter. Well, that's the
09:31guy he's looking for. So? I don't like it, Hogan. I don't like no part of it. Well, maybe he is a
09:37horse trader. Then again, maybe he ain't. Well, let's just sit tight and see what happens. But if
09:42he keeps asking questions, the army may start snooping, or maybe Wells Fargo. Look, it's my
09:47neck, and I'm not worried. Well, it's my neck, too, and we've got to do something. He's bound to
09:51come in at the saloon. You let me feel him out, see how he stacks up. If he doesn't, we'll take
09:57care of him. All right? All right. I'll see you later.
10:57If I needed something to convince me that this town held the answer to Ken Hunter,
11:10this was it. But when they started watching me from the shadows, then I know I'm on the right
11:16trail. Oh, excuse me, fellas. Good evening, stranger. Good evening. I'm Dev Horgan. This is
11:32my saloon. Good to know you, Mr. Horgan. My name is Jen Tucker. I'm Cheyenne. Glad to meet you,
11:38Mr. Tucker. Can I stand you a drink? Thank you. Set him up. Make mine a beer, please.
11:44Tucker, what brings you to Mason City? Horses. Buy them, sell them, swap them. Once in a while,
11:53we get a good one to race you. There's not much of a market here now that the land rush is over.
11:57That's not actually why I came down. I loaned a good black gelling to a friend of mine to make
12:02the run with. Last I heard of him. Looks like I'm out of horse. He must be a pretty special kind of
12:09an animal to bring you all the way down here. He is. He's a good horse. That black's the fastest I
12:16ever saw. It's worth $5,000 if it's worth a penny. I don't think there's a horse this side of Missouri
12:22could stay up with him. Well, I don't blame you for going on the prowl. $5,000 is a lot of money.
12:28He's won three times that where he came from. Never was outrun. Competition ran out. That's
12:35where I got it. You know, it's funny you having a black gelding. I've got one too. Oh, pretty fast
12:42if I do say so myself. Oh, not as fast as yours, Tucker, but he does all right for himself. Pretty
12:50handsome critter too. Maybe we can see just how good he is. What do you mean by that? Well, that
12:59chestnut horse that I came riding in on, he's somewhat of a country horse himself. Only one
13:04ever knew that could even come close to that black. In fact, that's why I bought him. Kind of
13:10insurance. Would you pay me $5,000 for my black if he beats your chestnut? I might. I might want to
13:17look at him first too. Oh, you don't want to look at him. All you're interested in is whether my
13:23black can beat your chestnut. I guess that's right. You got the money on you? Oh, don't worry about
13:33the money. I have it. Well, then it's a deal. Saturday. Both sides of Main Street. You and I'll
13:39do the riding. All right. That's a deal. You know, Tucker, I got a hunch that my black's going to
13:47beat your chestnut. Well, I wouldn't be surprised. No, sir. Wouldn't surprise me at all. Good night,
13:59Mr. Horgan. You're losing your mind. You'll recognize that horse. He's got that $5,000 on him.
14:15He'll never see that horse. More coffee? No, thank you, ma'am. I feel just fine.
14:29Sure can cook. Thank you. You been around here long? Well, Dad and I came out with the land run.
14:37We were almost the first ones here. Almost the first? Who was first? Dev Horgan and his crowd.
14:44But some say he got here a little ahead of himself. Sooner, huh? Who knows? You can call
14:50them what you like. Us folks who live here have got to be careful. Horgan runs this town. Never
14:56made much sense to me when one man had all to say so. Good night, ma'am. Good night.
15:26It struck me as strange, a public stable having a boarded stall like that,
15:41unless there was something to hide.
15:43Can I help you? Just checking to see if my horse was all right. He's right back there on the stall
15:59where we left him, but watered and fed. Anything else on your mind? No, not right now.
16:13So
16:28you better see what that is, Dad.
16:44Do you think he's got the money on him? Oh, I don't know.
16:51Mr. Tucker. Let's get out of here. Mr. Tucker. Something's going on in there.
17:13Hmm. Who was it? We didn't see them. They must have gone out the window.
17:28They certainly made a mess of things.
17:32That was a close one. Yeah, and I don't know whether he's got the money on him or not.
17:44The old man and his daughter would show up. That guy's just crawling in luck. What do we do now?
17:49Well, if we're going to run that horse, we got to do something about it. Hey,
17:51give me that can of white paint you used to paint that sign with.
17:54The what? You heard me.
17:56Easy boy now. That's the boy. We're going to fix you up in a hurry.
18:09You don't think this is going to fool him? It's the man's own horse, Dad. All he needs
18:12is one good look at him. You heard him tell everybody he's looking for a solid black.
18:17What can you say if this white on the horse is running against him?
18:19I think you're cutting it pretty thin. You want the money, don't you?
18:23Let's forget the whole thing. Oh, you can't lose. You heard the man.
18:27The black always wins. Now it's a cinch. Now just hold his head.
18:32Look at that. A perfect blaze. You put some more paint on it tomorrow,
18:37let it soak in real good, and nobody will ever know the difference.
18:39Except Tucker. Stop worrying. First, we collect their money,
18:44then I'll take care of him. Right? Right. I guess they can only hang us once.
18:53I sure wish we knew who was in your room last night.
19:03I think you've got a pretty good idea, haven't you, Amy? Is there a marshal in this town?
19:09No, we're still under army control. They're 10 miles away at Shelby.
19:14You wouldn't happen to be going over to Shelby, would you?
19:17I might. Well, if you did happen to go over there,
19:22then you might just run into the colonel. And if you did, you might remember to tell him that
19:27we're going to have a horse race over here on Saturday. We'd like to have him start it off.
19:32I might just do that.
19:46Hiya, Sloan. Bobby, what are you doing here? Where have you been?
20:04I've been working over at the Sulphur Springs. Heard you were having a horse race.
20:08Yeah, a Horgan against a guy from Upshineway. You gotta hand it to Horgan. He's a real gambling man.
20:14Yeah. Come on, let's watch it from the finish line.
20:17Right. Who'd you say that rider was?
20:22Why, he's a horse trader from Upshineway. A horse trader?
20:27Are you kidding? That's Jim Hardy from Wells Fargo.
20:31Jim Hardy? Are you sure? I was at the railhead when he delivered a
20:35black thoroughbred to a Wells Fargo rider. It was a big black girl, like the one Horgan is
20:40up on now. Only it didn't have a blazed face. All right, gentlemen, the rules are clear.
20:49You'll line up for a standing start. When I give the signal, you'll break clean.
20:56You'll race to the pole at the other end of the street, turn around the pole,
21:00and back to the finish line in front of the Mason City Hotel.
21:03Hold it! Right.
21:05What's going on here? Horgan's cinch is loose.
21:10Get down, Dev.
21:16I just got the word. This guy is Jim Hardy, Wells Fargo agent.
21:20You know what he's here for. He won that race, he'll know it's his horse.
21:24Are you listening? Yeah.
21:26If you want to live, you better lose this race. All set.
21:36Are you ready, gentlemen? We're ready, Colonel.
21:39Ready.
21:56Hold it! Hold it! Hold it!
22:00What's Horgan up to? I don't know.
22:02Suddenly, I realized that Horgan wanted to lose.
22:05That Sloan must have tipped him off to something.
22:10I knew it wouldn't do any good. The only way I could win the race was for the black to break a leg.
22:15Because there's one thing men like Horgan don't understand. Thoroughbreds never quit.
22:35Hold it! Hold it!
22:38Get down.
22:52Not so fast, mister. I reckon the Colonel wants to see you.
23:01What's this all about, Colonel? I won the race, I want my money.
23:04This is Mr. Hardy of Wells Fargo. He's brought serious charges against you.
23:09Horgan, I'm charging you with the murder of Ken Hunter.
23:12I never heard of him until he came into town.
23:15He rode that black horse that you're riding now on the run.
23:18He was supposed to stake out a claim for us on the site where your saloon now stands.
23:24Well, that's one mistake, Colonel. Why raid this horse? I've had him ever since he was a colt.
23:29You raised him, huh? We bought the horse in Kentucky.
23:32His registration papers show that he's a solid black with no blades.
23:36And I'm going to prove he hasn't got one.
23:58This is a bottle of coal oil, Colonel.
24:02Well, what have you got to say about that?
24:07You can't prove anything. You've got to produce the body.
24:11He's right. And we'll probably never find the body.
24:15You see? But there's more than one way to skin a skunk.
24:20I'm going to charge you with horse stealing.
24:22The penalty is exactly the same, Hank. And I know Ken will understand.