TV-14 | 30min | Western, TV Series | Episode aired 17 February 1958
Hardie offers an old outlaw he sent to prison, not known for his trustworthiness, the opportunity to earn a parole and a reward if he will lead a posse into an outlaw stronghold and help rescue a United States senator from his kidnappers.
Director: Earl Bellamy
Writer: Steve Fisher
Stars: Dale Robertson, Edgar Buchanan, Robert Armstrong
Hardie offers an old outlaw he sent to prison, not known for his trustworthiness, the opportunity to earn a parole and a reward if he will lead a posse into an outlaw stronghold and help rescue a United States senator from his kidnappers.
Director: Earl Bellamy
Writer: Steve Fisher
Stars: Dale Robertson, Edgar Buchanan, Robert Armstrong
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00One of the most daring and sensational crimes ever staged in the West took place the afternoon
00:08of October the 4th, on the rim of the Arizona desert.
00:12Two of the five outlaws were the notorious Red Willis and Curly Dean, who had just been
00:17released after serving long terms in prison.
00:20All right, everybody out.
00:24Hand down that strong box.
00:38Hand it here.
00:39I hope you men realize what you're doing.
00:43Looks a little older than he did the last time we saw him, but it's him all right.
00:47George Skagway.
00:48Senator Skagway.
00:49You've come a long way since you was a circuit judge.
00:53Get on that horse over there.
00:55What?
00:56You heard what he said.
00:57Get on the horse.
00:58Who are you men?
00:59What do you want?
01:00We're kidnapping you, Senator.
01:01Yeah, we're going to hold you for ransom.
01:03I'm warning you, you'll never get away with this.
01:11They'll send troops out after me.
01:13They'll comb every dry wash and gully.
01:16Sure they will.
01:17Let's go.
01:18Let's go.
01:33My name is Jim Hardy.
01:35I work for Wells Fargo.
01:37I was in San Francisco at the time the kidnapping happened, but I heard about it.
01:43Everybody in the whole country heard about it.
01:46And the Senator was right.
01:48They not only had troops looking for him, but a special band of tough United States
01:52Marshals.
02:01Where have you been?
02:02Came as soon as I heard about it.
02:04Do you know what this does to the company?
02:06Makes us look pretty bad.
02:07People will be saying if Wells Fargo can't give safe passage to a United States Senator,
02:11what about simple, ordinary people?
02:13You can't blame them for that.
02:15We've got to find Skagway and bring him back safely.
02:18Oh, I know it's a tall order.
02:21The United States Army can't find him, so how are we going to do it?
02:23But we've got to do it.
02:25Did you know he was the judge who sent Red Willis and Curly Dean to prison for 20 years?
02:29No, I didn't.
02:30That was before my time.
02:31They swore revenge, and I guess they haven't forgotten.
02:34Then you don't think that they're just holding him for ransom?
02:36Have they asked for ransom?
02:38No.
02:39I think they'll keep him a while, torture him, and then kill him.
02:42And we can't let that happen.
02:44Yeah.
02:45And like you say, it's a tall order.
02:49Seems to me the reason the soldiers and the rest can't find him is because the Red Willis
02:52gang has cleared out of the area, gone to another part of the country.
02:56But where?
02:57Who could know?
02:58Who could guess?
03:00Somebody that thinks like Willis.
03:03Somebody that acts like him.
03:05Yeah.
03:06Yeah.
03:09You remember an old outlaw we sent up of Dawson, Bob Dawson?
03:14That old-timer you arrested and put away a year or two ago?
03:16That's him.
03:18Bob Dawson and Willis were in the same penitentiary together up until about a month ago.
03:23But Dawson's still there.
03:26We were always kind of friendly.
03:28You put him away, and you're friendly?
03:30Yeah.
03:31He claims he needed the peace and quiet of a prison to write his memoirs.
03:37You drive a hard bargain, all right.
03:39But if we can get the cooperation of the prison authorities, Bob Dawson would be a lot of
03:43help to us.
03:44He'll cooperate.
03:45The United States government will order him to.
03:50Well, hop to it, Jim.
03:51There's no time to lose.
03:52I'll let you know.
03:53How many times have I told you guards not to bother me when I'm writing?
04:07What about a visitor?
04:08Don't want no visitors.
04:09Just want peace and quiet.
04:10You and them journalist fellows want to write my life history?
04:15You're just wasting your time.
04:16I've got it just about all written.
04:18You mean you don't remember me, huh?
04:24Sure I do.
04:25Don't tell me I'll have it in just a minute.
04:26Let's see.
04:27Let's test my memory power.
04:28Let's see.
04:29Man, Wells Fargo.
04:30Jim Hardy.
04:31I'll be you, Jim.
04:32Fair to Midland.
04:33They're leaving you here?
04:34Don't tell me you fell, Jim.
04:35Not you.
04:36Not an honest man like you.
04:37Somebody framed you.
04:38What dirty skunk was it?
04:39I'm not a prisoner.
04:40Came here to make you a proposition.
04:41How'd you like to get out of here?
04:42You mean I'm not a prisoner?
04:43I'm not a prisoner.
04:44I'm not a prisoner.
04:45I'm not a prisoner.
04:46I'm not a prisoner.
04:47I'm not a prisoner.
04:48I'm not a prisoner.
04:49I'm not a prisoner.
04:50You mean before I finish my memoirs?
04:53Yeah.
04:54You can finish those somewhere else.
04:55You got a gleam in your eye, boy.
04:56That means there's something on your mind.
04:57Yeah, there is.
04:58Red Willis.
04:59You sit down here and tell me all about it.
05:00Red who?
05:01Willis.
05:02A little month ago, he was your roommate.
05:03Oh.
05:04It's my memory power.
05:05Memory powers.
05:06They keep failing me.
05:07He and his men took Senator Skagway off of one of our planes.
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09:11Rattlesnakes, gila monsters, say nothing to a scorpion.
09:15You come on over to the store with me, you boys,
09:17and we'll pick up a few things in short order, including some medicine.
09:20All right.
09:23What are you doing?
09:25We'll leave the money in the bank when we get through shopping.
09:28Didn't figure on that.
09:32Yeah.
09:36Have you got any other ideas?
09:40Probably wouldn't have got very far anyway.
09:42Not unless you know a hole somewhere you could crawl in.
09:45Old-timer like me has got to keep his hand in when making a try every now and then.
09:50You're a smart man, Hardy.
09:52We didn't need no provisions.
09:53I just wanted to get you and the boys over in the store,
09:55then I was going to slip out the side door and right away the money.
09:59I don't know what came over me.
10:01Temptation, maybe.
10:02You got it all out of your system now?
10:04Oh, yeah, yeah, it's all out of my system now.
10:06It's being close to that big piece of money made me kind of itchy, you know.
10:10Oh, I'm over it now.
10:11I'm over it now.
10:12You can trust me all the way, all the way.
10:16Hey, don't I get to carry a gun like the other boys?
10:20I could get killed out there.
10:22You never quit trying, do you?
10:23Every trick in the book.
10:25Who, me?
10:26We give you a gun, the minute our backs turn, you've got the drop on us.
10:30Like I said, Hardy, you are a smart man.
10:34If a man's going to stay ahead of you, he's going to have to be smart.
10:47I don't know how Red and Curly are going to take this.
10:50I've got a hunch that's not bothering you too much.
10:52Now, that's where you're wrong, young fella.
10:54I never double-crossed anybody before in my life.
10:57Except them that deserved it.
10:59Reckon I won't print this one little unsavory chapter in my memoirs.
11:05Austin, if you reach for my rifle, both you and your memoirs are going to come to a sudden end.
11:10You hear that man? He's mean as he can be.
11:12He acted like he got himself an itch to kill me.
11:14He acted like he had an itch to grab his rifle.
11:16I was just flickering at flies.
11:18I've never seen so many suspicious people.
11:21Are you sure you know where you're going?
11:23Would I lie about it?
11:24You would if you thought it'd do you any good.
11:26Well, Jim, I gave you my word.
11:30Well, I ain't as young as I used to be.
11:33It's my memory powers.
11:35They failing you again?
11:37You know, I wouldn't be surprised if I was lost.
11:39I told you.
11:42Let me think a little bit.
11:43Well, let me help you.
11:45I promised you a pardon from prison and a $5,000 reward.
11:49That's better. That's better. Just keep going. It's good.
11:52You get us out here.
11:54Now you want to raise the ante. You want more than the $5,000.
11:56Don't give it to him.
11:58A man's got a right to make as good a deal as he can.
12:01$10,000 sound a little more fair to you?
12:04Well, let's get the one thing straight first.
12:07Have you really been taking us to Red's hideout or are you just leading us around in circles?
12:11I still think he's joyriding us.
12:13All he's waiting for is a chance at that money pouch.
12:15He doesn't know where we are except out here among the rocks.
12:18Ain't having a man call me a liar.
12:25How much further is it?
12:27Well, let's see.
12:29Oh, I'd say we leave our horses over here and make camp over there under them rocks.
12:34Getting early start in the morning. We ought to be there by noon.
12:38All right. We'll make camp here.
12:54All right.
13:11Howdy.
13:14Bang!
13:22That darn thing's turned the wrong way.
13:24You should have let me kill him.
13:26Ain't fast on the draw as it once was.
13:28He's so hungry for that $50,000 he'll do anything.
13:30Murder everyone was the first chance he gets.
13:32What about it, Dawson?
13:34Only one of me, ain't he? Six of you.
13:36You gonna let a poor old broken-down man scare you?
13:38No. I'm not.
13:41Hope you won't be sorry about this, Hardy.
13:44I hope not either.
13:55I've been doing some thinking.
13:57Again?
13:59If you hadn't stopped that fellow when you did, I'd be dead two hours now.
14:04You'd already have me laid out and buried under the sand so the vultures couldn't get me.
14:08And with your memoirs unfinished.
14:13I owe you something.
14:15Like what?
14:19Same thing you gave me, maybe.
14:23You're getting soft, old-timer.
14:25Been soft all along.
14:27Biggest fault in the outlaw profession.
14:29When an old man's something, I like to pay it back.
14:35Yeah, you do that sometimes.
14:39That's what I'm thinking about.
14:53Yeah, looks like we might be getting a little rain over there in them foothills.
15:00What was that?
15:01Men! Men! I saw them right over there!
15:03Come on!
15:09Come on!
15:14All right, hold it, Hardy.
15:16Let's have them guns.
15:19But first.
15:21Is that a favor you were going to do for me?
15:23You do as you're told.
15:25I don't want any nonsense out of you.
15:27Now you get back the way we came and fast.
15:29Get that animal out of here.
15:32Hold it, Hardy.
15:38We're going to take the rocks here.
15:41Smart as you ever were, aren't you?
15:43Yeah, I can take care of myself.
15:45We're nowhere near Red Willis and his men, are we?
15:47All you ever wanted to do was get your hands on the ransom money.
15:51You may be closer to Red and Curly and the gang than you think, Hardy.
15:55Since I'm going to be in charge, I'm going to be in charge.
15:58Since I'm going to need a place to hold up after this little episode,
16:01I'm going to be spitting glad to see my old pal Red.
16:04Now get going.
16:28Let's go.
16:58Let's go.
17:08It's that favor I promised you.
17:10How's that?
17:12Well, if the whole bunch of us had ridden up here, we'd have been slaughtered.
17:15Red and Curly holed up in there until 50 men couldn't get them out.
17:18Maybe two of us could.
17:20Especially if one of the two knew his way around a bit.
17:23Is this one of your old hideouts?
17:26Who do you think told Red and Curly about it?
17:34Scallywag Skagway.
17:36United States Senator.
17:38Walked up the ladder of bodies of the men he hung.
17:42And the men he sent to rot in jail.
17:45You never thought any of them would get away, did you?
17:48Get away and come looking for you.
17:51But a couple of us did.
17:53When are we going to ask for the ransom?
17:55Maybe never.
17:57But you and Red said you would.
17:59Me and the boys wouldn't have taken no chances like this otherwise.
18:02What chances?
18:03Do you know how this place is laid out?
18:05Protected on every side.
18:07I don't care about that.
18:09We do.
18:10When are we going to collect on him?
18:11How are you going to ask ransom for a dead man?
18:13He ain't dead.
18:14Not yet he ain't.
18:15I'm getting sick of this.
18:18How sick?
18:20You're a stir bug.
18:22You and Curly both.
18:24You've been behind bars for 20 years eating your hearts out just to torture a poor old man.
18:28Well, I'm getting out of here.
18:32Feet first or our way?
18:44You trying to tell me you know more how to get in there than I do?
18:48There's the line of the sun coming from over here.
18:51Most of the time their backs going to be turned.
18:53But even if they're looking this way, the glint off of those rocks is going to keep them blinded about half the time.
18:59Well.
19:01Why didn't I think of that?
19:04It's going to be dangerous either way.
19:06Even if we manage to jump them, there's going to be noise.
19:08That'll alert the others.
19:10Not if we crawl in there inch by inch.
19:13You think you can make it?
19:15Come on, let's go.
19:23All right, Senator.
19:47Come on, stand up.
19:49I'm sick of playing with you.
20:08Hey, what do you two think you're doing up there?
20:39It's Bob Dawson.
20:48Better grab it, Red.
20:56Ain't a man in the world could have gotten in here except you.
20:59You were.
21:01Red, you left a pair of your socks under the mattress in our cell.
21:04I got them in my bedroom.
21:07Treat you pretty bad, Senator.
21:10Never thought I'd get out of here.
21:11What's the idea?
21:12Will somebody tell me what this is all about?
21:14What?
21:16All right, Hardy.
21:17Just one more little trick.
21:18Drop them guns.
21:24All right, I'm going to let you go free.
21:26Take old Scallywag here with you.
21:29I want that $50,000.
21:31We'll split it up with Red here for hurting his pride.
21:33Busting into a secret hideout and killing his friends.
21:36All right, I'll go get it.
21:41How do you know he'll come back?
21:43He won't leave without the Senator.
21:44That was the whole purpose of his trip.
21:55First you rescue me and then you...
21:58I don't understand you, Dawson.
22:00Hey, you never did.
22:02Not even in the old days, you never did.
22:05All right, give it to Red here.
22:08All right, now you take the Senator and go on.
22:10Don't you think you better count it first?
22:13Why?
22:14They might have shorted me some at the bank.
22:17They wouldn't do that.
22:21Newspaper!
22:23I'm surprised at you, Dawson.
22:25You didn't think I'd actually bring cash money out here, did you?
22:29How could a man of your integrity stoop to such a low trick?
22:35Well, it wasn't easy.
22:40Red, I don't rightly know how I'm going to break this to you.
22:44Break what?
22:45Now, don't get all riled up and start yelling bad names.
22:47I'll explain.
22:48You'll see it the same as I do.
22:49You do the same.
22:50The same what?
22:51Well, when there's a chance to make something out of a big thing like this.
22:54You know, a big hunk of money.
22:56That's one thing.
22:58But Hardy here, he took me in.
22:59He don't have the money.
23:00The way it looks now, I got no other way to go but to follow the original deal.
23:04What deal?
23:05Well, for turning you and the boys in and rescuing the Senator here.
23:09They're going to give me a pardon from prison.
23:11Give me $5,000.
23:12The way it looks now, I'm going to have to take it.
23:15Why, you dirty double-dealing.
23:17It grieves me too, Red.
23:19You're going to have to go back to that jailhouse anyway.
23:22You know, Red, there's some days when I wish I never was an outlaw.
23:26You know, you have to do such terrible things.
23:30Let's move.
23:33All right, get going, Red.
23:44Where have you been? Why'd you duck out?
23:46Dawson figured two of us could pull it off better by ourselves.
23:50Didn't want any of you fellas getting hurt.
23:52Yeah, especially that one.
23:54Bob Dawson got his $5,000 and a conditional pardon from prison.
23:59The condition being that he was to report to me from time to time.
24:03He's been too busy finishing his memoirs to get into too much trouble.
24:07And he's reported three times already.
24:11I never know when he's going to miss the next report.
24:13Or that I might have to go out looking for him again.
24:17But I hope not.
24:24THE END