Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:03 Thank you.
00:14 That's right, Mr. Miller.
00:21 Gold.
00:28 Now, all I need to get it out of the ground is $5,000.
00:37 You want to come and inspect the digging?
00:38 Yeah.
00:43 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:46 How much further, Mr. Randall?
01:09 A couple of miles.
01:10 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:14 OK.
01:16 Let's go.
01:17 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:20 Something wrong, Mr. Crane?
01:33 Where'd you get the notion my name's Crane?
01:36 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:39 This?
01:41 Oh, you shaved your whiskers, but it's you all right.
01:47 Here's a $200 reward for you out of Pothole.
01:50 I need to collect it.
01:51 Move that gun and I'll kill you.
01:54 Hand over the weapon.
01:56 But first, watch your flies.
02:02 [MUSIC PLAYING]
02:05 Let's go.
02:06 [MUSIC PLAYING]
02:09 [THEME MUSIC]
02:17 [THEME MUSIC]
02:20 Well, that must be Pothole.
02:45 You mean he never been there?
02:46 Nope.
02:47 Picked up the wanted poster in the sheriff's office
02:48 in Tucson.
02:50 What kind of a man are you to sell me
02:52 out for a miserable $200?
02:54 Save the sermon, Crane.
02:56 Not interested.
02:57 Maybe you're interested in this.
02:59 $300 if you let me go.
03:00 $400.
03:05 Still not interested.
03:06 May be hard for you to understand,
03:07 but when it comes to justice, I, uh--
03:09 I favor the law.
03:10 Justice?
03:11 Why, you money-grubbing gunslinger,
03:12 what do you know about justice?
03:14 Well, I've seen it do some good here and there.
03:16 Take care of men who are thieved and bullied,
03:18 raise holy terror with innocent folks,
03:20 like this curly petting girl that you shot.
03:22 I didn't shoot him!
03:23 Well, I think that's up to the people of Pothole to decide.
03:26 The people in Pothole?
03:29 Mister, you got a lot to learn.
03:31 Maybe.
03:33 Let's go.
03:34 [MUSIC PLAYING]
03:37 [HORSE GALLOPING]
03:41 Stop where you are!
03:58 Easy now!
03:59 You take one more step, and we'll blow you to kingdom
04:01 come and back again.
04:04 Just bringing in a prisoner.
04:06 Who's your prisoner?
04:09 Here he is.
04:10 It's Penfold Crane.
04:18 Hey, Jake!
04:21 Yeah.
04:23 Shaved off his beard.
04:24 But that's him all right.
04:29 Hey, Jake, we got Crane.
04:32 Charlie, roll out another barrel of whiskey.
04:35 And what are you standing around for?
04:36 Go scare off a jury.
04:38 Spread the word.
04:38 I want me a mob in here.
04:40 You want this to be a public trial, don't we?
04:42 And send over the murders for Betsy.
04:44 Quick!
04:46 Now, son, what'd you say your name was?
04:49 Randall.
04:50 Josh Randall.
04:51 Well, you've just met up with Shoot Wilson.
04:53 I take it you're the sheriff here.
04:55 Sheriff, prosecuting attorney, judge, you name it.
04:59 Anything you want in Pothole, see Shoot Wilson.
05:03 I assume you're a drinking man.
05:05 Step up the bar.
05:08 Nope, the cash box.
05:09 Talk you in it.
05:10 Keep your blasted claws off of that.
05:13 You got a prisoner to guard.
05:15 If he gets away, we'll hang you.
05:17 Now then, what's your pleasure?
05:30 $200.
05:34 Oh, the bounty.
05:35 I thank you.
05:47 Now you can afford to pay for your own drink.
05:49 So you're both judge and prosecuting attorney?
05:56 That's right.
05:58 Seems to me that's a whole lot of power just for one man.
06:01 The voters don't seem to think so.
06:04 They've elected me four times running.
06:07 I acclaim.
06:08 What do you think you're doing?
06:30 Waiting.
06:31 I'd kind of like to see this trial.
06:33 Hey, Tally, take out another barrel.
06:42 All right, take your time, Chance.
06:43 I'll take care of all of them.
06:45 I just want you to put down $500 and try
06:47 and get some of this land.
06:49 All right?
06:49 You're going to take in the whole amount.
06:51 The latest model, the best money you can buy.
06:54 Here you are.
06:56 Look at that money roll in.
07:01 And then he said, honey, we don't have
07:02 animals pets in this hotel.
07:03 No cats, no dogs, no lizard man, no snakes.
07:06 Charlie Fenton Gill was one of us.
07:08 And if we don't handle this matter, who will?
07:10 When is this trial going to start?
07:12 When I'm good and ready.
07:13 When's that going to be?
07:16 I said when I'm good and ready.
07:17 Hey, shoot.
07:24 The Padres.
07:25 Come in here?
07:26 Yeah.
07:28 Who's next, Chance?
07:29 [CHATTER]
07:32 I heard there was a trial going on in here.
07:55 What about it?
07:56 [SIGHS]
07:58 Just having one, Padre, for the heat.
08:02 For the heat, huh?
08:03 What are you doing here, Sam?
08:07 On duty, Padre.
08:08 I'm on the jury.
08:09 Think you'll be sober enough to hold
08:11 a man's life in your hands?
08:12 I never fell asleep in court yet.
08:14 Oh, no.
08:17 Neither have I, so don't start preaching at me.
08:20 You like to watch a man die, don't you, friend?
08:22 Why not?
08:23 Sure, why not?
08:25 It's good to watch a man standing on the gallows,
08:28 helpless and scared.
08:29 Glad it's not you.
08:30 Almost as good as shooting a man in the back.
08:32 Isn't it, Wilson?
08:37 You're a little out of bounds, Padre.
08:39 This is no church.
08:41 This is no court of law, either.
08:45 How long is it going to take you people to find out
08:47 what kind of a man this is?
08:49 Can't you see he's not interested in justice?
08:52 Now, just a minute.
08:53 You've got no right to say that.
08:55 All he wants is to drag you in here
08:57 so you'll buy his whiskey and guns.
08:59 He doesn't give you law.
09:01 He only pretends to.
09:04 Oh, he gives you a good time, all right,
09:06 so you keep coming back again and again.
09:08 Well, let me warn you, all of you,
09:11 anyone that has a hand in this drunken carnival
09:14 will be debasing something sacred given to him
09:16 in trust by almighty God, the purity
09:19 and sanctity of his own soul.
09:20 All right, get out of here, all of you.
09:24 Go on, get.
09:25 Now, just a minute.
09:30 Lester, take down the name of every man that leaves.
09:35 Take him down, I said.
09:36 I want to know who my friends are around here.
09:40 Don't let him bluff you.
09:41 Go on home, all of you.
09:43 As for those of you who stay, step up to the bar.
09:45 The drinks are on the house.
09:47 [SHOUTING]
09:49 [MUSIC PLAYING]
09:53 Looks like you don't understand these men as well as I do.
09:58 Men?
10:00 I don't see any men here.
10:04 Hustle it up now.
10:04 I want to get this trial started.
10:06 [SHOUTING]
10:09 Now I see how you did it.
10:12 Did what?
10:13 Got yourself elected.
10:16 You know, Crane ain't the only man wanted in Pothole.
10:20 We're also looking for a fellow who shot
10:21 the blacksmiths last year.
10:23 What about it?
10:25 The more you hang around, the more you look like that fellow.
10:29 [MUSIC PLAYING]
10:32 The prisoner will rise.
10:45 [MUSIC PLAYING]
10:48 Mr. Crane, you're accused of murdering Curly
10:51 Pettengill in cold blood by plan of a meditation
10:53 on or about the 3rd of September just passed.
10:55 That is, mining claims some four miles in the hills
10:57 to the northeast of this community.
11:01 How do you plead?
11:01 Not guilty.
11:02 [SHOUTING]
11:04 We'll see.
11:05 Now, as the prosecuting attorney for this county,
11:11 I'll present the opening argument.
11:14 Gentlemen of the jury, this case is as simple as 1, 2, 3.
11:18 One, this defendant breezed into town early last September
11:22 and bought into partnership with Curly Pettengill.
11:24 Two, Curly took him up in the hills to show him his mine.
11:27 Three, Curly was found dead, shot in the back,
11:30 and the few sacks of gold he spent the hot, blistering
11:32 summer digging out of the ground was gone.
11:35 But that doesn't prove I killed him.
11:37 Sure, I went there with him, but I left him there alive.
11:39 Is that so?
11:40 I swear it.
11:40 Somebody else must have--
11:41 Somebody else.
11:42 I'd like to know who.
11:44 Well, how do I know?
11:45 I was on my way to Tucson.
11:47 He was on his way to Tucson.
11:51 Did you hear that?
11:52 [LAUGHTER]
11:55 You stole Curly's gold, didn't you?
11:57 No, I didn't.
11:58 Then prove it.
11:59 This is a court of law.
12:00 Bring in your witnesses and prove it.
12:04 Hold on a minute.
12:06 What do you want?
12:08 You kind of got the shoe in the wrong foot, haven't you, mister?
12:11 Judge, you're a little out of order, son.
12:15 There's a trial going on here in case you didn't know it.
12:17 Well, then let's make it a trial, a legal trial,
12:20 according to the book.
12:22 Now, listen, you.
12:23 No, now you listen.
12:25 You got this all backwards.
12:27 Any tenderfoot legal clerk knows that a man
12:29 is innocent till proven guilty.
12:32 He's right.
12:33 You're the one that must furnish proof,
12:38 or doesn't the law mean anything around here?
12:41 All right.
12:43 All right.
12:44 I'll give you proof.
12:45 Call Bessie Thorne to the stand.
12:47 Bessie Thorne.
12:48 You keep this up and you'll get more proof
12:52 than you bargained for.
12:53 All right, raise your right hand, Bessie.
13:05 You solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth,
13:07 and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
13:08 I sure do.
13:10 Sit down, Bessie.
13:11 State your name and where you live.
13:13 Bessie Thorne from Blue Eagle Pass, Meredith County.
13:16 What's she got to do with this?
13:17 She didn't even know Curly Pettingill.
13:19 No, but she knows you, though.
13:21 Because you did the same thing to her husband, Joe,
13:23 as you did to Curly.
13:24 Ain't that right?
13:25 Sure as hellfire and brimstone.
13:28 He invested in Joe's mine, went up to see it,
13:30 shot him, and took his gold.
13:32 Two sacks.
13:33 Well, she's crazy.
13:34 I didn't even know Thorne was dead.
13:36 There you have it, Jets.
13:38 It's as clear as day.
13:39 This man makes a career out of bushwhacking miners.
13:44 You got anything to say on the subject?
13:47 No, but I got plenty to say.
13:51 Sure, I've been backing miners for close to six years,
13:53 mostly from Colorado and New Mexico.
13:55 I admit it.
13:56 I admit I backed Curly Pettingill.
13:57 I also admit I backed Joe Thorne,
13:59 but that doesn't prove I killed him.
14:00 What?
14:01 These hills are crawling with outlaws
14:03 from every part of the country.
14:04 Miners are being shot every day.
14:08 Is that all the defense you've got?
14:10 That's all I need.
14:12 Even if I killed Joe Thorne, which I didn't,
14:14 that doesn't prove I killed Curly.
14:16 The jury will decide on the merits of the evidence.
14:20 I know that much about the law.
14:22 Sit down.
14:26 Take a good look at him.
14:31 And take a good look at this poor widow.
14:34 Left to face a harsh life alone.
14:37 And don't forget our friend Curly,
14:40 an oddness decent neighbor.
14:42 Left in the desert for the birds of prey.
14:44 The jury will retire to the store room
14:57 and arrive at a decision.
15:00 In the meantime, I fine you $200.
15:02 What?
15:03 For contempt of court.
15:05 Court is in recess until the jury gets back.
15:07 Open the bar.
15:08 [SHOUTING]
15:10 You're crazy.
15:11 You beat the--
15:12 I fine you $200.
15:14 Get it up.
15:16 Nothing doing.
15:17 Collect the fine.
15:18 [SHOUTING]
15:22 [GLASS SHATTERING]
15:25 [SHOUTING]
15:29 Now, you cause any more trouble around here,
15:43 there'll be another trial tomorrow.
15:45 [SHOUTING]
15:49 You know what the jury's going to do?
15:53 I'm afraid I do, my son.
15:54 OK, outside on my horse in the saddlebags,
15:56 you'll find three pouches of gold.
15:58 You take them and put them to good use.
16:00 That's very generous of you, but--
16:01 Go on quick before Chute gets his hands on them.
16:04 The bounty hunter here will show you which horse.
16:06 Now, come on.
16:06 Go on.
16:07 [SHOUTING]
16:11 Go out and test that trap.
16:12 And make sure it's working real good.
16:14 Hey, Chute, that's my drink.
16:22 OK, here.
16:23 Would you count it, please?
16:32 What for?
16:33 Well, here in Pothole County, when
16:35 you take charge of someone's personal effects,
16:36 it's best to have a witness.
16:39 All right.
16:40 [SHOUTING]
16:44 [THUNDER]
16:48 [SHOUTING]
16:51 [SHOUTING]
16:55 [SHOUTING]
17:24 What is it?
17:27 Not sure, but--
17:28 [SHOUTING]
17:31 [SHOUTING]
17:35 [SHOUTING]
17:38 [MUSIC PLAYING]
17:41 [FOOTSTEPS]
17:45 [GUNSHOT]
18:04 [GUNSHOT]
18:07 [MUSIC PLAYING]
18:35 They're well-made gallows.
18:37 Chute has the best, all right.
18:40 These hangings are very important to him.
18:42 They amuse his friends and scare his enemies.
18:45 I wonder if we couldn't switch it around, Padre.
18:49 Scare his friends, at least.
18:50 [MUSIC PLAYING]
18:54 [SHOUTING]
19:00 [SHOUTING]
19:03 Have you reached a verdict?
19:12 Your Honor, we, the member of the jury,
19:14 find the defendant guilty as charged.
19:17 The prisoner will rise.
19:20 Mr. Crane, it is my duty as the judge
19:22 to sentence you to hang by the neck until dead.
19:25 Right now.
19:26 [SHOUTING]
19:30 [SHOUTING]
19:34 [HORSE NEIGHING]
19:37 Would you like to have me pray with you?
19:40 [SHOUTING]
19:43 Excuse me, ma'am.
19:50 Is that your rig?
19:52 Yes, why?
19:53 May I ask whose brand is on the horse?
19:55 My husband's.
19:57 Would you blast?
19:58 [MUSIC PLAYING]
20:01 Let's get on with it.
20:15 [SHOUTING]
20:20 Get him up.
20:21 All right.
20:22 Let's go.
20:23 Please.
20:30 Please.
20:32 I feel I must warn you once more.
20:35 What is happening here today is unjust.
20:37 [SHOUTING]
20:41 That's all, Padre.
20:43 You better wait down there.
20:45 I'll wait right here.
20:46 [MUSIC PLAYING]
20:49 What did you do?
21:08 Me? Nothing.
21:09 Charlie.
21:14 Take his gun, Padre.
21:15 The wonder is stuck.
21:21 This latch has been jammed with sand.
21:22 Shoot, this has been burned clean through.
21:24 I thought you tested this apparatus.
21:25 I did.
21:26 It was working.
21:27 [MUSIC PLAYING]
21:31 What is this?
21:42 Hold it.
21:44 Just a moment.
21:45 Before there's any shooting, have any of you
21:48 asked yourselves why the gallows trap's stuck?
21:51 Why do you think?
21:53 Somebody jammed the latch.
21:54 Maybe so.
21:55 But it could be something bigger.
21:58 It could be God's way of giving you men another chance.
22:02 Think about it.
22:03 Does any one of you here really believe
22:05 this man has had a fair trial?
22:07 Of course he did.
22:09 I said ask yourself this question
22:11 and consider it very carefully for each
22:13 and every one of your souls is marked.
22:15 Are you willing to answer to almighty God
22:18 for taking a human life just because you
22:20 want to be in good with a man named Shook Wilson?
22:24 Don't listen to him.
22:25 Who's running this town anyhow?
22:27 I think you made a mistake this time.
22:29 [MUSIC PLAYING]
22:32 [MUSIC PLAYING]
22:36 I don't understand.
22:57 What really happened?
22:58 About the gallows, I mean.
23:00 The Lord moves in strange ways, his wonders to perform.
23:06 All right, get on.
23:09 Hey, what about the hands?
23:10 Ain't you going to untie me?
23:11 Nope, I'm taking you to Meredith County.
23:13 What for?
23:14 Answer for the murder of her husband.
23:17 You've seen this before.
23:18 That's Joe Thorne's brand.
23:20 There's an exact copy of it on her horse's hindquarters.
23:23 I don't say you're guilty, mind you.
23:24 That's up to the courts to prove.
23:26 If you knew all this, why didn't you
23:28 let them hang him here?
23:30 I don't believe in Shoot Wilson's kind of law.
23:32 Can I ride along with you?
23:33 Yes, ma'am.
23:34 I'm glad to have made your acquaintance, Padre.
23:40 I'll see you now, yeah?
23:41 Yeah.
23:42 [MUSIC PLAYING]
23:46 [THEME MUSIC]
23:57 [THEME MUSIC]
24:00 [THEME MUSIC]
24:04 [THEME MUSIC]
24:07 [THEME MUSIC]
24:11 [THEME MUSIC]
24:14 [THEME MUSIC]
24:21 [THEME MUSIC]
24:25 [THEME MUSIC]
24:29 [THEME MUSIC]
24:33 (dramatic music)
24:35 you