The Lusty Men

'Now, ladies and gentlemen one of the most thrilling'

'and surely one of the most dangerous of all rodeo events.'

Cowboys riding the wild Brahma bulls.

'Unlike the bucking horse used in rodeos'

'who will try to prevent stepping on or kicking a rider'

'the Brahma bull will purposely stomp a contestant'

'with his sharp hoofs'

'or rip the rider with his horns'

'oftentimes causing fatal injuries.'

'The Brahma bulls you see here are well-known'

'for their mean dispositions'

'and are particularly treacherous '

'because they're the only type bull that will charge a man'

'with their eyes open.'

'So that's why you'll never see a Brahma bull in the ring'

'with a matador.'

Our first bull rider today..

One of the all-time greats

Jeff McCloud.

'Bandera, Texas.'

'Jeff's comin' out on a bull called Razor'

'cause he's given a lot of cowboys a close shave.'

'Contestants ride the bull'

'holding onto a loose rope'

'sometimes called a bull rope '

'the other hand's free in the air.'

'Should the cowboy touch the bull with his free hand'

'at anytime during his eight second ride'

'he will be disqualified.'

'Now keep your eyes on chute number one.'

Let him out!

'Alright, folks. It's alright.'

'Thanks to the alertness of our rodeo clowns.'

'May be shaken up a bit, but..'

he's walked away from tougher spills than this.

And now take a look over at chute number two.

Shorty West..

From Blackton, Idaho..

On a bull called Round Trip!

'Shorty must have bought a one-way ticket.'

'Alright, you under there.'

Back out nice and slow.

What are you doing crawlin' around under my house?

I didn't think nobody lived here.

Somebody lives here.

What are you doing crawlin' under there?

I was looking for something I thought I'd lost.

I used to save my money in this tobacco can

when I was a kid and my folks lived here.

With my two nickels in it... after 20 years.

Two nickels was a load of money to me then.

You Connie McCloud's boy?

I'm Jeff McCloud.

I'm Jeremiah Watrus.

Howdy.

Howdy.

There's some coffee in the house.

Come on in and sit.

- Did you know my old man? - Not personal.

The place ain't changed much.

I bought it at a tax auction.

Got it at my own price.

Now I know why.

Could have had more fun throwing my money out the window.

It ain't changed much in here, either.

Wash up if you've a mind to.

Washed this morning.

I was born in this room.

It ain't much to brag about.

Where you from these days?

I move around a lot.

I can't get over it.

Twenty years, you'd think it'd change.

Some things never do.

But there's been changes.

Sun's got a little hotter..

A little more earth's blowed away..

A little less water.

That's 'bout all the changes.

What made you come back?

I don't know.

Always thought someday I'd make enough money to..

Settle down on the old place, run a few head.

- You got the money? - I had it... once.

What happened?

I got kinda sidetracked.

- Women? - No.

No, women don't sidetrack me.

Somethin' else.

I'll be 62 come March.

Maybe if I was married, I might fix the place over.

Or if I had kids.

It is kind of lonely.

I like a place that's lonely and private.

- You been married? - No.

I figure it this way..

Marriage, it's lonely, but it ain't private.

You got anything you own?

What I started out with, a strong back and a weak mind.

A shack, some rocky ground

a spavined horse, and a busted windmill.

- That's all I got. - That's still more than me.

Yeah, but you ain't 62 yet.

You a thinkin' man?

I can get in outta the rain, that's about all.

Me, I'm a thinkin' man.

This is what I think.

One of the things that's wrong

is that all the books and rules on success

is written by successful men.

That's wrong.

Fellas like you and me'd get a lot more help

if the books on rules and success

was written by failures.

That'd make sense.

That cowhand from the Jackhammer ranch.

- Him and his wife play games. - Is that bad?

'Reckon today they'll want to remodel this kitchen.'

About the only thing around here they ain't fixed over.

In their mind's eye, of course.

Do it regular every Sunday.

Come prowlin' around with calf eyes

saying how much they'd like to buy the place.

Well, you don't need no urging to sell, do you?

Moon talk.

Where's a ranch hand gonna get $5,000?

Well, I'll be gettin' on.

Figure to make Abilene by sundown.

Sit still.

Sometimes they're right amusin'.

No. I better hit the road.

Kinda disappointed at that, I guess.

'Man coming back to his home place, find it like this.'

Kinda like visitin' a graveyard.

Yeah, something like that.

- Well, good luck. - Yeah.

- Morning. - Morning.

Hope we didn't interrupt nothin'.

Nah. Fella was born here.

Wanted to see how the place looked after 20-odd years.

Scared us.

Thought maybe he was a buyer.

Him?

Them McClouds is the most shiftless

family ever hit these parts.

'He couldn't buy nothin'.'

McCloud! Of course, that's who that is!

- Jeff McCloud! - 'You know him?'

- Hey, Mr. McCloud! - Leave him alone, Wes.

He's the World Saddle Bronc champ, honey.

He's the first man ever to ride Zombie.

I just want to say hello to him.

'Hey, Mr. McCloud!'

I was at the Cheyenne rodeo the year you won the all-around.

How big is this ranch you ride for?

Big enough. That's the year you rode Zombie, isn't it?

Think they can use another hand?

I'm sure Rig'll take you on.

I wouldn't get my hopes up too high, Mr. McCloud.

Why not?

Lots of foremen on the big spreads

won't give a rodeo cowboy a job.

Figures they're all saddle tramps.

Don't they have rodeos around here?

I ride in one every year down at the County Fair.

- Won $40 last year. - $40? Must be a big show.

Forty or a hundred, I don't like to see him rodeo.

You know, the year I was champ, I won over $25,000.

Easy come, easy go?

I'll take Jeff over to see Rig.

You think you can roust up another lamb chop, honey?

I think so.

We usually eat early on Sunday, but do you think

you can you hold out until 5:00, 5:30?

For lamb chops? Sure, I can.

We'll have a lab report in the morning, Rig.

In the meantime, keep the calf in quarantine

until we find out about this.

Alright. Put him in that middle stall, boys.

Picked this fella up at Jeremiah's place.

- He's hunting for a job. - Name's Jeff McCloud.

What outfit did you work for last and why'd you quit?

I been rodeoing the last few years.

Had a Brahma bull set on me couple of months ago.

Sorry. I can't use you.

Look, if you're thinking I'm a rodeo tramp

you got me wrong.

I've hired rodeo cowboys before.

They're always practicing their tricks

and roughin' up the stock.

Right when you need 'em most, they're taking off

for Fort Worth or Cheyenne or somewhere.

If you want some recommendations about my work

I can get 'em for you.

What ranches you work for?

Worked the Lazy W and Vern Jackson's place

up in the Panhandle.

Managers of both places will vouch for me.

How are you with horses?

Can you break colts without makin' broncs out of 'em?