The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp

Last night's steak was the best I've ever had, Wally.

It'll get better.

I don't know how you do it.

Well, it takes a lot of practice.

And a perfect memory.

Didn't anybody ever win from you?

Oh, a couple have tried,

a couple have cheated.

I'll bet they were sorry.

Well, I wouldn't know. He's a dead man.

But like I was saying, Mr. Brandywine, about a perfect memory.

I don't remember every card that's been played, but I

know right to the dime how much I took in for the house.

Well, I just counted it.

It comes to a little under $870.

You better count it again.

Exactly $300 off.

I don't see how I can make a mistake like that.

Oh, it's possible.

I wouldn't have brought it up,

except that affects my 20% commission.

That's an extra $60 for me.

If I were you, I'd count it again, boss.

No, no, no. I'll take your word for it.

Let's see, uh...

20% of 1170 is, uh...

234.

Right.

Here you are.

Thank you.

Mornin', Mr. Brandywine.

What do you want? Marshal, I'm not open for business.

Well, I had a few complaints about your Faro table, Mr. Brandywine.

Nobody can prove anything.

No, neither can I.

And you're wasting my time.

Well, ordinarily I don't pay too much attention to these complaints,

but when I heard that, uh,

Max Wiley was working for you, I figured that made sense.

Wichita is a nice town, Max

It's nice, Marshal. Real nice.

If you don't mind, I'd like you to leave it.

Now, just a minute, Marshal.

You can't prove a thing...

No, Marshall, I think I'll stay here.

Like you say, it's a real nice town.

You know, Max, uh...

I had to arrest you once in Ellsworth.

He served a long term, then I run him out of town. Remember?

Umm, hmm, I remember.

I can do the same thing here.

On what grounds?

Suspicion of cheating.

How are you going to prove anything?

Look, Max, don't push your luck too far.

I'm giving you a chance to live peaceably.

Earp, in Ellsworth you got me for carrying a gun.

I'm unarmed now.

You know, you may be the best dealer on the frontier circuit,

but to me, you're just a stinking coward.

You can call me any name you want to, Marshal, but you can't arrest me.

And you can't run me out of town.

You cheat.

Sometimes you get caught at it.

But you ain't got the guts to go without a gun, even against an unarmed.

Look, Marshal, I'm warning you. I don't...

Max, I do the warning around here.

Something else I remember about you, too.

You're left handed, aren't you?

So?

So I figured you should be wearing a gun somewhere near your left hand.

I've seen these before.

Straighten out the arm and spring shoves a gun down on your hand.

Like I said, Max, you're a coward.

Let go my arm. You'll hurt me.

It looks like you're going to have to rest your gun hand for a while.

Look, I don't like the idea of putting you in

jail and having to feed you for 60 days.

So how'd you like to leave town, all of a sudden?

All of a sudden, it's a good idea.

Earp, you'll regret this.

Mr. Brandywine, I've regretted a lot of things, but not this, and neither will the rest of the citizens.

Now...I want to tell you something.

Don't you hire any more crooked gamblers.

You can't prove a thing.

Mister, I've had enough of you and people like you.

That's all I'm going to say.

Good morning.

And I've had about enough of it. He's meddlin' in things.

he's got no right to.

And we're paying for it.

And I could show you my books.

Business is a way off since he come in as marshal.

Well, complaining about it don't help.

Near as I can see, nothing else does either.

We try to get rid of Earp before, remember?

With Manning Clements.

But it didn't work.

The way it looks to me is the way he says.

Well, we leave Wichita.

Sit down.

I got an idea.

One that'll work.

Ah, you said that before.

And after he got rid of Manning Clements,

John Wesley Hardin came to town looking for trouble,

and Earp fixed him, too.

Here's my idea.

You know these frontier towns better than any of us.

You're probably know every gunslinger there is.

Maybe I do.

But offhand, I don't know of one man who would stand up to Earp.

How about two, two gunslingers working as a team>

Suppose you offer them $1500 to get Wyatt?

1500 dollars?

We'd each put up a third.

Isn't it worth it to run your place the way you want to?

We'd make it back in two nights.

It's worth it to me.

You think you can find a couple of men who would.

Not here.

Let me think.

It seems to me that I...

Yeah.

Yeah.

I know a couple of gunslingers who' shoot their own brothers for $1500.

And after we get a pair of professionals,

only one will be in sight.

At least, that's the way I do it.

I had something like that in mind.

Come here.

Collins hires the men, and they work it out any way they want.

What do you say?

Suppose it don't work out?

It'll work out.

Where do you figure you'll go?

Well, maybe...

Dodge City.

Yeah, that's a pretty wide open place.

Or Abilene, if I have to.

Always a lot of guns for hire in a place like that.

And I'm ready to go right now.

Tomorrow morning will be early enough.

Okay, Tom?

Yeah, I suppose it's all right.

Good boy. I knew you'd come up with something.

Oh, good morning, Mr. Murdoch.

Wyatt, you're in trouble.

What, again?

I mean it. They're plotting to kill you.

If you don't do something about this, you're as good as dead.

Look, Mr. Murdoch, there have been plots against me ever since I came to Wichita. You know that.

No, Wyatt. But, you don't understand.

Just relax.

Come on. Sit down.

You'll get yourself all worked up.

It's all part of the job.

All right. This is serious.

Believe me.

All right. Who is it this time?

Well, Collins is one of them.

I suspect Brandywine and Plummer are in on it, too.

They've always been pretty thick.

I've got the same grievances.

I do.

If you mean crooked gambling by grievance.

Wyatt, you've been in any number of dangerous

situations since you've been here.

Mr. Murdoch, I appreciate your concern.

I'm grateful.

Now, what's it all about?

This is a letter from an acquaintance of mine in Dodge City.

A man I helped once when he was in trouble.

Hmm.

Who is he?

I'd rather not say.

He's not a good man, but he trusts me. That's why he wrote me this letter.

All right. I want to ask you again.

Collins is in Dodge City.

He's been trying to hire some gunmen.

He's gone as high as 1500 dollars.

Whew!

That's a lot of money.

He hasn't been able to hire anybody, yet.

The job is too dangerous.

You can guess what it is.

And I'm complimented.

You know, it's only a matter of time before he finds someone.

It's looking for a team.

Two men, not one.

Wyatt, you've got to do something.

All right, Mr. Murdoch. But...

let's assume for the moment that your, uh...

informant is telling the truth.

What am I going to do about it?

Hire some extra deputies,

bodyguards.

The City'll pay for it.

I'll see to that.

What kind of a marshal goes around hiring a bodyguard?