The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp

The life and legend of Wyatt Earp

Dr. John H. Holliday, gambler, gunfighter,

and by the oddity of circumstance,

a friend of Wyatt Earp

was living on borrowed time.

Long ill, Doc's idea of taking care of himself

was to drink a quart of whiskey a day.

That a small boy named Benny Burkett

could exercise a good influence on Doc Holliday

was one of those improbable happenings

on which no one in Dodge City

would have bet a nickel.

Pay the 10. Pay the 10.

Okay, here goes.

Pay the four. Pay the four.

- Go in. - All right.

All right, place your bets, boys.

Benny!

I just wanted to look, Dr. Holliday.

See?

My lucky agate.

I spit on it--

a marble and you spit on it?

Now get out of here.

But it'll bring you good luck, Dr. Holliday.

You've been losing for two days straight.

Benny, a saloon is no place for a kid.

I'm giving strict orders for you to be kept out of here.

You've got a bad cold, Benny.

I want you to go over to the hotel,

see Mrs. Holliday,

and have her give you one tablespoon full

of that pink cough...

Medicine.

But Mrs. Holliday will make me

take a bath, and well, i--

you can use a bath.

Aw, come on. I don't know.

Wait a minute.

Benny.

Why aren't you in school?

I'm just about dying of pneumonia,

that's why.

Benny, if you're gonna tell a lie,

tell a good one, not a whopper.

All he's got is a simple case

of the snuffles.

He should be in school.

Well, maybe I oughta arrest him for truancy, huh?

Dr. Holliday says I gotta have some cough medicine.

Isn't that the gospel truth?

- Didn't you say-- - Yes, yes. I said it.

Wyatt, I don't want him around the Long Banch.

Yes, sir.

I'll go see Mrs. Holliday for the medical treatment.

Right away.

I'll go have a little talk with his father.

You warn old man Burkett not to spank that boy too hard.

It'll only make him a lot meaner.

And he's bad enough right now.

How's your luck running?

You tell Benny to stop hanging on my neck.

That kid's a jinx.

Oh, that's too hot for me.

Come on. Open up now.

If I take it, do I have to take the bath too?

Yes, you smell like your father's livery stable.

Come on now. Open up wide.

Oh.

None of that now.

Start taking your clothes off.

Take my clothes off?

No, not in front of you and her.

We'll shut our eyes.

Go on. Start peeling.

Morning, Mr. Burkett.

Oh.

What's Benny done now?

Well, he's been skipping school again.

Oh, he's got a new hero.

Doc Holliday.

All he thinks about is Doc Holliday

and gunfighting.

Well sir, out west it's only natural

for a kid to take to guns.

I never could manage Benny, Mr. Earp.

He always blamed me 'cause his mama died.

I'll give him another larruping.

Doc doesn't think you oughta know that.

Oh, what's he know about raising kids?

See, you're Benny's father,

but the law says he's got to go to school.

We haven't been as strict about that as we should.

Thanks for telling me, Mr. Earp.

No, thank you.

He'll go to school.

Look, Mr. Burkett, will you do me a favor?

Maybe if you'd talk to the kid first,

maybe you won't have to spank him.

Oh sure sure, Mr. Earp.

I always try reasoning with Benny first.

Yeah.

Hi, pop.

We got anything to eat?

Ahh.

Uh-oh.

You sore at me?

Sit down, son.

Yes, sir.

Mrs. Holliday gave me a new shirt. See?

Marshal Earp was here.

Says you've been ditching school.

Yes, sir.

Not only that, but that you've been

sneaking into the Long Branch.

I went to see Dr. Holliday.

The cards have been running bad for him,

so I aimed to turn my magic aggie eye on the other man.

It'll put a hex on their cards.

So you want to be like Doc Holliday.

He's a heap sight more of a man

than Marshal Earp.

Oh, he is, is he?

Marshal Earp is fast,

but he gets chicken hearted

and aims to cripple a gunfighter.

Dr. Holliday shoots them right between the eyes.

It's no use arguing with you, son.

Any boy who wants to grow up to be like Doc Holliday

has got to learn better.

Bend over that desk.

You're gonna spank me or larrup me?

I'm gonna larrup you.

I'll take a spanking,

but you ain't gonna larrup me.

Not when you're half drunk.

Ease off now, pop.

I'm warning you.

Help.

Help. Get Doc McCarty!

Help, my pop's hurt!

I shot him!

All you see is true, Wyatt.

But a boy that'd try to shoot his own father.

Pop ain't dead?

No, he isn't, but it's--

well, it was-- - now that's enough, young man.

Only one answer.

House of correction in Topeka.

Reform school?

Now just a minute, Benny.

Judge, you know Mr. Burkett could have

seriously hurt this kid.

He-- well, he'd been drinking quite heavily.

Besides, he promised me he'd talk to him first,

and then maybe he wouldn't have to spank him.

I'm not going to reform school.

Benny, wait a minute.

Wyatt, for pity's sake.

They ain't gonna send me to reform school.

Reform school?

For this peaked little kid?

Go tell Dr. Holliday.

- He'll help. - Hush, Benny.

I've just come from seeing Mr. Burkett.

He tells me he's willing to let me have this boy.

You?

Miss Kate, you can't adopt him.

He's a ward of the court. But wouldn't it be better

to parole Benny to Miss Kate?

Anything would be better than that reform school.

Oh, look at him, Judge.

He rarely gets enough to eat,

and he's been on the verge of pneumonia.

How long could he last in that place?

Well, you want to recommend parole?

Yes, sir.

Well, what about Doc Holliday?

He'd have to agree, you know.

He'll agree. You just ask him.

Well, Judge, I'll explain it to Doc.

In the meantime I think

that Benny ought to go over and see Doc McCarty.

Looks a little feverish to me.

Fever?

Oh, I got a 110.

At least.

That sounds like common sense.

You stay here with Benny, madam.

I'll go and arrange with the doctor.

Wyatt?

You will be careful in talking to John, won't you?

He's on a losing streak,

and I've never seen him in worse temper.

Don't you worry, Miss Kate.

He likes Benny.

Was that a joke?

Or does Dr. Holliday really like me?

I hope so, Benny.

I hope so.