- 2 days ago
California, at a will reading, learns he shares with six others an inheritance in which the survivors share equally as any of the others die and murder ensues.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Here he comes, here he comes, there's the trumpets, there's the drums, here he comes.
00:10Hop along, Cassidy, here he comes.
00:15Voices? Yes, the spirits talk to me all the time.
00:33This is Ruth Baxter, daughter of Tom.
00:46How do you do, honey?
00:47Poor thing.
00:48Her father killed himself right here in this house.
00:51My father did not commit suicide.
00:53You know he was murdered.
00:54I'm only saying what the coroner said.
00:56We're wasting time talking about it.
00:58I'll go get Mr. Butler.
01:01Here they are.
01:03You must be California Carlson.
01:05My name's Potter.
01:06I'm glad to know you, Mr. Potter, but I am Hopalong Cassidy.
01:09This is California.
01:10Oh, how do you do?
01:11Howdy, Mr. Potter.
01:12This is Lucky Jenkins.
01:13How do you do?
01:13We're friends of California's.
01:15I told the two strangers you'd let them stay.
01:17However, we are not prepared for them.
01:19We can take care of them all, Matilda.
01:21Thank you, Mr. Potter.
01:22I don't mean to intrude, but you see, I've always sort of looked out for California.
01:26That's quite all right, Mr. Cassidy.
01:27There's no secrets.
01:29After you've cleaned up a bit, we'll have dinner.
01:30Then for the formality of the will.
01:32So, Matilda, show the gentleman to the master's bedroom.
01:35Yes, Mr. Potter.
01:36The master's bedroom.
01:37Well, see you later.
01:38Right.
01:39I'll bring our things.
01:40Right.
01:43Now, ain't that comfortable and restful?
01:45Looks more like a zoo to me.
01:46Oh, Mr. Hiram was a great hunter and a good shot.
01:49Is that so?
01:50Mm-hmm.
01:51Ain't that a wonderful bed?
01:52Oh, it sure is.
01:54Is it the bed that...
01:54Yeah, both your cousins died in it.
01:57Don't worry.
01:58There ain't nothing to be afraid of.
02:00I don't think.
02:02Well, I hope you'll enjoy your stay with us.
02:04Oh, I'm sure we will.
02:06Especially Mr. Carlson.
02:07Good.
02:08Mm-hmm.
02:09Mm-hmm.
02:09Mm-hmm.
02:12That's your best meal advertising.
02:13Beats the stew and beans you cook.
02:15You should try California's cooking sometime.
02:18Yes, of course.
02:18Can we read the will now?
02:20Mm, just like all the rest, aren't you?
02:21Can't wait to see what you'll get.
02:23If you'll all go in the library,
02:24we'll proceed as soon as the others arrive.
02:36Have that prepared.
02:37No place of man would be allowed to get in this condition.
02:40Put that on your list.
02:42Sure will.
02:44Hello, Father.
02:44Hello, Phineas.
02:45This is another cousin, a beneficiary in the will.
02:48Mr. Phineas Phipps.
02:49Glad to know all of you, I'm sure.
02:51Well, well, let's get on with it, Potter.
02:52I'm in a hurry.
02:53My time is worth money.
02:54Now, just a minute, Phineas.
02:56All right, Joshua.
02:58Just another one of your nice relatives, California.
03:00Oh, you can't blame him too much.
03:02You can pick your friends, but not your relatives.
03:05Well, well, Father, shall we start?
03:07Right away.
03:08Phineas, this is your cousin, Ralph Baxter.
03:10How do you do?
03:11We missed you at dinner, Ralph.
03:13I've had more important things on my mind.
03:15Come along, Ralph.
03:18Follow me.
03:23Nice room.
03:24Come in.
03:26Good-looking fellow.
03:27My cousin Hiram?
03:28Yes.
03:29There was a picture of Tom hanging next to him,
03:31but it's broken, and Matilda removed it.
03:32She took it down because she hated my father.
03:34You're mistaken, Ruth.
03:35The frame was broken.
03:36I saw it myself.
03:37Oh, what's a broken picture got to do with this?
03:40I'm in a hurry.
03:40Yeah, let's get on with the will.
03:42Very well.
03:50I, Hiram Baxter, being of sound mind and body,
03:53and not acting under duress...
03:54Oh, dad blasted old Potter!
03:56Do we have to sit here and listen to you read pages of that tummy rot?
03:59Which we don't understand, anyway.
04:01This is the legal procedure.
04:03However, if it's agreeable to all parties concerned,
04:05I can say it in my own words.
04:07Why, sir, sir, Larry.
04:08Go on, sir.
04:09Actually, this document is very simple.
04:12When Tom Baxter, Ruth's father, died,
04:14he stipulated that his brother Hiram be appointed executor of the estate.
04:17The income from the property was given to seven people.
04:21Ruth Baxter, Ralph Baxter, California Carlson,
04:25Matilda Hackett, Joshua Coulter, Phineas Phipps, and Hiram.
04:29When Hiram died,
04:31the estate was to be equally divided among the remaining six people.
04:34If one of them dies,
04:36his or her share shall be divided among the other five, four, three, two, and so on.
04:40I might have known there would be some trick about this.
04:43There's no trick, Phineas.
04:45Well, suppose we all have a spell longer.
04:47Then what do we get?
04:48Yes.
04:49I'm afraid not much.
04:50The herd's dwindled to nothing.
04:52And we've had several dry seasons.
04:54But what about the land?
04:55That should be worth something.
04:57The land is practically worthless.
04:59And on top of that,
04:59there's a loan at the bank must be paid off.
05:01I see.
05:03In other words, there isn't much left for anybody.
05:05I could manage to raise something for the beneficiaries
05:07if they will all agree to sell.
05:09Sell?
05:11If the land has no value, who's going to buy it?
05:13A man I'm acquainted with could use it at his price.
05:15Well, if it's worth something to a friend of yours,
05:17it certainly should be worth something to these people.
05:19That is for them to decide, Mr. Cassidy.
05:21Then why don't we find out what they want to do?
05:25Matilda, will you sell your share?
05:28Why, yes, if you think it's best, Mr. Potter.
05:31Oh, sure. Sell.
05:32There's nothing else to do.
05:33I'll sell.
05:34And I won't sell.
05:36And I won't sell.
05:38Maybe something can be done with this place.
05:40Mr. Lawyer, I've given this a lot of thought.
05:42And I...
05:43Won't sell.
05:45I won't?
05:46Well, that's it.
05:47My, uh...
05:48Advisor.
05:49Advisor says we won't sell.
05:51So I won't sell.
05:53Well, Mr. Potter, everyone has expressed their opinion.
05:55And they're showing very poor judgment.
05:57Mr. Potter, the place seems to have lost a lot of money.
06:00My father had account ledgers.
06:02I know he did.
06:02If he did, I never saw them, Miss Baxter.
06:04And I'll remind you that I'm handling the affairs of this estate as per-prescribed in the will.
06:10What's so amusing, Mr. Cassidy?
06:12Oh, I was just thinking about how funny this is.
06:14Funny?
06:14Well, it's not funny to me.
06:16Nobody but a crooked, crazy old skinned flint like Hiram could have thought of a will like that.
06:19There's nothing unusual about the documents?
06:21No, except that it might be a great temptation for them to try to kill each other.
06:26These six people could be cut down to, we'll say, three, two, or...
06:29Even one.
06:48Lucky, take care of me.
06:49I don't think there's anybody around.
07:09Ralph has found someone.
07:11He has.
07:12What are you doing here, Matt?
07:18I, uh, I come to see you and Ralph here accuses me of trying to kill him.
07:21Did you?
07:22Huh?
07:22Of course not.
07:23I was just showing him that my gun ain't been fired.
07:27Well, it hasn't.
07:27Is this man a friend of yours?
07:30His name is Matt Ogden.
07:31He runs the saloon in town.
07:32But he'd have no reason to harm anyone here.
07:35You said you came here to see Mr. Potter.
07:37Yes.
07:38From time to time, I had a little odd jobs for him, like, uh, serving papers, you know.
07:42Hmm.
07:43Have you any papers for him to serve tonight?
07:45No, not tonight.
07:47I, uh, I'll talk to you tomorrow about that Higgins matter.
07:51Right now, we have more important things to attend to.
07:52Sure, sure, Mr. Potter.
07:55You coming into town tomorrow, Ralph?
07:57Yeah, yeah, I'll be there.
07:58You can depend on it.
07:59Good.
08:00Well, good night.
08:01Good night.
08:03We'd better get back to the house.
08:10What about Phineas?
08:11Can't help him melt up.
08:13What do you mean?
08:13He's dead.
08:14Hmm.
08:22Well, you shouldn't have moved the body.
08:26We didn't move it.
08:28He was right here when I went outside.
08:29Why, this is incredible, Mr. Cassidy.
08:31I don't understand it.
08:32I better send Joshua in to try to get the sheriff.
08:34That won't do any good now.
08:36Well, don't look so surprised.
08:37You can't prove there's been a murder without the corpus delecti.
08:40You're right.
08:40What is this, say, a corpus vision?
08:42It means you had to have a dead body to prove someone's been killed.
08:45Well, the voices said this would happen.
08:48Stop that insane talk, Matilda.
08:50Maybe it's not so insane, Mr. Potter.
08:52You remember what I said about the six relatives?
08:55Phineas is number one.
08:57Oh, my gosh.
08:58Give me a high number.
09:08Now what happened?
09:10I just sat down on the bed and flop it fell apart.
09:13Well, that's something else you can have fixed.
09:15Hoppy, let's get out of this place.
09:16Looks like I ain't going to get much out of it anyway.
09:19Maybe we ought to head back for the bar 20, Hoppy.
09:20We're staying right here.
09:22And those kinfolks of mine, they don't seem so much.
09:24I'll agree with you about the kinfolks.
09:27I got a hunch this place is worth more than you think.
09:29What do you mean, Hoppy?
09:30Oh, they're all watching each other, arguing and talking about double-crossing.
09:34Yeah, and there ain't so much to fight over.
09:36Well, if the place is worthless, what are they arguing about?
09:39The ranch can't be worth much.
09:40Even the account books are gone.
09:41Well, I'm going to look into that in the morning.
09:43Well, what might this read?
09:46What's the matter?
09:47Lost your glasses?
09:48Don't tell me you got something else for us to read.
09:50All right, bring it over here.
09:51We'll read it.
09:52Oh, I can read it myself later.
09:55Ha, ha, ha, ha.
09:56It was an excited Ruth Baxter who had left the house early in the morning.
10:15I had a worried feeling about her safety.
10:18I decided to follow the girl.
10:39Miss Baxter.
10:40Ruth.
10:41It's Cassidy.
10:42Answer me.
10:43Are you all right?
10:43Yes, help me.
10:45Hoppy, right there.
10:47Can you get that rope around your waist?
10:57I can make it.
11:00You all set?
11:01I think so.
11:02All right, now put your feet against the side of the wall when I start to fool you.
11:13There you are.
11:15You sure you're not hurt?
11:16No, I'm not.
11:18That's good.
11:19I should have warned you last night.
11:21I was afraid something like this would happen.
11:23Do you mean somebody deliberately dug this trap to kill me?
11:26I certainly do.
11:28Just wait till I get back and talk to Matilda.
11:30Oh, I wouldn't say anything to her if I were you.
11:32But she was the one that told me to come here.
11:34She must have known what would happen to me.
11:36I'm not sure that she did.
11:37But don't take any chances from now on.
11:39Somebody's out to make you number two on that list of relatives.
11:43I'm afraid so.
11:46Hoppy, will you help me?
11:47I'll do anything I can for you.
11:49After talking things over with Ruth on the way home, I decided it was about time I did some investigating on my own.
12:00So, placing California and Lucky as lookouts...
12:03I'll do anything else.
12:33What do you want?
12:35Where's Mr. Cassidy?
12:36Why?
12:37There's something I want to tell him.
12:38Why, he'll be back in a few minutes.
12:41All right, I'll wait for him.
12:59I'll go see if I can get him for you.
13:01Thanks.
13:03I'll go see if I can get him for you.
13:33What happened to him?
13:54Somebody shot him.
13:59Ralph!
14:00Can't do anything more for him.
14:01Who killed him?
14:02I don't know, ma'am.
14:03You did.
14:04You didn't like him.
14:06What was he doing in your room?
14:07He was looking for Hoppy.
14:08He said he had something he wanted to tell him.
14:10What was it?
14:11He wouldn't tell me.
14:12I went looking for Hoppy and heard a shot and came back in here and found him like that.
14:16These windows and doors are all closed.
14:18I can't understand it.
14:19I tell you, Hoppy, somebody fired a shot in this room.
14:22I'll say somebody fired a shot in this room.
14:24You did.
14:25One shell is discharged.
14:27Sure.
14:27I took a shot at a rabbit just before dinner.
14:29He killed him.
14:29He killed him.
14:30I know he did.
14:31This looks bad for you, Lucky.
14:33I'll vouch for him, Potter.
14:34I can't take your word, Mr. Cassidy.
14:36I'm going to turn him over to the sheriff.
14:38This time we have the corpus delecti and the murderer.
14:41Don't move, anybody.
14:43Give me that gun, Lucky.
14:44Sorry, Hoppy.
14:44These people are trying to frame me.
14:46You better let the sheriff straighten this out.
14:47He'll straighten out the kinks of a rope.
14:49Oh, no, I won't.
14:49I'm leaving this room and nobody's going to stop me.
15:09I'm telling you, Hoppy, I heard the voices last night.
15:12Yeah, yeah, I know.
15:13Don't bother me.
15:14I have a mind to get out of this place.
15:17And how are we going to prove that Lucky didn't do the killing, huh?
15:20And him running away, and that makes it look worse.
15:22Yeah, I know it does.
15:23But will you stop blabbing?
15:24I'm trying to think.
15:25Oh, sure.
15:28Where was that chair?
15:33Around this way.
15:36There.
15:39Ralph was sitting here.
15:43Cousin Hiram of mine, he was kind of funny, too.
15:51I hate to talk about your relatives, but I think he was crooked.
15:55Oh, I think nothing of it.
15:57He was just a sure-tailed relative.
15:59I can't figure it out.
16:13Oh, quit worrying about it and figure this out for me.
16:16I still ain't found my glasses.
16:18You and your glasses.
16:20What did you say, Hopper?
16:37It's just an old shop at Mr. Matilda's.
16:39Yeah, I thought it was just something about onions and potatoes.
16:41Yeah.
16:44Would you mind telling me what's going on?
16:46Not now.
16:47Where did you see Potter last?
16:48In the library.
16:49Get down and see if he's still there.
16:50If he is, tell him I want to talk to him in the master's bedroom.
16:52What do you want with him?
16:53Never mind.
16:54When you're sure he's in the room with me,
16:55you go out on the patio and see that nobody leaves the house.
16:57Well, hurry up.
16:58You want to see me?
17:12Yes, I think we should have a little talk.
17:13Come in.
17:17Sit down.
17:21In California's interest, I've done some investigating.
17:24I've uncovered some things that need explaining.
17:26For instance?
17:28You've been embezzling money from this estate.
17:31You can't prove that.
17:33What about the books in the cabinet downstairs?
17:36I can satisfactorily explain any entry you've seen.
17:40And what about the oil well you're drilling and not letting the airs in on it?
17:44All of this won't save your friend from hanging for the murder of Ralph Baxter.
17:47I think it will.
17:49Ralph apparently found out something and came to this room to tell me about it.
17:53That's why he was killed.
17:54You're crazy, Cassidy.
17:55And the same person that killed Ralph killed Phineas and set a trap for Ruth.
18:01Now, either you did it or you had an accomplice.
18:04I'm no murderer.
18:04Stay where you are.
18:06Sit down.
18:06What's the matter?
18:10Is that chair uncomfortable, Mr. Potter?
18:13I know.
18:14It's just that...
18:15Then talk and talk fast.
18:19All right, all right.
18:20I admit the embezzlement, but as I told you before, I'm no murderer.
18:24Then who's your accomplice?
18:25You!
18:50You!
18:51Come on!
18:59Come on!
19:02Come on!
19:02Here we are.
19:04So you would have killed me upstairs.
19:34Ruth!
19:41Ruth!
19:46Ruth!
19:53Ruth!
19:58Ruth!
20:03Ruth!
20:08Ruth!
20:20Ruth!
20:23Church!
20:25Nothing, nothing, cannot be.
20:30Oh, man's sake!
20:56Get it up! Call the sheriff!
20:58Let's get it up first.
20:59Let's get her out.
21:00In the chair.
21:10Get a glass of water.
21:11You get it.
21:20There's your mice again.
21:29Let's go.
21:30Let's go.
21:31Let's go.
21:32Let's go.
21:33Let's go.
21:34Let's go.
21:35Let's go.
21:36Let's go.
21:37Let's go.
21:38Let's go.
21:39Let's go.
21:40Let's go.
21:41Let's go.
21:42Let's go.
21:43Let's go.
21:44Let's go.
21:45Let's go.
21:46Let's go.
21:47Let's go.
21:48Let's go.
21:49Let's go.
21:50Let's go.
21:51Let's go.
21:52Let's go.
21:53Let's go.
21:54Let's go.
21:55Let's go.
21:56Let's go.
21:57Let's go.
21:58Let's go.
21:59Let's go.
22:00Let's go.
22:01Hyrum.
22:02Now I know my father was murdered.
22:04You murdered a lot of people, Ruth.
22:07Hoppy, I found the missing boxhole herd in the west basin.
22:10Never mind about that.
22:12I have the prisoner.
22:13Where's Mr. Potter?
22:14Potter's dead.
22:15Hyrum.
22:16Baxter.
22:17I thought he was dead.
22:18Well, he was supposed to be, but he's very much alive.
22:20Yes, but I don't see...
22:21I'll give you all the evidence you need to prove that this man murdered Ralph Baxter,
22:24Phineas Phipps, and probably his brother Tom.
22:26A couple of minutes ago in this passage where he killed Potter.
22:28So he could get the ranch.
22:29Exactly.
22:30All right, Sheriff.
22:31I'll exchange prisoners with you.
22:33Hop along, Cassidy.
22:34Hop along, Cassidy.
22:35Hop along, Cassidy.
22:36He'll return soon again.
22:38There's no use to say goodbye until then.
22:40Hop along, Cassidy.
22:41Hop along, Cassidy.
22:42Hop along, Cassidy.
22:43So long, hop along.
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