- 5 weeks ago
A representative for a railroad contractor, Jim Taggart, murders Taggart's nephew and steals the railroad survey plans. The representative, Bricker, intends to sell the plans to Taggart's rival. Hopalong Cassidy, who has been called in to assist, steps in to investigate the crime and recover the stolen plans, dispensing justice in his usual manner.
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TVTranscript
00:00Here he comes, here he comes. There's the trumpets, there's the drums. Here he comes. Hop along, Cassidy, here he comes.
00:16Red Connors and I were returning to our home range after delivering a herd of cattle to the railhead. Early evening found us still 50 miles from home, so we decided to put up for the night in the town of Millville.
00:42Gee, I'm mighty proud of myself. We made this whole ding trip and I haven't gotten into any trouble.
00:47I'll buy you a halo when we get home. But don't forget, we're not back to Twin Rivers yet.
00:54It ain't always my fault when things happen. I don't go around looking for trouble.
00:57You don't have to. The one just seems to find you.
01:01Get the horse and put away or I'll go in and arrange for a room. And don't forget the saddlebags.
01:12I said leave him alone. I'm just trying to stop him. Don't you go pushing me.
01:32Oh, you're pushing for trouble, aren't you? That's enough.
01:41You're trying to buy some of the same, huh?
01:45That's enough. I need to start it on it, Tommy. I know it.
01:50Maybe we'd better forget the whole thing. We Murdochs have to forget in kind.
01:55Come on. There'll be another time. I hope you're right.
02:02You all right? Sure.
02:04Hoppy, I swear every time I see you, you're just winning a fight of some kind.
02:10Well, take a chance, Tigard. How are you, Jim?
02:13Never felt better, Hoppy. Jim, this is Red Garner.
02:16Hello, Red.
02:17Hey, with a name like Take a Chance, you must be a gambler.
02:20In a way, he is quite a gambler. Jim builds railroads.
02:25I suppose that's what you're down here for, that proposed branch line to connect the Midland and Western Railroads.
02:30That's it, Hoppy. Biggest gamble I ever took.
02:33Everything I have is tied up in the project.
02:36Sounds like quite a deal.
02:38It was a big and ambitious job Jim Taggart had taken on.
02:45He meant to build a steel trail west.
02:48Through the barren desert.
02:53Through passes that wound through the high mountains.
02:57To some of the richest cattle country in the southwest, where the railroad had never reached before.
03:02I don't mind telling you, Hoppy, it's been a tough surveying job. Six months ago.
03:09But it looks like I can go ahead now.
03:11Buddy's due here tomorrow with a complete report of the survey for the route.
03:15Buddy, isn't that your nephew?
03:17Yeah. Do you remember him?
03:18Oh, sure. But that was a long time ago. He was just a little shaver.
03:22Well, that little shaver's become one of the best civil engineers in the business.
03:26Here's a picture of him when he was pitching for his college team.
03:29Look at that. What a guy.
03:34Hey, somebody's hurt.
03:40That's Bill Bricker, my representative down here.
03:52Hoppy, it's Buddy.
03:56Is he?
03:57I'm afraid so, Jim.
03:59How did this happen?
04:04Bricker gave us a brief but brutal account of what happened.
04:11Earlier this morning, he had ridden out to the camp some five miles from town,
04:14where Buddy was just completing the last mile of his six-month survey,
04:18when four masked men rode up.
04:20When Bricker came to, the bandits had killed Buddy's assistance and ridden off with everything they could lay hands on,
04:35including the letter case that held the complete records of the survey.
04:52Realizing that the loss of his records would have ruined his uncle, Buddy seemed to crack up.
04:58I tried to stop him, but I was too late.
05:07You'd better have the doctor take a look at that.
05:09It's only a scratch. I'll be all right.
05:12I'll go and get some rest after I look after Buddy.
05:14I will take care of that.
05:16Who are you?
05:17It's all right, Bricker.
05:18Mr. Cassidy is a U.S. Marshal.
05:20Oh, I'm sorry.
05:21I'll tell you anything I can, Mr. Cassidy.
05:23It'll keep till morning.
05:24Then I want a full description of the men that attack you.
05:31Britt, give him a hand with Buddy there, will you?
05:38In Jim Taggart's room at the hotel that night, I learned just what my friend was up against.
05:44He had mortgaged all of his possessions to put up a bond and buy equipment for the road he intended building.
05:49If he failed to turn over a completed survey to a representative of the Railroad Commission by noon of the day after tomorrow,
05:56his bond would be forfeited and his contract canceled.
06:02With Buddy gone, I'm sunk, all washed up, and I'm too old to start all over again.
06:09Jim, that doesn't sound like the Taggart I know.
06:14Besides, no man gets so old he can't start over again.
06:19I know this whole thing has been pretty much of a shock to you, but don't let it get you down.
06:25I'll try to pick up a trail the first thing in the morning.
06:29In the meantime, you get into bed and get some rest.
06:33Thanks, Hoppy.
06:34Good night, Jim.
06:35Good night, Hoppy.
06:36Next morning, after Bricker described the men who had held up the camp, Red and I rode to the campsite.
06:49I picked up an easy-to-follow trail.
06:53One of the men had been riding a horse that had lost a left front shoe.
06:56The trail led in a circle back to town, and there we lost it in the marks of the traffic in the street.
07:12And nowhere had we seen any trace of the map case or maps.
07:18Have you put a left front shoe on for anybody in the last 24 hours?
07:24Who wants to know?
07:25The U.S. Marshal, he's deputy.
07:28Well, then I suppose I gotta tell you.
07:30Yeah, three guys came through here yesterday afternoon, I...
07:34Bob Murdock gave a description of the men and their mouths, which checked with those given me by Bricker.
07:39I sent telegrams to the sheriffs of the surrounding counties and was ready to take off again to try to pick up the trail.
07:52There you are, son.
07:59The sight of the youngsters playing catch set me to thinking.
08:03Hadn't we better get a move on?
08:04The bandits got a mighty big head start on us.
08:06Maybe not as big as you think.
08:10Come on, we're going back and see Jim Tiger.
08:27Good morning, Jim.
08:28Good morning.
08:29How you feel?
08:30I feel better.
08:31Did you find anything?
08:32Well, if my mind isn't playing me tricks, I did.
08:34May I see that picture of Buddy's again?
08:44What I was looking at was the picture of a young man in a baseball uniform.
08:48A pitcher's mitt on his right hand.
08:51Buddy was left-handed, wasn't he?
08:53Sure.
08:54Best South forfeiture the school ever had.
08:59Jim.
09:01That boy didn't commit suicide.
09:04He was murdered.
09:08Murdered?
09:09But, Hoppy, Bricker said that the men...
09:14Never mind what Bricker said.
09:16Buddy was shot in the right tempo, wasn't he?
09:19And he was left-handed.
09:21Now figure it out yourself.
09:26By golly, you're right, Hoppy.
09:28Be darn near impossible.
09:29Certainly it is.
09:31Then Bricker's story was a lie.
09:35From start to finish.
09:37Now let's see if we can find his motive.
09:40Would those survey maps be of value to anyone besides yourself?
09:44It would be worth a lot to any of a half dozen men I underbid.
09:48And I suppose Bricker knows a great deal about your business.
09:52Everything.
09:53There's your answer.
09:55Bricker sold you out.
09:57And arranged with Confederates to stage that hold-up.
10:00What are we waiting for?
10:01Red.
10:02The important thing is to get those survey maps back in time.
10:06Jim, here's what I want you to do.
10:09Red and I hid out of the hallway while I waited for Jim to carry out my instructions.
10:13To get Bricker out of his room on the pretext of wanting to talk to him on business.
10:18And to keep Bricker with him until I got back.
10:23A thorough search had turned up no sign of the survey maps.
10:44Here was something interesting.
10:47A letter postmarked Denver addressed to Bricker.
10:54And part of it read,
10:56I am interested in your proposition $25,000 worth,
11:00provided you can cause the cancellation plus another $5,000 for the maps later.
11:05And it was signed, Tom Walker.
11:07I never figured it would go this way. Come in.
11:08Jim, I'm afraid I'm going to have to give up.
11:09I lost the trail completely. I'm sorry. I did my best.
11:10I'm sure you did. Thanks for trying.
11:11Well, I guess this just about washes me up for a while.
11:12I'm sure you did. Thanks for trying.
11:13Well, I guess this just about washes me up for a while.
11:14I'm sure you did. Thanks for trying.
11:15Well, I guess this just about washes me up for good, Bricker.
11:16Maybe I can scrape up enough to give you an extra month's pay.
11:19Oh, that's all right, Mr. Taggart. I can get another job.
11:22I'll probably get a little bit of a while.
11:23I'm sure you did. Thanks for trying.
11:24Well, I guess this just about washes me up for good, Bricker.
11:29Maybe I can scrape up enough to give you an extra month's pay.
11:32Oh, that's all right, Mr. Taggart. I can get another job.
11:37I'll probably head back to Denver on the stage that leaves tonight.
11:52Well, thanks for everything.
11:56You played it perfectly, Jim.
12:11And all the while I wanted to kill him with my bare hands.
12:14I can't say that I blame you.
12:16Say, do you know a man in Denver by the name of Tom Walker?
12:19I'll say I do. He's a contractor, a business rival of mine.
12:22The kind of man who'd rob his own mother.
12:24That I can believe. That's the man Bricker sold out to.
12:27How do you know?
12:28I'll have to explain to you later. I want to keep on his trail.
12:31I think he'll lead me to those maps before that stage leaves tonight.
12:34You take it easy.
12:38For almost an hour, Red and I had been staked out, watching and waiting.
12:54Murdoch was telling Bricker how he had pulled the wool over my eyes by giving me the same description of the mythical bandits as Bricker had and sending me off on a wild goose chase.
13:23I'm on a trail Bricker. You watch that blacksmith and follow him wherever he goes.
13:39Ask him to make the same decor.
13:45It's about, you know, he's been staked out.
13:48I think he's just a bit of a giraffe.
13:49You go to my dog with my husband.
13:51I think he's just a little bit of a giraffe.
13:53THE END
14:23THE END
14:53Fricker's destination was a small ranch house a few miles out of town.
15:19And I was sure when he left the house he'd be carrying the maps.
15:22Get him up.
15:32Hi.
15:33Keep him there.
15:35We're gonna find out what you're doing snooping around.
15:37Start moving toward the house.
15:39I was on my way home to meet you.
16:04Well, when I ran into this, well, it's a good thing you did.
16:08He's a U.S. Marshal.
16:10And I'm beginning to think he's a lot smarter than he acts.
16:13The sooner I kill him, the better.
16:14There's no telling how much he knows.
16:16Put that gun away, Murdoch.
16:18I followed you out here because I want to talk over some personal business with you.
16:23Like what?
16:24Well, like blocking Taggart's contract and collecting for those survey maps.
16:28I'm cutting myself in.
16:29I don't know what you're talking about.
16:33Well, you should.
16:35We're both in Millville on the same job.
16:37Only you beat me to it.
16:39Just what are you trying to say?
16:41There are other contractors besides Tom Walker who'd like to build that branch line.
16:46And they're willing to pay more for those maps.
16:48Just what do you know about Tom Walker?
16:52Plenty.
16:54And whatever he's willing to pay, I know a man who will triple it.
16:58Just what did Walker offer you?
17:00$5,000 for the maps.
17:02$5,000?
17:05Burley Hawkins and El Paso will pay $25,000 for those maps.
17:09We'll split it three ways.
17:11Is it a deal?
17:12I'd say take it.
17:13You don't look like the kind of a man who would turn crooked, Cassidy.
17:20Did you ever work for a marshal's pay?
17:23No, I'm quite sure you didn't.
17:25But I have.
17:26I've got a chance to make as much money in 24 hours as I've made in the last seven years,
17:30and I'm going to take it.
17:32All right.
17:33I'm cutting you in.
17:35Good.
17:36Now, I'd like to see those maps.
17:38I want to make sure I'm not being cut in on a pig in the poke.
17:41Get the map, Sam.
17:43All right.
17:58Marshal Cassidy just turned honest again.
18:01Put those maps back in the case, Bricker.
18:07Now, you're both under arrest.
18:10Nobody's under arrest.
18:11Put those guns down, Marshal.
18:14Like I said, we should have killed him right off.
18:16Yeah, we've got to get rid of him.
18:17But he's a U.S. Marshal, and if his body's ever found...
18:20It won't be.
18:22I've always wanted to see a man dig his own grave.
18:25Outside.
18:26Get moving.
18:27Well, this spot here looks all right.
18:33It's nice and soft.
18:35Now, start digging.
18:37Well, it's time I got back to Millville and catch the stage.
18:40When I get to Denver, I'll deliver this and collect.
18:42You can meet me in a few days and pick up your share.
18:45How stupid can you Murdoch be?
18:48I may not live to see it, but I'm betting by the time you get to Denver,
18:51Bricker will be long gone with the money.
18:53Well, you keep out of this, Cassidy.
18:57Well, you know you can trust me.
18:59I don't know.
19:00I just think I'll stick with you until you collect and we get our share.
19:03That's right, Sam.
19:04You go with him.
19:05I'll stay here and finish this job.
19:07I've been digging for more than half an hour,
19:17hoping that I'd get a chance of blinding him with a spade full of earth.
19:22That's enough, Dirt.
19:23Throw the shovel out.
19:29Pleasant dreams, Cassidy.
19:30Thanks, Red.
19:36I lost Murdoch's trail, Hoppy.
19:38If I hadn't seen your horse in the brush, I'd have been too late.
19:40I'm sorry.
19:41Don't worry about it.
19:42You got here just in time.
19:44Kick a little dirt on him while I go in the house and get my gun.
19:46I lost Murdoch.
20:16I lost Murdoch.
20:30Get that seat.
20:42I lost Murdoch.
20:43Come on.
20:43Get that seat.
20:44Perker and Sam were not in the stage,
20:58but they had booked passage to the junction.
21:01The driver had last seen them going into the saloon.
21:05I showed the driver my credentials
21:06and instructed him not to pull out until I gave the word.
21:14I just wanted to have a little talk with you, Jim, before I left.
21:40Who besides you and Cassidy knew what I was up to?
21:43Start talking.
21:44No one, as far as I know.
21:49Well, that makes it perfect for us, with Cassidy gone.
21:53Gone? Where?
21:57You murdered him, just as you did Buddy and his men.
22:00Why, you dirty...
22:02Where's your gun, Jim?
22:05Find it.
22:12I'm going in the saloon here.
22:13No one will ever doubt your reason for committing suicide, Taggart.
22:27No one will ever doubt your reason for committing suicide, Taggart.
22:37And this time, we won't leave any clues around for some smart marshal to follow.
22:41We'll go back the same way we came in, through the saloon.
22:44Yeah, yeah, I know, but hurry up and get it over with.
22:47Later!
22:47All right, Cassidy, drop that gun or Taggart goes out of here feet first.
22:57Now drop the other one.
22:58Get over there.
23:09This is the second time today you've outsmarted yourself, Cassidy.
23:13And then when they find you and Taggart, we'll be far away.
23:17Come on!
23:17Stay here, man.
23:28Stay here, man.
23:58The end of the line, Bricker.
24:07Second time today you've outsmarted you, sir.
24:10Get out.
24:14Let's go.
24:18After taking Bricker to the county seat, I returned in time to see Taggart turn over the maps and the survey to the railroad commissioner.
24:25Jim's contract was now officially in effect, and I knew that before too long, he would have finished a steel trail that would help link the great southwest with the rest of our country.
24:37Goodbye, Colonel.
24:37Goodbye.
24:38Goodbye.
24:38Come on, Bricker.
24:49Goodbye.
24:50Goodbye.
24:50Hi, little partners.
25:01Anytime you play a game, play it to win.
25:04But remember, somebody always has to lose.
25:08And in case it's you, don't be unhappy about it.
25:11Be a good loser.
25:13Just try a little harder the next time.
25:15I'll see you next week.
25:18There he goes, on his way, down the moonlet trail to where Cowboy's Ray.
25:28Hop along, Cassidy.
25:31Hop along, Cassidy.
25:34He'll return soon again.
25:37There's no use to say goodbye until then.
25:43Hop along, Cassidy.
25:46So long, hop along.
25:49Hop along.
25:51Hop along.
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