Frontier Town, the saga of the roaring west. Frontier Town. El Paso, Cheyenne, Calgary, Tombstone. Frontier Town. Here is the adventurous story of the early west. The tamed and the untamed. From the Pecos to Powder River, Dodge City to Poker Flat. These are the towns they fought to live in and lived to fight for. Teeming crucibles of pioneer freedom. Frontier Town. Howdy. And to start this little get together, let's first identify me by saying that I'm a frontier lawyer from a frontier town. A town called Dos Rios. My name? Chad Remington. Well, now that the preliminaries are taken care of, how about getting down to cases? Because I'd like to tell you a little of what's happened to me and a lot about what's happened out on the frontier. There's great wealth on the frontier, and I don't mean just mining wealth or oil or cattle. I mean the wealth of independence and security, if a man is hardy enough to tackle the job and drive it through. Just this alone has been enough to bring thousands upon thousands of people, people from everywhere and from all over, flocking to the frontier each time the government has thrown open a new parcel of land for settlement. And when the homesteaders come, well, they certainly come by the thousands. Just last month, I was riding in toward Dos Rios with Cherokee O'Bannon, the red-nosed ex-medicine man, and we were talking over the new acreage the government was readying to throw open to all comers. Believe me, Chad, if I wasn't tied down to Dos Rios and that livery stable I foolishly bought, I'd be out on that starting line for a piece of land when they open up the Comanche Strip for homesteading next week. And I sure wouldn't blame you, Cherokee. That's about the luscious rangeland within two states of here. Of course, that has its drawbacks, too. Well, if there are any drawbacks to being lush, I ought to know. Some fellows think I'm the biggest lush within four states of here. Yes, indeed, yes, indeed. Well, I'm not going to argue at that point with you, but I'm serious about what I said. Because there are a lot of the big ranchers who have been using those hundreds of miles of grass as open range, and they don't like the idea of homesteaders coming in and cutting it up into small farms. They don't like it one blessed bit. You mean you think the big ranchers are going to make trouble, Chad? I don't mean all of them, of course. There are a lot of them who have enough foresight to realize that the whole future of our little Western Empire depends on settlement, thousands of new families with hope and ambition, and the salt to stick it out. You're certainly right about that, Chad. Otherwise, this frontier of ours is always going to be an outpost of civilization. I wish some of the larger ranchers like Mitt Cummings saw it as clearly as you do. In fact, there's been a rumor that Cummings went to Washington to see if he couldn't stop the government from opening the Comanche Strip. What in the world for? Mitt Cummings has got so much now that he can afford to bathe in champagne six times a day. That doesn't be stupid, but to bathe in it. What does a man like... Blue Blazers chant, you hear that? Not only do I hear it, but I see where it's coming from. You see there? About five cow punchers chasing that fellow wearing a blue denim. All right, come on. Those odds are a little too unequal. Maybe we can lend a hand. Blast you, Forsythe. Hold your horse still. Hold him still yourself, Fagin. You spooked him yourself with those shots you threw at me. Well, I'm not wasting any more lead on you. I'm stringing you up right here, you filthy rustler. I never rustle none of your cattle, and you know that I never... If you got so much extra breath, maybe you better use it for a last prayer. Well, I reckon I gotta go sometime. So don't make too much difference to me, Fagin. But I'd hate to be strung up. Ooh, hold that. Hey. Well, Fagin, what's going on here? What are you buttoning for Remington? Remington? Right. Ralph Forsythe. Oh, go on it. You sure arrived at the right time, Chad. And good old Cherokee. This barman was about to string me up for some rustling that he imagines I did. Yeah? Well, I didn't miss any cattle till you went to work for me. You're swinging just like any other. Fagin, you know we don't like lynchings around Dos Rios. So why don't you just rattle up that Mustang and head on home? Well, Fagin, I'm not flapping my jaws just to hear myself talk. You got no business coming in here and telling me what to do. Chad, he's got his gun. Jump him. I sure will. Fagin, you're nothing but a double-dealing vulture. Go on, get up and clear out of here before I really lose my temper. Remington, you'll hear about this. We got laws around here, you know. Nice steady boy. We sure have got laws, Fagin. And you'd better learn to stick to them. Give them up. Boy, if you two hadn't come along, my eyes would sure be bulging by this time. It seems to me, Ralph, I heard you make that kind of speech once before. Yeah. I guess I'm just one of them galoots who can't keep out of trouble. So was I once. But somehow I learned. You Russell Fagin's cattle? Oh, of course not. Oh, I ain't saying I haven't slaughtered a beef here and there when I was hungry. Ralph, a fellow who wants to work can generally make enough not to be hungry. Oh, you get no place working for some other Jasper. You do the dirty jobs and they end up with the bankrolls. What's the matter, Cherokee? What you staring at? That shirt you're wearing. Ever got a shirt like that from mail order catalog? Don't reckon I did. I remember seeing a fellow wearing the same kind of a shirt once. He'd just gotten out of jail. Well, if it was a shirt like this one, it must have been a New Mexico jail. You got hungry down in New Mexico, is that it? Good and hungry. But I'm not staying hungry no more, Chad. Believe me. Ralph, I've known you since you were ankle high to a prairie dog. Since you don't like working for someone else, well, the government's throwing open the Comanche Strip for Homestead next week. Why don't you ride in and get yourself a section of your own land? Me? A nester? My boy, with two years' hard work, you'd have a nice little spread. With maybe a hundred head of your own cattle. And you'd be working for yourself. Man, I haven't got nothing in my pocket book to buy a tack hammer and two nails. If you'll do it, Ralph, I'll stake you. Oh, gosh, Chad, I can't have you lending me money again. Well, what's money for? Come on, Ralph, let's shake on it. Oh, tell Ganya, I don't know what to say. All you've got to say is yes. Come on, fella. I'll ride you into Dos Rios and put you up at the hotel. I hate to say this to you, Chad, but take it from a man who knows. You're an unmitigated sucker. Giving Ralph four-size money. He's no good. He's never been any good. He never will be. Oh, Ralph's all right. He just needs the right chance. He had his chance, and he took you for one hundred simoleons, which, mark my words, you'll never get back. You know, the trouble with you, Cherokee, is you don't understand human nature. And believe me, you never would have recognized that as a jail shirt if you hadn't been in that jail yourself. You don't understand human nature, eh? Well, how do you think I was making a living selling genuine Cherokee and din rattle snake oil? But I'll tell you something, Chad. You just think you know a lot. Take it from yours truly. You've still got a lot to learn. Yes, indeed. Yes, indeed. Well, as it turned out, I did have a lot to learn. Because almost at the same moment Cherokee was exposing my worst faults to me, something I didn't know about was taking place in one of Dos Rias' most notorious saloons. Now, don't get me wrong, Mr. Cummings. I can use that money. Any girl who has to work in a cafe can always use money. How do I know I'll be able to find the kind of man you need? I'm not worrying about that, Linda. You're a smart girl. Well, can't some of your cowboys do it? The men who work at your ranch, Mr. Cummings? Too risky right now. A lot of people know why I went to Washington. But if you're worrying about a man, how about the one you've been watching ever since he came in? The one at the bar. He looks real nice. Nice, eh? Unless I miss my guest, the shirt that gent's wearing, he got in jail. Really? He doesn't look like that kind. The reason you might want a man and the reason I want one are mighty different. He'll do for me. You get him. And after I'm through with him, if you still want him, I'll be paying you enough money to buy almost anything your little heart really wants. I could use some of that right now. Money? Sure. Here's a couple of hundreds on account. I go on, honey. I'll leave you alone. You get me that man. Hey, what's that note you put up on the door of my office, Cherokee? Said you wanted to see me. Indeed I do, counselor. Indeed I do. Now, don't tell me that because I gave Ralph Forsythe some money, you've decided you're going to work me for a fuel-free drink. Well, it's not a bad idea, Chad, but that isn't what I want to see you about. Ralph Forsythe was around before looking for you. Oh? Did he say if he's decided to make the run with the other settlers in the Comanche Strip? Yeah, he sure didn't. But he handed me this and asked me to give it to you. Here. A hundred dollars? What's that for? You're such a great judge of human nature. You ought to know. That's his answer to your suggestion. He settled down. Your money back. But where did he get a hundred dollars to repay me? Of course, I'm not supposed to be as smart as you are, but I can still put two and two together. Meaning what? Well, I happened to be in one of the, well, in one of the local business establishments this afternoon, and I saw Mitt Cummings in there talking to one of the girls. Does that give you any ideas? Was Ralph in there at the same time? I can't say for sure, but I saw him come out of there later. In fact, he came right straight out of there and walked down here to the livery stable to hand me the money to give back to you. Well, let me tell you something, Choonakee. If Mitt Cummings thinks he's going to use Ralph to help him keep those settlers out of the Comanche Strip, Mitt Cummings has bitten off more than he can chew, unless that low down buzzard enjoys chewing lead. We'll return to the second act of Western Empire, our exciting frontier town adventure, in just a few moments. And now, Frontier Town. Now, if anyone thinks I was overly bright or even a little bit psychic in concluding that Mitt Cummings was buying the services of Ralph Forsyth to wage war on the stream of new settlers which would soon be coming in, they're wrong, very wrong. Because knowing Ralph's weakness for attractive women and his easy come easy go philosophy added to my never too pleasant acquaintance with Cummings, it was no feat of mental gymnastics to figure out where Ralph had gotten the money, why he had gotten it, and what was going on. Knowing how Cherokee felt about Ralph, I decided for a change to leave him behind. But I did throw a saddle on my horse and start burning up the trails which lead from Dos Rios to Mitt Cummings' huge ranch. Easy now, ho there, ho. Howdy Cummings. Well, Remington. Lose your way? Scarcely. I'm sure I've come to the right place. Well then, come on in. Thanks, but I don't reckon I'll be here long. Oh? I wanted to talk to you about Ralph Forsyth. Oh, Fagan tells me you saved Forsyth's neck. Not that it's worth much. It is though, Mitt. It's worth a lot to him, and it is to me. That neck of Ralph's isn't worth much to anybody. Unless it might be down in New Mexico. Whatever it was Ralph did down there, he's paid for. Right now he stands a chance of making good if he's left alone. Well then, why don't you leave him alone? Okay? I will if you will. Because I'm willing to give you a chance if you're interested in taking it. You getting liberal or something? Look, Mitt. I want to see the Comanche strip settled. And right now what I want most of all is to see Ralph live in there. Right. You don't say. If that's your answer, all right. But if I were you, I'd ask Ralph what it feels like to spend a few years in jail. So long, Cummings. And don't forget, I'll be seeing you again. All right, boy. Get up. Goodbye, Rennington. And good riddance. Ha ha ha ha! Well, Linda, you ever realize how much all that champagne you drink costs? What do you care about money, Ralph? Didn't I introduce you to Mitt Cummings? Yeah, and I don't mind telling you that was the luckiest day of my life. First, Chad saved me from having my neck stretched, and then I walked in here and met you. I wish I didn't know what a liar you are, Ralph. Honey, when I'm talking about you, not only am I telling the truth, but I'm not even starting to like... Uh-oh. Look who's just come in. Chad. Of all the... I'll see you later, Ralph. Linda, come on back here. Let her go, Ralph. I'd rather talk to you alone. You... you got the money, didn't you? Yes, Cherokee gave it to me. Not that it's much, but, uh, well, it seems to me you got it all too fast. Too fast. Well, only suckers do things slow. The hard way. Oh, I don't know. Spending time in a New Mexico jail sounds much more like doing things the hard way. Ralph, are you gonna make the run into Comanche Strip next week? Uh-uh. I like it here in Dos Rios. Enough to stay here permanently? Permanently, huh? And who's gonna dig me this homestead? It could be that girl who just left here. Mitt Cummings. Or who knows? Might turn out to be me. I see. Well, you used to have a rep for being a pretty fair shot. Well, I haven't gotten any worse. You wouldn't be boasting now, would you? Come on outside a few seconds, Ralph. Maybe I can convince you. Okay. Get home and get your hands off me! Oh, Chad? Is this far enough outside? Let's see. Yeah. Now, you see that chicken hawk flying just over that roof? I see it good, Chad. Awful good. What? That's a nice shootin', Ralph. That hawk is dropping like a rock. Yeah, look at it. No, you look at it. Well, not bad. That is, if you was aiming to blow that hawk's head off. I was, Ralph. I was. Change your mind yet about making the run into Comanche? Not a bit of it. But I'll tell you where I am going. Back inside and spend my time with someone who's not interested in all this preaching. By this time, I was fearful that Cherokee was right. Ralph looked like an incurable case. But not being Ralph, I wasn't prepared to give up that easily. The only concession I did make was to take Cherokee with me on the 40-odd mile ride over to the nearest cavalry post. And once we were there, I wasted no time or influence getting in to see the Colonel. Colonel, even though Remington may talk a little while, his ideas generally make pretty good sense. Well, that's all well and good, but what you gentlemen are asking me to do could turn out to be a complete disaster for the Army. Might even mean court-martial for me. Colonel, I'm sure you want to give these incoming homesteaders and settlers every possible protection. And if I can help you round up the vultures who will be trying to stop them from reaching the Comanche strip, well, wouldn't that be a feather in your cap? Well, yes, yes, Remington, but you're suggesting that I use almost all my troops to protect one wagon train. Now, what's going to happen should there be attacks made if they strike at wagons coming in on other trails? Well, every trapper in the West has the same problem. But when you go out hunting catamounts, you try to make your bait so attractive that the cat will forget other lures and take yours. Colonel, if you'll do your part, I'll do mine. And if together we can't save the settlers, well, we'd better give the Comanche strip back to the Indians just as fast as we can. Chet, I simply can't understand you. First you try to help Ralph Forsythe, and then you turn around and enter into a conspiracy with the United States Army, bound to land Ralph right back into jail. He's not in jail yet, and with even half a... Cherokee, here comes Ralph now. That you, Chet? What do you want? Oh, hello, Cherokee. Ralph, I'm going to make this short, and I hope sweet. And all I want in return is, is for you to get out of Dos Rios with a whole skin and some money and your jeans. Well, I can't argue against that. Keep talking. I know all about you and Mitt Cummings. Yeah? I know that he's paying you to get information on which way the settlers are coming in and to stop them. How in the world did you... Why don't you keep quiet and let Chad finish? Now look, if I give you a piece of information that should be worth a lot of money to Cummings, will you take his money, pocket it, and clear out of the country? What's the information? Well, to save themselves from being attacked, more than 200 families of settlers have banded together into one big wagon train. They're leaving Las Cruces tonight and should get them into this part of the country about dawn. More than 200 of them? Well, that certainly should be worth somebody's money. Well? Chad, I can't peg you at all telling me this, but someday... Well, someday you'll find out that I haven't forgotten everything you've done for me. Put her there, partner. I'll be seeing you. I hope. Well, 200 of them nester families all in one wagon train. That'll be like shooting fish in a rain barrel. This isn't something I can do alone. I'll need help and lots of other... You'll get your help. Fagan and me and some of the other big ranchers will all be there to keep them dry farmers from ruining our country. Here's a couple of hundred bucks for the information. Now get down to the bunkhouse and roust out my boys. Get them ready. We're gonna ride. Hey, Colonel. Yes, Remington? What is it? You'd better stop your troop right here. From this mesa we've got a view of the entire valley. And... troop hold! Well, Colonel, there you are. There comes your wagon train right on schedule. And I defy anyone to tell that that isn't a real wagon train and that those tarpaulins are covering up 200 of your men armed with gatling guns. The wagon train's coming all right, but where are those ranchers you were so certain would attack it? Don't you worry about Cummings and Fagan and the other open rangers. If I know my cattle ranchers, they'll put in an appearance any time now. Except you may not be able to see them for the gun smoke. Look at them wagons. Forsyth, I don't know where you got your information, but it sure was right. I don't think we ought to wait any longer, Cummings. Yeah, Fagan, they're just about on top of us now. All right, boys, get them saddle guns out. And remember, unless it means you or the other Jasper, shoot over their heads. Try to spook the horses and scatter the wagons. All right, come on, let's go! Spread out, boys. Start making an engine circle. That's it. Now get them Winchesters working. They're our army rifles. Scatter, boys, scatter. Get back to them sycamores. Men, look out! We're boxed in. Here comes a whole cavalry troop down the other hill. Get up there, boy. Up into them rocks. Easy now, hold it, fella. All right, rain up, Cherokee. We've lost him. Rain up? That man we were chasing can't be 50 yards ahead, Chad. That fella in the blue shirt. I don't think we'd ever catch him in these rocks. Chad Remington, what's gotten through you? Well, the cavalry rounded up Cummings and Fagan and most of them men. What difference if one lone scared cowboy gets away? Come on, Cherokee, I want to be back tomorrow when the Colonel shoots off the gun that'll open up the Comanche Strip and write chapter one on a great page in Western history. Well, as I told you earlier, that all happened last month. Just the other day, Cherokee and I sort of happened to be passing through the Comanche country and well, we stopped for a bite to eat with a couple of friends, a couple of newlyweds. Go on, fellas, eat some more. You'll go a long ways before you'll get cooking again like Linda. There's lots more out in the kitchen. I don't believe I can eat anymore. I believe I might have a drop of something to wash down all this good food. Now, wait a minute, Cherokee. It seems to me that Linda and Ralph have both kept our glasses well filled. Well filled? That's the trouble. Who in the world wants his glass filled from a well? Oh! Music Frontier Town starring Reed Hadley and featuring Wade Crosby is a Bruce Ells production. Story and Direction by Paul Franklin. Music written and played by Ivan Dittmar. Be sure to be with us again same time next week for another fine action adventure story with your favorite young western star Reed Hadley. And now this is Bill Foreman telling you that Frontier Town comes to you from Hollywood. Music
