“THE BUSCADEROS”
Season 2, Episode #21
Director: Allen Reisner Teleplay by: Ken Trevey
Guest Stars: Violet: Brenda Scott
Drago: Warren Oates Chapel: Rex Holman
THE BUSCADEROS
SCENE 1
Riders on horseback, no one that we recognize. Eight of them pass by. There seem to be quite a few more.
Then a wagon, with a male driver and a woman sitting next to him. There’s something in the back of the wagon, under a cover.
Violet: Wonder what he hid under there.
Driver: Drago said no peeking.
Violet: Well, I can read. What ever it is, its property of the US army . . And that means trouble.
While she is talking, there is a close up of the man that we will learn is Drago. He raises his hand, says “Ho”. He rides back to the wagon.
Drago: Curious enough to bust, ain’t ya?
Violet: Yes, you bet I am. I’m sick and tired of you smilin’ to yourself and keepin’ me in the dark. What’s the scheme you got hatched up?
Drago: You’ll know when the time comes.
Violet: Drago, you don’t satisfy my curiosity, I’m not gonna sleep tonight and if I don’t--(she smiles)---you won’t.
Drago: No?
Violet: No.
Drago: Well, then you’d better show her, Wolfson. ??
The driver take off the cover that says Property of the US Army on it--revealing a large gun. Very dramatic music.
Violet: A Gatling gun.
Drago: That there’s my magic machine. That’s gonna get me my three fondest wishes.
Violet: Such as?
Drago: Money, Mexico and . . .somebody.
Violet: Who?
Drago: An old friend of yours. And that’s my third fondest wish. Let’s go!!
Drago laughs and rides away. The driver covers the gun back up.
SCENE 2
Jelly in the “great room” with a feather duster. He’s putting it to good use. There is a fire in the fireplace. Jelly is wearing his usual plaid shirt and his vest. He’s talking in a not very pleased tone.
“And I don’t care if Teresa is comin home tomorrow---I’m a horse wrangler and an expert handy man and my work is done out of doors and if you want your house polished, Mr. Murdoch Lancer, you can just hire yourself an English butler.”
We see an empty leather armchair--no Murdoch.
“That’s what I shoulda said to ya“.--sound of a door, Jelly leaves the room.
Scott walks through the next room, he’s wearing his tan jacket, holding his hat.
JH: Oh, that’s right, just walk on by, don’t say nothin’
SL: Say what?
JH: Like where are you going? (He’s still holding the feather duster)
SL: Out to milk a cow. (takes hat in both hands)
JH: You are not. You’re going out to the high country to see if the cattle got to spring grass and you’re all upset cause that’s Johnny’s job and he’s off gallivantin in the seven hills of San Francisco.
SL: Why tell you what you know? (he puts his hat on)
JH: Uh, well, you might just as well think about goin’ off without your trousers--he points to Scott’s gun belt which is hanging on a that rack. Scott goes to get it and puts it on.
SL: Tell Murdoch where I’ve gone.
Thru the door, we can see a stranger in the yard!!
JH: Oh, as if I’m about to tell him anything, he’s just about as viperous as you are this morning.
SL: Well, he’s always like that when he has to pay his taxes.
SL leaves. Jelly goes back to dusting.
Outside, Scott walks purposefully around the corner, through the gate--a man steps out of the doorway directly in front of him---then another one comes from the left, one on the right. He freezes, slowly turns. The gate--two swinging doors, closes and we can’t see Scott any more.
SCENE 3
Box of money and hands counting it.
Tax guy: You know, I was telling the missus this morning --the only difference between a tax collector and a pick pocket is one of them gives you a dated receipt. He laughs, Murdoch doesn’t, he just accepts the receipt.. We are in town, at the sheriff’s office, there is a sign on a post which reads “Pay Taxes Here”
ML: How’s the collection coming, Sheriff?
Sheriff: We’ll have over 10,000 by nightfall.
ML: 10,000 is an awful lot of money to leave over the weekend.
Sheriff: with that new safe and extra deputies on duty, nobody will be stealing that money before we get it up to Sacramento.
ML: putting receipt in his inside vest pocket-(he’s wearing a dark shirt and a white vest.) I need a drink
Sheriff: Cheer up, Murdoch, Tax Day only comes once a year.
ML: laughs--Good thing.
Outside the sheriff’s office--riders & wagons with gunfire charging right down the main street. Wagon circles around and comes back. ML watches. A woman with two kids is trying to get across the street--ML runs out to help them, uses his own body as a shield. The Gatling gun is firing. People are hurrying to try to get to safety. The second wagon goes by and a man pushes a body out of it and into the street. We see the Sheriff firing after the wagon, then he goes to check the injured man--rolls him over and we can see that its Jelly. Close up of ML as he realizes this as well.
SCENE 4
Close up of Jelly, lying down with a white cloth on his forehead. He puts both hands to his head. Seems to be in pain.
ML: Anybody else hurt?
Sheriff: Not a soul, but those people are trembling like an earth quake hit.
Now we can see that we are in the jail, there are bars, the Sheriff is sitting on a desk, the Tax Guy is behind him and ML is seated on the edge of the bed that Jelly is lying on.
ML: I guess they just mean to throw a scare, an object lesson of some kind, but what are they after---
JH: Money, the tax money. (He sighs.) They told me they want $10,000 by tomorrow noon, else they’re gonna use that infernal gun again. (He closes his eyes in pain.)
Sheriff: They won’t catch us off guard---not again they won’t
JH: No, not the town. They’re gonna shoot up cattle herds, farm houses, women and children---pained expression again.
In the door way, a deputy is trying to keep the door shut, keep people out.
Sheriff: If people get wind of this, we’re gonna have a real panic.
He goes over to the deputy, and says : Keep that door shut.
Camera on Jelly again--he speaks in a softer voice: Boss, there’s more
ML: What?
JH: They’re out at the ranch. They took Scott prisoner.
Reaction shot of ML.
SCENE 5
In the Great room--opening shot is a strange man in a sombrero sitting at the table and eating rather aggressively. Other men sitting or standing around, there is a fire in the fireplace.
Violet is wearing a black lace mantilla and an yellow dress, carrying a black fan.
Violet: Well, how do I look?
Drago: Yellow---ain’t your color.
Violet: Yeah, well, men lie, mirrors don’t. ‘Sides, you told me to fancy myself up, didn’t you? For that old friend you think you’re gonna surprise me with . . .(She touches his arm with her fan.) Well, bring ’im on.
Drago: Ain’t you curious who?
Violet: I had a lot of old friends ‘fore you came along.
Drago stands up: I ain’t talking about just any old friend. (He walks out and goes around the corner.)
Drago: Chapel! Get him out here. (to Violet) I’m talking about Johnny Madrid.
Two men bring in a struggling Scott, who looks up in surprise at the name Madrid.
Violet: Johnny . . .
Drago watches her intently. Scott still looks bewildered, he gets shoved to the floor, he rolls. Two other guys pick him up and put him on a chair. We can see that his hands are tied in front of him.
Drago: That kinda puts the bars on the jailhouse, don’t it?
Violet laughs: That ain’t Johnny Madrid, Drago. (she is still laughing)
Drago: Don’t you lie to me now, woman. I know all about him. Fella down in Texas told me how his old man hunt him down and gave him part of this ranch, just like some kinda story book prince. I’ve been scheming a long time how I’m gonna get you two together again.
Chapel: There were two sons Drago, this could be the wrong man.
Drago to Scott: You Johnny Madrid, ain’t ya? Huh?!
SL: I’m sorry . . . But you’ve got the wrong man.
Violet: Don’t Johnny!!! You can’t bluff your way out of this one!
SL: I’m Scott Lancer.
Drago: Maybe. . .maybe then again you just don’t like the odds around here, huh?
Chapel: There’s one sure way to find out. . . Madrid’s a gunfighter. Give this gentleman a pistol and see if he’s faster than Drago. . .right boys?
Drago agrees with the idea of a shootout with Johnny: All right.
A man unties Scott and Drago starts to get his gun ready. Meanwhile, we see that the sombrero guy is still sitting at the table and eating!!!!
Violet: Oh yeah, you go ahead Drago, you let him box you into your own coffin.
Scott, his hands now free, stands up.
Violet, to Drago: You want to see how I’ll grieve for you?
She goes over and gives SL a big kiss.--on the mouth. Drago turns and looks at them. Violet whispers to Scott: You be Johnny or you’ll die.
Drago goes over and pulls her away, pushes her against the sofa. He looks at her, then looks as if he is just going to shoot Scott.
Violet: Drago! No! Please!
Drago, to Scott: See that Madrid!? See how nice and honey drippin’ she begs for ya? You think she’s beg for me? No sir. And I’ve been good to her. I give her presents, I give her fancies, I make this pack of dogs show her respect!
He is very emphatic. Camera shots of SL show that he is listening but still not comprehending. Shots of Violet as she listens but makes no attempt to interrupt.
Drago: But according to her, there ain’t nothing I can do to hold a candle to Johnny Madrid. He can ride harder and draw faster and talk sweeter than any other man ever born. And you know what she loves most of all, rubbing Johnny Madrid in my wounds like salt. IN FRONT OF THEM!! Whittlin’ me down to the size of a goober pea.
He grabs her arm, turns her to face him.
Drago: Well, how long do you think I can take that?
Violet: All right, Drago!!! I’ll say I’m sorry if that’s what you want!
Drago: No . . I want more . . I want a whole lot more.
Chapel: Hold up, Drago. We were under the impression that we’re here to get that tax money, not help you settle a score.
Drago: That’s right. But that’s the puddin’, he’s the plum.
(to Scott) I’m gonna show my woman you’re human . . .
SCENE 6
In town, at the sheriff’s office. Sheriff, deputy, ML, Jelly and the tax guy, who is counting the money.
Tax Guy: Over ten thousand . . We can meet their demand.
ML: Yeah, but should we? (He walks across the room.) I don’t know. I think we’d be better off taking the offensive.
Sheriff: We can’t stand up against that Gatling gun.
Jelly: Besides, they got Scott.
ML: Yeah . . And what guarantee do we have that they’d release him, even if they got the money? I say we should go on the attack.
Sheriff: Well, I can probably get together maybe twenty men, but I don’t think that they’d get through. And I just can’t see sending them straight into that Gatling gun.
ML: Maybe twenty men couldn’t get through. Two might.
SCENE 7
Scott and Drago playing cards, seated at a table, Scott on the left, Drago on the right. Violet is standing behind Scott, watching over his shoulder. Some of Drago’s other men are standing or sitting around and watching. Drago fans the cards out on the table. He has a glass of whiskey, he sets it down after taking a drink.
Drago turns over a card: Beat the ten of hearts.
SL looks at the cards for a moment, picks one up. Drago watches. SL smiles. Violet laughs.
SL says: Jack of hearts.
Drago is NOT amused.
Drago, to Violet: Get over here. You stand behind his chair bringing him luck.
Violet: Johnny don’t need any luck. But she goes over and stands behind Drago. Scott gathers up the cards for another hand.
Drago: Now you’d better hope so for your Johnny boy’s sake. He ain’t gonna like losing.
Scott shuffles the cards: You mind telling me what we’re playing for? What the stakes are?
Drago suddenly pulls out a very large knife and drives the point into the tabletop!
Drago: Your fingers. Camera is on Scott, with the knife featured prominently in front of him. He looks concerned, his eyes flick over to Drago. Camera shifts to Drago who asks: How many you want to bet on the first deal? One or two?
Sounds of gunfire----Drago runs out.
Drago: What’s goin’ on out there?
Big Guy: Nothin Drago! Calico’s just tryin’ to blow his way into the wine cellar.
Off screen: Wine cellar? Come on boys, let’s have a look. (could be Chapels’ voice)
Drago’s men file out of the room. Drago grabs the last guy out of the line and tells him: You stay here and watch him.
SL to Violet: Enough is enough.
He takes her by the arm and leads her away from the guy left to watch him.
Now, as soon as your friend comes back, I’m gonna tell him the whole truth before I lose my fingers.
Violet, emphatically: NO!
SL: Now look, he’s got no quarrel with me.
Violet: He’s got no reason for keeping you alive and even less for turning you loose. You’ve gotta play along for now. Later on, I promise, I’ll help ya. Trust me.
SL: Trust you? You’re the reason I got into this mess.
Violet: Well, I didn’t mean to, I was only trying to protect Johnny.
SL: Protect Johnny or yourself?
Violet, angry: All right, you go ahead, you tell him. Tell him you’re not Johnny and see if he believes you.
Chapel, comes around the corner: Try me. I shouldn’t be that difficult to convince.
(He walks around, hands behind his back, towards the table. ) I find it all rather amusing (picks up the knife) don’t you, Mr. Lancer? Bandits, phantom lovers, the innocent brother mistaken . . (he rests point of knife against SL’s chest, in the opening of his shirt) Well, in the theater, it would play to turn away audiences.
Suddenly, SL slaps the knife out of Chapel’s hand and then punches him in the face, sending him to the floor. The other guy comes at him, but SL uses the chair to trip him up. Scott runs to the doorway, starts to turn the corner and there’s Drago, with his gun drawn. Chapel also runs over with his gun ready and says : I’ll kill him for that.
Drago, to Chapel: He’s mine. Why does something always go wrong when I turn my back on you?
Angry looks pass between the two of them.
Drago, to Scott: I know you ain’t one for caution, but you make an enemy out of Chapel, you might as well of gone and bit a rattlesnake. (He laughs.) Why compared to him, Johnny boy, I’m gonna seem like a friend (big smile--then very serious) Almost.
Drago to men: Get him out of here, lock him up somewhere til I need him. (Chapel and the other guy comply)
Drago strolls over, laughs, picks up fallen chair, rights it and sits on it. Takes a drink from the glass on the table.
Violet, crouches near him: Give me your hand?
He just looks at her. She repeats : Give me your hand.
Drago sets the glass down and Violet takes his hand in hers.
Violet: Oh Drago---you wanna be better than Johnny Madrid--why don’t you show me how you can be kinder, more gentle?
Drago stares at her with a furrowed brow.
Violet: Please Drago. Don’t hurt him too much.
Drago kisses her. He’s a pretty good kisser. Then an embrace.
Drago, to Violet, while he’s still holding her: You’d do anything in the world for Johnny Madrid, wouldn’t you?
Drago smiles, then starts laughing. Violet struggles to get free of him: Oh! Let me go! Oh! Lemme go! She pounds his back.
Finally free, Violet tells him: You smell like a wet billy goat!!!
He just smiles and tips his hat over his face, leans back in chair, keeps laughing.
Violet storms out, slams the door.
SCENE 8
It’s night. Lights on throughout the hacienda. Jelly and ML are outside.
ML: I’m going to slip in through the wine cellar, find Scott and bring him out the same way. Here (he gives Jelly some dynamite) use this in case you get close to the Gatling gun. If you don’t, save it, use it for a diversion in case I get into trouble.
Jelly: Which you won’t.
ML leaves.
Next we see the Gatling gun, guy guarding it is drinking from a bottle. Noise of revelry inside the house. We can see some of them through the glass doors. Drago breaks the top off of a bottle by smashing it against a table edge, he drinks from the broken bottle while leaning against a wall. Lots of shouts and laughter around him. His men are wrecking the room. Fire is still burning in the fireplace. Chapel sits in a leather chair with a book in his lap, he seems to have read most of it. He doesn’t seem impressed by what’s going on around him. Glass breaks and pieces fall around him but he doesn’t really react to it, just looks up.
SCENE 9
Scott trying to get his hands untied. On a bed in one of the rooms, locked door. He looks at the door--hears something. Outside the door we see Violet standing, hands on hips talking to Big Guy who is on guard duty.
Violet: Well, open it up. I want in
He shakes his head no: Drago’d skin me alive.
Violet: Well, now, what’s he gonna do when I tell him how you’ve been making false?? with me, hmmm? (didn’t catch this word. What do you think?)
Big Guy reluctantly unlocks the door. Camera pulls away and we see that someone is watching. Violet goes in. Now we see that its Drago, he isn’t happy.
Inside the room, SL grabs Violet and covers her mouth with his hand.
SL: One sound and I’ll break your pretty neck.
Outside again, we see Drago watching as Big Guy locks the door and sits in a chair. Drago leaves.
Inside, SL uncovers Violet’s mouth slowly. She turns to him
Violet: You really think I got a pretty neck? (She touches her neck with her hand) I’ve been told my teeth are my best feature.
SL: What are you doing here? He’s at the door, listening.
Violet: I came to say I’m sorry. SL just looks at her, then gets a chair. He uses it to wedge under the door handle to block the door.
Violet,continues speaking: And find out where Johnny’s at.
SL: San Francisco. But who knows, he could walk in here any minute.
Violet: But he can’t! I . . . I mean, seeing the two of you together, Drago’d know for sure which was which. SL just looks at her again
Violet: and he’d go hard on both of you.
SL: Lady, I don’t intend to stick around that long.
Scott goes to the dresser and opens the drawers, each of them in turn, feeling the clothes and searching for something. Then he moves to the bed, kneels beside it, feels under the mattress, looks under the bed, reaches behind the headboard.
Violet opens a door behind him: This lead to the attic?
SL: Yes--any guards on the roof?
Violet: I expect so---Drago is likely to post somebody on lookout--Starbuck, or Calico.
SL finds what he’s looking for--a gun--he holds it and spins the chamber. Gets up and moves to the door, sticking the gun in the front of his waistband. He starts to move the chair, then looks at Violet.
SL: Maybe I’d better tie you up, so Drago won’t be so hard on you.
Violet: You never mind him--you find Johnny--you warn him.
Outside, looking through the window, we see Violet Kiss Scott.
Violet: That’s for luck.
Scott reaches for her, pulls her to him and kisses her back, while we see Drago is watching.
SL: And that’s for the fun of it.
Drago, with coat in front of him to protect from the glass, bursts through the window. Scott grabs his gun and points it at Drago--Violet moves in front of Scott and deflects his gun arm, he fires at the floor. Drago stands in the window and laughs: This is gonna be a pleasure to me.
Violet: Drago NO!
Drago gestures with his gun for Scott to drop his, which he does. Violet is still standing in front of Scott. Drago goes to the door, kicks the chair away and Big Guy comes in. They all exit the room.
SCENE 10
Shift to Murdoch climbing in a window to the wine cellar, he has his gun drawn. Someone comes down the stairs--it’s the guy in the sombrero. ML grabs him, puts his gun at his neck, says, very quietly :Let’s go back in. We can hear the noise of the bottle breaking somewhere upstairs.
Outside, we see Jelly in the dark, Jelly sees the Gatling gun and the guard is snoring.
Back to ML and the Sombrero guy, coming around the corner, ML holding SG in front of him. We see Scott coming into view at the top of a staircase. Big Guy shoves Scott and he ends up tumbling down to the foot of the stairs. Scott gets up and tries to run, but there is Chapel.
ML: Hold it.
So its ML with a gun on SomGuy and Big Guy, Drago and Violet at the top of the stairs.
ML: One move and your man dies. (He cocks his gun) I’m not bluffing.
Drago: That’s his hard luck. And neither is my man on the stairs up here pointing a rifle at your Johnny Boy’s skull.
ML, looks puzzled: Johnny?
SL turns to face Murdoch, hands raised to shoulder height: He’s right Murdoch. It’s a Mexican stand-off. Take it from me, Johnny Madrid.
Murdoch looks up at Drago and Violet, then looks at Scott again.
SL: Go on, Murdoch, get out!
ML says : Come on to his prisoner.
Drago comes down the stairs and yells after Murdoch: You got a new deadline Lancer . . . Get that tax money here by sun up tomorrow or I’m gonna hang ya Johnny boy from the gate post and burn ya house down!!!!
Drago pushes Scott.
Outside, someone shoots at ML. He fires back. Jelly tosses the dynamite at the Gatling gun and runs. The guard on the gun grabs the dynamite and tosses it away, but not far enough. It explodes and we see a big hole in the wall.
SCENE 11
View of the Lancer arch. We see Drago, Chapel, Big Guy and another of Drago’s men working on the Gatling Gun.
Drago: Well?
Chapel: Doesn’t seem to be damaged . . Course I can’t be sure til I test fire it. May I suggest a target?
Drago turns and looks in the same direction that Chapel is looking and we can see . . Scott!! He is standing by the hole that’s been blasted in the low curved wall, looking at it, hands crossed in front of him.
Drago: You put this around there somewhere by the wall.
The other men move the gun while Drago goes over to Scott.
Drago: Well, Johnny Boy, I sure know who you take after now. Your dad’s got a lot of spunk.
SL: Thanks
Drago hops over the bar of the low fence. Gestures with a bottle: Want a drink?
SL: No thanks.
There are two other men nearby: Big Guy has a gun aimed at Scott and another man is on the other side of Drago.
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