WHEN THE CURTAIN FALLS…
Opening scene:
Virginia City
Mid afternoon – Main street.
Hoss and Joe Cartwright are loading large bags of oats and feed onto a large wagon. Shopkeeper Willy Henderson helps them out.
Joe
"C'mon, Hoss, you move those bags any slower –
and I'll miss my spot at the bar."
Hoss
"You mean where Bessie serves the most drinks …"
Joe
"Well, it's her last week in town before she heads back to Missouri – and with the dance coming up on Friday …"
Hoss
"I thought Adam was kinda sweet on her, anyhow."
Joe
"That means he moves about as slow as you do, big brother."
Hoss shakes his head as Willy stops loading – his eyes are locked across the street. He says, wiping his hands on his apron,
"Now that don't look right."
Hoss
"What's that, Willy?"
All three men stop and see two men across the street dismounting their horses. One has double pistols and a huge scar on his right cheek – the other wears a strange iron mask – his right hand leaning on a cane with a large silver top.
Joe
"That looks like Jack Carson."
Hoss
"Rattlesnake Jack? I can't tell …"
Joe
"It's him all right."
Willy
"If that's true – then trouble ain't too far behind. The one in the mask don't look like the friendly type either."
Joe
"Let's get Marshall Deacon, Hoss."
Hoss
"Hold on, Joe – Marshall Deacon rode up into the valley, remember?"
Willy
"That's right – the Slade brothers were spotted there … and they're worse than a dozen Jack Carsons. Look – they're heading over to Frank's saloon."
Hoss
"Didn't Adam say that he and Pa were gonna stop by Frank's before the bank?"
Zoom in on Joe's face – his eyes locked onto the other side of the street – his fingers scratching his gun belt. Fade to black
Act One
Frank's saloon – cowboys, ranchers and others sit at tables clinking beer mugs… while Ben and his eldest son, Adam, sit quietly at a table near the bar. Their waitress, Bessie, hands them each a tall glass of beer.
Adam
"Maybe it's me – but I've always said that the beer at Frank's always tastes better around this time of day – especially when Bessie brings it with her warm smile." Ben looks up at Bessie and smiles.
Bessie
"You Cartwrights … I swear – I don't know who's a bigger flirt – you or your little brother, Joe." She glances back at Adam quickly with another smile before she walks to the back of the saloon.
Adam looks back at his beer mug, thinking about the minor aches in his lower back. He says,
"Hard to believe we spent an entire morning trying to rebuild that fence."
Ben
"No cattle was lost or hurt – that's the important thing."
Adam
"After the bank, I should give Burt a hand fixing that hay wagon."
Ben
"Burt's got a good handle on it. At first light I want you to round up all the hands and finish that fence –"
From the bar, a swaggering cowboy named Emmett Bonham closes in on Ben and Adam's table. He is holding on to a drink and can barely stand up straight. He says,
"Well – thought this town was big enough without walking into one of you Cartwrights. First they give you a job – tease you with good wages and a lotta talk – then take it away and throw you to the buzzards."
Adam
"Nobody took anything away from you, Bonham. You did all that to yourself."
Ben
"We gave you an honest shake at the Ponderosa, Emmett. Unfortunately your drinking habits were more important to you than being reliable."
Bonham, his anger mounting, steps in closer to the table. Adam rises out of his chair. Bonham says,
"You Cartwrights think you're so big in this town. Big ranch – big talk. One day your luck will run out – you'll need your big friends – but they won't be around. Of course I'll make sure I'm there – not to pick you up – but to watch all of you fall."
Adam
"I'll remember you said that, Bonham."
Bonham
"Yeah – you do that."
He turns and walks back to his drunken friends at the bar. Adam sits back down and Ben says,
"I didn't think he was going to hold onto that grudge so long."
Adam
"Sometimes I think Joe is right – this town is changing."
At the swinging doors of the saloon, Jack Carson and the masked stranger walk in. Bonham and his friends look over – snickering.
The masked man speaks over his right shoulder to Frank, who is tending bar. The voice is deep and muffled.
"Are you the proprietor of this establishment?"
Frank
"Are you asking if I run this saloon, mister?"
"Perhaps you can help me with some information."
Emmett Bonham turns to a friend and says,
"Are you seeing this, Thirsty?"
"Yeah – but I'm not sure what it is …"
Bonham and his friends break out into fits of drunken laughter.
Bonham
"First it's big shot ranchers and their double talk – then it's costumed freaks …"
More laughter. Rattlesnake Jack is not amused. He leans on the bar – his hands poised on his gun belt.
Bonham
"Looks like somebody took a wrong turn somewhere. Ain't nothing in here for you, mister – unless we can find a fancy can opener for that mask."
The laughter gets even louder. Adam and Ben exchange a quick glance while Bessie comes back to their table with a new tray of fresh drinks.
The eyes behind the strange iron mask are searching – looking away from Bonham's direction. He says,
"I'll not waste words on an uneducated drunk. Return to your pig's trough if you value your life."
Bonham
"I reckon you'll be late for that costume party, fella. You just signed your death warrant –"
Bonham quickly reaches for his pistol – but a flash of silver and wood snaps into his face – the pistol is dropped – two to three more whacks with the masked man's cane and Bonham is quickly on the floor; half dazed. Holding his jaw and seeing blood dripping into his hands through blurry eyes – he chances a look up – in time to see a large leathery boot falling and snapping him into darkness.
Adam and Ben look at each other – their eyes widened. The masked man leans back onto his cane and utters to his companion,
"It seems every town is alike, Carson. Each one infested with drunken fools intent on killing themselves."
Carson
"C'mon, boss – admit it – you enjoy the exercise."
The two men walk away from the bar and closer to the tables. The deep voice bellows again,
"I'm looking for Ben Cartwright – a popular rancher in these parts."
Adam quickly looks over at his father. They both rise slowly out of their chairs – Bessie looking on. Ben says,
"I'm Ben Cartwright. What's all this about, mister?"
The masked man moves in closer, saying,
"It's about how one can right the wrongs. Think back to the war. You were an advance scout. Fourth Regiment --Corrigan Outpost in Pennsylvania, remember?"
Ben
"Yes. A part of my life I left behind. A chapter I thought I left closed."
"Yes, it must have been easy for you to move on to a normal and fulfilling life after the war. It wasn't that way for me, Ben. This is how the war left its mark."
He suddenly opens the mask at the chin – raising it over his forehead revealing a horrific skeletal mass of charred flesh with one remaining eye – and grotesque, blackened teeth! Bessie raises her hands to her face, screaming in terror – the tray of drinks smashing to the floor.
Ben stares at the single eye – as the voice surrounds him,
"This face – this mask reminds me every day of how you left me to die. I was the only one out of nine men who survived the ambush. You were supposed to return with reinforcements. You never came back."
Adam
"Pa – what's he talking about?"
Ben
"You've got the wrong man, mister."
The mask is closed back over his face again as he continues,
"It took me years to learn how to talk again – even how to use these hands – took me years to find you.
Ben
"You're the cattle baron I've been hearing about –
buying up land outside of Virginia City."
Adam
"And hiring gunmen to work the land for you. Gunmen on the run – like your friend Carson there. Also known as Rattlesnake Jack."
Carson
"Now hold on – you've got me confused with someone else, mister."
Adam
"Keep moving those fingers closer to that gun and
soon it won't matter who you are."
Ben
"Adam …"
Frank
"I don't want any gunplay in here – not from anybody."
Suddenly the familiar sounds of pistols being cocked – Carson and the baron turn slowly to see Joe and Hoss Cartwright pointing their irons.
Hoss
"We can guarantee that, Frank."
Carson and the baron look back – raising their hands.
Hoss
"These men are gonna turn around slowly and ride out of town.
Ain't that so, mister?"
A large pause. Carson looks over at his boss. Joe's lips tighten. Adam's eyes are darting as a small grin forms.
Finally the baron says,
"Very well." He looks back at Ben and adds,
"This is far from over, Ben Cartwright. Come sundown all questions will be answered. Now the stage is finally set – and when the curtain falls, my revenge will be complete." He turns with Jack Carson – they both walk past the brothers.
Pistols are holstered – and Ben feels Adam's serious gaze fixed on him.
Zoom in on Ben's face as his eyes move from left to right – searching for some answers of his own.
A mysterious stranger out for revenge – flanked by dangerous gunmen
Time is running out –
Can Adam and his brothers get the answers and even the help they need before sundown? Before the 'curtain falls?'