Sunday 13 September 2020

The Messed Up Truth About The Gunfight At The O.K. Corral



"I was lucky in the order, but then I've always been lucky when it comes to killing folks."

LITTLE BILL

All right, boys, settle down now. I want you to settle down. I got something to say to you.
Settle down. I want to tell you something. All right, I'm going to say this just one more time to make it clear, so don't ask me again. Those of you who posseed with me today have got one drink coming from the county budget. (Cheers) 

INT NIGHT -- GREELY'S

(LITTLE BILL is standing on the stairs orating to his men. Behind him stand ALICE, LITTLE SUE, FAITH, and SILKY.)

LITTLE BILL
And those of you who rode with me yesterday, you get one drink for that too.
(more cheers) 
Now, hold it! Now that's two but after that it comes out of your own pocket, you hear me, Skinny. 

SKINNY
Yes, sir.

LITTLE BILL
Allright.We're pulling out early in the morning. We're going to chase these fellas clear down to Texas only don't spend too much of your own money.

(There is laughter all around and no-one notices MUNNY enter the bar. He raises his shotgun)

LITTLE BILL
We'll devide up into four parties and we'll hit all the farms and the trails and we'll make a big circle....

(At this point BEAUCHAMP has seen MUNNY and begun backing away. A moment later ALICE see's him as well)

LITTLE BILL
.... We're bound to run into somebody that's seen these (pistol cocks) skunks.

(LITTLE BILL turns to see MUNNY, gun raised, looking at him. Everyone else looks as well. There is a tense moment where the only sound is the thunder outside then MUNNY levels the rifle.)

MUNNY
Who's the fella that owns this shithole? You. 
(Motions towards FATTY
Fat man, speak up.

SKINNY
Uh, I own this establisment. Bought it from Greely for a thousand dollars.


 MUNNY
(Motions to crowd around SKINNY)

MUNNY
You'd better clear out of there

 (Aims rifle at SKINNY)

GROUP
Yes sir

(They all move away) 

LITTLE BILL
Just hold it right there. Hold it.

(MUNNY shoots SKINNY, killing him instantly)

LITTLE BILL
Well, sir, you are a cowardly son of a bitch. 
You just shot an un-armed man.

MUNNY
Well, he should have armed himself if he was going to decorate his saloon with my friend.

LITTLE BILL
You'd be William Munny out of Missouri. 
Killer of Women and Children.

MUNNY
That's right. 
I've killed just about anything that walked or crawled at one time or another, and I'm here to kill you, Little Bill, for what you did to Ned. 
(to crowd)
You boys better move away.
(They do)

LITTLE BILL
All right, gentlemen, he's got one barrel left. 
When he fires that take out your pistols and shoot him down like the mangy scoundrel he is.

(The crowd watches as fear has them transfixed watching the test of wills between MUNNY and LITTLE BILL plays out. After a long silence MUNNY pulls the trigger but all we hear is a dry click)

LITTLE BILL
Mis-fire! Kill the son of a bitch!
(reaches for his pistol)

(MUNNY throws the rifle at LITTLE BILL and pulls the Schofield from his belt.  He shoots LITTLE BILL in the gut knocking him to the floor. He quickly turns and begins to cut down the deputies. CLYDE is first, shot trying to draw his pistol. ANDY and FATTY have begun firing but MUNNY shoots them next. ANDY is thrown backwards while FATTY runs for the door.
CHARLIE thinks likewise and heads out the rear of the saloon. FATTY isn't so lucky. He runs towards the front door which means he must cross the path of MUNNY where he is shot in the chest. After he falls to the floor there is a lull in the shooting. MUNNY rises from where he has been crouched and begins walking across the bar toward the group of men cowering by the bar.)

MUNNY
(Pointing pistol at them) 
Any man don't want to get killed better clear on out the back.

(MUNNY watches the remaining ocupants of the bar walk quickly out the back door and then he walks to the bar. There he picks up a bottle of whiskey and, uncorking it,  pours himself a glass. 
He hasn't taken more than a sip when he hears the sound of someone struggling behind him. He turns raising his pistol and we see BEAUCHAMP pushing the body of FATTY off of him.)

BEAUCHAMP
(Seeing blood on his shirt) 
I'm shot! I've been shot!

MUNNY
You ain't shot.

BEAUCHAMP
Please.
(MUNNY cocks his pistol)  
I don't have a gun. I am not armed.

MUNNY
Pick up that rifle.
 (BEAUCHAMP looks at the weapon but makes no motion) 
Pick it up!

(BEAUCHAMP picks up the rifle awkwardly)

MUNNY
Shells, too,

(BEAUCHAMP does this. MUNNY walks forward and takes the rifle and shells from BEAUCHAMP)

BEAUCHAMP
(Wiping his brow) 
Oh God! 
(He sees LITTLE BILL lying on the floor) 
You killed Little Bill.

MUNNY
(Points the gun at him) 
Sure you ain't armed.

BEAUCHAMP
(raising his hands in surrender) 
No. Look, I'm not. I don't have a gun. I've never had a gun. I write. I'm a writer.

MUNNY
(Begins re-loading the rifle) 
A writer?

BEAUCHAMP
Yes.

MUNNY
Letters and such?

BEAUCHAMP
No, Books.

MUNNY
Books.

BEAUCHAMP
You..... you killed five men single-handed.

MUNNY
Yeah.

BEAUCHAMP
Uh.... That's a Spencer rifle, right.

MUNNY
That's right.

BEAUCHAMP
(picking up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder) 
Who, uh... Who'd you kill first?

MUNNY
Huh?

BEAUCHAMP
When confronted by superior numbers an experienced gunfighter will always fire on the best shot first.

MUNNY
Is that so.

 BEAUCHAMP 
Yeah, Little Bill told me that. 
You probably killed him first, didn't you?

MUNNY
I was lucky in the order, but I've always been lucky when it comes to killing folks.

BEAUCHAMP
And so... who was next? It was Clyde, right? It must have been Clyde. 
Well, it could have been deputy Andy. 

(We see LITTLE BILL move his arm)

MUNNY
All I can tell you is who's going to be last.

 (He levels the rifle at BEAUCHAMP who quickly heads for the front door. MUNNY watches him go and then turns to the bar and finished his drink. Behind him LITTLE BILL has picked up his pistol and is raising it. MUNNY hears the pistol cock and turns quickly. Seeing LITTLE BILL he steps on  his gun arm forcing it to the ground. This causes the pistol to fire. At the same time he brings his rifle down and levels it point blank on LITTLE BILL's head. LITTLE BILL exhales slowly.)

LITTLE BILL
I don't deserve this. 
To die like this. 
I was building a house.

MUNNY
Deserve's got nothing to do with it.

LITTLE BILL
I'll see you in hell, William Munny.

MUNNY
(Cocks rifle) 
Yeah.

(MUNNY aims the rifle slowly and shoots LITTLE BILL. He quickly turns and heads towards the
door. Onn the way he passes CLYDE who is still alive and has begun to moan. Without breaking 
stride MUNNY shoots him. He opens one side of the door and kneels behind the closed side. He
 cocks his gun and begins to yell.)

MUNNY
All right, I'm coming out. Any man I see out there I'm gonna kill him. Any son of a bitch takes a shot at me, I'm not only going to kill him, I'm going to kill his wife and all his friends and burn his damn house down.
(He stands and walks cautiously out of the bar) 
Nobody better shoot.

 (He pauses and looks at NED one last time then walks on. Hiding behind a fence we see CHARLEY and another man.)

CITIZEN
Go ahead, Charley, shoot him. 

(Charley raises his rifle at MUNNY who is is walking to his horse but he is ultimately afraid to shoot.
 He hands the rifle to his companion who refuses the offer)

CHARLEY
Here! 

CITIZEN
Hell no! I ain't no deputy.

(BEAUCHAMP pushes his way between the two of them to get a better look at the departing MUNNY)

(MUNNY gets on his horse right away, for the first time, and turns to leave. BEAUCHAMP has come into the street and he is putting on his glasses. MUNNY rides to the front of the bar and then begins to yell.)

MUNNY
You better bury Ned right. 
You better not cut up nor otherwise harm no whores. 
(The women begin to come out to see him leave) 
Or I'll come back and kill every one of you son's of bitches.

(MUNNY rides fout of town past the growing crowd of people. We see DELILAH especially
 watching him leave with a look of combined love, respect, and fear on her face).

EXT NIGHT  --  WILLIAM MUNNY'S FARM

(We see the sillouett of MUNNY walking towards the grave of Claudia. The sun is setting. Over the scene crawls:)

Some years later, Mrs. Ansonia Feathers made the arduous journey to Hodgeman County
to visit the last resting place of her only daughter.

Willaim Munny has long since disappeared with the children.... some said to San Fransisco where it was rumored he prospered in dry goods.

And there was nothing on the marker to explain to Mrs. Feathers why her only daughter had
married a known thief and murderer, a man of notoriously viscious and intemperate disposition.

(Close on the MUNNY'S FARM. Same scene now minus any sign of inhabitance.)

THE END.

WRITTEN BY DAVID WEBB PEOPLES

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