( theme music playing )
Hello, boss.
Eddie.
Where's Trampas?
Trampas?
He was supposed to be mending that fence down by the creek.
Why, no...
Well, he... Let's have the truth, Eddie.
Well, he said he had some important business to take care of.
In town?
That's the way he was headed.
You don't mind doing the work of two men?
He helped me out before.
Yeah.
Getting it done, Billy?
Maybe we'll get 'em all done by tonight, boss.
Why "maybe"?
Matter of fact, we will get 'em done.
You're a little shorthanded, aren't you?
I hadn't noticed.
Where's Steve?
Steve? Steve. Steve.
He said he had an appointment.
Where?
Didn't come right out and say where.
He just allowed that it was very important.
Get the stamp on 'em, Billy.
You gotta finish tonight whether you're shorthanded or not.
( locomotive whistle blows )
( locomotive bell clanging )
Hello there, Molly.
Hello, Trampas.
What are you doing here?
Came to meet you.
Oh, that's sweet of you. I'm flattered.
( chuckles )
Shouldn't you be at work?
I'm way ahead in my work. How was your trip?
Oh, exciting. Terribly exciting.
We must never let ourselves just get buried out here.
'Course not. We have to keep in touch.
We sure do. I mean with the outside world.
Oh, we sure do.
There's so much going on out there. It's so stimulating.
We're living in tremendously exciting times.
We sure are.
I've got so much to write about.
Especially the war. Especially.
What war?
You-- you must be joking. No.
Well... remember the Maine?
No.
Don't tell me you don't know what the Maine stands for.
Well, the Maine's a state.
And don't you look down at me either, Molly.
Well, I'm not looking down on you, Trampas,
but I must say you're not very well informed.
Well, the Maine was a battleship. It was blown up.
Oh? By Spain. The Spaniards.
Oh. In Cuba.
Oh. Now we're engaged in a war.
Hey.
You know, that's a mighty pretty hat, Molly.
The last war I heard, it was one with Stonewall Jackson in it.
We're not starting up with that one again, are we?
No, we're not.
Well, I suppose it is good to be back.
It's sure good to have you back, Molly. Thank you.
I've got so much to do.
I've got to write a recruiting story.
Teddy Roosevelt's formed a group called the Rough Riders.
What for?
The war.
Oh! That again.
That again. It's about time you understood.
Would you tack this up for me over there?
Sure.
Molly!
Steve.
Sorry I missed your train.
Thank you. They're beautiful.
You didn't have to pick me up at the station. It was sweet, though.
Trampas was there.
You get those calves branded, cowboy?
You get that fence put up, groundhog?
Um...
you better get back to work, cowboy.
Molly and I got a lot to do here.
We're writing pieces about the war.
You've heard about the war, haven't you?
I heard tell of it, yes.
See there, Miss Molly?
Here's a man walking around not knowing anything
about what's going on out there.
Steve, you're, uh-- you're uninformed.
I always knew you were stupid.
What's the matter?
I was just wondering if it would improve either of you.
If what would improve us?
The uniform.
STEVE: Well, the only way we could get
a uniform like that, Molly, would be to--
A woman likes to see a man in a uniform, doesn't she?
Well, sometimes it does something for him.
Makes him romantic and stalwart.
( chuckles softly )
No, I guess not.
I guess you're both perfectly beautiful as you are--
dusty and patchy and...
totally unaware of what's going on out there.
No, I wouldn't have you change
for all the uniforms in all the wars in all the world.
Still and all, a fighting man
shouldn't sit around while there's a fighting war.
I mean, this is getting kind of--
Hello, Molly.
Hello.
Well?
Boss man.
We just... came down to meet Molly at the train.
It seemed the friendly thing to do.
We're going right back, though.
We just got talking about the war and all.
And how a uniform would look on a man if...
You thinking of joining up?
No, no. We were just talking about it.
What if we were...?
Fancy uniform. That's right.
And all the free drinks they pass out.
They do? Yeah.
Women falling down in the street when you walk by.
TRAMPAS: Yeah? Yeah? VIRGINIAN: Yeah!
I heard all about it.
A stampede of hands rushing down there to get in on it.
Now, you listen to me, you two. We're working men,
and our job's every bit as important as joining up with this army.
No matter what's going on down there at San Antone,
those so-called soldier boys have got to be fed.
That's our job.
It was the judge's orders this morning
to turn out the beef for the government,
and keep on turning it out.
Well, what about it?
Well, excuse me, Miss Molly,
I got to get to work.
All them steers have got to be stamped, Molly.
We know what our duty is--
keep them fighting men fed.
STEVE: It's our job.
Get outta here! 'Bye, boys.
Now, Molly, don't try with me.
But you'd look awful handsome in uniform.
I'll bet.
And don't put any more wild ideas in their heads.
Is it such a wild idea?
It is. In those heads, any idea at all is a complete disaster.
By the way, welcome home.
Ohh...
He what?
He did what?
He just... took off.
Where to?
All I know is, he's gone.
He took his pack and he's gone.
Where to?
He told Eddie he'd send you his address.
When?
All Eddie said was--
Forget Eddie. What did he tell you?
I didn't even see him.
I got in very late last night.
There was an awful lot of calves to be branded.
Go on.
Anyway, when I got back,
Eddie was here in the bunkhouse,
and he said Trampas came in, took his back,
said goodbye to everybody,
and just pointed his horse south.
South?
San Antone.
I don't know whatever made you say that.
He wants to be a hero in a uniform,
so he had to go join up.
He's a fool. He's about as much cut out to be a soldier as--
If you want to be a soldier, you gotta learn to take orders.
Can you imagine Trampas taking orders from anybody?
Go after him, Steve. Maybe you can catch up before he gets there.
Be glad to. Steve...
...you come back with him, will you?
Now, what'd you think I was gonna do?
San Antone?
Yes, sir.
"Jining" up?
You could say that.
If you was "jining" up, we could be friends.
We 'un is mighty friendly folks,
except to those we ain't friendly with at all.
Well, you can certainly count on me as a friend...
friend.
Where you heading?
San Antone!
Come on!
Well, let's get at it!
You see that rise out there yonder, boy?
It's a good-looking rise.
You know what's on the far side?
Another rise? San Antone!
You don't say!
That's where we "jine" up.
I guess that's exactly what my friend did.
You got a friend in the army, boy?
'Fraid so.
Then he be a friend of our'n too, 'cause we're gonna stick together.
Let's get at it, soldiers!
Yah-hey!
( whooping and hollering )
There she be!
Harry. Boy?
I never did like standing in line much.
Oh, now, boy, ain't much of a line,
and you can be first.
That's downright friendly of you, Harry.
Aim to. I like you, boy.
I'm gonna look out for you.
That's mighty nice of you, Harry,
but I was thinking, maybe first I ought to find my other friend,
make sure he "jined" up-- er, joined up.
That is, if you'll hold my place in line for me.
I'll hold it, boy,
'cause you and me, we're gonna "jine" up together.
Absolutely.
You.
Who, me? Army?
No, sir, positively not.
Right there.
I'm just looking for a buddy of mine-- Move!
Gentlemen, Colonel Roosevelt.
Gentlemen, at ease!
( laughing )
( Roosevelt laughs )
I've ridden with you on my ranch, the Little Missouri.
I've hunted with you.
I've driven trail herds with you.
I haven't met you all personally,
but I know the likes of you,
all of you.
I see men who, under other circumstances,
might be at one another's throats.
But now,
I see you've gathered in a single cause.
Gentlemen...
I see before me...
Americans!
Myself, gentlemen,
I've become a dude.
( men laughing )
I've brought some of my Eastern friends with me.
The first United States volunteer Calvary regiment,
now unofficially known as the Rough Riders,
will draw the majority of its men from your territory.
But there will be among you a unit of men
from the Eastern states,
men of the National Guard.
They are your officers.
They will try to make you soldiers.
This regiment, in its final form,
will number 1,000 men.
That means that only a fraction of the volunteers
will be selected to remain with the Rough Riders.
The others will be transferred to other units,
or, if they're found totally unsuitable,
they will be discharged.
The question is,
how many of you are soldiers?
Gentlemen,
I urge you right now,
look to your right.
Now, look to your left.
Within the next two weeks,
we will choose our Rough Riders.
Good luck to you, gentlemen!
( men cheering )
( cheering continues )
SOLDIER: All right, you men, move it out!
Let's go! On the double! Fall in!
Hey, Trampas!
Hey, Steve!
( officer calls cadence )
Face forward! Hard!
( officer calls cadence )
In line, soldier!
I said about face!
About face!
Well, I know what you said, mister, but what's that mean?
It means turn around.
It means just what I meant when I told you this morning.
It means turn around!
Then why don't you say "turn around"?
You're in the army, sonny!
That you don't have to tell me.
Quiet! Fall out!
You know where to go!
Same place I was this morning.
That's right, and pick up where you left off.
On the double!
Quick step! Hup-to! Hup-to! Hup-to!
Sorry.
( chuckles )
( muttering ) "About face."
"Turn around" would make more sense.
They'd give me a horse... ( mutters )
Hi, Steve boy.
Don't say anything smart, or I'll shove this thing right down your gullet.
What are you doing here, anyway?
Oh, the Virginian sent me down.
Wanted me to ask how it felt to be a fighting man.
Let me tell you something--
if this is the way they're gonna fight a war, we gotta lose!
Do you know what they did when I first got here...
...the very first thing they did? What?
They ordered me to give up my gun.
Well, what did you do that for? I don't know.
I wouldn't have done that. No?
No, I'd stand right up to 'em.
Soldier!
Sir! Capt-- er, Lieutenant, sir.
At ease, at ease.
I don't believe it.
Look what they did to you.
I take it, sir, that you are not a recruit.
You take it mighty absolutely right, mister.
Get him out of here. He's a friend of mine. He just came to visit.
That's an order, soldier.
What kind of a fool order is that?
A friend of mine comes to visit me, and you order me to kick him out?
Are you going to obey the order or not?
Obey it? Ha! He don't even accept it as an order!
That's right. Nobody's gonna tell me what to do about a friend of mine.
I'll tell you what. You want me out of here,
you put me out.
Sergeant!
What's, he going for help?
They always do. They've got to have help.
Sergeant, get this civilian out of here.
Now, you hold on there.
Insubordination, Sergeant.
I gave him an order, and he's disobeyed it.
And I don't have to accept any such order.
There is no order that says he's got to kick his friend out of here!
Get this civilian out of here, Sergeant.
If he resists, put him in the guardhouse and send for the sheriff.
With pleasure, sir.
You, out.
Hey, now.
Out of my way, soldier.
Atten-hut!
Soldier,
nowhere in this army is there a place for a man
who cannot obey orders!
You're absolutely mighty right, General.
There's no place-- no place in the army for this man.
( rattling sound )
How you comin'?
Pretty soon.
Pipsqueak lieutenant.
He couldn't order me around man to man.
He couldn't do that, could he?
What does he mean, "disobeying orders"?
Any order I approved of, I never disobeyed in my life.
That's a fact.
Might as well face it, Trampas,
the army is no place of a man like you,
just like the Virginian said.
One incident, and the man's only been in the service two days.
If I sign this, we lose what might be a good soldier.
A soldier?!
We'd lose an animal, and not a very bright animal at that.
Don't underestimate these Westerners.
If we're going to have any success with them,
we'll have to learn to understand them.
Either they learn to conform, or they suffer the consequences.
We don't have time to accommodate them.
The time, or the patience?
We've got a matter of days to pick a top group
out of a bunch of wild savages!
Overnight, we're supposed to produce wonder soldiers!
What are we?
Six weeks ago, you and I were sitting in classrooms
listening to lectures on anthropology and philology.
Why, I never aimed a loaded gun at a man in my life.
I never fought a man with anything but boxing gloves.
You take these Westerners.
They've lived with firearms and violence and the science of survival all their lives.
They just might turn out to be excellent soldiers-- if we can handle 'em.
( chuckles ) Larry, you don't seem to see this thing
as far ahead as I can,
as far down as to the end of the war.
This may be our main chance.
What chance?
Well, back at home, we were the National Guard.
"Social soldiers." Personal uniforms and all that.
It was kind of a game, wasn't it?
Some of it. But this is real.
The war is real. The opportunities here are real.
There's no end to where a man can go
who really works this war right.
Read the history books, Larry. Every war this country's ever had
has given this country its top men.
Start with the Southern farmer, George Washington.
Go right down the line-- Jackson, Taylor, Grant.
No one can say you're not setting your sights high enough.
Why not? Get the medals, get the field promotions.
You'll see there's no end to where a man can go!
Larry, sign the paper.
Get rid of this Western nonconformist.
Kick out any of them who won't get into line.
This may be our big chance.
Somebody's going to make it big out of this war, very big!
At ease, gentlemen.
Lieutenant, you have a rather loud and carrying voice.
Yes, sir.
In future, when exchanging confidences, I suggest you lower it.
Yes, sir.
Er, thank you, sir.
Who is this nonconformist Westerner
who seems the cause of so much concern?
Is that the report?
Yes, sir.
May I read it?
Lieutenant, may I remind you
that I promised your parents you would write home once a week.
I hope you'll not forget.
Yes, sir.
'Morning.
Uh, you can go, sir.
What about my buddy here? Doesn't he have some papers to sign or something?
There are no papers.
Well, he ought to have something to show that he didn't run away.
Soldier, I've been instructed to say that...
that, uh...
well, your officers here realize that the army
is a new experience for men such as yourself,
and we also realize that it will take you time to... to adjust.
Therefore it is our policy to overlook your first mistakes,
provided they're not repeated.
Sir, how many mistakes do we have to... overlook, sir?
I wish I knew, Sergeant.
Well, now, that's downright decent.
I thought you two fellows would hold a grudge,
but I can see you're good fellows!
Sir! Sir. Lieutenant, sir.
Oh, take over, Sergeant! Yes, sir.
Well, now, if that don't beat all.
You can drop the hand now.
Yes, sir.
Boy, have they got you hooked.
You'd better see your friend here gets off the post, soldier.
Yes, sir.
Wait a minute.
Now, you ain't gonna work it that way.
Don't argue with a gentleman, Steve.
Gentleman?!
You're the bad influence around here.
That boy would probably make a fine all-around soldier
if it weren't for no-accounts like you hanging around.
I don't mean to sound uppity, but I think I know what the gentleman means.
It takes a certain something to be a soldier,
and you... Yeah. It takes an idiot.
I wouldn't join your army if you made me a general.
You couldn't join it.
You couldn't be a private, let alone a general.
What do you mean, I couldn't join?
He means some got it and some ain't.
You're a troublemaker, boy.
The army doesn't want you.
Well, who do you think you are? The president?
You know, this is still a free country.
If I had a mind to, I could join today.
Then don't get a mind to, 'cause we don't want you.
You don't?
We don't. In this army, we don't want any...
any riffraff!
You hear what the gentleman called you, Steve?
Riffraff.
Riffraff!
He did what?
Well, it says, "Found Trampas.
"Almost got him out of army. Stop.
Except they got me in. Steve."
They got him in?
Well, that's what it says.
In the army?
That would seem to be the sense of it, yes.
He didn't have to join up, you know!
No, he didn't, but he did.
I told Steve when he left here!
I told him, we had a job that was just as important--!
I'll give 'em uniforms if that's what they want!
Oh, now, come on. Be honest.
I know Steve and Trampas are your friends,
but there are other hands.
Well, that's not the point!
Well, what is?
I'm not gonna have those--!
Look, I told the Judge, I promised him
I'd handle the drive with Steve and Trampas right beside me,
and that's exactly what I mean to do.
Oh. ( door opens )
Hi. MOLLY: Hi.
Well, are we ready?
Uh, did I break into an argument?
Oh, no, no. We were just discussing
the case of the indispensable man... or men.
The who?
It's just a question of getting Steve and Trampas back on the job, honey.
It's nothing serious.
Oh, in your mind, the fact they happen to be in the army
presents no serious problem?
None that I can think of.
Colonel Roosevelt will know my problem.
He knows he needs us here.
Betsy, when your father comes home Thursday,
tell him everything's under control.
I'll bring the boys back, and we'll handle the drive just like we planned it.
Can he really tell the army what to do?
( door closes )
Well, he can try.
All right, Sergeant, let the men rest.
Company, halt!
Fall out!
Don't put that rifle in the dust, soldier!
Oh, pain.
Ohh, pain!
Come on, feet. Everybody up. Come on.
What do they call this outfit, boy?
Rough Riders.
Rough Walkers, is more like it.
No one's seen a horse since they've been in this outfit.
What kind of cavalry do you call that?
A walking cavalry? Walk!
There's a purpose to it, soldier.
As you were, gentlemen, as you were.
We're trying to train you men to walk a given distance
at a calculated speed under a full pack as part of a team.
We're training you to use your legs.
That's what you figure on you were doing, huh?
It's entirely possible that in the jungle where you'll be fighting,
there are place where one cannot maneuver a horse.
Begging your pardon, Lieutenant, sir,
but there's no place on this earth
where I can't maneuver a horse.
Now, you give me a horse, and I'll really show you an about-face.
I'll even have him salute for you.
Looky there.
Gentlemen, there are troubled areas in this jungle where--
Not now, Lieutenant, sir. Here comes real trouble.
Who be that, boy?
That's our boss man.
Hello, Lieutenant.
What may I do for you, sir?
I'm on my way to see Colonel Roosevelt.
Well, you won't find him out here.
It's about these two men, sir.
These two men?
Yes. I want to get 'em out of the service.
Did you say that you wanted to get those two men out of the service?
That's right.
Well, let me say, sir, that my best wishes go with you,
and if you can get those two men out of the service,
you're a better man than I am.
Sergeant, take over! Yes, sir.
Let's go see the Captain.
The Colonel's not here right now,
but perhaps the Captain can help expedite matters....
He sure acts like a boss man.
He gonna be running the army now?
Personally, I'm afraid it's not possible, but if you want to,
you can put it up to the Colonel tomorrow yourself.
You can't ever tell just exactly what he will do.
No, you certainly can't.
I'd like to ask you something, if I may.
Sure.
Now, you're a foreman. You-- you handle these men.
Well, I try.
How?
Well, just work with them. Be their friend, that's all.
We don't do things like that in the army.
No, I don't know what it is,
but there is a block,
there's an enormous block between us.
It's not just your two;
no, it's every Westerner in the outfit.
They're pretty hard men to herd, I'll admit.
First off, they-- they've got to know
you're just as handy as they are.
Handy?
That you can handle yourself,
be as good as they can be,
and they're pretty good.
At what?
Most anything.
Fighting, which I expect is what you want.
Riding, shooting, you name it.
And what would you like us to do,
hold a demonstration of our skills for these gentlemen?
Uh, more coffee?
No, thanks.
See, personally, I don't think they're so good.
I think they're more of a brawling, contentious mob.
I wouldn't go so far as to say that,
but they certainly do lack discipline.
I don't know about their shooting,
but as to their riding, well, from what I've seen
every man west of the Mississippi
sits a horse like a sack of meal
and rides as if he'd rather be home in bed.
Done much riding yourself, Lieutenant?
Yes, I have.
You see, he's a four-goal man,
if that means anything to you.
What you're trying to say, sir,
is that you can ride better than we can.
Well, the kind of riding that I'm talking about
requires discipline, technique, and, uh...
( clears throat ) ...intelligence.
The Western style, if you'll forgive me, sir,
seems to require very little more than a hard rump.
I don't agree with that, sir.
I didn't expect that you would, no.
Say, uh, Drex, how would it be--
I mean, you and I have been wanting to get in a little practice--
how would it be if we had a little contest?
Rates off, just man to man.
Be interesting.
Are you talking about riding, sir?
Yes, polo.
That's horseback riding.
We generally do play polo on a horse.
I, uh, I thought of it just as a workout.
Way I was thinking of it too.
Tomorrow morning?
Sunup?
Captain,
you got yourself a deal.
Good.
Skoal, sir.
I don't think you do it that way, Harry.
I've never been so glad to see anything in my life than this little horse.
HARRY: You say them dudes think they can ride?
So they say.
I expect they can.
You understand the rules, gentlemen?
Mostly.
To balance things up a little,
we'll forget the nicer regulations of the game
and just stick to the fundamental idea.
You're sure you understand what that means.
Sure. You hit the ball through our goal,
and we hit it through yours.
Right. That's correct.
We'd like to give you a five-goal advantage to start off with.
No, thank you, sir.
As you wish.
We'll line up if you're ready.
Right.
Yo.
Yo?
We got our own advantage.
They only got four men.
I figure with you, Harry, we really got five.
I been thinkin', this'd make a mighty handy club.
Now, boys, we try it their way, agreed?
( whooping and hollering )
( general indistinct shouting )
( cheers and applause )
What happened?
They just made their first goal.
What are we doing back here?
I took a swing at it, then it was gone!
Now, this time, play one man, your opposite.
If he gets the ball, ride with him, get it away from him.
STEVE: Simple.
HARRY: Be simpler to bump 'em and ride 'em down.
No, we're meeting them on their terms. Just play your man.
Line up, gentlemen.
Come on, let's line up.
What's the matter with this thing, anyway?
( laughter and shouting )
( whooping and hollering )
( cheering )
TRAMPAS: I got it! I got it!
Hey, Steve, Virginian, Harry, this way!
VIRGINIAN: Get out of the way!
STEVE: Over here, Harry!
This way, Trampas, this way!
TRAMPAS: Yah-hoo!
TRAMPAS: Over here, Steve!
STEVE: The ball! Stop him!
Cut him off, Virginian, cut him off!
( laughter )
You all right, Steve? Yeah, I'm all right.
So...
what was the idea of that?
You deliberately ran him down! It's a perfectly legal move.
That's not a fair game, Drex.
They don't know the rules.
We're sure enough learning. Anything goes, right?
If that's the way you want it.
Well, good enough. Form your team.
Harry, come over here. I've got to talk to you.
All right. They can show us a few tricks, but we can show them a few.
Now you're talking.
Pick your man and keep him off that ball,
no matter what you have to do.
Just imagine they're the four lead steers in a stampede,
and you've got to turn 'em, one way or another.
HARRY: I got it! I got it!
MAN: Get out of the way, will you?
( whistle blowing )
( laughter )
( spectators cheer )
STEVE: Bring him in, Trampas!
Haul him along!
( spectators laughing )
( laughter )
TRAMPAS: Steve, cut him off!
( spectators cheer )
( spectators laughing )
( laughter ceases )
Well, that certainly isn't polo,
but it is fighting spirit. Bully!
Hey! Hey, not so tight.
Take it easy. It's not that tight.
All I can say is, that was a stampede and a half.
Sure was. Hey, where's Harry?
He's at the doctor's getting sewed up. He cut his head.
Are you the one that said those dudes couldn't ride?
Oh, at ease.
The Colonel will see you now,
if you're able.
I'm able.
( groans softly )
Sir! The Virginian.
Thank you.
I saw your melee this morning, young man.
Beg your pardon, sir?
On the field. Polo match, if you can call it that.
Oh, yes sir.
I understand that no one was seriously injured. No, sir.
That's extremely fortunate. Yes, sir.
What did you want to see me about? Well, sir, you see--
Sit down, sit down, young man.
Thank you.
I can tell you, young man, I like men of spirit,
and that's what I saw today, out there on that field-- fighting spirit.
That's what we're going to have in this outfit, or I'll know why.
Yes, sir.
That's why I like Westerners. Thank you, sir.
Men like yourself, and your other, uh... players.
Uh, yes sir.
And I am pleased-- I might say I'm proud-- to have them with us.
We need such men. Well, yes, sir. Thank you.
And may I say that I consider that high praise
coming from a man such as yourself.
But you see, sir-- well, that is--
Yes? Go on, don't hesitate.
Well, yes, sir. Two of those men, Trampas and Steve,
work for me at Shiloh Ranch.
That's up in Wyoming, at Medicine Bowl.
I'm the foreman. Foreman?
Yes, sir. Good. Excellent.
Well, yes, sir. Thank you.
You see, when I heard they had up and enlisted in your army,
I, uh, decided to come down here because--
Concern for your men. Typical reaction of a leader.
Well, I can tell you, young man,
that you need have no concern for those two.
No, sir. But, you see, the work back home,
that's getting out the beef.
That's important too. And I thought--
That is important, extremely important.
So I figured with all of these recruits around here,
and thousands more coming in every day...
I believe I can see your concern, young man.
As a leader, a natural-born leader,
you've had some misgivings.
Yes, sir, I have.
Wondering which job was more important,
where your place is exactly.
Well, no sir. Not exactly.
It's just--
I can answer your question, young man.
In fact, there is no question, no question about it at all.
A foreman, a leader, fighter,
a man of integrity and courage.
The Rough Riders is your natural home!
Beef? Leave that to the others,
and there are plenty of others.
But the fighting men are needed here, with us.
Men like those on that field today, men of spirit,
men who will go to war for their country.
Men who will risk their homes,
their jobs, and their families.
Men who will go on to win this war,
and we will win it, young man,
I can promise you.
You believe that?
Yes, sir, I certainly do believe you.
Bully!
He what?!
He did what?
It's true. He joined.
Daddy got the telegram this morning. It was a long one.
Well, what did your father say?
He didn't say anything,
until he had Eddie rush me out of the room.
You know, I--
I'd like to be with the boys in Cuba.
They say it's very beautiful country.
Tell me something.
Didn't they say this was a cavalry regiment?
That they did.
Then how come we're not horseback?
Guess they figured this wasn't exactly horse country.
Then why didn't they fix it up to fight this war in horse country?
When we meet up with the Spanish, you work it out with 'em.
Sergeant.
We'll hold up here a minute.
Yes, sir.
We should be getting close to that clearing by now.
By my calculations, I'd say about four miles.
That's my guess. They're waiting for us to hit that open plain.
With the Captain's approval, I'd like to take a scouting party up ahead.
I can move a little faster, and we could feel out that plain for you.
All right, Drex, go ahead.
Sergeant, take a detail of eight men.
Yes, sir.
You three... you two... Grant... you two.
Detail ready, sir.
All right, Sergeant, follow me.
All right, men, up here.
From here on in, it's open country to Santiago.
Our company has six miles of open plain to cross
before we can join up with Colonel Roosevelt.
The Captain has given us orders to scout that plain.
We'll cross in open formation,
skirting that hill to the northeast there.
All right, men, spread out.
More like it, huh?
That's what they must mean when they say "sunny Cuba."
( distant explosion )
Get down!
Move back! Move back!
Get back to cover!
( gunfire )
It's not more than a one-pounder from the sound of it.
( nearby explosion )
Well, maybe it's a two-pounder.
How we gonna spot the position of that cannon, sir?
They've got it screened.
Are the men well dispersed?
Yes, sir.
Good.
We're going to take that cannon, Sergeant.
We're going to rush that hill.
R-rush the hill?
That's right, Sergeant.
Pass the order down to the men.
We'll go on my signal.
Yes, sir.
We're gonna rush the hill.
We're going after the cannon. We're gonna rush the hill.
Wait for the Lieutenant's command.
When the Lieutenant gives the command, we're gonna rush the hill.
We're gonna what?!
That's an order, soldier.
We're gonna run up that hill with ten men?
Like the Sergeant said. Wait here.
Lieutenant, sir. What is it?
May I make a suggestion, sir? Go ahead, Corporal.
Brush is high out on that plain.
Why couldn't we crawl through and around that hill?
Because an entire company can't crawl around that hill.
Captain Langhorne and the company will be here soon.
That cannon must be destroyed.
Since we're here first,
we're going to take it upon ourselves to destroy it.
Yes, sir.
Go back to your position, Corporal.
Did he mean it?
Yeah, he meant it.
What is it the Sergeant's talking about?
When the Lieutenant gives the order, we charge up that hill.
Right into the cannon?
I don't mind walking, but I never did take to running.
I don't mind running, but I'd rather do it that way.
Sergeant.
Yeah?
I can take three men and sneak up that hill.
That grass is full of snipers. They'd spot you.
We've moved in grass before.
Those are trained soldiers. So are we.
That's our only chance to beat 'em.
Are you saying our only chance is a charge up that hill?
It was a direct charge that turned the tide
in the First Battle of Bull Run.
There were 3,000 men in that charge.
We've got ten.
We go when the Lieutenant signals, soldier.
The men are alerted, sir. Good, good.
Our first action, Sergeant.
Yes, sir.
Possibly the first action in this campaign.
It won't go unnoticed.
Hmm?
No, sir.
Forward!
Forward! Forward!
Fall in!
Forward! Let's go get 'em!
Yee-haw!
( nearby explosion )
Forward!
( gunfire )
Forward!
( bullet whizzes by )
Forward!
( gunfire continues )
Forward! ( gunshot )
Lieutenant!
Withdraw!
Withdraw! Withdraw!
( gunfire continues )
Go on back!
MAN: Take cover! Pull back! Pull back!
Give me your hand!
Oh, go on! It ain't nothing!
( gunfire continuing )
SERGEANT: Keep your eyes open. They may move in on us.
Right there.
( Lieutenant groans )
Sergeant.
Sergeant, you're in command now.
Don't fail me. No, sir.
Get the cannon. You get that cannon.
We'll leave him here with one man.
There's a doctor in Captain Langhorne's company.
Where do we go, Sergeant?
You heard his order. I did.
I also heard you give an order out on that plain to withdraw,
because you knew what we were doing was senseless.
I was given an order.
And you were taught never to disobey an order.
That's right. Sergeant...
All right, Corporal, speak your peace.
We didn't know much about soldiering
when we joined up with this outfit, but we learned.
Men who weren't used to following orders learned to take 'em.
What I'm trying to say is, we learned to respect your ways.
All I'm asking is that you learn to respect our ways.
Most of these men have fought in country just like this--
the prairies and the mountains.
We know how to handle ourselves in this kind of country.
Nobody's about to disobey any orders.
If you order us to go out there and charge again,
we'll go out there again, and we'll charge.
I think it might be a whole lot wiser
if you'd order us to take care of that cannon in our own way.
Corporal... Corporal...
Easy, sir. He's right.
What he says makes sense.
All right, Corporal, you take your men
and get that cannon in your own way.
LIEUTENANT: You can make that an order, Sergeant.
You heard the order. Go get that cannon.
Yes, sir.
Could I make one more suggestion?
Yes, Corporal.
That's a fairly big hill.
We might not have time to scour it all.
If we run out of time, do you suppose you could start something here
that might draw their fire?
Create a diversion, hmm?
Well, yes, sir, in a manner of speaking.
All right, Corporal. Go ahead.
Yes, sir.
Sergeant.
Sergeant, what's happening out there?
They should have reached the hill by now, sir.
They should be climbing it.
But the cannon...
how are they going to find the cannon?
I don't know, sir.
Snipers?
I got one.
I got two.
I ain't seen a living soul.
No sign of the cannon, huh?
Well, then, guess we just wait for Steve
and go back down the hill again.
It's on the hill somewhere, and we've got to find it.
It's the company, sir. Captain Langhorne.
What took you so long?
I saw one sniper, but no cannon.
We'll go down again.
What if we don't find it?
We come back up again and go down again,
till we do.
This kind of a war can wear a man out.
We'll spend all day running up and down this hill.
The Lieutenant's badly wounded, sir.
Doctor!
What happened here, Sergeant?
They have a gun emplacement on the hill. They stopped us.
We sent out a four-man party to get up the hill.
And? No sign from them yet, sir.
It's been suggested we create a diversion to help them locate the gun.
All right, Sergeant. Lead on.
Yes, sir.
Sergeant, go back and stay with the Lieutenant
and hold the rest of the company.
Yes, sir.
All right, men,
let's break and spread out!
Charge! Come on!
( gunfire )
TRAMPAS: Oh, no. It's Hamilton again.
No. Must be Langhorne and the company.
We didn't have a flag.
STEVE: What they doing?
He's trying to draw the cannon's fire.
Yo. Come on.
iFuego!
( groans )
Well, I'd say we've got two mighty good armies--
them and us.
Trampas, pick up my rifle and wait here for us.
Yo.
Stay ten paces apart, men.
Slowly. Hold your fire unless fired upon.
Hold it.
Cannon is secure, sir. Good work, Corporal.
I'm not sure we could have done it if you hadn't drawn their fire.
Not a bad plan, Corporal--
Western ingenuity and army tactics.
Why, with a combination like that,
the Rough Riders might just make something of a name for themselves.
Rough "Riders," sir?
Yeah, I know what you mean.
Town looks... town looks pretty good.
Hasn't changed too much.
What'd you expect in five months?
Well, at least they could have had a...
reception committee or something.
Come on.
That's worth winning the war.
Ha. I can hardly wait for Molly to write a story about me.
Good idea.
Be sure and tell her how you complained
walking up San Juan Hill, buddy.
I still say we should have had horses.
Hiya, Betsy! How ya been?
Hello, boys.
How's the ranch? How's the Judge?
Huh, Bets--?
We're back, Molly!
Hiya, Molly!
Oh, hello, boys.
Listen, I can't talk to you now.
I'm terribly busy. I've got to finish this story.
Matt is waiting for it.
There.
As a matter of fact, I'm glad you came by.
You might tell me what you think of it.
"Judge Garth, one of this county's leading citizens,
"wishes to make this public announcement:
"To all residents of Medicine Bow
"who might have heard the Judge berating
"a certain foreman and two ranch hands for running out on him,
"the Judge wishes to announce that all is forgiven.
"In fact, he's rented the town hall for a welcome home party,
and everyone is invited."
The Judge?
He what?
He did what?
Welcome home.
Ha ha ha! Molly!