"[Man Narrating] In 1877, a young man rode out of the West... and overnight his name became a household word." "He'd not discovered a continent or won a war." "He was not a great general, a great statesman... or a great scientist." "Yet even now, more than 60 years later... the legends which surround him are as vivid as they were then." "His name was William Frederick Cody... but to young and old, rich and poor... king and commoner..." " he's known as Buffalo Bill." " [Gunshot]" "This is the story ofhis life." "Hup, you jugheads..." "Hup!" "Hold that fire till you can make it count." "Hup!" "Hup!" "Your hides or my hair!" "[Gunfire Continues]" " You all right, darling?" " Yes, Father." "They ain't falling' off for nothin'." "[Gunshot]" "Doggone." "There they go." "I didn't even get a shot at 'em." "Good morning, folks." "Good..." "Are you all right, ma'am?" "Yes, I..." "I guess so." "I knowed it was you." "Ain't another rifle in the world with a bark like that Springfield of yours." "Oh, Miss Frederici, I want you to meet up with Buffalo Bill Cody... the best scout, the best shot, the best man on the plains." "How do you do?" "And thank you very much." "Cody's a buffalo hunter at the fort." "Senator Frederici." " Mr. Cody." " I guess I'd better go catch them mules." " I'll help the sergeant." " My daughter and I are grateful, sir." " You've saved our lives." " Anyone would figure himself lucky for the chance." "But not everyone would have acted so courageously." "She's right, Mr. Cody." "We need more men like you to exterminate these savages." "They must be wiped out, root and branch." "There's some white men that need wiping out." "I don't understand you, sir." "This is not a war arrow." "It's a hunting arrow." "There are no barbs." "A hunting arrow?" "How very considerate of them." "Are you implying that we were fair game?" "No, I mean that those were agency Indians, drunk on white man's whiskey." "I suppose that excuses them out here." "Well, the red man and whiskey don't mix." "[Man] I guess we'll have to ride the mules into the agency." "Senator, you and Mr. Carvel can double up on Fanny... and, Miss Frederici, you take Hyacinth." "If she cause you any trouble, you cuss her out and kick her in the slats." "I'll climb up here with Bill." "I..." "I'm afraid I'm not exactly dressed for kickin' and cussin'." "Perhaps it would be better if I went with Mr. Cody." "Uh, I guess you're right, miss." "Prepare to mount." "Mount!" "This is very kind of you, Mr. Cody." "I hope it's not too much for your horse." "Oh, no." "You're light to carry." "[Sergeant] You go ahead, Bill." "We'll come along." "We went down to Arizona" "For to fight the Injuns there" "Oh, the drums they rolled upon my soul" "And this is the way they go" "Forty miles a day on beans and hay" " And regular army oats" " Hiya, Chips." " I've been waiting for you." "Somebody wrote you a letter." " Who, me?" "That's right, my boy." "Who in the world would be writing to you?" "I don't know, but if you give me the letter, I'll find out." "You'll get yours in your proper turn." "The mail's delivered according to rank... and there's plenty ranker than you." "Do I have to wait for every noncom in the outfit?" "You'll wait for every noncom and every buck trooper too." "A civilian don't rate." "[Bell Ringing]" "[Children Shouting]" "Hi, Bill." "Hello, Eda." "Now, you run on home to your mama." "Bye-bye, Bill." "Welcome, Mr. Cody." " Welcome." " Won't you come in?" "We have a number of unexpected guests you must meet." "Maybe I better not stay, Miss Frederici." " I'm not dressed for this sort of a soiree." " Oh, nonsense." "In these buckskins, you're the handsomest man in the room." "By the Lord Harry, it's Nimrod the hunter... led captive by Aphrodite." "Gentlemen, Mr. Cody." "General Blazier, Mr. Vandervere... and Mr. Ned Buntline." "Mr. Cody, sir, we've heard of your indomitable heroism... in snatching Miss Frederici from death at the hand of the bloodthirsty savage." " Will you honor me by taking wine?" " Thank you, Mr..." " Buntline." " Buntline?" "Buntline, sir." "Special correspondent of the New York Herald." "I'm a man of pronounced temperance principles, Mr. Cody." "Founder of the National Association of Modern Abstainers." "But there are moments when principle must yield to the importance of occasion." "To your good health, sir." "How are you enjoying your trip, Mr. Buntline?" "You've seen a great deal of the world." "What do you think of the West?" "The most amazing source of inspiration I've ever encountered." "The wilderness, the torrent, the peak, the unending solitudes... where roams the Indian in all his ferocity, in all his nobility." "After seeing his ferocity, I'm a little skeptical about his nobility." "Indians are good people, if you leave 'em alone." "Nothing would suit me better than to leave them alone, all alone." "The last to arrive on the glorious battlefield of Shiloh..." " and the first to leave it!" " [Laughing]" " You'll never live that one down, General." " Never, ma'am." "I made this myself, Mr. Cody." "I hope you'll enjoy it." "It's a trifle." "Trifle?" "Oh, how stupid of me, Mr. Cody." "Do you mind?" " Thank you, Mr. Cody." " Thank you." "Well, gentlemen, I leave you to your port and politics." "Who are you?" "An Indian!" "What do you mean by breaking into my room and stealing my clothes?" "I didn't come here to steal." "Maybe you Indians have another word for it, but that's my dress you have on." "I tell you, I didn't come here to steal." "Perhaps you'll explain to me just what you're doing in my clothes." " I wanted to find out something." " Just what, may I ask?" "I wanted to find out if... if I could be as beautiful as a white girl... in a white girl's way." "Oh." "I see." "There's your answer." "You look beautiful." "I wish your Indian brave could see you now." "Indian!" "What is it?" "What did I say to offend you?" "Please, I..." "I'd rather you kept it." "It was becoming to you." "I don't believe you." "You don't want it because an Indian wore it!" "Indian!" " Senator, have I made myself clear?" " Perfectly." "You may count on my support when the issue comes before Congress." "Mr. Vandervere, why can't you build your railroad around the Cheyenne lands... instead of across them?" "Young man, that would delay construction for over a year... and double the cost." " Yes, Sergeant?" " We found him, sir." " We had a little trouble." " Bring him in." "A distinguished visitor, gentlemen." "Yellow Hand." "Son of ChiefTall Bull." "Excellent." "Let's have a look at him." "Do you think that we can get him to listen to reason?" "I doubt it." "I've gotten nothing out of any of them." " How, Yellow Hand." " How, Pahaska." "Tell him his people must move out of the Smoky Hill country within 30 days." "I understand your words." "I've been to white man's school." "We've hunted and fished together since we were so high." "Once you saved Yellow Hand's life." "When you do an Indian a favor, he never forgets it." "If you do him bad, he never forgets that either." "Very interesting." "Now, tell us, Yellow Hand..." "They give themselves amazing names." "Tell us why your people refuse to obey the order to move." "We must live where there is food and water and buffalo." "What has the buffalo got to do with it?" "Without the buffalo, the Indian would practically perish." "It's his main source of food." "In the winter, the hides protect them from freezing." "I see." "If you want something from the Indians... why don't you treat their chiefs the way you would the heads of any other nations?" "What do you mean?" "Yellow Hand is a prince, the son of a king." "Invite men like that to Washington." "Understand them, what they're up against." "Maybe they'll be able to understand you." "Savages loose in the East?" "The idea is preposterous." "But what a headline!" ""Redskin powwow at the Hotel Astor."" "If they won't talk sense here in their own backyard... what can you expect 3,000 miles away?" "Yellow Hand, do you want us to use force?" "My people do not want war... but we will fight if we must." "General, are you prepared to act?" " Yes." "I have my orders." " All right, Yellow Hand." "You've had your last warning." "Move..." "or be driven out." "Is the white man finished?" "How." "How." "Well, as a newspaperman..." "I have covered every kind of fight, riot and revolution, but never an Indian war." "Here's to something new." "You wouldn't talk like that, Mr. Buntline... if you ever saw the Cheyenne on the warpath." "There's nothing to be alarmed at." "I'll clean them out in a week." "[Chuckling]" "[Whooping]" "[Yelping, Whooping]" "[Narrator] The Cheyenne had no choice." "The tribes gathered and rode to war a thousand strong." "They struck the settlements and outposts like a whirlwind of destruction... killing, burning... spreading terror through the countryside." "General, there's a Cheyenne war party, about 500 braves, heading this way." " Where'd you make contact?" " Twenty miles from here, on the left bank of the Smoky." "Trumpeter, sound to arms!" "Come inside." "[Sounding "Call To Arms"]" "Go swiftly to my brother Yellow Hand." "Tell him there's an old man here at the agency... a medicine man great in the council of the whites." "You understand, Crow Feather?" "Tell my brother that if this man is taken hostage... it will make it easier for the Cheyenne to make a good peace." "Hmm." "Three days' rations and forage, 120 rounds per man." " The column will move in 30 minutes." " Very good, sir." " You don't mean you're going to meet them out in the open?" " Certainly I am." "Doesn't sound like a very good idea to me." "Cheyenne are a shifty lot." "I'll attend to the strategy, Cody." "My strategy is the attack, now and any other time." "It's ignominious!" "A miserable mule casts a shoe, and I, who have been in the very forefront of battle... miss a chance to ride in Blazier's column." "Maybe you're not missing anything by being left behind." "Hmm, I guess not." "Don't you think the Cheyenne will give Brazier a battle?" "If they do, it won't be where he's looking for it." "You know the Indian, Cody, don't you?" "Nobody knows the Indian." "I've had to fight 'em since I was 14." "Pony Express, stage driving, scouting." " Indians never do what you expect." " [Whooping]" " What's that?" " The Indians." " Blazier's not between them and the settlement anymore." " Where are you going?" "To the agency." "[Grunting]" " You all right, ma'am?" " Those horrible savages took my father." "They'll torture him to death, those noble friends of yours." " Well, do something!" "Why don't you go after them?" " Nothing we can do now." " How many were there?" " Don't know." "It was a war party." "They swarmed all over us." "I can't track them in the dark." "Even if I could, there are too many of them." " But we must do something." " All we can do is hope for the best." "If they didn't kill all three of you outright, it means they wanted the senator as a hostage." "By the Lord Harry, that's it!" "To get better peace terms." "Savages, brutes, fiends!" "Why did I ever come to this nightmare of a country?" "How." " [Drums] - [Women Shouting]" "[Angry Shouting]" "[Speaking Cheyenne]" "[Shouts In Cheyenne]" "Yellow Hand." "They made you war chief in a nation of women." "Your squaws can't make me run." "Get down from your horse and see if you can." "Don't be afraid." "My hands are tied." " [Shouts In Cheyenne]" " Let them alone." "They've got more grit than your braves." "I came in peace because I thought the Cheyenne were men." " They're squaws." " Such words have no place between warriors, long hair." "Thanks, Yellow Hand." "It's more comfortable." "[Speaking Cheyenne]" "[Cheyenne]" "[Cheyenne Continues]" "It is the word of my father..." "the Cheyenne will make peace... if the land between the two rivers is left to us." "If the white man will hear the word of my father... let them come to powwow at Council Grove." "If they will not hear his word, let them come armed for war." "My father has spoken." " I will carry his word." " Then go, Pahaska." "I'm not going without the white man you took from the agency." "The white man is a hostage." "[Speaking Cheyenne]" "[Cheyenne]" "My father says his price will be told at the powwow." "Tell your father his price was paid when I saved your life." "A debt is a debt, Yellow Hand." "[Cheyenne]" "[Cheyenne]" "A debt is a debt." "The white man will return with you." "Thanks, Yellow Hand." "You've acted like a friend." "Now there is no debt... and no friendship between us." "If we meet in battle, there's a brave of the Cheyenne... who will take the scalp of Pahaska and hang it to his lodgepole." "It may be easier to hang it than to take it, Yellow Hand." "Mr. Carvel!" "Mr. Carvel!" "Buffalo Bill is here!" "Father!" "You better get the senator to bed." "He's worn out." " We'll help him." " Take my arm, Senator." "Thank you." "I wish there was some way of saying what I feel... or some way of repaying you for what you've done." "Maybe there is, Miss Louisa." "Me and Powderface would like to show you some of our country before you go away." "I would love you to." "We'd like you to know what there is about it... that gets under a man's skin." "I'd like to." ""Representative of the United States of America and of the Cheyenne nation... signed below as a solemn pledge of faith and agreement."" " Do you agree?" " [Speaking Cheyenne]" "I sign." "[Sputters]" "I hate to see you go, Ned." "Now that the fighting's over, what'll you be writing about next?" "I was thinking of turning my pen to the realm of romance." "A novel about the West founded on my own adventures." "I'd sure like to read that." "You know, Bill, I was even considering including some of your exploits." "But no, you'd never do for a hero of romantic fiction." "Guess you're right about that." "You look like a hero, act like a hero, you even rescue the heroine... but you don't marry her." "But I'm going to." "[Gulps] What?" " You mean Miss Louisa?" " I sure do." " You've asked her?" " Well, no, not yet." "Oh." " [Knocking On Door]" " Come in." "Oh, Mr. Buntline." "Are you ready, Bill?" "Just about, I should say, ma'am." "[Nervous Chuckle]" " You're fond of me, Powderface, aren't you?" " Any horse would be, ma'am." "You're light to carry and you sit quiet." "That's what you said the first time we met." "You're repeating yourself." "Powderface is a horse of sound judgment, ma'am." "His sentiment's all right with me." "Anybody he's fond of, I'm fond of." "[Whistling]" "That's a lovely blanket, Bill." "Yeah, that's a Cheyenne courting blanket." "A courting blanket?" "Yeah." "A Cheyenne girl wears that, it means she's out for some brave." "How does she wear it?" "Like this." "Oh." "This way, Bill?" "No, the left side..." "Over the heart first." "Like this?" "Then what does the brave do?" "Well, he... he doesn't even open his mouth." "He just hangs around all day... and makes faces like this." "That sounds like a very dull courtship." "If he doesn't speak, how does he propose?" "Well, he, uh... he plays his own call on a courting flute." "Like this." "[Slow Melody]" "What does the girl do if she wants to accept him?" "Well, she opens the left side of the blanket and takes him into it." "[Resumes]" " Like this, Bill?" " [Discordant Note]" "[Narrator] And so the lady from the East... became the bride of the man from the West." "He built her a cabin in a valley not far from the fort... and they settled down to a frontier life." "Hi, folks!" " Hey, Chips!" " Whoa!" "Hey!" "Ho!" "Look what I fetched you, Mrs. Cody!" " Father!" " Louisa!" " Why didn't you let us know you were coming?" " Didn't you get my letter?" " No." " If it's a letter you want, I got one here for you." "Why, that's it." "That's my letter telling you I was coming." " I mailed it a week before I left." " That's nothin'." "Private Mulligan didn't get the letter with his reprieve till 10 days after they hung him." "Come to think about it, he never did get it." " Hey, Bill, would you get the senator's bags?" " All right." "Come on, boy." "It doesn't look as if you young people have been living in luxury for the past two years." " That's being changed though, right away." " What do you mean?" "Vandervere's starting a new industry here, a tremendous affair." " An industry here?" " Yes, my boy." "A craze for buffalo robes has swept the East." "People will pay anything for them." "Vandervere's formed a corporation." "I'm on the board myself." "And you, Bill, are going to direct the field operations." " Field operations?" " Yes." "Hire every hunting outfit available." "We want all the hides you can get and more." "[Narrator] Vandervere's new industry... grew to amazing proportions almost overnight." "The craze for buffalo robes swept the East." "They brought big prices." "Buffalo hunting became an organized business... and degenerated into a wholesale slaughter." "For a time it became the sport of the world... bringing sportsmen from every land... and in a single month, 5,000 head were slaughtered." "[Men Singing Western Folk Song]" "[Continue]" " How, Pahaska!" " How yourself." " Sit down, Ned." " No, thank you." "A slight saddle concussion makes standing more agreeable." "How does the grand duke like buffalo hunting?" "Thinks it's the greatest sport he's ever seen." "Nothing like it in Russia." "He wants you to come over and join him in postprandial potations." "What's that?" "Firewater." "Afraid he'll have to excuse me tonight." "I'm tired." "Ned, I've been looking at these papers you sent over." "They've got me worried." "How so, my doting Nimrod?" "Bill's been wondering about the large scale this buffalo hunting has been assuming." "It seems to be going on everywhere." "This started out as a business." "Now they're shooting 'em out of train windows for sport." " There's a limit to even the buffalo." " Limit?" "Oh, yes, my boy." "I suppose there is a limit to the sands of the seashore... but who's going to count them?" "Hmm." "Maybe you're right, Ned, but it worries me." "What worries me is whether the grand duke... is overstepping the bounds of moderation." " I'll carry your apologies." " Thanks, Ned." "Good night, Mrs. Cody." "Good night." "Bill, why didn't you join the grand duke?" "It's not very often you're going to get a chance to hobnob with royalty." "I like my present company better." "I was afraid when I brought you here, but now I'm glad." "You've been happy." "Bill, at this moment..." "I'm happier than I've ever been before." "I'm happy too." "And tired." "Nothing in the world could move me right now." " I wonder." " No, sirree." "Not even the grand duke himself could budge me tonight." "Suppose it was someone much more important than the grand duke." "[Chuckling] Who could that be?" "[No Audible Dialogue]" "No!" "Yes." "Oh, Bill, what are you doing?" " What are you doing, Bill?" " You lie perfectly still, darling." "I'll pack up." " Pack up?" " Yes, I've got to get you to the doctor at the fort." "Oh, Bill, not yet." "[Speaks Cheyenne]" "[Both Speaking Cheyenne]" "Men of the nations... there's a black cloud coming from the east... to cover us all." "We, the Cheyenne, have called our brothers of the Sioux... so we can hear their words about this thing." "Yesterday, the buffalo was many... as the blades of grass upon the prairie." "Today... the buffalo is few... as the leaves of the oak tree in winter." "The white man has done this thing... so the red man will starve." "When the buffalo is gone, we starve." "We have no meat to eat... no hides to make teepees... no robes to make beds." "Brothers, it's not good for man to hear... his woman and children crying." "[Murmuring Agreement]" "It's a bad thing for a man to starve." "There are better ways to die." "[Murmuring Agreement]" "The word of the Cheyenne is the word of the Sioux." "Let both people be bound by the belts of the war chiefs." "It is the belt of Yellow Hand, war chief of the Cheyenne." "It is the belt of Crazy Horse, war chief of the Sioux." "The Sioux and the Cheyenne will strike together." "The Sioux must strike first." "But why the Sioux?" "The Cheyenne are ready." "In the land of the Cheyenne are many white soldiers." "In our land are few." "My brother is wise in war." "Children." "I..." "I'm called away." "I must go back to my people." "Go to your homes." "There will be no more school." "Do as I say." "Go to your homes." "Leave!" "Do you have to drive so slowly, Bill?" "I'm not taking any chances." "I'll get you to the doctor." "Don't you worry, sweetheart." " Tabac." "Tabac." " Tobacco, Grandmother?" "There you are." " What's she doing here all alone?" " She's just old." "When Indians get too old to travel, they're left behind... with a little food and fuel." " To die?" " Yeah." "That's terrible." "Can't we do something for her?" "It's the way of her people." "There's nothing we can do." "Here am I, going to bring a new life into the world... and leaving an old woman behind to die." "That's nature's way, Louisa." "When anything becomes too old to be useful, it's just pushed aside." "But it shouldn't be." "That's why we have civilization." "Yah!" "Oh!" "Bill!" "Whoa." "[Speaking Cheyenne]" "[Baby Crying]" "Yeehaw!" "[Crying Continues]" "Louisa." "Darling." "Bill." "Is it a boy?" " It's a boy." " Is he perfect?" " [Crying Resumes]" " Listen to him." "Give him to me." "[Speaking Cheyenne]" "You all right?" "I'm gonna name him after the greatest scout that ever lived..." "Kit Carson." "Kit Carson Cody." "It's a lovely name." "Bill, couldn't we take him east?" "East?" "What would we be doing in the East?" "I want him to be safe... to have care, doctors, schools... all the advantages of civilization." "Well, he'll have care, and he won't need any doctor." "He got here without one." "Schools..." "We'll think of that when the time comes." "It would be nice to go east though." "But it doesn't matter where we are, Bill... as long as we're together... the three of us." "[Chanting, Whooping]" "[Shouting In Cheyenne]" "[Officer] Platoon, count fours!" "[Soldiers Counting Off]" " Count fours!" " Cody." "[Soldiers Continue Counting Off]" "Cody, this is providential." "I need you." " We're moving out." " Moving?" "Where?" "Man, haven't you heard?" "The Sioux have overrun the north, beaten Crook and wiped out Custer." " Wiped out Custer?" " And the Seventh Cavalry." "Every last man." "We're joining Crook on the North Platte." "You're the only guide here who knows that country." " Well, Cody?" " [Kit Crying]" "You see how it is, General." "Yes." "But you know what this disaster means." "You're a civilian." "I can't order you to do anything... but I can leave it to your conscience." "We move in two minutes, Cody... with or without you." "[Man] Head out!" " [Louisa] Bill!" " Prepare to mount!" "[Bugle Sounding "Mount'"]" "Mount!" " Bill, you can't go." " I don't want to go." " But you're going." " [Man] Mount up!" " Forward!" " [Bugle Sounding "Rally'"]" "Bill, you can't go." "You don't have to go." "The general said he couldn't order you to." "Bill, you can't leave us." "Nothing matters so long as we're together, the three of us." "Bill, I loved you." "I could endure anything as long as you were with me." "You wanted a son, and I bore him for you, like a squaw." "But he's mine as much as yours." "If you leave now, it's... it's forever." "I'll take him back East with me... to civilization, to safety." "[Sobs]" "I think we're making a big mistake, General." "Our main problem is to keep the Cheyenne from joining forces with the Sioux." "You're way off, Cody." "The Cheyenne haven't risen." "They will." "They're blood brothers with the Sioux." "Our best move is to keep 'em bottled up in their own country by taking War Bonnet Gorge." " That's miles off our path." " Whoever holds the gorge holds the whip hand." "But it's completely out of our terrain." "We won't have any terrain if the Cheyenne join the Sioux." "Orders are orders, Cody." "Yours are to guide us to the North Platte by the quickest way." "All right, sir." "By the quickest way." "Hey, Chips!" " We're changing direction here." " I thought the North Platte would be that way." "This is a short cut." "The old man wants to go by the quickest way." "Trooper Smith, fall out and tell "A" Troop to change their direction." "Clancy, wake up!" "You fall asleep again, I'll trample the stripes out of you!" "Holy smokes, Bill Cody!" "Them's Cheyenne." "Where are we?" "War Bonnet Gorge." "We've got to hold it till the column gets here." "Clancy, here's that dollar I owe you." "Come on, boys!" "Where's old Blazier anyway?" "I never thought I'd live to see the day when I'd be praying for the sight of his ugly mug." "Save your breath and keep firing." "The old man won't save any breath on you... when he finds out what you got us into." "[Distant Gunshots]" " Sounds like the point's engaged, General." " Sound the gallop!" "[Sounding "Rally"]" "Cody, is this War Bonnet Gorge?" "That's what they call it." "I guess I lost my way." "Lost your way?" "Nothing of the sort." "Deliberate disobedience of orders." "I'll have you shot... hung for this." "Shooting's too good for you." "There they are, forming to charge." "If 16 men can't hold them till the troops get here, we're scuppered, thanks to you." "What's that madman doing, making medicine?" "Wait." "That's Yellow Hand." "Don't shoot!" "You fool, what do you think you're going to do?" "Save you five minutes so the troops can get here." "Though I am dead, the grass will grow... the sun will shine, the stream will flow." "Though I am dead, the grass will grow... the sun will shine, the stream will flow." "Yellow Hand!" "Pahaska!" "Turn back, Yellow Hand!" "Take your people back to their own country." "The Cheyenne have no part in this war." "The Cheyenne have part in this war." "The white men have fallen before the Sioux." "Now they will fall before the Cheyenne!" "There is no need for war." "Let us speak fair words in council." "There are no fair words in the mouth of a white man." "This time it is the lances of the Cheyenne that will speak!" " And now!" " Why do you turn away, Yellow Hand?" "You said a brave of the Cheyenne would hang my scalp on his lodgepole!" "I don't see him, Yellow Hand." "Where is he?" "In the lodges of your women?" "Ah, Pahaska!" "Here he is!" "[Ferocious Yell, Whooping]" " [War Cry] - [War Cry]" "[Indian Yelling War Cry]" "[All Yelling]" "[Gunshots]" "[Gunshots Continue]" "[Sounding "Charge"]" "[Bugle Sounding "Charge'"]" "[Bugle Sounding "To Horse'"]" "[Bugle Sounding "Taps'"]" " ["Taps'"Continues] - [Horse Nickering]" "A friend of yours, Bill?" "They were all friends of mine." " [People Chattering] - [Man] Hup!" "Hup!" "Hup!" "Hup!" "Detachment, halt!" "Hiya, Chips." "Anything for me?" "If there is, you'll get it in the order of your rank... and I'm thinkin' it won't be soon... what with six months' mail to be sorted." "Supposin' I find it myself?" "If you find it, you can keep it." "But you'll get no delivery from me... except in the proper military manner." " And you know what that means." " Yeah." "Went out into Wyomin' for to fight the Injuns there" " Here's one." " Yeah?" "It from your wife?" "No." "It's from the president of the United States." " He wants me to come east." " I told you, Bill Cody, you'd get in trouble... for leading' them troops the wrong way." " Is it to get a court-martial?" " No." " It's to get a medal." " A medal, you say?" "Yeah, for the battle at War Bonnet Gorge." "Hey, I was in that too." "Maybe there'll be one for me." "Here it is." "It's the same envelope." ""Private Chips McGraw, Fifth U.S. Cavalry, Department of Missouri."" "Say, what's the matter with the president addressing' me as Private Chips McGraw?" "Oh, of course, the man's only been on the job a short time." ""In conformance with Army Regulations 248... and a half..." ""Private Chips McGraw, having completed 20 years' enlistment..." ""is hereby retired from active service in the U.S. Army..." ""by order of the secretary, Philip Sheridan..." "Second Lieutenant and Adjutant."" "The president's loco calling me a private and Phil Sheridan a shavetail." "How'd the man get his job?" "What's the date on that letter?" " "April 3, 1846."" " Oh, that's 30 years ago!" "Well, here's some more." ""First endorsement." ""The above order having been temporarily misfiled..." ""and in view of possible inconvenience incurred..." ""by the delay in its transmission..." ""Private McGraw is authorized to proceed for permanent residence..." ""to the Old Soldiers' Home in Skittleboro, New York." "Signed, Philip Sheridan, Lieutenant General Commander, U.S.A."" " Me that's been praying for a letter for 50 years..." " [Bugle Sounding "Assembly'"]" "this is what I get." "Tough luck, Chips." "We'll go east together anyhow." "In the prime of my life... me that's just whipped the Cheyenne... and could do it again with one hand... going to the Old Soldiers' Home." " I got more lead in my carcass..." " [Bugle Sounds "Retreat'"]" "than that shave-tail Phil Sheridan has got gold braid." "["Retreat'"Continues]" ""Retreat," is it?" "Retreat to the Old Soldiers' Home." "Chips!" "[Resumes]" "[Whistle Blowing]" "[Whistle Blowing]" "A proud man you ought to be, Bill Cody, goin' to see the president." "Yeah." "I wanna see my boy too." "Yeah." "Who's to blame you for that?" "One of these days, he might be president..." "or even an officer." "He was only three days old when I left." "I wonder if he'll remember me." "Were his eyes open yet?" "Yeah." "They were blue." "Then he'll know you all right." "I hope Ned Buntline meets me in Washington." "It's kinda lonesome in a strange country." "Nobody in the East ever heard my name." "[Train Rolling]" " Hey, Bill, let's go get me some tobacco." " All right, Chips." "[Chattering]" "Hey, Bill!" "Bill, come here." "They're about you, Bill." "Ned Buntline's put you in the books." " Who, me?" " Sure." "That's your picture there." " Right out in front." " Anything I can do for you gentlemen?" "Holy mackerel!" "It is!" "Hey, Joe!" "Mary!" "Lizzie!" "Buffalo Bill's out here!" "Come on!" " There's Buffalo Bill!" " Come on, Chips." "Hey, folks!" "Hey, folks!" "Here's Buffalo Bill!" "[People Clamoring]" "[Clamoring]" "[Pounding On Boxcar]" "I thought nobody in the East ever heard your name." "[Whistle Blowing]" "[Narrator] Like a spearhead, the word raced ahead of the train." ""Buffalo Bill is coming. '"" "Men young and old, in the cities and on the farms..." "looked up from their humdrum jobs... and saw the shining face of adventure... in the young hunter and Indian scout from the Far West." "They knew and loved his story." "And as he passed by, for one brief moment... they seemed to share in all ofhis daring exploits... adventures they themselves could never have." "I sure hated to say good-bye to poor old Chips." "I'll have him back with me if I'm ever fixed to do it." " [Knocking]" " Come in." "I..." "I..." "I've got the horse stabled all right, sir." "He's well taken care of." "The White House carriage is out in front." "Good, my wing-footed Hermes." "Here's a dollar." "If it's the same to you, I'd..." "I'd rather shake hands with Mr. Buffalo Bill." "That's the first time any handshake of mine was ever worth a dollar." " Thank you, sonny." " Thank you, sir." " [Chuckles]" " Let's get this foofaraw over with." " I wanna see my son." " You'll see him... just as soon as the president has decorated you with the Congressional Medal." "Let the new prince of the plains cut his teeth on it." "What's all that stuff you're reading?" "Requests for interviews, invitations." "The whole East is clamoring to see the hero of War Bonnet Gorge." "Our old friend, Vandervere, is arranging a banquet for you in New York." "Yes, sir." "It's a big..." "Here!" "But the president..." "[Loud Knocking]" " Where's my son?" " He's upstairs, sir." "No!" "[Crying]" "[Continues Crying]" " What killed my son?" " [Gasps] Bill." "Diphtheria." " What's that?" " It's a germ." "Where does it come from?" "From water systems, from sewage." "It's a crowd disease... a disease of civilization." "Civilization." "[Cries]" "[Sobbing]" "[Crying] Bill." "The West wasn't good enough for him." "If you'd left him where he belonged, he'd be alive today." "[Sobbing] Oh, Bill!" "[Sobbing]" "The president knows why you didn't show up, Bill." "His deepest personal sympathy goes with that medal." "So that's what they give you for killing Indians..." "Indians that can live against nature... and feed and clothe themselves with nothing but their bare hands." "Don't you think we ought to leave?" "And who gives it to you?" "They're pot-bellied, civilized citizens who couldn't walk a mile with an Indian." " They give you medals." " Try to control yourself." "People are listening." "Let 'em listen!" "Anybody who could hold his own against Indians doesn't have to shut up for these people." "Any 10-year-old kid who was born and raised like an Indian... could whip the daylights outta them." "Any kid." "Any kid." "Come on, partner." "[Applauding]" "Civilization, Mr. President, creates its own forces." "And if I have been one of them..." "I have no apologies to offer and no regrets." "My ambition to see civilization move westward on tracks of steel... has been severely criticized by certain elements of the press... and even on the floor of Congress." "On the other hand, there are those... better qualified to express an opinion... who believe, like General Sherman... that the only good Indian is a dead Indian." "We have here tonight a guest... who knows more about the frontier than any man living... and who, if we hold with General Sherman... has made more good Indians than any other man in the West." "Mr. President... ladies and gentlemen, Buffalo Bill." "[Enthusiastic Applause]" "Read it slowly." "Don't get nervous." "Mr. President... ladies and gentlemen." "I was afraid I was gonna make a fool of myself in front of you tonight... but that would have been all right." "Because a man can make a fool of himself when he's off his own stamping ground." "But when a man makes a fool of himself on his own stamping ground... there's no excuse for him." "I don't hold with General Sherman... that a good Indian is a dead Indian." "From what I've seen, the Indian is a free-born American... who'll fight for his folks, for his land and for his living... just like any other American." " [Mild Applause]" " HolyJupiter!" "This is dynamite." "If you knew the Indians... if you could see them for yourselves... how they live against nature with nothing but their bare hands... you'd never force them to break treaties to keep from starving." "But the trouble is you Easterners don't know what you're doing... and that's why we Westerners and the Indians have had to suffer." "There's only one Indian you know or that you ever thought about." "And here he is, Mr. Vandervere." "The Indian on your pennies." "Man, do you realize what you're up against?" "Do you think Vandervere's gonna let a hayseed like you ride out of the West... and get away with a thing like this?" "You're crazy." " I tell you there's nothing Vandervere won't do." " What can he do to me?" " I don't know, but it'll be plenty." " Uh-huh." "Look, Bill, I like you." "I built you up, and I don't want to see him tear you down." "I'll take care of myself." "All right." "If you insist on being a martyr, good luck to you, Bill." "I'm off to Mexico." "But I'm warning you..." "Vandervere will stop at nothing." "Buffalo Bill is all right..." "a good hunter, a good Indian scout." "But to give him all the credit for our victory at War Bonnet Gorge... well, that's going a little too far." " [Honky-tonk Piano]" " I tell ya, Buffalo Bill's a fraud." "I was at War Bonnet Gorge myself." "He didn't have any more to do with killin' Yellow Hand than I did." " [Barker Shouting, Indistinct] - [Gunshot, Faint]" " [Gunshots Continue] - [Hurdy-gurdy]" " [Barker Continues] - [People Chattering]" "[Barker] Have you met Galeema, Princess Galeema... from faraway Persia?" "She escaped from the harem of the sultan at the risk of her life." "Inside, she dances." "She moves every muscle from her neck to her ankles without moving her feet." "[Continues, Indistinct]" "[Man] Try your eye, mister." "A dime will get you a dollar." "What's the matter?" "Ain't you got no sporting' blood in you?" "Maybe." "Haven't you?" "Sure." "I haven't got a dime, but I'll gamble this against your dollar." "What's that?" "Judas!" "Hey, Muldoon!" "Come here." "Will you look what this hobo wants to sell for a dime?" "Holy Saint Patrick." "The Congressional Medal." " Where did the likes of you get this?" " A place called War Bonnet Gorge." "War Bonnet Gorge." "Well, well." "Think of that now." "Well, I'm takin' you to a place called the station house." "What for?" "It's my medal." "I'm Buffalo Bill Cody." "And I'm Jenny Lind." "Will you take a walk with me, or must I sing you a lullaby with me nightstick?" "I am Buffalo Bill Cody." "You know, if I was pretending' to be someone, I wouldn't be that faker." "[Gunshots]" " [Man Whistles] - [Gunshots Continue]" " [Boys Exclaiming] - [Crowd Chattering]" " Set 'em up again." " That's some shootin', mister!" "I wouldn't have missed it for a dollar." "[Rapid-fire Gunshots]" " Whoo!" " [Man] Wow!" "Pleased to meet ya, Mr. Cody." "'Tis the king of Siam you are if you're sayin' so. [Chuckling]" "I guess the laugh's on me, Mr. Buffalo." "Here's your medal." "Oh, thanks." "How about the dollar?" " I'd like to eat." " On the level?" "Yeah." "Say, maybe you and me can do a little business." "Louisa, you can't go on torturing yourself like this." "He's gone." "Make a new life for yourself." " Divorce him." " No." "I can't stand seeing you suffer, my dear." "Why don't you go to him?" "That's really what you'd like to do." "Forget your pride." "He's worth it." "I wish I'd had the courage to stand up to Vandervere... when I'd found I'd been deceived." "Do you know where he is now?" "No." "How he's earning his living?" "No." "He's posing at the Wonderland Museum in New York... on a wooden horse." "No!" " [Hurdy-gurdy]" " Step up, ladies and gentlemen!" "Step up for a moral and educational exhibition of marksmanship... by the King of the Plains... killer of Cheyenne war chief, that human tiger, Yellow Hand..." " [Chattering] - and hero... hero of War Bonnet Gorge." "Introducing Buffalo Bill!" "[Whooping]" "[Cody] Yeehaw!" " [Man] Don't let 'im throw ya!" " [Crowd Jeering]" "[Sound Of Hoofbeats]" "[Crowd Booing, Jeering]" "Aw, he never saw an Indian in his life!" "Hero of the plains!" "Boo!" "Just a minute!" "Just a minute!" "Please!" "Please!" "The management is aware of a difference of opinion as to Mr. Cody's exploits." "Be that as it may, ladies and gentlemen... in order to prove that he is well-able to do... anything he claims to have done... the management makes this standing offer at each and every exhibition." "It will give the sum of $1,000 in gold... should Mr. Cody fail to shoot a silver dollar... from between the fingers of any man, woman or child... who will volunteer to hold the same." " Why don't you hold it yourself, mister?" " [Crowd Laughing]" "Because it is an unfortunate weakness of human nature... to distrust a man of my profession." "Ladies and gentlemen, you would think it was a trick." "That is why the offer is made to you." "I furnish the dollar." " You furnish the fingers." " [Crowd Laughing]" "Now, are there any volunteers?" "Step right up." " Anyone at all?" " [Crowd Chattering]" "Any volunteers in the crowd?" " Anybody at all..." " [Crowd Murmuring]" "I'll hold it." "[Quietly] The management assumes no liability." "Now, madam, if you'll step back on that little platform." "And there's no reason for you to be nervous." "Now, madam, hold out the dollar." "Wait!" "Don't fire!" "She's holdin' a penny." "Shoot, Bill." " [Gunshot] - [Crowd Cheering, Applauding]" "You're still fond of me, aren't you, Powderface?" "I've never known him to be wrong." "But you can't stay here." "I can go wherever you are." "Once, I made the mistake of leaving you." "But I'm a man on a wooden horse." "You saw for yourself tonight." "You wouldn't be on a wooden horse... if you'd go back to the people who know you." "You don't belong in this crowded ugliness." "Bill, let's go west tomorrow." "I'll never go west until I can look an Indian in the face." "But you're all alone." "What can you do for the Indians here?" "I don't know, but I know that here is where it's got to be done." "Now don't forget." "Aim at the jet of water right under the ball." " And squeeze." "Don't pull." " [Gunshot]" " [All Cheering]" " Good shot, Freddie." "Nice shot, Freddie." "You got an eye like an Indian." "Say, Buffalo Bill, what are Indian kids like?" " What do they do?" " Do they have to go to school?" "Sure, they go to school, but not inside like you." "What do they learn?" "'Rithmetic?" "No." "They learn to ride and fish and hunt and swim." "I sure wish I was an Indian." "Tell us about it, Buffalo Bill." "Well, it-it's kinda hard to tell about 'em." "But if you kids could see 300 of'em on galloping ponies... with their feathers flying, it's something you'd never forget." "Three hundred Indians... charging as they rode at War Bonnet Gorge." "It's a colossal idea!" "And by the Lord Harry, we'll do it." " Ned!" "What brought you back?" " Love for you, my boy." "I know a dozen promoters who'd give up money for that idea." "What are we gonna do with the Indians here in the city?" "We'll put them in a show..." "the greatest show the world ever saw!" "Indians!" "Three hundred, 500..." "a thousand of them!" "Cowboys, troopers, stagecoach, buffalo!" "Riding, roping!" "If the East won't go to the West... kiddies, we'll bring the West to the East!" "[All Cheering]" "[Tom-toms]" "[Tom-toms]" "[Crowd Cheering]" "[Orchestra: :" "Patriotic]" " [Continues] - [Crowd Continues Cheering]" "[War Cries]" "[Narrator] Almost overnight, Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show... captured the imagination of the public." "He'd brought the western frontier and the Indians to the sidewalks of New York." "The city folks saw for themselves... the true pioneer spirit of the West." "As the years passed by, he toured the world and was acclaimed by all." "Presidents shook his hand." "Queens and prelates gave him gifts." "And children the world over gave him their love." "And because the most lasting of all... is the fame which passes from one generation to another... his name came to typify to all of us frontiers and freedom... adventure and fair play... the spirit of the West." "[Yells]" "Great performance!" "It was bully!" "Bully!" "[Crowd Cheering, Applauding]" "[Crowd Quiets Down]" "Ladies and gentlemen... the show which you have seen tonight... has lived a long time... because it found a place in your hearts." "But now, the time has come to say... not good night, as on former occasions... but good-bye." "[Crowd Murmuring]" "Hand-in-hand, my wife and I... are returning to our home in the West... to the sunset." "And so... my little comrades up in the gallery... and you grown-ups who used to sit there..." "I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart... for all you've meant to me." "Good-bye." "God bless you." "And God bless you too, Buffalo Bill." "[Crowd Cheering, Applauding]"