Dakota

Synopsis: In 1871, professional gambler John Devlin elopes with Sandra "Sandy" Poli, daughter of Marko Poli, an immigrant who has risen to railroad tycoon. Sandy, knowing that the railroad is to be extended into Dakota, plans to use their $20,000 nest egg to buy land options to sell to the railroad at a profit. On the stage trip to Ft. Abercrombie, their fellow passengers are Jim Bender and Bigtree Collins, who practically own the town of Fargo and Devlin is aware that they are prepared to protect the little empire... trying to drive out the farmers by burning their property, destroying their wheat, and blaming the devastation on the Indians. Continuing their journey north on the river aboard the "River Bird', Sandy and John meet Captain Bounce, an irascible old seafarer. Two of Bendender's henchmen, Slagin and Carp, board the boat and relieve John of his $20,000 at gunpoint. Captain Bounce, chasing the robber's dinghy, wrecks his boat on a sandbar. At Fargo, the land wars begin and John teams w
Genre: Western
Director(s): Joseph Kane
Production: Republic Pictures
 
IMDB:
6.1
PASSED
Year:
1945
82 min
154 Views


1

John!

Here I am!

Look... look up here!

Oh.

- I'd like to see Mrs. Devlin.

- Would that be Miss Sandra?

- She's Mrs. Devlin now.

- Your name, Sir?

- I'm...

- Mr. Devlin?

Yes... Mr. Poli?

Yes.

So you are the man who

married my daughter.

Well, we, uh...

Sorta got the idea in a hurry.

Throw him out!!

Ornery cuss, that Poli.

He don't fiddle with nobody.

He used to run a

stagecoach line,

before he went in for railroadin'.

Huh?

Wait!

Papa is just as

crazy as you are.

He'll get his gun,

and what about me?

Papa's kind of high

strung, isn't he?

Papa says you are

a gun-totin',

highbindin', tinhorn gambler.

Well, papa shouldn't talk like

that in front of the children.

But you are.

Sandra! How'd you get out

when I locked the door!?

Get him, men!

Heya!

You'd better come back,

or from between the ears

I'll shoot you!

Wait... my bags!

We hadn't better make

any stops now, Sandy.

All right, then.

If I can't look pretty,

you can't either.

We're cleaned out for sure now.

- Who said so?

- Lunch?

No...

Twenty thousand dollars.

That cinches it...

Sandy, I love ya.

Who wouldn't?

You couldn't win that

much in a poker game.

You mean, unless I was dealing.

That's papa...

He's shooting at us!

Hurry up!

Ah, that's nothing.

All I want to know is do you

take after papa or mama?

Papa always wants to

shoot things out.

He has no more sense

than you have.

I do hope he doesn't kill us.

He'd never get over it.

Well, I'd feel kind of

regretful about it myself.

He's got himself another gun!

Can't you go quicker?!

Do you suppose it

could be, Sandy,

that we weren't meant for

each other after all?

I don't like to butt in,

but I thought maybe I oughta

ask if you wouldn't prefer

another carriage?

Heya!

Sit tight, Sandy! We're

headin' for California!

Well, do we have to

go to California?

Know a better place?!

How about Dakota?

Did you say Dakota?

Yes, Dakota.

Oh, I thought you said Dakota.

We'll make it California.

Heya!

Turn left at the next crossing.

Oh!

What's the matter?

You all right, sir?

Are you all right?

Yes, sir.

You're fired!

Get your horses!

What are you doing here?

He's only angry now.

Wait till he finds out I sold the

Gainsborough from his library.

What's wrong with Dakota?

It has lots of people

in it, hundreds,

and it's a great wheat country.

What does a man do

in a wheat country,

open a bakery?

There are lots of

things we could do.

Once we've established

ourselves...

Let's talk it over in California.

But some day,

when Dakota is admitted

into the union,

you could go into politics.

Oh, our money!

Speaking of politics,

where we're going there

are only two parties--

- The quick and the dead.

- All aboooaard!

That's our train. How

much do we owe ya?

Oh, forget about it, my friend.

It's on the house.

Maybe you hadn't better

draw up any plans until...

Until what?

I was gonna say until

your money runs out.

All aboooaaard!

- Did you say this is our train?

- Yes.

That lady is Sandra

Poli, Bigtree.

Her father owns this railroad.

That so?

Well, guess maybe she's

somebody we oughta know, huh?

Mm-hmm.

Hurry up... don't let

them get away!!

Quick, send a telegraph

to Bells Crossing!

Yes, Mr. Poli.

To Jake Bonzo on train 67...

Say, "hold my daughter!

"Take from her the big tin horn

and knock out

his teeth!"

No, wait...

It's too much.

Just his front teeth,

that's enough.

And uh, wait...

No... no... no.

Maybe it would break her heart.

Maybe she would be mad...

it's no good. No... no.

Uh... say, "don't knock

out his front teeth."

Say... oh, what's

the matter with you?

Are you crazy... How can you

send such a telegraph?!

Huh? She's my own little girl.

Maybe she loves him,

that big no-good.

And you will break

her heart, huh?!

Me?

Send another one.

"To my daughter,

Mrs... Uh...

Mrs... Uh...

Now what's his name?

Devlin... no...

Yes, Devlin!

"Have a good time,

"and remember your papa

if you need money

or something."

Oh, she's a sweet girl...

Oh, something else!

"If maybe you get tired of your

wonderful, big, lovely man,

"don't worry, we'll

put him in jail,

"that no-good rat!

I myself will

take him and..."

He's bigger than I,

that's the trouble.

But there's nothing in

California but flowers,

and everyone knows flowers

give you hay fever.

I got it myself, right now.

Look, Sandy, with $20,000,

we can open a little place

in the gold fields...

A saloon and gambling palace

with dance hall girls...

- Wouldn't you just love that?

- Tickets, please.

I brought the tickets,

like you told me.

When do we get to St.

Louis, conductor?

St. Louis!? Can't do it

and stay on the tracks.

We're headed

for St. Paul.

Why... why, you

see, John,

I had to do it.

I couldn't do anything else.

You couldn't, eh?

I just couldn't...

I couldn't.

I love you and it was

for you, so I did it.

But why St. Paul?

Because from St. Paul,

we'll go to Dakota.

Wait.

Last night papa had some of his

business friends to dinner,

and I heard them say

they're going to extend

the railroad into Dakota.

In a few weeks, papa

will send agents

to Fargo to buy up all the land

and the right of way,

so what we'll do...

Is beat him to it,

option everything in sight,

make him pay through the nose.

But the catch is to make the

profit, we have to go to Fargo.

But it's a wonderful place!

Sure.

There's probably nothing

there but a trading post.

We'll be stuck up there

with nothing to do but...

Make love.

Hmm, what's wrong with that?

What's the matter?

Stop it!

Bells crossing!

Get rid of them.

Thanks for pitchin' in.

It's all right.

Looked like you could

use some help.

He's a good man.

Bigtree?

Telegram for Mr. Bonzo!

He'll do... my name is

Bender, Jim Bender.

I'm Devlin...

This is Mrs. Devlin.

How do you do, Mrs. Devlin?

Mrs. Devlin?

Yes...

Thank you.

May I?

Surely.

It's from papa...

Everything is all right.

He says if we need more

money or anything,

we just let him know.

Isn't he wonderful?

Nice guy to do business

with, by letter.

Going to St. Paul, Mr. Bender?

I'm going to Fargo.

So are we.

Really... that's fine.

We'll probably be seeing

a lot of each other.

Heya!

We've passed the fort. Should be

in Abercrombie in a few minutes.

And you look just as fresh as

when we started, Mrs. Devlin.

Thank you... We bought

some things in St. Paul.

Oh, aren't they soldiers?

Huh? Probably an

escort from the fort.

Must be some hostile

Indians around.

Indians... oh!

John, now that we know

something about it,

do you really think we

should go to Fargo?

Well, we've come this far.

Maybe we oughta stop

off and, uh,

take a look around.

What do you expect to do

in Fargo, Mr. Devlin?

We are going to invest

some money in land.

Farmland...

We thought we'd

pick up a few acres

and grow some wheat.

You wouldn't want us to believe you

was a farmer, would ya, Mr. Devlin?

Maybe I oughta

sprout a beard, eh?

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Lawrence Hazard

Lawrence Hazard (May 12, 1897 – April 1, 1959) was an American playwright and screenwriter active from 1933 to 1958. His career was cut short when he died at age 61 in 1959. His films include Man's Castle (1933) directed by Frank Borzage and starring Spencer Tracy and Loretta Young; Mannequin (1937) directed by Borzage and starring Joan Crawford and Spencer Tracy; Strange Cargo (1940) directed by Borzage and starring Clark Gable and Joan Crawford; The Spoilers (1942) starring Marlene Dietrich and John Wayne; Jackass Mail (1942) starring Wallace Beery; Dakota (1945) starring John Wayne and Walter Brennan, and numerous other films as well as scripts for television anthologies in the 1950s. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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    "Dakota" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 Nov. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/dakota_6244>.

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