Hellfighters

---

[Low Rumble]

Pull that lever!

She's coming in wild!

[Rumbling Increases]

[Woman]

Air-call number JYG 176542.

Mr. Buckman took off

from Houston at 10:22,

destination the Bahamas.

That should put him

about halfway there.

Of course it's emergency priority. Would

I call you if it was anything else?

Happy New Year, Irene.

Yeah. Calhoun number 5,

Baytown.

Any field closer than Houston

can take the Jet Star?

No. Bring 'em back here.

Well, put away your little

whistle, Georgie, and load up.

- Yes, ma'am.

- Hello?

Yes, Irene.

Oh. Well,

hold on a minute.

Bill, what's the flying time

back to Houston?

Ed Calhoun's number 5.

Eighty-eight minutes,

Chance.

Well, turn around easy.

We wouldn't wanna scatter

Mr. Lomax's winnings.

Irene, you can have the copter

pick me up in an hour and a half.

Right.

[Laughs]

And a Happy New Year

to you too.

Sorry, folks.

We'll try again next year.

Oh, don't apologize. This is

better than gambling in the Bahamas.

[Bell Ringing]

[Ringing Continues]

Yeah, Irene.

Okay. I'm on the way.

And, uh, Happy New Year

to ya.

Bueno. Acapulco Plaza.

No, I'm sorry. Mr. Gregory Parker

is not in his room,

and he does not answer

the page.

Do you have

a Dolores Juarez registered?

How 'bout Lupe Estaban?

Yolanda Rodriquez?

Si. Un momento.

[Ringing]

Bueno.? Quien?

Who knows you are here

with me in Acapulco?

[Man]

Nobody but you, baby...

I thought.

Yeah, Irene.

I'll grab the 6:
10 plane

out of Mexico City.

Check arrival time in Houston,

have the chopper meet me.

Huh?

[Laughs]

Same to you.

- It is a fire?

- Yep. You wanna go?

It all started between us

at that fire near Durango.

- No.

- Aw...

I could not live

through another one.

This one's all set.

Well, move it on in.

Pick some of that iron up.

Can you save the wellhead, Chance,

or am I gonna have to redrill it?

Don't cut your throat yet,

Calhoun.

We'll do what we can.

- Uh, Mr. Buckman.

- Yeah?

Acquaint our television

audience with what's going on.

Have you got anything to say?

Yeah, your TV truck's

too close.

[Helicopter Whirring]

Happy New Year!

New year, new job,

everything.

Helen, this is

Chance Buckman.

- Helen Meadows.

- How do you do?

She was on the plane

from Mexico City.

She's never seen

an oil-well fire.

Well, I hope you find this one

very interesting, Miss Meadows.

Thank you.

I thought your menu

for New Year's was Mexican.

That was last night.

Why waste a perfectly good fire?

Are you gonna watch it

with her, or join us?

Huh? Oh, yeah.

- Uh, where are my work clothes?

- Calhoun's trailer.

- You're going to go into that?

- Uh-huh.

You're insane, and so am I

for not going on to Denver.

Whoa, honey.

Denver's full of ice and snow...

- and very cold people.

- [Laughs]

It's funny.

But for the first time,

I got this sort of a feeling.

It's having met you,

I guess.

I just had to do that.

Greg, what do you think?

What does Chance say?

- Well, not to cut my throat yet.

- Settle for that.

Mr. Parker, what have you got

to say on this situation?

Move your truck back.

- Can't you tell our audience

what's being done?

- Tell 'em, Cal.

- Mr. Calhoun...

- Larkin here will tell ya.

He's my field superintendent.

I notice those fancy

red jumpsuits out there.

Why do Buckman and his crew

wear them?

I gather that's

smart showmanship, eh?

Well, you gather wrong.

Every eye is on those

red suits watching for signals.

- Nobody else gives orders.

- Oh, I see.

Hey, what the hell's

goin' on?

The equipment's

overheating!

They've got to clear away

every piece of metal,

otherwise when they blow the fire out,

the hot metal will reignite it.

According to Mr. Larkin, that section

of drill pipe you see sticking out...

has to be cut off

right at the wellhead...

before they can move in

with the nitro.

It's spreading the flame.

They've got to have a single

column shooting straight up...

before they'll try

to blow it.

Just how soon before they'll

attempt to blow this fire out?

They won't try to kill it 'til they're

ready to cap the well.

The control head's being assembled

to Buckman's order and isn't here yet.

Joe, we better get to work

on that nitro.

Don't tell me, I know.

You're bushed.

You'd like to take a little nap.

Well, I was up

all night.

Of course you couldn't have

slept on the plane.

What'd you use for openers this trip?

The old headache gag?

Why, you poor man.

Perhaps if I rubbed your neck.

True, every word, true.

But it works.

Well, I can't say

I blame ya.

A fella as ugly as you are couldn't get

to first base without a fire.

[Sirens Approaching]

[Chance]

Here's the control head.

Get it rigged.

I'll finish with the nitro.

Okay. George!

Sorry to interrupt

your nap.

Yeah, George said

it broke your heart.

One of these days

some husband or boyfriend's...

gonna show up

with a 12 gauge...

and turn your prat

into a punchboard.

[Engine Starts]

The drum filled with nitro

is covered with asbestos...

and kept wet to keep it

from exploding too soon.

For the benefit of our television

audience, what'll happen if it does?

There won't be enough left of them

to pick up and put together.

Then we better get back

in this remote truck. Come on!

The explosion eliminates the oxygen

which is what kills the fire,

but the nitro drum has to be

placed in exactly the right position.

They're using brass tools

to avoid creating a spark.

Even the static electricity of a man

running his hand through his hair...

could set if off again.

Ah, what a great sound!

That's it!

Now we can get a statement

from Chance Buckman himself!

Hey!

- [Clang]

- [Gasps]

Back off!

- Ambulance!

- Ambulance!

Come on!

[Larkin]

Stay back!

[Groaning]

Mr. Parker,

do you think it's serious?

[Siren Blaring]

No, we're still

sweating him out, Cal.

Sure. Sure, Cal.

The minute I know anything.

Thanks.

Joe, how is he?

He's still in surgery,

Jack.

He took

a real bad beating.

Aw, he's had busted

ribs before.

This time

his lung's punctured.

It's bad enough that Greg got the number

from Irene and called San Francisco.

Madelyn and Tish?

How in the hell

did he hear about them?

- Did you open your...

- One night last year down in Mexi...

Chance got stoned to the eyes, and Greg

spotted a photograph in his wallet.

Greg asked Chance

who it is,

Chance tells him it's

his wife and daughter,

and if Greg ever mentions it again,

he's gonna break him in two, that's how.

They're not

coming here?

Well, Madelyn's in Europe, and

the girl's skiing in Jackson, Wyoming.

Greg flew up to get her.

- You couldn't stop him, eh?

- No. I agreed with him.

Suppose Chance...

Suppose...

Suppose it doesn't look like

he's gonna make it?

At least he might have time enough

to see his child.

- Miss Buckman?

- Yes.

I'm Greg Parker.

I phoned you.

Thank you.

I'm a little uncertain

about this.

Funny time to be uncertain,

isn't it?

I mean, I'm not sure

I should come at all.

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