 With action and suspense out of the Old West comes the most famous hero of them all, Huffleong Cassidy, starring William Boyd. The Ring of the Silver Spurs heralds the most amazing man ever to ride the prairies of the early West. Huffleong Cassidy, the same hoppy you cheer in motion pictures and the same California you've left at a million times. Raw courage and quick shooting have built a legend around this famous hero. Huffleong is a name to be feared, respected and admired for this great cowboy rides the trails of adventure and excitement. William Boyd as Huffleong Cassidy and then declined as California. Well Hoppy, what about our story? We call this one hook line and murder. It began when California and I took off for a peaceful week of fishing, hunting and just loafing around. We made camp on the Big Shama River in New Mexico where the trout were fat and the mountain timber country full of game. The second day saw us paddling down from our camp in a canoe we bought in the Navajo. Oh Hoppy, this looks like a good spot. Don't get so impatient California. Wait till we strike that bend up there. We'll form a deep pool that's where the big rainbows will be. Oh Hoppy, can't we stop here and fish a spin? Oh all right, Houston making you die a fisherman's itch. We'll pull over to that bank and port of the stream as we float down, huh? That does it. Heart diggity trout look out. Hey, did you hear that Hoppy? Trout look out. I'm a poet. Yeah, I hope you're a better fisherman than you are a poet. What's that? Oh honey, no we're just starting. Grab that bush and pull us up to the bank California. White or black? Me and my partner own this ranch here. All this is our land. Hop along Cassidy's my name. This is California Carlson. Howdy, howdy. You say you own a ranch here? Isn't it too skimpy grazing? Looks like this country's mostly wood. Are you kidding? Why, we got a thousand acres of land and cows? Why, we got more and we can count. Better than 300 at the last tally and we got over a dozen horses. Good ones too. Uh, join us at a bit of fishing, Mr. Black? No, no thanks. I can't stand to see them poor little fellas wiggling on that cruel hook. Rippin' and tearin' their poor little mouths apart. Well, you don't mind if we go on fishing, do you? No, don't. Make yourselves at home. Our ranch is always open to strangers who are peaceable. Well, that's us. All we want is peace and quiet. Say, do you see my partner, name of Andy Silman? You tell him to get home and help with the chores. He's local over that awful sport like you are, too. He's been gone two days now. That's all he does. Fish, fish, fish. I will tell him if we see him. Push off, California. Hey, our ranch house is downstream a mile or so. You get tired killin' those porkers. Drop in, I'll buy you up some java. Ah, thanks a lot. We may do that. So long. Well, we may as well get down to that pool. All our gabbins ruin this spot. Yeah. Grab a paddle. There's another pool up ahead. Let's drift in to it. Now to let that little fly sink down in the middle of that pool. Now we'll... Hoppy, hoppy, hoppy, I got a big one. Look at my pole band. Wait a minute. It looks more like your snag, partner. Yeah. Ah, that's a snag. Keep pullin'. We'll drift down to where we can cut it loose. Now wouldn't that burn ya? Don't go on. I thought I had a big one in my life. Careful now. We're coming over the spot. Ah, you got a big one. Only it's not a fish. It's the body of a man. Now back to Hoppillon Cassidy and our story, Hook, Line and Murder. Trying to enjoy a peaceful vacation up on the Big Chama River in New Mexico, Hoppy and California set out from their camp bent on catching trout. But after a meeting with a rancher, Whitey Black, who reported his partner missing for two days, trouble rises from the stream itself. And California makes the biggest catch of the day, the body of a dead man. Hoppy, you think this fellow's Whitey Black's missing partner? Ah, it looks that way, California. We'll know for sure in a minute. There's a landing up ahead in behind. It must be the ranch house Whitey told us about. Hoppy's home. Ah, he had plenty of time. We were fishing slow. Yeah, yeah. There he is, running down to the landing. Hello there! Hello yourselves. Hoppy's a boy, then. Can you sum of that? Ah, I'm afraid we got bad news for you, Whitey. Well, what's that? Ain't you staying for some java? Cramp hold of the landing there, California. I'm afraid it's worse. We've found... Andy! Well, what happened? Easy fella, easy fella. We found him upstream a mile or so. And he weren't drowned. He was shot. Oh, no, not Andy. He is your partner, then. Yeah. Here, I'll help you get him up on the landing. And... There. Well, this might have been an accident, but my guess is something else, Whitey. Yeah, it would have to be. Who was his enemy? Who'd have wanted to kill him anyhow? Nobody'd want to kill a poor old jet like Andy. I bunked with him for years. I worked with him. I tell you, he had no enemies. You're overlooking that 30-30 slug in his head. It wasn't any friend that put it in there. Yeah. Yeah, that's right. But I wonder... Wonder what? I was just wondering if that range hog, Jack Queen, had anything to do with this. He'd been acting mighty queer lately, making us big offers for the place. Acting tough when we turned him down. Hmm. Well, I'd say this queen could bear looking into. Maybe he could, but it wouldn't be exactly healthy. Queen's the biggest rancher in that basin below us. His range borders ours, and he's no prize as a neighbor. But I reckon I'll just have to brace him. Here we are in Pine City, Cassidy. I'll take Andy's body to Jenkins Funeral Park. Beach at the Navajo Saloon. It's that big one on the other corner. Then we'll ride to see Queen. All right, Wiley. Come on, California. Hoppy, uh, you sure we ought to get mixed up in this thing? Sounds awful and restful somehow. Brace and umbrings like this, uh, Queen. Ah, probably turned out to be nothing. Come on, let's go inside. I don't know. I get a feeling fishing would be easy. Worry, Ward. Well, remember, have you seen Gladys? Sorry, friend. No Gladys? No Gladys. I haven't seen her at all. Shame. Wonderful girl, Gladys. She know you're looking for her? Oh, Hoppy. Now he thinks we're looking for her. Yeah. Better go home and sleep it off, stranger. Her name's Jocelyn. I'll find her and tell her you're looking for her. Oh, Gladys! Wow, what a head he's gonna wake up with her. Uh, bartender. Yes, sir, fellas. What'll it be? I'm Frank Adams. I own this place. You name it? I got it. Sarsaparilla. Thought you'd catch me, didn't you? Everybody thinks I won't have the drink, but I... What did you say? Sarsaparilla. Yeah, I got it. And we're here with an hombre named Billy Bunny. Billy the Kid? Sure, who hasn't? Oh, there was a man. Last time I saw him in a bar, he was ordering milk. No. Well, all right. I'll look and see if I got any Sarsaparilla. Milk. So, I'm going to die. I knew there was some reason my Pat Gav was able to get Billy the Kid. Hoppy, I don't think he likes men who drink. No. I wish Whitehead Harry I could use some fresh air. This place smells. Yeah, it sure does, doesn't it? My name's Gladys, strangers. Dosselin tells me you're looking for me. Miss Gladys, you've got it wrong. We weren't looking for you. And the name's Hop along Cassidy. This is California Carlson, my partner. Okay, okay, so you weren't looking for me. Gladys, Peter, I want words with these hombres. What? Oh, to you, Queen. You better keep a civil tongue in your head or I'll show you I can shoot as well as dance. Shut up. Can you pull that popcorn of yours on me a gun? That was a nice draw, Cassidy. So you know my name and I'm a gun whiz. So I'm holding a handful of reasons why you should apologize to the lady for your manner of talking. Lady? Cassidy, I'll be real good to you and let you put up the gun with no hard feelings. You have ten seconds. Wanna try for none? No, wait. I... I apologize, Gladys. You didn't mean what you said. You're a vile mouth skunk. I... I didn't mean what I said. I'm a vile mouth skunk. Are you really? Cassidy, I came in to give you a piece of advice. Stay out of wedding blacks affairs. And here's another. Stay away from my girl. You won't always have this advantage. One thing before you go, Queen. Why'd you kill Andy Silman? Cassidy, you're pressing your luck. Gladys, I'll see you later. Come on, men. I saw it, but I don't believe it. The mighty Queen crawling like a yellow hound dog. I had my shotgun ready to blast. At this range, I'd have counted for a few. Don't take kindly to Queen's talk to Gladys. Oh, thanks, Frank. You really, Queen's girl, Miss Gladys? Only in his opinion. Gladys, I'm a beautiful lady. Can you move me from the substrate of my antiquity? Jocelyn, you're drunk. Am I? That makes me very happy. Any other state would have meant my entire day's work had gone for naught. Oh, take your little hammer and go break up rocks. I shall. As soon as I see my friend Queen, where is that kindly savaged pray tell me? He owes me some salary a little yet. He just left, and that's what we're doing. Come on, California. I'm worried about Whitey. She'd have been here by now. What were Queen in town? Anything may have happened to him. California, there he is. Lying between those buildings. Well, why, then, no good, but getting drunk on a sleeveness shirt. Shh. He's not drunk. He's been slugged. Whitey, come out of it, man. Come out of it! There, that's it. Who did this to you? It was Queen who offered me 10,000 for the ranch. I turned him down and he slugged me 10,000. A dollar? Did you brace him about Sillman? He just laughed at me and slugged me again. Hey, what did you fellas do to him? He was sure sore about something you did. We stepped on his toes a little over a girl. His girl, he says. Gladys? Well, what do you know? Now, let's get back to your ranch, Whitey. You can make it. That's only a bump. I'm curious about a man and his little hammer. I don't get it, hubby. I just don't get it. $10,000 for that scrubby bunch of cows and a lot of useless land. Queen must be from Loco. Maybe. That's why we're taking this ride. I'm hoping we'll cut the sign of a certain hombre who should be up here. I have a hunch he has the answer to all our questions, including who shot Andy Sillman. Well, I can guess that last without no strain. Uh, who's the man we're looking for? Well, we're in luck. He's coming down the trail now. Jocelyn, the stumble bum from the Navajo Saloon. Look at him. He's still drunk, sleeping on his horse. No bum ever talked with the words he used. The kind of man uses a little hammer to break up rocks. That's a geologist. Geologist, and where'd you get this little hammer stuff? Gladys gave it away. Hello, Jocelyn. You better yell out, or he's passed out. Jocelyn, look out. He's falling off. He's hurt. Jocelyn, can you hear me? Go. What go? Did Queen shoot you? Did you find gold in this ranch? Save your breath, California. He's not with us anymore. Now, back to Hop along Cassidy and our story, hook, line, and murder. Investigating the murder of Andy Sillman, Hoppy and California discovered a geologist named Jocelyn was working for Jack Queen. They meet Jocelyn on the Sillman black ranch, but find him mortally wounded. His dying words hint at the discovery of gold. Well, howdy, Cassidy. Cousin, come on in. It's a trouble. You're kind of upset. There's been another killin' whitey just north of here. Killin'? That's right. A man named Jocelyn, a geologist working for Jack Queen, shot with a 30-30 like your partner. I don't get it. What was this hombre doing on my property? Prospecting for gold, apparently. May have found some. We back-trailed Jocelyn, found out where he was shot. Killer was in some brush to one side. In that brush we found two things. A silver concho like those Queenwears on his vest and a gold watch with a busted chain. Yeah, and on the back of it was written John Queen for mother. Hoppy, you know it's so hard to think of that pole cat havin' a mother. Huh. I wonder if... Well, looks like Queen's the man, all right. Let's hightail in to see the sheriff. We'll string Queen up pronto. Nah, you stay here, whitey. Too much evidence that points to Queen. I'm taking Jocelyn's body into town. We'll make some more inquiries. California, meet me back at our camp upstream later this afternoon. Sure, Hoppy. Say, whitey, I'll take some of that Java now, huh? Well, good. I'll tell you what. I'll even let you have one of my Havana seagulls. No, no. Thanks, sir. Just a coffee. Oh, take one anyhow. You don't want it now? Smoke it later. Man, there ain't nothin' like a good thing you are. Oh, Hanson, glad to see you again. Still not lookin' for you, Miss Gladys. Uh-huh. But I am. I'm always lookin' for you. Yeah, for all the good it'll do you. But Gladys, this place is makin' more money every day. When the railroad headin' this way, more settlers will come out and business will get even better. Wait a minute. Did you say the railroad was coming this way, Frank? Well, you see... Where will it pass? Through the mountains, north of here? It'll pass through Parkville. That's about 50 miles south. But we'll get the increase in business anyway. Oh, I see. For a minute, I thought you'd answered a problem of mine. Sorry if I didn't. Thought you knew about the railroad. Well, thanks for the information. Hey, you aren't leaving already, are you? Sorry, I have to get back to my camp. Let him go, Gladys, and pay some attention to me. Frank, do I have to tell you again? But I'll get money. I'm not dumb. Just wait. Goodbye. Hey, Hoppy, that's Queen and his men. You better get them a long gun. Hold it. We can't fight them all. Cassidy, like a word with you. Sure. Stay here, Californian. Well, what's the word? I thought I told you to stay out of wedding blacks affairs. Seems I recalled you making a statement like that. And you turned a batch of evidence into the sheriff that fixes it to get me hanged. What's going on around here? You tell me, you're the one offering at times the value of this ranch? I was offering, not anymore. Since when? No reason not to tell you. I had that geologist, Jocelyn, working for me. He spotted gold up here, so he said and I found out he was lying. There ain't no gold here at all. So you don't want the ranch? You know, you just handed me a good reason for both killings. Simon is the first step in getting the ranch when you thought there was gold here. Jocelyn is the payoff for causing so much trouble for nothing. You make it sound logical, but it's sure a lie. I had nothing to do with the killings, neither of them. Ah, what a mess. Gold, only there isn't any gold. Cassidy, we may as well have this out right now. I take it good that you stuck up for me with the sheriff, but there's the matter of what happened in the saloon. You ready? You have a lot of men behind you. They have orders to stay out of this. I don't want to hurt you, but I got to find out who's the better man with a gun. Now say yes or crawl. Yes. And start counting. On three we'll pull. Very well. One, two, three. Oh! Satisfied, Queen? Satisfied, Cassidy. I just had to know. Simon! Whee! Hoppy, that sure was a close call. Didn't miss. It was an inch off my sombrero. That Queen is no slouch with his gun. Well, I was thinking of his men. Thinking and watching. Thanks, but it wasn't necessary. Queen is a tough ombre, and I don't doubt that he cuts plenty of corners. But I'll give you a hunch. He's a lot squareer than some ranchers, I know. Which means he ain't our killer, for sure? Nuts. I'm still going fishing. And I want to try out that new pole. Why do you give me? I'm not sure, or it's a dandy tube belong to his partner. He gave me a cigar, too. Awful, nice fellow, that whitey. Wait, did you see Selman's fishing gear in that ranch house? Well, sure. I just told you what he'd give it to me. Well, that wraps it up. The last piece. Only... Only... Yeah! Yeah, that must be it. Hoppy, Hoppy, you ain't been charning an old local weed, have you? No, but I think I figured the answer. You'll do no fishing tonight, partner. He's right. Huh? Oh, Hoppy. You really are deaf. You better lie down. Now, listen close. Listen. Here's what you're to do. What is that? It's me, Whitey. Cassidy. Oh, wait a minute. Yeah, where do you want? In, for one thing. Well, I kind of bushed getting it week to morning. No. All right, come in and get it over with. Oh, what's so terrible important? The answer to the murders. Who did them and why? You think you know, huh? Well, it's no secret. Queen did them. No, it wasn't Queen Whitey. It was you. Queen had no real motive. Oh, no. Just a gold mine. There never was any gold. It was all a plant to make Queen pin the frame right around his own neck by trying to get this place. You get just lots of funny notions, ain't you? A few. Enough to know you were just the killer. Your partner had the brains. It was her idea. Come on out and join us, Miss Gladys. Didn't I tell you to stay in that room, Gladys? Shut up, Whitey. How'd you figure it out, Hanson? Get a tip. You should wear less perfume. It all just fit. You could have stolen Queen's watch and concho than almost had to be you. You sicked Jocelyn on Queen and had Whitey kill Jocelyn after he'd served his purpose. Jocelyn was a lush. He'd have talked us into jail. A payoff came when Whitey made the mistake of giving Andy Suman's fishing tackle to my partner, California. You see, Suman was supposed to be out fishing when he was killed. Yet his tackle was here in this ranch house all the time. So Whitey had to be lying. I see. Yeah, there was a stupid blunder, Whitey. Looks like Hanson and I'll just have to get along without you. What's that? You double-crossed me? Yes, Whitey. You've already made arrangements with the railroad people? That's right. Man named Anderson's all ready to complete the deal. You've both got it all figured, ain't you? Well, I'll stop that. Oh, no, you don't. Make a way out of her. Drop that gun. The rope will hurt worse, Whitey. So will a bullet from this gun. Hold it, Hanson. Why, Miss Gladys, you wouldn't double-cross me, would you? Hope you haven't laid any bets on it. Extra weight cramps my style. I'm leaving you both here on the floor when I go out. You'll have witnesses. Queen and his men are outside with my partner. Where was it you were going? Queen. Oh, I knew. I guess I'm going where I always knew I'd go. But I'll take you first for company, Hanson. Bye. Back to Hopalong, Cassidy. The boys are loading that pair on the wagon to take to the sheriff. But that Gladys is sure cussing. Yeah. I wish you hadn't shot her in California. Oh, she'll be all right. That shotgun was loaded with bacon rind. Bacon rind? Sure. Found it out back where Whitey kept it in case of sneak thieves. She ain't hurt. But she'll set Mighty Uncomfortable for a while. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. I think I'll smoke that Seaguar if Whitey give me a kinder kinder celebrator. Ha, ha, ha. Yeah, here it is. One thing. What was all that talk about the value of this ranch and the deal with the railroad? Ha, ha, ha, ha. Ever hear the old saying about not being able to see the forest for the trees? Sure. What's that got to do with it? The one thing this ranch has too much of. Timber. With the railroad striking so close, this timberland will be priceless. An army travels on its stomach, a railroad on its... On its ties. Railroad ties, of course. That's it, but only the start. The railroad will build a sideline of this ranch so the ties can be gotten out. And then the owner of this ranch will control the whole lumber industry for the new towns and business that will follow the railroad. Ah, that Gladys was shooting clear to the moon. Well, I should reckon. Uh, I owe you plenty for clearing me, Cassidy. Just pay me back by giving me small ranches around here a break, huh? I sure will. I'll even help them. Even a tough egg like me or a man like you, Cassidy. California. What's the matter, partner? You're all green. This seaguar, why do you need me? What? Hoppy, I think I'm gonna die. I never should've took up smoke. Well, Hoppy and California bring an end to hooked lion and murder by catching a murderer instead of the fish they started out for. In Hoppy's next tale of action and adventure, he sets out to blast an old Indian legend about a ghost cat which roams the range, killing cattle and causing a lot of trouble. Don't miss being with Hoppy on the trail of the Phantom Panther. Hop along Cassidy, starring William Boyd, is transcribed and produced in the west by Walter White Jr. Hooked lion and murder was written by Herb Purdom, with original music under the personal direction of Albert Glasser. All stories are based upon the characters created by Clarence E. Mulford. This is a Commodore production.