 In a moment you'll hear James Stewart as the six-shooter, but first Friday evening on NBC hear the Dinosaur show and songs with Sinatra. The laughter starts tomorrow with a Bob Hope show and continues with that wonderful Phil Harris Alice Faye show. But that's not all. You'll also hear Can You Top This and Fibber McGee and Molly. It's a great Friday night lineup of programs. All of them heard only on NBC. James Stewart as the six-shooter. The man in the saddle is angular and long-legged. His skin is sun-died brown. The gun in his holster is grey steel and rainbow mother of pearl. It's handle unmarked. People call him both. The six-shooter. The NBC radio network presents James Stewart as the six-shooter. A transcribed series of radio dramas based on the life of Britt Ponsett, the Texas Plainsmen who wandered through the western territories, leaving behind a trail of still-remembered legends. Well, at first I didn't know what I was getting into. The town of Virtue City had never looked like this before. Banner over the main street. Posters stuck in the store windows. Bunting draped across most of the buildings. It was the wrong time of year for the county fair. I pulled up the mansion hotel and headed into the lobby. Yes, sir? I'd like a room for the night. Well, I guess we can fix you up, Mr. If you'll just sign the book. Sure. Oh, my golly, I'm sorry. Never mind. I'll blot it up. You just stand back out of the way. I put a new point in that pen this morning, but I guess some people will... Well, I'm by sure I'm sorry about that. Yeah, yeah. Well, that'll be 50 cents in advance, Mr. If... Ponsett? That's right. That's right. Here you go. You're really Britt Ponsett? Well, if he ain't, he sure been fooling a lot of folks for quite a spell. How are you, Britt? Ah, Doc Cross. Where'd you come from? I've been sitting there behind that geranium plant. I thought I recognized you when you come in. I'll be darned, Doc. Here's your key, Mr. Ponsett, number 12. Oh, thanks. About that ink blot, I know it wasn't your fault. They just don't make pen points the way they used to, inferior workmen, sure. And you wouldn't hurry to go upstairs, Britt? No, not especially. Well, come on over to the window and sit for a spell. We can sort of keep our eye on the street and see what's going on. Oh, hi, Doc. Well, well, you've been up to it, Britt. Oh, same as usual. I was riding hurried over to Smoke Falls for the last six, seven weeks. Probably go back down the spring. Uh-huh. Here, just let me get my instrument bag out of the way. Now, that's a place for you. You treating somebody in the hotel? No, no, not exactly. I sort of make my headquarters here in the hotel nowadays. What happened to your regular office? Well, I still got it. I still got it. But, well, you know, hotel's hand here. What was all this fighting and shooting going on so much as a time? Shooting. You ain't heard the news, huh, Britt? No, I guess I haven't. Well, you see, Gus Cotton moved into Virtue City a couple of months ago. Gus Cotton? You know, who Gus is. Britt, that gunfighter used to be part of the McGinnis gang over at Willa Fork. Oh, sure, yeah. I've heard of him. Well, it seems Gus and Tracer McGinnis had sort of a falling out. Gus decided it'd be healthier for him and his kid brother Roy to change residence, so they come over here. And by now, they're just about taking over the hotel. Hmm. Oh, I just can't believe that Sheriff Davenport had let a thing like that happen, Doc. And George Davenport was killed last August, Britt. He was...kidded? No. Yeah, I reckon it was an accident. At least that's what the inquest said. Well, who's taking his place? Well, there ain't been nobody so far. You, Sheriff, will be elected tomorrow, along with the mayor and the usual town officers. Oh, I see. So that's why the place all fixed up on election day. Yeah. Oh, I was kind of wondering about that. Yeah, yeah, it's been a real hot campaign, too. Sheriff part of it, that is. I ain't had so much medical business since the patches was moved onto the reservation. Yeah, well, who's running? Ernie Needle. He's one of the candidates. You remember Ernie Britt, the blacksmith. Oh, sure, sure. And that is a good man, too. It would make a good Sheriff, I imagine. Yeah, if he wins, Roy Cotton's running against him, Gus's brother. Oh, I see. Yeah. Of course, in the fair election, Ernie would win hands down, but Gus Cotton's doing his best to see that it won't be fair. Yes, huh? Yeah. Half the voters in town have been bought off. The ones who won't be bought, well, they've been threatened. Why, if anybody even... Britt, maybe you can give us a hand. Well, I'm sort of the chairman of the group that's back in Ernie Needle. The Citizens' Committee to Keep Virtue in Virtue City. That's what we call ourselves. I see. Now, Britt, if you could join up with us. Now, hold on, Doc. I'm not a voter in this town. I'm not even a resident. I know, I know. But you've got influence. Lots of influence. And if you... No, well, Doc, I... Well, you have lots of influence, Britt. And look, if you were to come to our rally at the schoolhouse tonight and sort of sit up there on the platform next to Ernie Needle, well, that might bring him some of Roy Cotton's votes. No, I'm sorry, Doc. Now, this just didn't any of my business. You know that as well as I do. Now, Britt... No, it's all on, Doc. Well, I went upstairs from the room. Number 12 was on the north side facing Ernie Needle's blacksmith shop. And it looks like Ernie had closed up for the day. He's probably out politicking somewhere. The room seemed kind of stuffy, so I opened up the window. It sure was warm. It sounded like some more business was had in Doc's way. I leaned out if I couldn't see anything. The shooting must have been around in front. Well... Yeah? Yeah, come on in. Howdy. You're Britt Ponsett. That's right. I'm Roy Cotton. I understand you were having a little chat with Doc Cross just now. Uh-huh. Doc, a friend of yours? Yeah, I guess you could say so, Roy. Well, you know it's funny, ain't it, how friends sometimes get a man into trouble? Oh, that's all. Yeah, you plan to stay around town for long, Ponsett? I hadn't made up my mind yet. Why? I was just wondering if you were going to be here for the election tomorrow. You heard about the election. I heard about it. I wasn't anxious to run for sheriff, you understand, but... the folks seemed to think it was my duty, so... so I had to oblige them. Well, I wouldn't worry about it, Roy. You might not be elected. I'll be elected. Why do you got the votes counted already, huh? I'll be elected. If there ain't no outside interference. I see. So maybe it'd be best if you just moseyed on out without sticking around for the vote. Well, the Doc mentioned something about a rally tonight. Asked me to attend. You're not going to attend a no rally, Ponsett. That's exactly what I told the Doc. You... you turned him down? I tried. Well, I guess I needn't bother you. But now that you mention it, Cotton, I'm sort of reconsidering my decision. What do you mean? Well, your barging in here and ordering me around might make me sort of consider changing my mind. Well, now you listen here, Ponsett. You ain't going to that rally tonight. You ain't even going to be in Virtue City after sundown. No, not, huh? Well, if you are, you're just asking for me and Gus to do something about it. Maybe I am, Cotton. Maybe I am. Mm-hmm. Okay, Ponsett. Glad you wanted. Roy, I'm not leaving town, so if you want to do something about it, this is as good a time as any other. Huh? That gun you're wearing is loaded, isn't it? Hold on. Well, sure, but... Well, then why don't you go ahead and draw? You ain't got your six-shooter. It's right here on the dresser. Huh. All right, well, I'd be taking the bandage. It might not work out that way. Well... Well... I don't want to shoot up no hotel room, Ponsett. The ranch paid in advance. All right, Cotton. Now, look here, Ponsett. I'm coming up here to see you. Well, it was my brother's idea. Gus thought, he thought, well... Well, he... Now, what I mean is, he said that you was to have to sundown to get out of town, and he wouldn't like it if I was to jump the gun. Well, I guess nobody exactly welcomes the idea of being told what he can do and what he can't do. And I suppose when it comes right down to it, I'm as stubborn as the next man. So, instead of leaving town, I had supper in the hotel dining room, and afterwards, well, sort of moseyed over in the direction of the schoolhouse. There are only three or four horses out in front, a couple of buggies. Didn't look like the Simpsons Committee to keep virtue and virtue city had drawn much of a crowd. Well, I hadn't really planned on attending the rally. I was going to walk right by and head back to the hotel. But just as I started to move past the school, I spotted Roy Cotton, waiting behind a big elm tree across the street. There was another fellow with him, bigger and older, stood to reason that he was Roy's brother, Gus. And it stood to reason that if I left without going inside, they'd figure they'd bluff me into keeping away. So, the meeting was in the combination fourth, fifth, sixth grade classroom, and Doc Cross was introducing the various candidates when I opened the door. My friend, she's all caught. Interrupt your maiden here, I was just strolling by. Ah, you ain't interrupting, but you're a gobsmack. Mr. Ponson's arrival here puts a whole new complexion on things. Why? Well, I sure don't see how. I know there ain't very many of us here tonight. And from the size of this meeting, it looks like we're fighting a hopeless battle. But we ain't. Not now. There's enough of us here to spread the word. We've got to see to it that by the time the polls open tomorrow, every voting citizen in Virtue City knows that the six shooters on our side... Now, whoa, Doc. ...where's to see the street? Alf, you take the section over by the creek. Yes. I'll cover the area where the polls to see that the voting's done on the up and up. Listen to me, Doc. Now, now, see here, Doc. I... Now, you just see here, Doc. Was there something you wanted to say, Bruce? Well, Doc, you know, Doggone. Well, there's something I want to say. I'm not going to have folks running all over town claiming that I'm interfering in this election. Now, you just go and call them off, Doc, and you just stop them before it's too late. I'm afraid it's too late now, Brett. It looks to me like they're on their way. And I better get started myself. I'm going to make it over to my section before everybody's asleep. Okay, Doc. Okay. You just go right ahead, but you're going to be pretty foolish looking in the morning. What? What do you mean, Brett? I mean that I'm not taking part in your election tomorrow, no matter what you tell people. You won't do your duty, huh? My duty? My duty is to mine my own business. Brett? Brett, the law says... the law says there's supposed to be one man at the polls who's unbiased, who's neutral, so to speak. What? Well, of course, your sympathies may sort of lie with or any needle in our committee, but technically, you're nonpartisan. Seeing as how you can't even vote yourself, I mean. How's that? Now, look, Brett, all that I'm trying to do is to see that this election's carried off strictly according to the law. The law says we've got to have us a nonpartisan president at the polls. Well, I'm not even certain that the election would be legal if you wasn't assured. Well, I wouldn't want to stand in the way of the election being... I mean, if you're certain that... well, if it's really necessary, but honestly, Doc, I just can't believe that... well, it's up to you, Brett. Entirely up to you. Well, so... No, no, no, don't. Wait a minute. They set up in the hotel lobby, Brett. The polls open at 7 a.m. Just let your conscience be your guide, Brett. Let your conscience be your guide. Right. Hey... Yeah, you're right. We'll return to James Stewart as the sick shooter in just a moment. Meantime, I'd like to pass on a word of thanks for the many gratifying letters we receive each week from you, our audience. And this word of thanks comes not only from Jimmy Stewart, but from our director Jack Johnstone, our writer Frank Burt, our skilled technicians, in fact, all of us who are involved in the production of the program. We appreciate your letters far more even though we may not be able to answer all of them. That is why we take this way of saying thank you. Well, I just couldn't seem to get to sleep that night, and long about 5 a.m. I gave up trying. And it was just as well as it did because that was when Doc Krauss showed up to take me down to breakfast. He kept saying that he wasn't trying to influence me one way or the other about being an election official, but as soon as we finished eating, he sure steered me straight toward that voting booth in the lobby. And the next thing I knew, somebody handed me a sheet of paper with a list of names on it, and people started filing up to get their ballots. Well, the voting went off real smooth. There was just one shooting, and that turned out to be just a flesh wound. And when it finally came time to shut down the polls, just about everybody who was eligible to take the ballot, there had been a real good turnout, too. I didn't stick around for the count, and I figured I'd done my share, so I had some supper, and I went upstairs from the room. Oh, I sure was tired. Oh, I'm not having any sleep the night before, and I haven't sat around the indoors all day. Well, I just took my boots off. And I sort of stretched out flat on the bed for a couple of minutes. I didn't intend to doze off. I was just trying to build up enough strength to go on with my own dressing, but I don't know how. Oh. Huh? I thought the same. Oh. Oh, yeah. Oh, is that you, Doc? Come in. Oh. What can I do for you? We just finished counting the votes. Jeff Perkins and me. Evening, Mr. Ponsett. Oh, howdy, Jeff. Well, hey, Willis. Well, how'd the election turn out? It's kind of hard to say, Britt. Well, now come on, Doc. Did Ernie win, or didn't he? Well, no, Britt. No, he didn't win. But it could have been worse. It could have been much worse. I see. It was close, huh? Well, I wouldn't exactly call it close, Mr. Ponsett. Well, suppose you just give me the figures, huh, Doc? Well, in the race for sheriff, we figured that was the most important contest. Yeah. Ernie Needle got seven votes. Seven votes? Is that all? Yeah. Yeah, that was his total. We made certain. And Roy Coffin, he got 33. 33. Well, I'm sorry, Doc, but I guess if the people want Roy for their sheriff, they're entitled to have him. Yes, yes. I'd say folks are entitled to whoever they want. Well, after a minute, I'm kind of surprised, though. I thought Ernie'd do better than that. By the way, folks were voting. I just thought that he... Now here. Now here. Now just hold on a minute here, Doc. There's something funny here. Well, now you said Ernie got seven and Roy Coffin 33. Yeah, that's right. Well, that's 33 and seven. That only makes 40 votes. Well, there must have been twice that many votes cast. A hundred and one, you know. A hundred and one. Well, that means that about 60 ballots you haven't accounted for. 61 to be exact, Britt. Yeah. That's how many you got. That's how many I got. That's... That's how many who got? Richard, it gives me great pleasure to announce that you've just been elected sheriff of Virtue City by landslide. Congratulations. Now hold on here, Doc. What do you mean? Mr. Ponsett, it's the greatest writing campaign in the history of this here town. What? Well, I can't believe. This couldn't be true. It's just plain foolishness. People have spoken. Doc Cross, if you had something to do with this... It was a spontaneous movement. Purely spontaneous. Well, whatever it is, you know, Doggone, well, I won't take the job as sheriff. I don't even live here. We just checked the Virtue City and Corporation papers. It must have been an oversight, but they don't say a word about town officials having to be residents. Well, if you've got the idea I'm accepting this office, you're just mistaken. Even if this election is legal... Oh, it was legal, all right. It was legal. And as of right now, you are the legally elected sheriff. Uh-huh. All right. Then I resign. Yeah, I sort of thought you might feel that way, so I did a little more checking. And according to the town laws, you've got to submit your resignation in writing to the mayor, and he's got to prove it. But we don't have a new mayor yet, until you get sworn in. Now, hold on. I'm not a doc. I'm not a doc. It was the office's sheriff that I got elected to. Remember? You told me. Right, Mr. Ponsett. It seems the voters kind of got in the habit of writing in your name, and we'll head all the... You don't mean they like me mayor, too. You had a two-to-one majority. You don't mean... What? Yep. You didn't do so good for Coroner, though. Folks' fights are beat you out by four votes. But don't feel too bad about it, Britt. Folks are real proper men. Well, I just don't know what to say. Well, this is the most outlandish thing I've ever heard of. And here's the mind. Unusual. I'll agree with you there. Unusual. It's ridiculous. It's... Well, I can tell you I've got no more intention of being mayor than I have of being sheriff. I don't blame you, Britt. Britt, I don't blame you about the mayor part, that is. As a matter of fact, you couldn't hold both jobs if you wanted to. There's a town ordinance against it. I don't care if the... What'd you say? Yes, sir. One man can't hold both jobs. Well, that's something. But like I said, you're resigning the sheriff's position is kind of complicated, you see. Not only have we got the problem of who's going to accept the resignation... I'm the mayor. I'll accept it myself. Well, even so, according to our statutes, when the sheriff resigns or retires, a job goes to the man who got the second highest number of votes. Oh, oh, you mean Roy Coffin would take over my place? That's the gist of it, Mr. Ponsett. Uh-huh. So you see the spot you'd be putting us in, Britt. Besides Mr. Ponsett, the people elected you are there entitled to have you. You said so yourself. When I said that, I didn't have any idea that it is... Oh, now, look here. There's got to be some way out of this situation. Ernie Needles, the man this town needs for sheriff, and he ought to have the job. Isn't that what you wanted? Well, maybe so, maybe so, but I just don't see how we can work it out so he gets it. Oh, well, it's getting late. I guess you'll need your sleep. Probably have a big day tomorrow. What were those wearing in, sir? Now, don't run off, Doc. Now, we... this isn't settled yet. Oh, like it's not, things will settle themselves. They usually do. Good night, Mr. Ponsett. What's it? Oh, by the way, Britt, I'll just leave your star here on the dresser. There's a little rust on the point where the platen's ward off, but good polish, and they'll take care of it. Well, that was the second night in a row. I didn't get much sleep. First thing in the morning, as soon as I figured it was time for the town hall to open, I headed down there, and I did a little hunting through the legal code myself. And it was all true what Doc Cross told me. If I gave up the job of sheriff, Roy Cotton would be next in line for it. Well, about nine o'clock, a delegation headed by Doc Cross came in to make the preparations for the swearing-in ceremony. I told them that the ceremonies just have to be postponed until I had a talk with the Cotton Brothers. They were living in the old Peterson place on Flowers. You've got your nerve coming around here, Ponsett. If you figure out making a name for yourself as sheriff by arresting us, you better do some more figuring. Arresting you? You mean you boys have done something illegal? No, he never said that. Well, putting you under arrest was the farthest thing from my mind, of course, if you think I should. And just what is it you do want, Ponsett? Well, the fact of the matter is it's my understanding that Roy here would inherit the sheriff's job if anything happened that I wasn't able to go on. That's right, Ponsett, and like it's not something will happen, too. Uh-huh. Well, I was just thinking that under those circumstances it might be a good idea for Roy to get all the experience he can while I'm around showing the ropes. You want me to work with you? Well, I don't see why not. Come to think of it, I can use you both as deputies. Deputies? Yeah. Yeah, that'll save me getting the whole big posse together. I think the three of us ought to be able to handle the McGinnis gang. McGinnis? Tracer McGinnis. You heard about him, haven't you? Oh! Oh, no, that's right. You all used to be sort of friendly, didn't you? Before you had that fallen out with him, that is. You don't mean Tracer McGinnis is heading this way? No, it's probably just another false rumor. It's probably not a word of truth to us. Yeah, but why'd he be coming in here? Unless he's after us again. Yeah. Well, now, if you follow to just hold up your hands, I'll give you the oath. No, no, no, wait a minute, Ponseth. Maybe it'd be better if he was to take out the more of a posse. Oh, no, no, gosh. Like as not, Tracer won't be bringing his whole gang, maybe only 10 or 12 of them. All right, now, boys, you hold up your hands. No, no, I ain't going to mix it up with Tracer McGinnis, Ponseth. I had enough of him already. But Roy... The kid's right for once. Well, I'm afraid you fellas don't quite understand. Now, according to the ordinance passed two years ago come November, if any man refuses to take part in a duly constituted posse, he forfeits all right to hold office in the town of Virtue City from that time on. That would mean that you couldn't be sheriff, Roy. I see. I don't figure that's going to make much difference, Ponseth. You see, though, we don't aim to stay around Virtue City anyhow. Yeah, that's right. We were sort of planning to leave town today, weren't we, Gus? Yeah, we were just doing our packing when you come in. Well, maybe we ought not to wait to pack, Gus. Then McGinnis boys ride fast when they're on the move. I sure do. Come on. Oh, I wouldn't hurry myself too much, boys. If you ask me, I think you'll have plenty of time to finish packing before they get here. Plenty of time. Well, as things worked out, they need to have heard it all. As far as I know, Tracer McGinnis never did show up in Virtue City. Of course, Ernie Needle became sheriff that very same day, right after I resigned. And I guess he hasn't had too much trouble keeping folks in line. You see, the Carton Brothers haven't been heard of since they beat it out of town. It just goes to show you a person really shouldn't believe in rumors. It's funny the way they get started, isn't it? The Six Shooters have transcribed NBC Radio Network production in association with Review Productions. It is written by Frank Burt and is based on a character created by him. Mr. Stewart may currently be seen in the Universal International Picture, the Glenn Miller story. Others in the cast were Carlton Young, Dal McKinnon, Paul Richards, Frank Girstel, and Junius Matthews. Special music for this program was by Basil Adlam, and the entire production is under the direction of Jack Johnstone. All characters and incidents were fictitious in any resemblance to actual characters or incidents is purely coincidental. This is John Wall speaking. Tonight here in address by President Eisenhower on the NBC Radio Network.