
Original Air Date: November 06, 1960Host: Andrew RhynesShow: Have Gun Will TravelPhone: (707) 98 OTRDW (6-8739) Stars:• John Dehner (Paladin)• Ben Wright (Heyboy)• Virginia Gregg (Miss. Wong) Special Guests:• Harry Bartell• Barney Phillips• Dick Beals ...
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Welcome to the Old Time Radio Westerns. I'm your host, Andrew Rines. And before we get into this episode, I wanted to remind you to check out our other western podcasts released daily by going to OTRWester or searching OTR Westerns in your podcast app of choice. I also wanted to invite you to check out our other podcast channel releasing non western shows by going to otnetcast.com or by searching otnetcast in your podcast app of choice. Now let's get into this episode. This episode is going to be have Gun Will Travel Original Air Dates November 6, 1960 and the title is the Odds. Hope you enjoy. And again, thanks for listening.
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Remember this, jim. Nobody has a right to a gun unless he knows how to think when he handles it. Have gun will travel starring Mr. John Dana as Paladin San Francisco, 1875. The Carlton Hotel. Headquarters of a man called Paladin. Yes. Oh, Mr. Paladin. Oh, you get ready to go away again. Yes, hey boy. I have to make a trip out to nebraska. What's on your mind? Oh, misa Paladin hey boy have exceptional good fortune. Well, I'm glad to hear it. Oh, Isa, you know, guest in hotel Colonel seymour van courtney. That slick looking gent who took this suite on the third floor? Yes, sir. Well, colonel van Courtney think hey boy very nice fella. I'll go along with that. Oh, yes. Aha. Thank you. So, colonel van courtney, with utmost generosity, permit hey boy to buy mining stock. Mining stock? Stock that con artist is floating. Oh, he saw. He boy now have investment in gold on west consolidated mine company limited. Oh, hey boy, won't you ever learn? Too bad you must go away, Mr. Paladin. Maybe hey boy could talk to colonel van courtney when he come back. Hey boy would say you good friend. Maybe he permit you to buy stock, too. Where's colonel van courtney now? Oh, he checked out a hotel this morning. I must look after vast business enterprise. Yes, I see. Oh, hey boy, you work hard for your money. It seems time you started thinking about your future. Well, when I get back, we're going to have a long talk. Maybe by that time he boy can fix so you can make splendid investment, too. Never mind, hey boy. I was following a rutted trail through the nebraska plains. Dry, desolate land parched by drought. I was still a good many miles from the nearest town when my horse stepped into a prairie dog hole, went down, breaking his leg. The bad thing to have to shoot a horse. The sun was already low in the west when I shouldered my gear and started walking toward a wisp of chimney smoke in the distance. And it was dark by the time. As I started through the yard, a dog let out a howl. The chickens began to squawk. Farmhouse door opened and a boy stepped out on the porch. He looked in my direction, then raised a rifle to his shoulder. Hello there.
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It's a man.
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What were you shooting at, boy?
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Come here. It's a man. I shot a man out here, Jim.
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Mister. Oh, thank the good Lord he ain't dead.
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I thought it was them coyotes after her chickens again, Pa. Don't try to.
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Say nothing there, stranger. Slugs in the tickler spot. We got to take care how we handle him, Jim. Go tell your mother, get some water boiling, Then come back here and give me a hand. Hello, stranger. Looking at you today, I'd say you're gonna make it. Well, now, you just lie back there quiet. You still got a long way to go. I don't mind telling you now, it looked pretty touchy there for a while, but we can thank the good lord you're alive. I guess we can thank you, too. There ain't gonna be a man's blood on my son's hands. Not if I can help it.
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Mister, When I let go of that shot, I thought it was them coyotes out there. Figured to scare him off.
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I've been trying to teach a boy to be dang sure when he sends a bullet off a gun is only as dangerous as the hand that holds it. Guns. I hate him for his.
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Got some strong notions.
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I wasn't much older than Jim here when they took me off my farm back in Illinois. Put a soldier suit on me, shoved a gun in my hand and sent me out to kill. I wasn't a soldier. I was a farmer. But there's men might be living today. SEPTA shot him with that gun they gave me.
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Were you in a war, mister?
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Yes. But I trained to be a soldier. That's different. I. I understand how your father feels.
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I don't. I guess I ain't like pa. Wish I could have been in the war.
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You can say that, boy. Now, it's over and done with, stranger. You ain't gonna be able to travel for a while yet, and we want to make you comfortable. Thank you. Oh, by the way, I'm James Buford, and this here is my son Jim. My name is Paladin.
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You're Paladin? Paladin the gunfighter?
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Well, I. I don't consider myself a gunfighter. Is that true that you live by your gun? Well, yes, I guess that's right. He who lives by the sword shall perish by the sore telling. That it might cross your mind once in a while how you was nearly killed for a sneaking coyote. Indeed it might. Jim's gonna bring up the wagon. He'll drive you into town. You'll Be able to pick yourself up a horse. You're sure now you feel up to traveling? I'm sure. I better be on my way. Thanks. Well, paladin, I don't approve of the way you make your living, But I got to admit, it's been awful nice knowing you. I've enjoyed our talks, buford. And I hope you get that rain soon. Oh, sure, it'll come. But I can just forget this crap corn all stunted and shriveled on the stalk. Might still be time for some winter wheat, though. Oh, say, you can do something for me in town. Sure. This letter here, it goes to Mr. Kyle at the bank. It's about a loan we talked about. You really have to put up a fight for this land, don't you, Buford? Yeah, and it's been fighting me back every inch of the way. But I'll beat it yet. You ever feel like giving up? Lots of times. I'm hanging on for jim there. When he's ready to take over, he's gonna have a farm he can be mighty proud to own.
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All set, cowling?
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Good. How. So long, buford. Good luck. Go on.
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Bye, pa. There.
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You be back before sundown, Jim.
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Seems too bad.
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What seems too bad?
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Won't be a very good time when we get into town.
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Oh, Good time for what?
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Well, town will be kind of empty. I was hoping there'd be a lot of folks around, see me drive up with.
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With a.
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With a gunfighter.
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Now, what kind of nonsense is that? And I'm not a gunfighter.
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Well, however you call it. I've been sort of killing around. How Pal's been out at our place.
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I see.
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You know, Mr. Palan Pie, you don't understand all he thinks about his farm. I never did have a chance to talk to you much. I've been practicing with a gun I got. Wish I could have showed you. I think I can do pretty good.
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Don't you like farming, Jim?
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No. I don't want to be a farmer. I want to do something that takes nerve. Takes gizzard. I want to be like you.
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Pull up here, Jim. I might as well deliver this letter to the bank for your father.
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Oh. Fire. Oh, Mr. F. Look, those men.
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Quick, Jim, out. Duck down the other side of the wagon. Come on.
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Roll up then. Mr. Pal, they've been holding up the bank.
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Quiet. You ought to be smart. Nobody in there to move.
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Look, all those sacks they're carrying. It's the bank money.
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Come on.
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Well, aren't you gonna do something?
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I'm gonna stay Right here behind this wagon.
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But they'll get away. They're riding on. Let him go after him.
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Nope.
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You got your gun.
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Five men with rifles. You don't go up against odds like that.
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You're scared.
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Sure. Well, let's go talk to the sheriff.
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I never saw nothing like a Sheriff Brady right there in broad daylight. Those. Those men really got gizzard to do a thing like that.
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I'm not sure that's what it took, Jim. It figured their odds pretty well.
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What do you mean?
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Wouldn't take much studying of this town to learn. There aren't many people on the street. And the bank's nearly always empty at that time of day. But now we got to do a little figuring. Well, they can't be planning to ride far during the daylight in this open country.
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They can't be very far away now. You could spot them anywhere out there. Why don't you just go out after them?
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They're desperate men. All criminals are. If the law catches up with them. If we'd face them out there in the open mean just violent warfare. Somebody'd get hurt bad.
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You're scared.
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Sure. No. We'll have to figure to get em cornered someplace where we'll have the odds on our side. From the forks on, the roads are so dry and hard packed, it's impossible to pick up a trail. It's my hunch they're headed toward Wheatville. Wheatville? Yeah, it's about 10 miles north of here. It's been a ghost town since the grasshopper invasion wiped out the crops in 74. Oh, sounds like a fair hunch. I'll get a posse together. We'll ride up that way. Well, I'd be happy to ride with you. Glad to have you.
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Could I go along, Jim?
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Your PA said you were to be home before sundown, Jim.
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Yeah, yeah, all right.
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Have you ever been exasperated by a child who's reached the why stage? Why is the sky blue? Why do birds fly? Why do I have to go to bed? The questions are endless. But through questions like these, a young child learns encountering an inquisitive child. Be grateful that here is a youngster whose mind has the capacity and the urge to grow. There are some without this capacity for mental growth. They are our mentally retarded children. 120,000 are born every year. That's three out of every 100 babies. Naturally, we want to help these retarded children to develop into normal, responsible members of the community. And we can. But the process is a long, slow one that requires Many special services, expensive services, and continuing research into the causes and cures of mental retardation. Funds for education and research come from the national association for Children. Won't you give now to your local unit in order that more children may be helped? Sheriff, those tracks in that draw back there. Your hunch was right. This is where they're headed. Yeah, but as you can see, we go with a pretty spread out little community. Where they're holed up is another thing. Hold it, fellas, hold it. Yeah, this was quite a town. What's that tall tower up ahead there? Green elevator. Built by some eastern outfit when wheat was booming. Might be a likely hideout. Not a very healthy one. It's loaded with grain dust. Wouldn't take much to cause an explosion. The tiniest spark, nothing'd go right up. As dry as this country is, that could be bad. I hate to think about it. Fire that could start from an explosion in that elevator could wipe out the country for miles around. Well, if they are in there, it's a cinch we can't smoke them out. Wherever they are when we corner them. They'll give up when they see how they're outnumbered. Let's ride up the elevator and have a look. See? Hey, wait a minute. Look. Look back there. That horse. Isn't that Jim Buford? That sure is.
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Oh, Palad.
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Jim. What are you doing here?
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Going home. Got my gun and cut across.
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What's the idea?
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I want to be on the excitement.
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You're acting like a fool, kid. But there's nothing to do about it. Now you get back there and behave yourself.
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Yes, sir.
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All right, man, let's ride to the grain elevator. Well, Sheriff, it's their houses all right. Get away in that lean to. Then they are in this grain elevator. No question about it. How do we go about getting them out? They got the men stationed all around the place. I don't think they'll give us any argument when they know they're surrounded. None of your men are apt to go for their guns, are they? They know better. They all know what a shot into that grain dust would do. I guess the hold up men do too. Sure, being jailed for bank robbery is better than being blown to kingdom come. Come on. Well, I'll be. Hey, look up there. Huh? On that ladder going up the side of the tower. That's Jim Buford. What's that crazy kid up to now? What's he doing climbing up there? He's heading for the cupola on the top of the elevator. He's got that Gun. Paladin. You suppose he's figuring to get in there from the top and face those hold up men? That's probably it. I'll lay odds there's one ain't got sense enough not to find fire that grain dust. I think you're right. He's got to be stopped. Jim. Jim, come down here.
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Paladin. I know a way to get in from the top here.
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Jim, climb down here.
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I know what I'm doing.
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You're a fool. All right, Jim, stay where you are.
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You coming with me? We'll get together, huh?
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Just stay where you are. I know. Give me that gun.
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No, Paladin. I know a way to get in from the top here. Come on. We'll face those guys, smoke them out.
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Give me that gun.
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No, I'm going in there.
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Him. I said give me that gun. Now. Now, you little fool. Climb down from here. Go on, Climb down.
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All right. What's the matter with you, Paladin? Are you scared? Afraid to face up to those men in there? You got too much gizzard for you.
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I'll show you how much gizzard they have. Come on. What's the idea, boy? You were right, sheriff. He was going in there to smoke them out. You want to set fire to the hole in nebraska, boy?
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No, I.
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Come on out of them. Let's take him. All right. We know you're in there. You know we're out here. There's five of you. There's 20 of us. We got you surrounded. Let's have your rifles. Throw them out. Now. Come on out. Your hands behind your heads. We don't aim to give you no trouble, sheriff. I didn't think so. Come on, let's move.
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Why? Well, they just give up without any fight at all.
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Sure, the odds were against them.
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Well, I got them all locked up. Guess I'd better get back to the farm.
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I guess you better. They'll never make it before sundown.
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You gonna give me back my gun?
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I suppose I'll have to. It's yours. I've got no right to it. But you haven't either.
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What do you mean?
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Nobody. Nobody has got a right to a gun unless he knows how to think when he handles it. Jim, you nearly killed me because you took a wild shot at a sound in the dark. You didn't think back there in Wheatville, you might have caused a disaster like this country has never known by firing into that grain dust. Because you didn't think.
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Well, I.
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How old are you?
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14.
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Yeah, well, it seems to Me? It's about time you started thinking like a man instead of a crazy kid.
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Yes, sir, I guess so.
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Jim, there's something else.
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Yes?
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You were disappointed in me when I wouldn't stand up to five men with rifles, weren't you now? Well, sure. Sure you were. And you were let down when those hold up men wouldn't fight it out with a posse of 20.
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Yeah, I guess that's right.
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Well, this past week, I have known a man who will stand up to any odds and fight.
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Who?
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Your father.
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Pa.
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When your father homesteaded his land, the government was betting that 160 acres that he couldn't stick it out six months. But your pa won the bet. But that didn't end the struggle. There was this spring Blizzard in 73 that wiped him out. But he came back fighting. There was the grasshopper invasion. 74. His crops just leveled to the ground, but he stood up to it. Now there's the drought. But he's not about to give up. He's negotiating alone right now so that he can keep up the fight. A fight against real odds. Do you understand what I'm saying, Jim?
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Yes, sir, I guess so.
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Your palace. Now, there's a man doing a job that takes gizzard.
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Yes, Sir. Yes, sir.
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Ms. Wong, just give the room a licking a promise. I'm going to lie down and rest a while.
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Oh, Isa. You have a hard trip, Mr. Paladin?
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Yes, I'm tired. Oh, my.
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Too bad.
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What's too bad?
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You work so hard for your money, Mr. Paladin. Too bad you can't make splendid investment like a boy.
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What's that?
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Oh, hey boy buy mining stock. Then he sell mining stock and make you lots of money.
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What?
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What?
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Hey boy was able to sell that stock he bought in the golden west.
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Whatever it was, make lots of money. Now hey boy have investment in laundry business with his cousin leasing. He has a ISA laundry business. Very good. Well, Mr. Paladin.
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Yes?
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Excuse, please. But seems it's time you started thinking about your future. Maybe you and hey boy should have a long talk. He tell you how to invest money?
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Have Gun Will Travel, created by herb meadow and Sam Rolfe is produced and directed in hollywood by frank Paris and stars john dana as Paladin, with ben wright as hey boy and Virginia Greg as Ms. Wong. Tonight's story was specially written for Half gun Will travel by anne Dowd. Featured in the cast were harry Bartel, Barney Phillips and richard Beals. This is hugh Douglas inviting you to join us again next week when CBS radio presents have gun will travel.
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Host: Andrew Rhynes
Release Date: August 22, 2025
Restored Classic Western Radio Drama
In this episode, "The Odds," professional gunman Paladin finds himself stranded on the Nebraska plains after his horse breaks a leg. Taken in by a farmer’s family, Paladin becomes an unlikely mentor to a restless young boy named Jim, who idolizes the glamour of gunfighters but is oblivious to the harsh realities and responsibilities that come with violence. When the local bank is robbed, Paladin and Jim become embroiled in a tense pursuit that puts the true meaning of bravery, nerve, and maturity to the test.
Quote:
"Nobody has a right to a gun unless he knows how to think when he handles it."
— Paladin (03:10)
Quote:
"A gun is only as dangerous as the hand that holds it. Guns. I hate them for his sake."
— James Buford (07:46)
Quote:
"Five men with rifles. You don't go up against odds like that."
— Paladin (13:06)
Quote:
"What's the matter with you, Paladin? Are you scared? Afraid to face up to those men in there? You got too much gizzard for you."
— Jim (19:51)
Quote:
"Nobody has got a right to a gun unless he knows how to think when he handles it."
— Paladin (21:45)
Quote:
"When your father homesteaded his land, the government was betting ... that he couldn't stick it out six months. But your pa won the bet. ... There was the spring blizzard of '73 ... the grasshopper invasion of '74 ... and now there's drought. But he's not about to give up. A fight against real odds."
— Paladin (22:59)
| Segment | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------------|-------------| | Paladin’s journey/horse accident | 03:10–06:18 | | Paladin at Buford farm/Generational conflict | 06:19–10:49 | | Bank robbery and teaching about odds | 12:16–14:44 | | Posse forms and deduces robbers’ hideout | 14:44–17:43 | | Jim’s reckless act at the grain elevator | 17:27–20:02 | | Surrender of the robbers / Paladin’s lecture | 21:04–23:52 | | Epilogue with "hey boy" and investment humor | 24:13–25:45 |
This episode bridges the divide between youthful fantasies of the gun-slinging West and the realities that shaped responsible adulthood on the frontier. Paladin emerges not just as a gun-for-hire—but as a teacher and a symbol of restraint, wisdom, and true grit.