Sherlock Holmes - E4: The Case of The Texas Cowgirl
30min | Crime, Drama, Mystery | TV Series (1954–1955)
A cowgirl from a visiting rodeo show asks Sherlock Holmes to help her when she discovers a dead man in her hotel room.
Stars: Ronald Howard, Howard Marion-Crawford, Archie Duncan
30min | Crime, Drama, Mystery | TV Series (1954–1955)
A cowgirl from a visiting rodeo show asks Sherlock Holmes to help her when she discovers a dead man in her hotel room.
Stars: Ronald Howard, Howard Marion-Crawford, Archie Duncan
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
01:00Wait here, Slim, I'll be down in two shakes.
01:27A visitor, Watson.
01:43What, a desire?
01:44Yes, a young lady who arrived in a covered wagon.
01:48A what?
01:49A covered wagon.
01:52And what do you find strange about that?
01:55I'm a-lookin' for Mr. Sherlock Holmes.
02:04You've tracked him down, madam.
02:05Won't you come in?
02:06Name's Ninny Mallet, Mr. Holmes, Melronda, Texas.
02:14I'm sure glad to know you.
02:15Well, I'm very pleased to know you, with Bison Jack's radio, I believe.
02:20Say, how'd you figure that out?
02:23Well, your dress is very charming, but scarcely commonplace in London.
02:28Well, I didn't have a chance to change to my store clothes, came straight here from
02:32a hotel.
02:33Who's he?
02:34Oh, he?
02:35Oh, no, no, no, that's Dr. Watson, my esteemed partner.
02:40Howdy, Doc.
02:42How do you do, indeed?
02:46I'm sorry to bother you boys so late, but I got a case for you, Mr. Holmes.
02:53You're gonna like this one.
02:54Yes, yes, that's all right.
02:55Why don't you sit down?
02:56No time to sit down, not with that man in my hotel room.
03:01Man in your room?
03:02Don't get excited, Doc, it's all right, he's dead.
03:05Oh, well, of course, in that case, I...
03:08What, dead?
03:09With his head doused up a little, and my tomahawk layin' next to him.
03:14Great Scott.
03:15Tell me, Miss Mallet, who is this gentleman?
03:20Dunno.
03:22Never saw the critter before in my life.
03:27Walked into my room after the show tonight, and there he was, stretched out on the floor,
03:32dead.
03:33And it was your tomahawk?
03:36Sure was.
03:37He was in the show, but left it in my room tonight.
03:42Sherlock, you gotta get that hombre's body out of my room.
03:46But, Miss O'Malley, one can't just...
03:49Minnie is the name, Doc.
03:51Well, Doctor, what...
03:53I mean, Doc is right, Minnie.
03:56It's considered illegal to move a body from the place of crime.
04:00Well, it certainly is in England.
04:01Of course, I don't know what they do in Texas.
04:04Well, it was illegal to tomahawk the critter in my room, too, wasn't it?
04:08Well, I dare say it was, but wouldn't it be simpler to notify the police?
04:12Sherlock, our Texas way, we call in the sheriff when we wanna make a fuss about something.
04:17I don't wanna make a fuss about this.
04:19Just wanna get that body out of my room.
04:21Pronto.
04:23Pronto? Is that his name?
04:25What language are you talking, Doc?
04:27Uh, Minnie, why don't you want to make a fuss about it?
04:30Well, I'm aiming to get myself hitched.
04:32Hitched?
04:33Hitched.
04:34A hook, lasso, tied down.
04:38Wedding, holy matrimony.
04:40Oh.
04:41And what would Freddy and his mother count to see if they finally got a dead man in my room?
04:45Uh, Freddy, I presume, is your fiancée?
04:48Yeah. The Earl of Worcester.
04:50Met him last week when he got tossed off a bronco.
04:53Landed in his lap.
04:55Oh, I... I don't think I've heard of the title.
04:59Well, Freddy calls it something else, too, Doc.
05:02But it's spelled W-O-R-C-E-S-T-E-R.
05:06Worcester.
05:07Oh, yes, I see, yes.
05:09Lord Worcester. Mm-hmm.
05:12His ma would be fit to be hog-tied if I'd gotten any kind of scandal.
05:16Uh, Anglo-American relations are involved in this, Watson.
05:19To say nothing of chivalry.
05:22Now, look here, Holmes, I know all about Anglo-American relations and then chivalry.
05:25But just the same, I...
05:27Doc, maybe you'd better stay home tonight and leave this to me and Sherlock.
05:32Yes, maybe you'd better.
05:34It might turn out to be a rather risky business, Watson.
05:37Well, I... I, um... Excuse me, what, um...
05:41What exactly is this?
05:44It's a lasso, Doc.
05:46Oh.
05:49Well...
05:50You throw a half of it.
05:51Well, you throw a half of where?
05:53Well, you don't really throw a half of it, Doc.
05:55Mm-hmm.
05:56You just lasso it.
06:00Like this.
06:02Now, really, I... What on earth do you think, young woman, you're doing?
06:05And then...
06:06What is the... Hey!
06:20All right, boy, up you go.
06:27There you go.
06:28I refuse point-blank to travel in that disgusting conveyor.
06:31Oh, don't be so narrow-minded, Watson. Come on, get in.
06:34I tell you, I refuse point-blank.
06:37Well, if that's the way you feel about it, Doc...
06:40You'll regret this.
06:41Take it away, Slim!
06:43Hey! Hey!
06:45A man, after all, he has his principles!
06:47Hey, you mustn't do this to me! What do you think you're doing?
06:50Faster, Watson, faster!
06:51What do you think you're doing? I can't put up with this! You'll stagger me!
06:54Come on, now, Watson, hurry, hurry! Come on!
06:56Knees up, Mother Brown! Knees up, Mother Brown!
06:59Here we go!
07:00Knees up, knees up, don't get a breeze up! Knees up, Mother Brown!
07:02Come on, Watson, come on!
07:20There he is, boys, just like I left him.
07:23He's dead all right, isn't he, Doc?
07:25He couldn't be deader.
07:29Yes.
07:31Nasty business, this.
07:34Whoever did it wasn't satisfied to hit him just once with that tomahawk.
07:38He hit him several times.
07:40Looks like a vengeance killing.
07:42Sounds like an engine on the warpath.
07:47I take it that this is the weapon you use in your performance, Minion?
07:51Yeah.
07:52A fella stands there with a cigarette in his mouth, and...
07:54I throw the tomahawk at him, slice off the cigarette.
07:58A bit risky, isn't he?
08:00Not if I don't miss, Doc.
08:02Oh, I see.
08:03When do you estimate the time of death, Doctor?
08:07Within the last two hours.
08:09It's perfectly straightforward, penetration of the cerebrum.
08:12He was hit more than once.
08:14Hmm.
08:16Aged about 30, I'd say.
08:19Occasionally wore glasses.
08:25Uh-huh.
08:27Wallet.
08:29No means of identification in it.
08:33Ah, what's this?
08:36Hmm.
08:37No doubt about his profession, Watson.
08:40Skeleton keys.
08:42By Jove, Holmes a burglar!
08:44Then that means, of course he was after some jewels, and he must have had a partner, and then he and his partner...
08:49He got no jewels.
08:50Just some old engine beads, and who'd want them?
08:53Now, the problem becomes, where can we put his body?
08:57Now, look here, Holmes, we can't put his body anywhere, otherwise that's preposterous.
09:01I've got it, we'll put it in the next room.
09:03Oh, now, look, Holmes, listen, you've got to listen to me, you can't possibly...
09:06Anglo-American relations, Watson, remember?
09:10Careful Barton Jack doesn't see you, he's got his room down the hall.
09:13Ah, thank you, my dear.
09:23Knock, knock, knock.
09:54Relax, Doc, leave it to Sherlock.
09:57My dear child, Holmes is the last person I'd leave this to.
10:00He has no more idea when to stop than any man I ever...
10:03Number 13, across the passage, most appropriate.
10:05Couldn't think of a better. Come on now, time's a-wasting.
10:18All right, boys, all clear.
10:24Come along, Holmes.
10:26Holmes, what are you doing? Come along, I'm coming, I'm coming.
10:34Psst, Mr. Holmes.
10:36Hello, Tommy.
10:38I've got something for you, Mr. Holmes, something real odd.
10:42Really, Tommy? What is it, eh?
10:44Well, sir, I happened to be passing one of the rooms tonight, and I looked inside...
10:48The door was open?
10:50Not exactly open, sir.
10:52In fact, it was closed, if you know what I mean.
10:55Ah, yes, I think I do know what you mean.
10:58Well, if a bloke wants to become a famous detective like you...
11:01Really, Tommy, there are more ethical ways of becoming a detective than looking through keyholes,
11:05but since you did, what did you see?
11:08Someone's hand.
11:10Boy! Boy!
11:12Yes, ma'am?
11:14There's a mouse in my room.
11:16I'll get it right out, ma'am.
11:18How?
11:19I'm coming right away, ma'am.
11:21Madam, might I suggest that you try mewing?
11:24Mewing?
11:26Yes, madam, mewing.
11:28Ha! Disgraceful, if you ask me.
11:31I pay three shillings for my room, and I must mew like a cat.
11:38Well, now, Tommy, perhaps you'll tell me about that hand that you saw.
11:41Well, sir, all I saw was a hand turning a knob on a bedpost.
11:45Hand turning a knob on a bedpost?
11:48That's very interesting.
11:50Thank you very much, Tommy.
11:51Now run along and catch that mouse.
11:53Thank you, sir.
11:54Coming, madam.
12:01A tomahawk, I think it's called, sir.
12:04A native weapon of the North American Indian.
12:07Sometimes it's a missile and sometimes it's a hand weapon.
12:10When I want the history of the tomahawk, Wilkins, I'll consult an encyclopedia.
12:15Yes?
12:18Oh, come in, Holmes.
12:20Dr. Watson?
12:21Hello, Inspector. How are you?
12:22Got your notes, Lestrade. Anything interesting on hand?
12:25Yes, murder. I thought you'd be interested.
12:27It's the kind of case you like.
12:28Really? Why?
12:29Well, a chambermaid found them like this a little while ago.
12:32Ah, poor chap.
12:33Yes, he was killed by this tomahawk.
12:36It's a native weapon of the North American Indian.
12:40Sometimes used as a missile, sometimes as a hand weapon.
12:43That's most observant of you, Lestrade.
12:45Have you identified the victim?
12:47Oh, yes, of course.
12:48It's a burglar, the name of Sly Sam Slyth.
12:52Room belongs to Mr. Honeywell here.
12:55Mr. Honeywell is a salesman.
12:57Women's quarters.
12:59Terrible. Terrible.
13:01A dead man in my room.
13:04I shall lose all my customers.
13:07Yes, that must be very awkward for you.
13:10Ah, Holmes, don't you think, um,
13:13perhaps it's time for the magnifying glass and a little, um, detection?
13:18Well, Watson, I don't really like interfering in the yard's cases.
13:22Besides, it seems plain enough without magnification.
13:26Oh, you mean Mr. Honeywell?
13:29What?
13:31I don't know anything about it.
13:34Inspector, I'm innocent.
13:35Think of my customers.
13:37Take it easy, Mr. Honeywell.
13:39No one's accusing you of anything.
13:41Now, the way I see it is this, Holmes.
13:43Sly Sam sometimes worked with a partner.
13:45They were on a job here together tonight.
13:47They broke into this room, quarreled over the loot,
13:49and Sly Sam tomahawked them.
13:52Who owned the tomahawk?
13:55The tomahawk?
13:57Yes, of course, Lestrade, you know,
13:59Sly Sam Sly's partner might have been a red Indian.
14:03Are you coming, Watson?
14:05Let me know if you find the owner of the tomahawk, won't you, Lestrade?
14:30It was late in the afternoon,
14:32and the gray, depressing London weather
14:34did nothing to help clear up my confusion.
14:37Holmes kept silent as we walked,
14:39and it wasn't until the rain cleared and the gas lamps came on
14:42that he started to discuss the case.
14:48Yes, but, Holmes, what I don't understand is
14:50who put the tomahawk next to the body?
14:52I did.
14:53You did?
14:54Yes.
14:55But Holmes, Minnie's our client.
14:57So she is.
14:58Yes, but, but, but, we moved the tomahawk
15:01so she won't be involved,
15:03and then you implicate her with the tomahawk.
15:05But the tomahawk is evidence, my dear fellow.
15:08Would you have me disturb evidence?
15:10That's illegal, you know.
15:12Well, really?
15:14Yes, but...
15:17Well, you know, Holmes, I'm very surprised at you, you know,
15:20because, after all, Minnie is our client.
15:23And it's your duty to protect our clients, not to tell...
15:31All right, boys, grab air.
15:34Grab air? What are you talking about?
15:36Reach for the ceiling, Doc.
15:38You too, Sherlock.
15:40Oh, I believe she means raise your hands.
15:43Oh, why didn't you say so?
15:46I'm right disappointed in you, Sherlock.
15:48I thought you were a straight shooter.
15:51You planted my tomahawk next to that critter's body,
15:54so I guess I'll have to shoot you.
15:56You got any last wishes, Sherlock?
15:59No.
16:12And now we return to the case of the Texas cowgirl.
16:16Quite simple, really.
16:18The tomahawk I placed by the body
16:20was the one I found in the potted plant outside Minnie's room.
16:23The murderer undoubtedly hid it there, hoping to recover it later on.
16:27You mean he used two tomahawks to kill Slyde?
16:29No, just one.
16:31He struck Slyde with Minnie's tomahawk after he'd killed him,
16:35thereby giving the impression that Minnie had done it.
16:37Well, someone's trying to frame me.
16:39Obviously.
16:41Well, who is it?
16:42Could it be somebody in the rodeo?
16:44Why, no good, Doc.
16:46If anyone in the rodeo saw, they saw a boss and Jack, not me.
16:49No one knows I'm a silent partner.
16:51Who's that?
16:53Oh, one of Inspector Lestrade's emissaries, I expect.
16:56Come in.
16:59Oh, Mr. Holmes, Inspector...
17:05Inspector Lestrade asked me to give you this message.
17:08Oh, thank you, Wilkins.
17:14Aha. Just as I thought.
17:16What is it, Sherlock?
17:18Well, Inspector Lestrade thinks he's found the owner of the other tomahawk,
17:21the one that killed Slyde.
17:23But whose is it?
17:24He doesn't say.
17:25Come on, boys.
17:26Whoever the ombre is, he's the one that's trying to frame me.
17:39Where's the inspector, Sergeant?
17:41In the room with the body?
17:42No, sir. He's in the room with running water.
17:44This one, sir.
17:45Running water? But they've all got running water.
17:47It means cheap running water, Doc.
17:49The engine in the rodeo.
17:51Oh.
17:56Oh, I took your advice, Mr. Holmes.
17:58I found an Indian.
18:00Chief Running Water here.
18:02Indian to London, honestly.
18:04Howdy, Chief.
18:09Oh.
18:12How do you do?
18:14Oh, Lestrade, has our friend admitted owning the tomahawk?
18:18Yes, he has.
18:19Oh.
18:20How do you do?
18:22Oh, Lestrade, has our friend admitted owning the tomahawk?
18:26Well, I don't know.
18:27He keeps saying the same thing every time.
18:30You watch.
18:32Now, I'll ask you once again.
18:35Is this your tomahawk?
18:39Huh?
18:40The woman who?
18:44You see?
18:46He doesn't say the English, Sheriff.
18:49Oh, I, uh...
18:51I don't think I've had the honor.
18:53Oh, I beg your pardon.
18:54Inspector Lestrade, this is Miss Minnie O'Malley from Bison Jack's Rodeo.
19:00Oh, then, Miss, perhaps you can help me to make this gentleman understand what I'm trying to ask him.
19:06Sorry, Sheriff. He's a Blackfoot.
19:08All I speak is Apache.
19:14Tomahawk.
19:15You catch him quick, kill White Chief?
19:24Winner, earner.
19:45Winner, earner.
19:47♪
20:13You're wearin' him out for work.
20:15♪
20:29What do you want to do that for?
20:31I reckon he thinks you're askin' him to scalp you, Sheriff.
20:35Holmes, this is impossible.
20:37When it gets to the point where I have to learn Blackfoot
20:40to talk to a murder suspect, well, really...
20:44Go on, Wawa.
20:47Well, what's he say?
20:49I believe, sir, he says the tomahawk belongs
20:51to Big Chief Bison Jack.
20:54When I want suggestions from you Wilkins, I'll ask for it.
20:58What?
20:59He says that he saw Mr. Bison Jack tonight
21:06in the corridor outside room number 13,
21:08the room where the body of the thief was found.
21:11He also suggests that perhaps we might...
21:13Bison Jack?
21:16Why, sure enough, this is his tomahawk.
21:20Then it's not his?
21:22Sure lie.
21:24The vomit tomahawk sliced in my room, and then he went over...
21:27In your room, Miss O'Malley?
21:29Hey, a slip of the tongue, straight.
21:31A slip of the tongue.
21:32That's right, Sheriff, slip of the tongue.
21:34Make him all the time.
21:36Because that wouldn't make any sense either.
21:39Wilkins, find this Bison Jack person,
21:45or whatever they call him, and bring him to room 13.
21:47Yes, sir.
22:09This ain't my tomahawk, Sheriff.
22:24Never seen it before.
22:26Anyhow, tomahawks all look the same to me.
22:28It's the tomahawk you loaned me for my act tonight.
22:31Left mine in my room.
22:33You didn't give us your tomahawk back to me, Minnie.
22:35I certainly did, right after the act.
22:38I don't rightly recollect your giving it back.
22:41Chief Running Water, oh, man.
22:44Chief Running Water said he saw you outside the door
22:46of this room tonight, Mr. Jack.
22:49Yeah, I went to talk over the act with Minnie.
22:52Did Miss O'Malley answer the door?
22:53No, I went straight back to my room.
22:56Did you get back here tonight before or after, Minnie?
23:01I reckon as before.
23:03Leastwise, Minnie wasn't in her room when I knocked.
23:06Tell me, Lestrade, did any of the guests
23:08report missing jewelry tonight?
23:12No, why?
23:14Well, they will soon.
23:17But you gave the solution yourself, Lestrade.
23:21The murderer was Sam Sly's partner, weren't you,
23:24Mr. Honeywell?
23:26I don't know what you're talking about.
23:30You stole Bison Jack's tomahawk to kill your own partner
23:35here in this room.
23:36Then you planned to move his body
23:38back into Bison Jack's room.
23:40This is ridiculous.
23:42If that's what I planned, why didn't I put the body
23:44into Bison Jack's room?
23:47Because Bison Jack had already returned
23:49to his room from the rodeo.
23:51In that case, I still wouldn't have left the body in my room.
23:55I could have put it in another room.
23:57Come, come, Mr. Honeywell.
23:59Don't let's get academic.
24:01Who placed the jewels in the bedpost?
24:04Yes, who did place the jewels in the bedpost?
24:07Well, I, I, I.
24:12Would your employment with a corset firm
24:15stand investigation, Mr. Honeywell?
24:34Yippee, that's the way, Doc.
24:36Hooray, Dr. Watts.
24:37Nice rope on her, partner.
24:39It's all yours, Inspector.
24:47Middle of this.
24:49There we are.
24:50Oh, thank you, Watson.
24:51Bread.
24:53See, you can really twirl that rope, Doc.
24:56Oh, I don't know.
24:57I don't think there's much to it once you
24:58get the hang of it, you know.
25:04Say, Shilla, how'd you know that Honeywell dragged the body
25:08from his room to my room?
25:10Well, the tracks in the corridor.
25:13Two heel marks in the carpet.
25:15Quite obvious.
25:17Golly, you could be an engine scout.
25:22Minnie, may I ask you something?
25:26Sure can.
25:28Would you really have shot me?
25:31Well, I reckon I maybe just wounded you a little.
25:41Yes, do you, boy.
25:42Yes, do you, Minnie?
25:43Yeah.
25:44Yeah.
27:00you