High Noon

Did you see what I saw? Come on. Open her up. We'll have a big day today.

- You're in a hurry? - Yes. I sure am!

You're a fool. Come on.

All right, ladies and gentlemen. Let us begin.

Would the bride and groom kindly step forward.

Will Kane and Amy Fowler

you appear before me in my capacity as Justice of the Peace of this township

to be joined together in the bounds of holy matrimony.

- Man, it sure is hot! - Hot? You call this hot?

Well, I'll be... I thought I saw Ben Miller.

- He's down in Texas somewhere. - I know.

- It looked Like Pierce and Colby, too. - Oh, it couldn't be.

My goodness gracious!

- Is the noon train on time? - Yes, sir. That is, I think so, sir.

I don't know a reason why it shouldn't be, Mr Pierce.

How are you, Mr Miller... Mr Pierce... Mr Colby?

Do you, Will Kane, take Amy to be your lawful wedded wife

to have and to hold from this day forward until death do you part?

I do.

Do you, Amy, take Will to be your lawful wedded husband

to have and to hold from this day forward until death do you part?

- I do. - The ring, please...

Then by the authority invested in me by the laws of this territory

I pronounce you, man and wife.

I can't speak for the rest of you but I claim an ancient privilege.

Moving mighty fast for a Sunday!

- Will - All those people...

Amy, people ought to be alone when they get married.

I know.

I'm going to try, Amy. I'll do my best.

I will too.

The honeymoon is officially over. Come on, everybody.

- Don't look so shocked. - No privacy on his wedding day!

Well, 1 more ceremony, and Will's a free man, more or less.

Marshal, turn in your badge.

I hate to do this without your new marshal being here.

Fuller, Haland and I are the entire board of selectmen in this community.

We're also your very good friends.

With the fine job you've done, I feel free to say... and the judge will bail me out

this town will be safe till tomorrow.

You win. But don't marry a Quaker: she'll have you running a store.

- I can't picture you doing that, Will. - I can.

So can I, and a good thing too!

Thank you.

You didn't talk that way when you wore a star.

All right. It's coming off but I've got to to be paid first.

- Let me down! - Not until you kiss me.

Will, let me down, you fool!

- You should have been a lawyer. - I was meant to be a storekeeper.

Marshal, a telegram for you...

It's terrible. It's shocking.

- They've pardoned Frank Miller. - I don't believe it.

We could go too.

- It's nice of them to let you know. - That isn't all.

Ben Miller is down at the depot with Pierce and Colby.

- He asked about the noon train. - The noon train?

Well, you get out of this town. Get out of this town, this very minute!

- What is it? - Never mind that now.

- What is it, Mr Howe? - Just get out, and everything will be fine.

- We'll take care of everything. - I ought to stay.

Are you crazy? Think of Amy.

Goodbye, Amy. Don't worry. Everything will be all right.

Hm... That's funny.

- What? - Oh, you can't see now.

Kane and his new wife just took off in a big hurry.

- What's so funny? - I mean, in a big hurry!

Hey. You don't suppose Kane's scared of those 3 gunnies?

I never saw him whip a horse that way.

- Sam... - Come in, Helen.

Ben Miller is in town. He has 2 of the old bunch with him.

I guess I'll take a look around.

- Why are you stopping? - It's no good. I've got go back, Amy.

- Why? - This is crazy. I haven't got any guns.

- Then let's go on. Hurry. - No.

That's what I've been thinking.

They're making me run. I've never run from anybody before.

- I don't understand any of this. - I don't have time to tell you.

- Then don't go back, Will. - I've got to. That's the whole thing.

Kane's back.

- I don't believe it. - I've just seen him.

- How many coffins have we got? - 2.

We'll need at least 2 more, no matter how you figure it.

You'd better get busy, Fred.

Please, Will, if you'd just tell me what this is all about...

I sent a man up 5 years ago for murder. He was supposed to hang

but up north, they commuted it to life and now he's free.

I don't know how. It looks like he's coming back.

- I still don't understand. - He's a

He was always wild and kind of crazy. He'll probably make trouble.

But that's no concern of yours, not any more.

I'm the one who sent him up.

But that was part of your job! They've got a new marshal.

He won't be here until tomorrow. It seems to me, I've got to stay.

- I'm the same man, with or without this. - That isn't so.

He'll come looking for me. 3 of his old bunch are waiting for him.

- That's why we ought to go. - They'll just come after us.

4 of them... and we'd be all alone in the prairie.

- We've got an hour. - What's in an hour?

We'd never be able to keep that store, Amy.

We'd have to run again as long as we live.

No, you wouldn't... not, if they didn't know where to find us.

- I'm begging you. Please, let's go. - I can't.

Don't try to be a hero. You don't have to be a hero, not for me.

I'm not not trying to be a hero. If you think I like this, you're crazy.

Look, Amy. This is my town. I've got friends here.

I'll swear in deputies, and with a posse behind me, maybe there won't be trouble.

- You know there'll be trouble. - Then it's better to have it here.

I'm sorry, honey. I know how you feel about it.

- Do you? - Of course I do. It's against your religion.

- Sure, I know how you feel. - But you're doing it just the same.

Oh, Will! We were married just a few minutes ago.

We've got our whole lives ahead of us. Doesn't that mean anything?

You know, I've only got an hour and I've got lots to do.

Stay at the hotel until it's over.

No. I won't be here when it's over.

You're asking me to wait an hour to find out if I'll be a wife or a widow.

- It's too long to wait. I won't do it. - Amy

If you won't go with me now, I'll be on that train when it leaves here.

I've got to stay.

- I'm glad you got here, Percy. - Are you?

Have you forgotten that I passed sentence on Frank Miller?

You shouldn't have come back, Will.

I figured, I had to. I figured, I had to stay.

- You figured wrong. - I can deputise a posse... 10-12 guns.

- My intuition tells me otherwise. - Why?

There's no time for a lesson in civics, my boy.

In the 5th century BC the citizens of Athens

having suffered under a tyrant, managed to banish him.

When he returned years later with an army of mercenaries

those same citizens not only opened their gates for him

but stood by while he executed members of the League of Government.

A similar thing happened 8 years ago in a town called Indian Falls.

I escaped death only through the intercession of a lady of somewhat dubious reputation

and the cost of a handsome ring which once belonged to my mother.

Unfortunately I have no more rings.

- You're a judge. - I've been a judge many times and in many towns.

- I hope to live to be a judge again. - I can't tell you what to do.

Why must you be so stupid? Have you forgotten what he's done... that he's crazy?

Don't you remember when he sat there and said

"You'll never hang me. I'll come back. I swear it. I'll kill you, Kane!"

Here you are, madam. This will take you to St. Louis.

Thank you.

Maybe you'd rather wait somewhere else, like, at the hotel maybe.

- All right. Thank you. - I'm sorry about all this, Mrs Kane.

Don't you worry. The marshal will take care of himself.

Thank you very much.

Hey. That wasn't here 5 years ago.

- So what? - Nothing... yet.

Harvey, don't you think Kane will be looking for you right now?

- You're really sore at him. - Wouldn't you be if you were me?

I suppose, if I were you.

I'll be back in a while.

- Goodbye, Will. - Goodbye.

- Do you think I'm letting you down? - No.

Look. This is just a dirty little village in the middle of nowhere.

Nothing that happens here is really important. Get out.

There isn't time.

What a waste! Good luck.

Johnny!

- Why aren't you in church? - Why aren't you?

Will you do something for me?

Go and find Anderson, Howe and Fuller and tell them I want them here.

- Then find Harv Pell. - You don't have to do that. I'm right here.

- Where have you been? - Busy.

Do you know what's doing? We've got lots to do.

Hold up for a second. This isn't really your job, you know.

- That's what everybody keeps telling me. - Just listen a second.

- All right. I'm listening. - This is the way I see it.

If you'd gone, with the new marshal not due till tomorrow, I'd be in charge, right?

If I'm good enough to hold down the job when there's trouble

how come the city fathers didn't trust me with it permanently?

- I don't know. - Don't you?

- No. - I figure, you carry a lot of weight.

Maybe they didn't ask me. Maybe they figured you were too young.

- Do you think I'm too young too? - You sure act like it sometimes. Come on.

It's very simple, Will. You just tell the old boys that I'm the new marshal.

Tomorrow they can tell the other fellow that the job's filled.

- You really mean it, don't you? - Sure.

- But I can't do it. - Why not?

- If you don't know, it's no use me telling you. - You mean, you won't do it?

- Have it your way. - All right.

The truth is, you probably talked against me from the start.

You've been sore about me and Helen Ramirez right along, haven't you?

You and Helen Ramirez? I...

I didn't know, and it doesn't mean anything to me. You ought to know that.

Yes. You've been washed up for more than a year.

You get married... only, you can't stand anybody taking your place there...

- especially me. - You're...

- I haven't got time, Harv. - OK. Let's get down to business.

If you want me to stick, you put a word in for me.

Sure I want you to stick, but I'm not buying it. It's got to be up to you.

I thought you'd grown up by now.

I thought your disposition might have sweetened up a little down in Abeline.

I guess we're both wrong.

What's so funny?

Did you really think you could put that over on Kane?