Mr. Melville There's three times in a man's life when he has a right to yell at the moon: when he marries, when his children come, and when he finishes a job he had to be crazy to start.
Tom Dunson
John Wayne · 34 quotes
Matt Garth
Montgomery Clift · 26 quotes
Groot Nadine
Walter Brennan · 15 quotes
Tess Millay
Joanne Dru · 10 quotes
Cherry Valance
John Ireland · 6 quotes
Teeler
Paul Fix · 4 quotes
Most scenes together: Tom Dunson & Matt Garth (16), Tom Dunson & Tess Millay (5), Groot Nadine & Matt Garth (4)
Red River quotes
Page 1 of 5 Mr. Melville 
Simms Reeves Plantin' and readin', plantin' and readin'. Fill a man full of lead and stick him in the ground and then read words at him. Why, when you killed a man, why try to read the Lord in as a partner on the job?
Title card
Among the annals of the great state of Texas may be found the story of the first drive on the famous Chisholm Trail. A story of one of the great cattle herds of the world, of a man and a boy - - Thomas Dunson and Matthew Garth, the story of the Red River D.
Buster He's gettin' worse every day. Sometimes, I think he's goin' plum out of his head.
You know, Matt, things ain't right. It's him. He's gotta get some sleep and if he don't, somethin's gonna happen.
That's a good looking gun you were about to use back there. Can I see it? [Matt hands his gun over] And you'd like to see mine. [Cherry hands it to Matt] Nice! Awful nice! You know, there are only two things more beautiful than a good gun: a Swiss watch or a woman from anywhere. You ever had a good Swiss watch?
Go ahead! Try it!
[Cherry fires a shot and knocks a can into the air. Matt also hits the can in the air with a shot of his own]
Hey! That's very good!
[Matt shoots at another can, knocking it into the air. Cherry hits it in the air with a shot of his own.]
Hey! Hey! That's good too! Go on! Keep it going!
Why drive 'em to Missouri? Why not turn west at the Red and head 'em for Kansas?...There's a railroad in Kansas, too...I saw the one in Topeka, and there's one in Abilene...
Buster McGee Abilene, that's further west!
Did you see it in Abilene?
I didn't get there. I met a girl in Kansas City. She fancied she could sing. She had...
You know, if we could head west at the Red...
We'd save ourselves a heap of...
We're goin' to Missouri. I've seen buyers and cash in Sedalia. [To Cherry] What have you seen in Abilene?
Not a thing. Just the girl told me...
We're goin' to Missouri. [Dunson walks off]
You'll find him a handful by himself.
And there as they stand, there isn't a head worth a plug three cent piece...It all happened while you were away, Matt. More cattle than a man could gather elsewhere in two lifetimes. And I'm broke. Unless we can move 'em, I'm broke...I'm not gonna take it haunch-backed like the rest around here. There's no market for cattle in Texas...Then I'll take 'em where there is a market, if it means drivin' them a thousand miles.
Missouri?
Yeah.
That's what I figured.
And have you two been doin' a lot of figurin'? While you were at it, did you figure out the best way to get 'em there?
Which trail to take? Yeah.
Don't ever trust anybody until you know 'em.
I won't - after this. Thanks for telling me.
Get down off them horses. I don't favor lookin' up to the likes of you...That's better. You should be crawlin'. Cherry, I sent you out after three of 'em. You brought back two.
Bill Kelsey figured he'd rather fight. Made a good one of it for a while.
Laredo, Teeler, you signed on for the drive and you signed on to finish it.
Laredo That's right, we did.
You stole beans and flour, and cartridges. Besides bein' deserters, you're common thieves.
Laredo The law might see it different...
I'm the law. You're a thief! You too, Teeler. Anything more?
I know what you're gonna do to us, but first I wanna tell ya somethin'.
Go ahead.
You're crazy. You've been drinkin' and you ain't been sleepin'. If you ain't crazy, you're a skin close to it.
You through?
No. You wanna get this herd to market. Well, so do all of us. There's a good way to Abilene, but you won't listen to that. No. You want to drive to Missouri when you got the high, low, and jack against ya. I ain't through yet. This herd don't belong to you. It belongs to every poor hopin' and prayin' cattleman in the whole wide state. I shouldn't have run away. I should've stayed and put a bullet in ya. I signed a pledge, sure, but you ain't the man I signed it with.
You finished?
Yeah. Now you can get your Bible and read over us after you shoot us.
I'm gonna hang ya.
No. No, you're not.
What?
You're not going to hang them.
Who'll stop me?
I will.
I said 'Brand him.'
He's wearing a Meeker iron.
I can't see it.
All right, but the next one up's another Diego.
Brand him. Put the iron on all of 'em, Teeler. Anything you see, slap it with a 'Red River D' and burn it deep.
Why not?
You're gonna wind up branding every rump in the state of Texas except mine.
Hand me that iron, Teeler. You don't think I'd do it, do ya?
I don't.
Matt, I'm goin' to Missouri with every steer, cow, and bull that I can lay my hands on.
I think Meeker might be real pleased to see our brand on his stock.
That I'll argue with Meeker.
Tell Don Diego, tell him that all the land north of that river's mine. Tell him to stay off of it.
Mexican
Oh, but the land is his.
Where did he get it?
Mexican
Oh many years ago by grant and patent, inscribed by the King of all of Spain.
You mean he took it away from whomever was here before. Indians maybe.
Mexican
Maybe so.
Well, I'm takin' it away from him.
Mexican
Others have thought as you, senor. Others have tried.
And you've always been good enough to stop 'em?
Mexican
Amigo, it is my work.
Pretty unhealthy job.
There they are, Matt. Fourteen years of hard work. And they say we can't make the drive.
They could be wrong.
They'd better be.
This is it. This is where we start growin' good beef...Everything a man could want. Good water and grass and plenty of it.
Who does it belong to?
To me! Some day, that'll all be covered with good beef. And I'll put a mark, a brand on 'em, to show they're mine too.
What kind of a mark?
I've been thinkin' about that. There'll be two lines, like this, like the banks of a river. It'll be the Red River brand.
What would you say if, if I offered ya half of everything I own for a son?
Your son?
You can have a son, can't ya? That's all that matters.
By Dunson out of Millay? Half of everything you've got.
That's right.
I'll have your son, Mr. Dunson, if you'll stop now. Stop now and go back where you came from. I'll have your son.
Yeah, I thought so.
When did you fall in love with him?
It was under a wagon, in six inches of mud. When did, when did you...when did you fall in love with her?
Who?
The girl you told me about. The one you left, walked out on.
'I told you about'? Did he tell you...?
No, no, you told me. You knew how I felt when he left me. She must have felt the same way when you left her. That's right, isn't it? Or can't you remember?
I can remember.
Oh I, I hope so, because, because I want you to think about it while I ask you something. I want you to think hard.
What?
I want to go on with you.
That won't do any good. Nothing you can say or do...
And though I know you told me that, oh please, I want to go with you. Please.
All right.
Thanks. Thanks a lot.