Cherry Valance quotes from Red River (1948)

Cherry

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?

Matt

Go ahead! Try it!

Cherry

Hey! That's very good!

Matt

Hey! Hey! That's good too! Go on! Keep it going!

Cherry

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!

Matt

Did you see it in Abilene?

Cherry

I didn't get there. I met a girl in Kansas City. She fancied she could sing. She had...

Matt

You know, if we could head west at the Red...

Groot

We'd save ourselves a heap of...

Dunson

We're goin' to Missouri. I've seen buyers and cash in Sedalia. [To Cherry] What have you seen in Abilene?

Cherry

Not a thing. Just the girl told me...

Dunson

We're goin' to Missouri. [Dunson walks off]

Cherry

I suppose if I tangled with him, I'd have to take you on too.

Matt

You'll find him a handful by himself.

Dunson

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.

Cherry

Bill Kelsey figured he'd rather fight. Made a good one of it for a while.

Dunson

Laredo, Teeler, you signed on for the drive and you signed on to finish it.

Laredo

That's right, we did.

Dunson

You stole beans and flour, and cartridges. Besides bein' deserters, you're common thieves.

Laredo

The law might see it different...

Dunson

I'm the law. You're a thief! You too, Teeler. Anything more?

Teeler

I know what you're gonna do to us, but first I wanna tell ya somethin'.

Dunson

Go ahead.

Teeler

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.

Dunson

You through?

Teeler

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.

Dunson

You finished?

Teeler

Yeah. Now you can get your Bible and read over us after you shoot us.

Dunson

I'm gonna hang ya.

Matt

No. No, you're not.

Dunson

What?

Matt

You're not going to hang them.

Dunson

Who'll stop me?

Matt

I will.

Teeler

Give me that gun. Somebody give me - I'll kill him. Let me go! He was gonna kill me! He wasn't gonna give me a chance - [Matt slaps him]

Matt

Turn him loose. Cherry, give me that gun. Here's what you've been trying for. All right, use it! Go on, you got what you wanted. What are you waiting for? If you don't want to live, all you have to do is - You're a lucky man, Teeler. This is how close it came.

Teeler

Matt, we're gettin' as crazy as he is. [Teeler returns the gun to Matt]

Matt

Keep it. You want to finish the drive?

Teeler

Where are we goin'?

Matt

Abilene.

Teeler

Who's headin' it?

Matt

I am.

Buster

What about Dunson?

Matt

He stays here. We're takin' the herd.

Teeler

That's good enough for me.

Matt

Groot? How about you?

Groot

You was wrong, Mr. Dunson. I've been with ya a lot of years. And up till now, right or wrong, I've always done like ya said. Got to be kind of a habit with me, I guess, 'cuz that's why I'm stayin' with ya.

Dunson

Go on with 'em.

Groot

Thanks. Thanks for makin' it easy on me. All right, men, I'll be comin' with you.

Matt

Throw 'em on the trail, start driving. Buster, you wait here till I get back. [He rides off to help round up the herd]

Cherry

If you come lookin' for me, Mr. Dunson, I'll be in Abilene.

Melville

You know that young man [Matt] isn't gonna use his gun, don't ya?

Cherry

Yeah. But I haven't any such notions.