ANNOUNCER: The following program
is brought to you in living color on NBC.
(fanfare plays)
(sheep bleating)
(shouts): Hello, Annie!
- (sheep bleating) - Annie!
Whoo!
(excited bleating)
Don't run away now.
Albie isn't gonna hurt you.
(bleating)
You're real purdy.
LITTLE JOE: Albie!
Why, hello there, Little Joe.
Now, leave her alone, Albie.
You're scaring her.
Now, what are you doing up here on the mountain?
Just on my way to Placerville.
Come on, Albie, you're hurting her.
Oh, I'm the only friend she's got up here.
Ain't I, Annie?
Leastwise, she don't give me no back talk like the other women.
She's not an animal in one of your traps.
Now, let her go.
I ain't hurting her-- I was just saying hello.
Oh, you better not hurt her.
Not ever.
ALBIE: You don't belong up here.
This ain't your country.
Best you mind your own business.
You bother Annie, I'll make it my business.
(sheep bleating)
This is my country,
and I'm gonna see it stays that way.
(theme song playing)
(sheep bleating)
(bleating)
Come on, stop working so hard, Sam.
You got company.
Oh. Sorry, Little Joe.
I got a touch of fever.
Figured this might... sweat it out of me.
Eh, feeling any better?
Hey, I brought you that gun barrel Pa said you needed.
And I got a little present for Annie.
(chuckles) Waste of time, bringing her anything.
Just... leave her be.
(chuckles) Hey, Sam, look.
She's pretending she's a tree.
Foolishness.
Can't hear, can't talk,
don't understand no more than them dumb beasts she tends.
No use bringing her presents, Little Joe.
Aw, come on, Sam.
Anybody understands getting a present.
Suit yourself.
Getting on towards dinner.
You're welcome to share it, such as it is.
Thank you.
Look, I, uh... I brought you a little present.
Hey, wait a second, let me get it.
Uh... I thought I'd bring it as long as I was coming.
It's not much.
Well, go on, it's not gonna bite you.
Well, come on, take it, it's for you.
Here, wait a second.
Here.
It's not much, just... just a rag doll.
Hey... don't worry, I'm not gonna take it back.
Yeah, well, you...
y-you go right ahead and enjoy it.
So long.
I'll-I'll see you.
Yeah, so long.
It's good talking to you, Little Joe.
Man gets out of the habit with nobody around to listen.
Why do you stay up here, Sam?
It's best.
Yeah, maybe it's best for you, but what about Annie?
Must be something terrible wrong with a man
to father a child like her.
Killed her ma, bringing her into the world.
I reckon it ain't too much punishment
for me to raise her.
It was just an accident the way she was born.
It's not your fault.
No more!
I won't hear no more about her.
Not from you, not nobody.
Okay, Sam.
I'll help you move the rest of those sheep
before I start out for Placerville.
- (sheep bleating) - LITTLE JOE: Come on!
(Little Joe groans)
I never knew a couple dozen sheep could be so ornery.
They're almost as bad as people.
You know, it's funny.
You know, I've been talking to you all day, and...
I know you can't hear a word I'm saying.
Hey, what are you looking at now?
Hey...
that's what I call a right pretty girl.
Hey, look over here.
That fella right there, that's that handsome Joe Cartwright.
This is the guy that's always watching me when I'm shaving.
I just can't seem to get rid of him.
(Little Joe laughs)
All right, what are you trying to fool me with now?
What have you got behind your back?
Yeah, that...
that's real beautiful.
That sure is pretty.
I guess you don't need to know how to talk to say everything.
Thanks.
I-I wish I could...
make you understand.
Hey, look.
Look, I'm-I'm trying to tell you I like it.
Thank you.
(dog barking in distance)
- Oh, howdy, Preacher. - Albie.
It's good to see you again.
Thank you, Albie.
You been walking in the way of the Lord?
Well, I-I've been doing a lot of walking.
Uh, say, you were up here near spring
the last time you came by here.
I guess it was.
You dropping in on Sam, too?
Well, you don't think I'd be swapping tales
and telling news with that Annie?
She's a child of God, son, for all the way he made her.
Reckon that's a fact, Preacher.
How about you?
About time you married and raised a family, isn't it?
Plenty of unmarried girls in town.
Town girl once said I had the smell of a trapper on me.
It's like... meat that's not cured right.
You'll find the right girl soon enough.
Come on, now.
The word of the Lord will calm your mind...
and your soul.
"For thou writest bitter things against me
and will consume me for the sins of my youth."
Amen.
I'm paying for my sins, Preacher. Paying.
You, Sam? That why you're always getting them chills and fever?
Every man is tempted by the devil, Albie.
♪♪
No, Albie, hearing the word of God
is man's only salvation.
SAM: True, Preacher, true.
If I could only read the Lord's word...
I could bear up under his suffering.
Uh, even if'n you could read, Sam,
who would you read it to?
Getting cramps, sitting all this time.
Think I'll go out for a while.
(door closes)
"Man born of woman, living a short life,
"is filled with many miseries.
"Who will make him clean
that is conceived of unclean seed?"
♪♪
Now, don't be scared.
It's just Albie.
What else you got there, huh?
Let Albie see it.
Come on, let me see it.
I ain't going to take it.
Oh, it's a button, huh?
I guess you ain't got much that's better, have you, huh?
(clatters)
No matter what you are, you sure are pretty.
Look, you must get lonesome, too.
Look, I'm try--just trying to be nice to you, that's all.
Come on, come on.
I've been trapping for over a week.
A man likes a woman to be waiting when he gets back.
Come on.
Come on!
What are you, some sort of stick of wood or something?
Come on.
You can't hear, you can't talk.
Haven't you got any feelings?
Now, that's not so bad now, is it, huh?
PREACHER: Albie, where are you?
You in there in that shed?
Coming, Preacher.
I'm not finished with you yet.
I'll be back.
(door opens)
What are you doing in that shed, Albie?
Well, I'm just helping Sam catch up with his chores, Preacher.
Oh, that's good of you, Albie.
Sam's got a lot of fever.
Be a good idea if you stop around whenever you can.
Don't worry, Preacher.
I'm going to be around a lot more now.
Good.
(coins clinking)
What you doing here, girl?
You should be out with the sheep.
What are you hiding?
Out with it, girl.
I've warned you.
Never touch me money pouch.
Corrupted by a present.
You've done an evil thing.
You must be punished.
At least if you can't hear,
I know you can feel.
I take no joy in hurting you.
I'm your father.
It's my duty to teach you right and wrong
as best I can.
Thou shalt not steal.
Ah.
Don't look at me with them sad eyes.
I can't stand to see suffering written on your face
and not a word coming from your tongue,
not even sobbing.
Put it back,
so you'll remember, never do it again.
(door closes)
♪♪
(thunder rumbling)
Hey, Sam!
Sam Croft!
Hey, wait till you see what I brought you from Placerville.
Come on.
It's really for you anyway, Ann.
Wait till you see what it is.
See, I got to talking to this doctor in Placerville
and I told him all about you, and he gave me this.
Here, here, take it.
Hey, Sam!
Sam!
It's a... it's a book of sign language,
a-and you can learn to talk once you...
once you understand these signs.
It's not hard either
'cause I learned a whole bunch of 'em on the way out here.
Yeah, sure, you-you don't even know what I'm talking about.
Here, come on, come on.
Now, listen.
You can learn to talk
and to hear
just like other people.
(thunder cracks)
Only with these... with your hands.
Well, let me see how I'm going to do this.
First page.
Now, now, look.
A flower.
See the picture?
A flower, just like the picture.
(sniffs)
Ah.
A flower, you see?
(sniffs)
Flower--this is the sign.
(sniffs)
Flower.
Now you do it.
All right, watch me once more.
Flower.
(sniffs)
Just like you were smelling a real nice flower.
(sniffs)
(Ann sniffs)
What's the matter?
(chuckles)
Look, there's-there's nothing in my hand.
I'm not trying to fool you.
F-Forget that.
We'll go-go to another one.
(thunder cracks)
Girl.
You.
Girl.
Girl, 'c-c-cause your cheek's real, real nice and soft.
G-Give me your hand.
See, just like that.
Girl, gi...
Wow.
Boy... boy.
(clicks tongue)
Just like tipping my hat-- a boy--
like I tip, tip my hat.
(thunder cracks)
You don't understand, do you?
(sniffs)
This is gonna be a lot tougher than I thought.
I can't make it any plainer.
I don't know why you can't understand it.
(sniffs)
That's it!
That's it.
What's this for?
Oh, Annie.
Look, this isn't some kind of a game.
I'm doing my best to... to teach you this sign language.
(thunder cracks)
Look, I want you to be able to talk
and to understand people when they talk to you.
Can't you see that?
No, I guess you never will.
(thunderclap)
You couldn't hear that.
Why, of course.
Of course, you feel it!
Here.
Here, you feel that?
That's what talking is.
Feel it.
Here.
Feel it.
Feel the ground.
Look, you can talk like that.
(thunder cracks)
Look!
(thunderclap)
See that? I'm talking to you with my hands.
That's it!
That's it, you understand.
You do understand.
That's girl.
Boy.
Boy--tipping your hat.
A beautiful flower.
(thunder rumbling)
There isn't a person who can talk or hear
that could ever understand the way you feel.
I'm so happy.
It's raining.
(thunder rumbling)
Rain.
Rain, just... just like the drops coming down.
Come on.
Let's go inside.
You want to learn it all?
All right, you will.
It'll take time and it'll take work,
but you will.
(thunderclap)
You trying to tell me that there's any hope
when I've lived my whole life
with the weight of her pressing on me heart
like a stone.
Yeah, well, you watch, Sam.
You see for yourself.
Now, you are going to talk
to your father.
Understand?
Boy.
Girl.
Flower.
Book.
That ain't talking.
That's just like Indian sign.
That's right.
That's right, only better.
You're a fool, Little Joe.
She's just waving her arms around.
How do you know she understands what she's doing?
See for yourself, she understands.
All right.
You know what them signs mean, do you?
You, girl.
He, boy.
What am I?
What am I?!
Stop scaring her, Sam.
I tell you, she does understand.
No.
No, no!
She's not an animal, Sam. Help her.
Bring her to town if you don't believe me.
Let the doctor see her.
SAM: No doctor can give that poor girl
what she was robbed of at birth.
She'll never change.
She can learn to understand, but not if you don't help her.
Not if you don't give her a chance.
Oh.
Sam.
Look at her. She's talking to you with her hands.
She's telling you
she went out into the rain and got the book.
Now do you believe me?
She's not one of your sheep, Sam.
She's your daughter.
(metal clanging)
Whoa. Whoa.
Now, you wait here.
I'll see if the doc's in.
(metal clanging)
MAN: Hyah!
Hyah!
Hyah! Hyah!
Ann!
- Hyah! - Look out!
Get out of the way!
Oh. Ann!
Ann, you near got killed.
Ain't that the old coot who lives up in the mountains?
Yeah. Sam Croft.
He only comes down about twice a year.
You know, I-I thought he lived by hisself.
He-He's been holding out on us.
Yeah. Yeah.
Well, Sam Croft.
Now where did you get a pretty little thing like her, huh?
You been holding out on us, Sam?
Uh, what do you want, Tom?
Well, you went out
and got yourself a little company, huh?
She's-she's my daughter.
Who you trying to fool?
Leave us alone.
Has old Sam been treating you right?
Hmm?
Well, what do you say?
I'm talking to you.
She... she don't talk much to strangers.
Well, now how come?
Is she too good for fellas like us, huh?
Yeah, let me get a good look at her.
Now let go! Give-give me that!
You want it, Sam?
Well, you got to come and take it.
SAM: Uh, uh, please, leave us alone.
We ain't doing you no harm.
Now, Sam, if the girl wants her bonnet,
let her ask for it real pretty-like, huh?
Now, I bet I can make you talk to us.
No, leave her alone.
Leave her alone. Oh.
Whoa, there, Sam, where you going?
LITTLE JOE: Leave him alone!
It's only that old mountain goat Sam Croft.
Get out of here.
Come on, Pappy.
(chuckles)
He ain't worth shooting.
Aw, we just having a little fun.
You both all right?
Well, we ain't hurt.
Good. Come on, Sam, the doctor's in.
No, we ain't going to no doctor.
We shouldn't have come here in the first place.
Shouldn't have listened to you.
What's the matter? What are you talking about?
We belong in the mountains, me and the girl both.
We ain't fit for no town and the town ain't fit for us.
Sam, for once, think of what's right for Ann.
That's who I'm thinking of.
Now, get out of my way.
How's it coming along, son?
You know, you've been spending much more time up at the Crofts'
these past few months than here.
Pa, you just wouldn't believe it.
Why, Ann's learned so much already.
We can carry on a regular conversation.
Uh, how's Sam Croft?
Still as stubborn about it as ever?
That man's impossible.
He told me he'd never let her see the doctor, not ever.
Sure hope I can get him to change his mind.
Joe...
You don't think you're, uh...
over your head?
What do you mean?
Well, sometimes it's best not to push people too hard.
Leave well enough alone.
Why should I leave him alone?
He's not gonna help her. Somebody has to.
Yeah, I know.
Sometimes helping looks like meddling.
Don't worry, Pa, I know the difference.
Joe, take care of yourself up there.
- (door opens) - Sure, I will, Pa.
(door closes)
Sam?
Sam, you in there?
Oh, there you are.
I was awful lonely out on the traps.
What's that, a new kind of game, huh?
You want me to play a little game with you, huh?
I got ya! Ol' Albie's missed you a lot
but he's gonna make it all up to you.
Now, Sam, there's no need to bring a gun up on me.
Get away from her.
And keep away!
I don't see you running Joe Cartwright off of here,
or maybe you think he's a better man than I am.
Joe Cartwright's teaching her to talk!
I'll bet you he's teaching her to talk.
Move or I'll blow your head off!
All right.
All right, Sam.
Just remember, with all that money
and all them girls in town,
Joe Cartwright ain't interested in marrying anyone like Annie.
(Little Joe laughs)
All right, this is last one for today.
This is going to be a tough one.
Love. Love.
Your father...
helps you.
Your father...
gives you food.
You... live...
in your father's house.
You love your father.
Your father loves you.
Uh...
Let me see.
I can say, uh...
you love flowers.
Then you'd know that it was good.
I teach you to talk, yeah.
(chuckles): No. No, no, you...
That's wrong.
See, you don't love me.
Now that is wrong.
You don't love me.
Now look, you don't love me!
You don't love me, and I don't love you!
Oh, Annie...
Annie, I'm... I'm sorry.
Please, I...
I-I didn't want to hurt you.
Annie, please look at...
(dog barking in distance)
(chickens clucking)
All-all of a sudden, for no reason,
she-she tried to kiss me.
She tried to kiss you?
She did kiss me, as a matter of fact.
I guess she got upset, and she ran away.
I should have been watching you all along.
You should have been watching me?
You should have been watching me?!
You should have been helping me teach her...
instead of being so stubborn!
Teaching her what?
Kissing? All kinds of sin?
You keep away from her.
All right, Sam.
All right, I'll keep away from her.
You're her father.
You try teaching her for a change.
(hoofbeats receding)
(sighs)
Good-bye, Little Joe Cartwright.
Ann! Ann!
Hello, Sam.
I'm looking for Ann.
I told you I didn't like a gun thrown on me.
How's it feel?
Where's Ann?
Have you got her?
No, I ain't got her,
but I will have after you meet with an accident.
You see, Sam, I'm going to be a hero.
I'm gonna take care of Annie after you die in an accident.
(Sam screams)
So you just walked out?
Well, what was I supposed to do?
She completely misunderstood.
Oh, and then her father.
I go in and I try to explain it to him,
and he starts... starts accusing me of all kinds of things.
It's really funny, he doesn't try to help her himself.
You insisted on starting this.
You can't walk out before you finish it.
I understand that-- I'm not a little kid.
Aren't you?
If you understand it and still walk out,
then you're just a little kid.
Now wait a minute!
Don't you raise your voice to me, boy.
Then don't you call me a little kid.
Joe...
you opened a door to the world for this girl.
You let her look out for the first time.
Now, her gratitude for you must be overwhelming,
to say the least.
All right, fine! Fine!
All I was trying to do was help her.
You can't shove someone into the water
and then not wait around to see if they can swim.
She has a father!
No! You started it.
You were the one who tampered with those two lives
and you can't abandon them now.
Well, what do you want me to do, marry her?!
Help me, Pa. I don't know what to do.
Go back.
No, I can't.
I can't go back there and hurt her anymore.
You must make her understand
that what she feels for you is gratitude, not love.
Oh, she'll be hurt a little bit, but she'll get over it.
If you don't go back,
she'll remain hurt forever.
I think I'll go for a ride.
(door opens, closes)
(weakly): I can't hardly feel nothing.
What's to become of you, Ann?
I've kept you up here, hidden.
Ashamed of me own flesh and blood.
Forgive me, daughter, if you can.
I love you, Ann.
I always did.
(shallow breathing)
Well, I knew you'd be back sooner or later.
You still playing games with me?
I'm going to teach you more than Joe Cartwright ever did.
You're worried about your pa?
Your pa ain't coming back.
You're gonna stay with me.
All right now, look, now, just take it easy.
You be nice to Albie, and Albie is gonna be nice to you.
I'll even buy you a new dress.
(Albie laughs)
(no audio)
(clattering)
Come back! There ain't no place to go!
(frogs croaking)
(distant coyotes howling)
(panting)
Annie!
Annie.
Annie, Annie, what happened?
Look at me!
Look at me.
What happened?
Your father... hurt.
LITTLE JOE: Needs help. Where?
He fell.
Stay out of this, Cartwright.
You do this to her, Albie?
What's she trying to tell you?
What happened to Sam?
What are you talking about?
Annie says Sam's been hurt.
Now, don't fool with me.
You know she can't talk.
Can't she, Albie?
(grunting)
(Little Joe cries out)
(blows landing)
(grunting)
(blows landing)
(sighs)
(Albie grunts)
Well, what did the doctor say?
Well, he said he'd be all right,
but he'll need a lot of care.
(sighs with relief)
Did you, uh...
Have you spoken to her yet about...?
Yeah.
Good.
You'd better tell her her father will be all right.
Right.
Your father...
be all right.
Doctor says...
your father be all right.
What...? What'd she say?
She said she'd help you
and take care of you.
She says she loves you very much.
Joe?
Yeah?
What's the sign for daughter?
It's easy.
ANNOUNCER: This has been a color presentation
of the NBC Television Network.