Maverick Springs - Recap

Sheriff Peters returns home and goes to see his saloon, the Last Gulp. He discovers that all of the furniture has been cleaned out. The bartender explains that while Peters was out of town, a gambler named Bret Maverick played against the house and won everything.

Later, Peters and his men waylay Bret on the street. When Bret demands to see the sheriff, Peters informs him that he is the sheriff and that Bret is under arrest for stealing his saloon. The next day, Peters release Bret and explains that a local rancher, Kate Dawson, posted bail. She says it’s not a matter of charity and will explain her reasons to Bret at the Queen Ranch. They ride out there and Kate explains that she owns 100,000 acres of Texas land. She shows Bret a photo of her brother Mark and tells him to bring her brother home. He’s taken up with a woman in Saratoga Springs and Kate want Bret to take the woman away. Kate offers him a big fee to pull it off, and jail time if he doesn’t accept. Bret quickly accepts.



Bret rides to Saratoga and checks into the hotel where Mark is staying, posing as a rich Texas colonel. The desk clerk directs him to the game room and points out Melanie Blake, Mark’s girlfriend. When Bret claims he has interests everywhere, Melanie overhears him and takes an interest. Bret goes to the game room where Mark is playing poker with another man, John Flannery. Bret offers to join the game and they accept his offer. He buys $1,000 in chips and suggests they bet everything on drawing the high card. The others agree and Flannery wins. As he leaves, Bret offers to talk to Mark later about Texas and the man says that he’s trying to forget Texas.



As Bret goes out to the lobby, Melanie approaches him and drops her parasol to get Bret’s attention. They exchange pleasantries and Bret talks about the size of his ranch in Texas and his gold mines. Mark comes out and Melanie greets him. When Bret explains that Melanie dropped her parasol, Mark notes that she met her the same way. The happy couple leave for lunch and Bret slips away.



Later, Bret finds Mark on the veranda and offers him a cigar and conversation. Mark talks about how he grew bored of living on a ranch with no one but his sister Kate for company. He assures Bret that he’ll never go back to Texas again. Bret then meets with Melanie and talks about his holdings. Mark comes over and Melanie apologizes, saying that he was late and Bret came over to keep her company. The Texan leaves them alone and Bret and Melanie tour the local sites. A jealous Mark follows them and Bret finally notices him watching over them from a tree. He kisses Melanie on the forehead and holds her tight to make Mark jealous.

Mark finally comes to see Bret and accuses him of being a cad and a scoundrel. Bret readily agrees that he is and Mark says that he’s going back to Texas. He’d rather deal with longhorn cattle, which are less fickle than woman. Bret offers to go with him and they share a drink.

Melanie meets with Flannery and admits that Bret is a better catch than Mark. Flannery has his doubts about Bret and insults Melanie, who orders him out. He tells Melanie to get Mark to the game room that night. When she asks what happens if she says no, Flannery reminds her who pays the rent on her apartment.

Bret and Mark share a cigar and Bret goes to bed. Mark hears Melanie crying and tries to resist, but eventually goes over to see what the matter is. He tells her that he’s a man of iron, but she soon embraces and kisses him and asks for forgiveness. Mark quickly does.



Melanie gets Mark to the game room as ordered and he is soon losing to Flannery in poker. Once he’s wiped out, Flannery invites him to his office to sign some papers. The next morning he tells Bret that he won’t be going and that he bet his half of the Queen Ranch. Bret comes clean and explains who he really is and why he’s there. Mark says that he won’t go back to face Kate’s wrath, but when Bret learns that Melanie was at Mark’s side as he lost, he says he has a way to get Mark back to Texas.

Bret is soon playing poker against Flannery and Melanie tries to get behind him to see his hand. He’s careful to keep his hand hidden but still loses. When he spots a mirror in the chandelier above the table, Bret accuses Flannery of cheating and tries to attack him. Flannery’s men hold him back and Flannery orders him out. Bret leaves but assures Flannery that they’ll meet again. Flannery then goes to see the hotel manager, Mr. Mason, and tells him to call Bret’s bill due immediately. He tells Mason to order Bret out if he can’t pay his bill. Mason calls Bret into his office and asks for payment. Bret realizes that Flannery gave the order and declines to pay. Mason orders him out and Bret threatens to make the entire town of Saratoga regret it.

Bret goes to Mark and collects the rest of his money. He then goes back to the hotel and makes some telegrams. Mason listens in as Bret makes sure that his telegrams are to be kept in confidence. He then sends telegrams to Bart and a Commodore van der Grift, asking them to liquidate his assets for a major deal in Saratoga. Bret sends copies to several famous businessman and tips the desk clerk heavily. Once Bret and Mark leave, Mason comes out and takes the telegrams over the clerk’s objections. Meanwhile, Mark worries that Bret might have gone too far but Bret says that they’re playing for big stakes and then goes to town to send a real telegram to his brother Bart.



Mason shows Flannery and Melanie the telegrams. The hotel owner worries that they underestimated Bret and has no idea what he’s up to. Once he leaves, Flannery figures that they have everything under control as long as they own half of the Queen Ranch, but Melanie points out that the ranch is in Texas and they have Bret right there.

Bret posts a sign for Maverick Springs, a health spa, and marks out the locations in a swamp. Flannery and Melanie ride up and demand an explanation. Bret agrees that nothing could come of it but figures that he has enough investors to make a go of it. However, he invites Flannery to see him at his new office later. Disgusted, Flannery and Melanie ride off.

At their new office, Bret and Mark are signing on investors when Flannery and Melanie come in. Flannery demands proof and Bret produces some telegrams from investors. One of them is from Colonel Van Der Grift, and Flannery insists on seeing what Van Der Grift thinks of the spa before investing himself.

Later, Mark and Bret meet the wagon with the nephew of Colonel van der Grift”: Bart. Accompanying him is Professor Kronkhite, a geologist. Kronkhite will be running a survey on the land and starts rambling on about rocks. Bart shuts him up and Mason escorts them to their suite. Once they’re alone, Bret admits that he hasn’t seen “Kronkhite” since he was run out of Abilene for running a shell game. As they go inside, Melanie drops her parasol in front of Bart, who ignores Bret’s warnings and prepares to go after her.



Kronkhite laboriously prods the swampland and finally declares that he’s found an underground spring. If it goes dry when they tap it for the spa, Saratoga Springs w6ill dry up. Bart thanks him for his time and quickly gets him out, and Melanie attaches herself to Bret. Later, Bart and Bret meet with Flannery at their office, who wants to become an active partner and offers them his expertise with the local politicians. Bart agrees and convinces Bret to accept Flannery. Kronkhite is busy drinking alcohol from his chemistry set. Flannery offers $25,000 for a one-third interest but the brothers refuse. Desperate, Flannery offers them the deed for the Queen Ranch. They accept and have Flannery sign it over, and he goes to hire a crew to start drilling. Once he leaves with a reluctant Melanie, Mark comes out and the trio decides to sell Flannery the other two-thirds.

Later, Mason gives Flannery more of Bret’s fake telegrams, saying they need more cash. Bret then sends telegrams saying he’s short $50,000 and Flannery looks at them as well. Flannery calls Bret and Bart in and offers them $50,000 in return for the remaining two-thirds of Maverick Springs. Bret takes the money and Flannery says he’ll be renaming it Flannery Springs.



As the brothers prepare to leave, Mason tells them that a telegram has come in from the Commodore announcing that he’ll be there the next day. Bret and Bart figure they have to get Kronkhite out and leave to find him. When Flannery comes in a few minutes later, he finds Ruth Dawson there, demanding to see Bret and her brother. She loudly announces that Bret is no colonel and storms off. Outside, she runs into Mark, who tries to explain what happened. He tells her that Bret is out at Maverick Springs and explains that the whole thing is a trap for Flannery. Too late, Mark sees Flannery listening in and realizes that he’s blown the con.

At the swamp, Bret and Bart collect Kronkhite but Flannery arrives and tells them that he knows everything. He orders his men over and a fight breaks out between the Mavericks and Flannery’s workers. Meanwhile, the drill head breaks through into a pocket of sulfuric gas. The noxious fumes flood the area and everyone quickly leaves.



Flannery meets the Mavericks at their office and demands that they get him out of the deal. He wants his cash back and has his men threaten them when they refuse. Kate and Mark come in and Kate pays him $25,000 to give her the land. Flannery quickly accepts and leaves. When Bret wonders why Kate paid $25,000 for worthless land, she explains that she had a real geologist check the area and they’ve discovered the biggest deposit of natural gas in the region.

Back at the hotel, the real Commodore arrives. Kate knows him as an old friend. Flannery overhears the entire thing and realizes that Bart was a fake as well. He tips his hat to them in reluctant admiration for being topped as a swindler. As the brothers leave, they see Melanie drop her parasol in front of the commodore.



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