You have a great chance here...
...but bear in mind: you can loose it all if you're not careful.
Out of all men that beg for a chance to drill your lots...
...maybe one in twenty will be oil men...
...the rest will be speculators
that's men trying to get between you and the oil men...
...to get some of the money that ought by rights come to you.
Even if you find one that has money, and means to drill...
...he'll maybe know nothing about drilling...
...and he'll have to hire out the job on contract...
...and then you're depending on a contractor...
...to rush the job through, so he can get another contract just as quick as he can.
This is way that this works. What is your offer?
We're wasting time.
I do my own drilling...
...and the men that work for me, work for me...
...and they are men I know.
I make it my business to be there and to see to their work.
I don't lose my tools in the hole and spend months fishing for them...
I don't botch the cementing off and let water in the hole and ruin the whole lease.
I am a family man, I run the family business...
This is my son and my partner H.W. Plainview.
We offer you the band, a family...
...that very view oil men can understand.
I'm fixed like no other company in this field...
and that's because my Coyote Hills well has just come in.
I have a string of tools all ready to put to work.
I can load a rig onto trucks and have them here in a week.
I have business connections...
so I can get the lumber for the derrick...
...such things go by friendship in a rush like this.
And this is why I can guarantee to start drilling...
...and put up the cash to back my word.
I assure you, ladies and gentlemen, no matter what the others promise to do...
...when it comes to the showdown, they won't be there...
Mr. Plainview.
Mr. Plainview where are you going?
I don't need the lease, thank you.
- No, we need you - Too much confusion.
- Thank you for your time. - No, no, no, there's no confusion.
I wouldn't take the lease if you gave it to me as a gift.
Mr. Bankside, I'm not going to waste your time
I certainly you appreciate it, if you didn't waste mine.
If you wish to sign with me we can have a well drilling within ten days.
Your lot is further North from the discovery well up here...
...so it means we will probably have to dig deeper.
If there's as much oil up here as I think there is...
...it will be harder to reach...
...but once we find it we can take it right out.
But we have to act quickly...
...because very soon these fields will be dry.
I need you to know what you want to do.
Because of the distance from the discovery well...
...I'll pay you a smaller royalty than you'd get down there...
But I'm prepared to give you a 1000 dollar bonus on your lot.
- What kinda royalty you're talking about? - One sixth.
Plus a guarantee to start drilling within ten days...
That's somethin' you won't find anywhere else.
What age are your children now?
Ten and twelve.
Mr. Plainview, a question sir. Where's your wife?
She died in child birth, Mrs. Bankside. It's just me and my son now.
- Mr. Plainview? - Yes?
Are you Daniel Plainview?
Yes.
What can I do for you?
You look for oil?
That's right.
What do you pay for a place that has it?
- That depends. - What does it depend on?
On a lot of things.
If I told you I knew a place that had oil...
...where land could be bought cheaply...
...what do you think that would be worth?
I think that you should let me know what you know.
And we'll try to work something out.
- Can I sit down? - Please.
What church do you belong to?
I...
...I enjoy all faiths... I don't belong to one church in particular.
I like them all - I like everything. Where are you from?
That would be telling you. That's what I want to sell you.
What are you doing in Signal Hill?
We have oil and it seeps through the ground...
Do you want to pay me to know where it is?
Just because there's something on the ground doesn't mean there's anything beneath it.
Why did Standard Oil buy up land?
- Is it in California? - Maybe.
How much land did they buy?
I'd like it better if you didn't think I was stupid.
Why did you come to me?
You just brought this well in.
That's right.
Yes, so: just give me 500 dollars in cash right now and I'll tell you where it is.
I'll tell you what I'll do son, I'll give you 100 dollars now...
...and if it proves to be a promising lease...
...I'll give you a 1000 dollar bonus.
Six hundred dollars.
Just tell me one thing to help me decide:
What else have you got up there?
What do you grow?
We have a big ranch, but it's mostly rocks.
You plant things, nothing will grow but weeds.
What makes you think it's up?
Is there sulphur around or alkali deposits?
Alkali nearby. I don't know sulphur.
- Is that your son? - Yes.
- Hi. - Hi.
- Who are you? - I'm Fletcher Hamilton.
Nice to meet you, son. What's your name?
What do you do?
I work with Mr. Plainview.
Here's 500 dollars, you tell me something worth hearing.
This money is yours.
I come from a town called Little Boston in Isabella County.
This is us here. Spur station here at Little Boston.
The Sunday ranch is what you're looking for.
There's a sheep trail that takes you there - it's a mile out of town...
...headed west - not far.
Just through a small pass here - near the base of the hills.
You'll pass a church, just follow the sheep trail.
And where's Standard buying up?
Here and here.
- Your family's name is Sunday yes? - That's right.
How many's in your family?
My father and mother and sisters and my brother, Eli.
- How many sisters do you have? - Two.
- What's your name? - Paul.
Does any of your family know about the oil that you say is there?
I don't know. My uncle always said there was oil there...
...but I don't know what they heard or what they think.
- What do you grow? - It's goats. It's a goat farm.
I told you: nothing grows but weeds.
- Is there water? - It's salty.
You drill a well, it's hard not to get salt water.
The oil is there. I'm telling you.
- I want to go now, so... - You can stay tonight.
No. I wanna go now. I wanna leave.
Listen, Paul.
If I travel all the way up there and I find that you'd been lying to me...
I'm gonna find you and I'm gonna take more than my money back.
Is that alright with you?
- Yes, sir. - All right then.
- Nice luck to you. God bless. - And to you, young man.
There's someone coming.
Good evening.
My name is Daniel Plainview. This is my son HW.
Are you hunting?
Hunting for quail. We were told there might be...
...a good place to camp up near the Sunday ranch.
This is the Sunday ranch. You can camp here.
- Thank you. Do you have water? - Yes.
We heard there was an earthquake up here a few days ago is that right?
Yes.
- Your family? - Yeah, all fine, thank you.
We have goats milk if you'd like.
That'd be fine.
If we set our tent away over there we'd be out of your way over there.
That's fine.
Ruth, help these men and bring them some water.
No, H.W.
Mr. Plainview - would you like that milk now?
- That'd be fine. - Mary, bring them some milk.
My family will help you set up your tent.
No, please. We set ourselves on this camping trip.
We have to do the camping.
Hurry up.
- Do you have bread? - We have potatoes.
Potatoes would be nice, thank you.
I'll have them boil you up some potatoes.
That's alright, I thought maybe we'd make a fire.
I wanted to work with my son on making a fire.
All right, my son Eli will bring you some wood.
Thank you so much for the hospitality, Mr. Sunday.
- Yes. - We'll be out of your way.
Just hunting for quail.
- I'm sorry we don't have any bread. - No, no.
Corn just doesn't fill out in the hills here. It's mostly rock...
...and we don't have room to raise the grain.
Thank you, young lady.
My name is Eli.
Yes, you're Eli Sunday.
Welcome.
- H.W. - Eli.
- You're hunting quail? - That's right.
We will bring dinner.
Thank you, thank you so much.
Dad! Dad, look at my shoe.
That's earthquake oil set loose.
- So... - So?
If there's anything here, we take it to the sea.
What we do is, we build a pipeline to Port Hueneme or Santa Paula...
...it's about a 100 miles...
and we do a deal with union Oil.
This is what we do...
...and we don't need the railroads and the shipping costs anymore, you see?
- Yeah. - You see that?
Yeah.
And then we're making money. we're making the real money...
...that we should be making and not just throwing it away on shipping costs.
Otherwise it's just mud.
How much we gonna pay them?
Who's that?
The Sunday family.
We're not gonna give them the oil prices.
We keep them quail prices.
A few minutes, there's something I very much like to talk with you about.
Mother would you take the girls outside, please.
I believe in plain speaking.
This is a beautiful ranch. I love hunting for quail.
My boy has been sick, you know. He needs fresh air.
Doctors all say he needs plentiful fresh air.
What would you say would be a fair price for this lot, Abel?
- To buy this place? - That's right.
Take a moment.
- I'm sorry, I don't know. - Six dollars an acre.
Six dollars. Thank you, Eli.
And with the improvements to the ranch over the use at 500 dollars...
I'd like to offer you 3700 dollars for this ranch. That's $3700.
- No. - The Lord has sent this man here, Eli.
Yes, I believe he has. My offer to you is 3700 dollars.
What is it that brought you here, sir?
The good Lord's guidance.
And of course within that we're gonna develop a lease.
- What's that? - What about our oil?
- What about it? - We have oil here, that's worth something.
Do you have someone who can drill for it? Do you think there's oil here?
- I know there is. - It's very expensive to drill.
To get it up and out of the ground. Have you ever tried that before?
- How much is it? - Costly.
Well, our oil sits right up on top of the ground.
I believe that's gold seepage, doesn't necessarily mean there's anything underneath it.
- What would you give us for it? - I don't know.
- Something you don't know? - That's right.
What would you like, Eli?
Ten thousand dollars.
- For what? - For my church.
That's good.
That's a good one.
If we decide to drill for oil...
...if the well begins to produce...
...I'll give your Church a 5,000 dollar signing bonus.
10,000.
Do you wanna find someone else that's gonna come up here and drill? Eli?
Make the investment and do all the hard work...
...that goes into it?
I can just as easily hunt for quail on another ranch as I can here.
Though I happily be a supporter of your Church for as long as I can.
For the bonus only.
As it happens, I do have some connections in the drilling business...
...who might help get us started. How do you feel about this, Abel?
Yes. What Eli says.
Well. Good. Let's draw up some contracts and let's give it a try.
Appreciate your help with this, Eli.
- Good afternoon. - Good afternoon.
- Real estate? - Yes.
I'd like to talk to you.
I'm looking for some land, I just bought the Sunday ranch.
And... Well, where's the map?
Where are the hills behind the Sunday ranch?
That's here, it's the Bandy tract. He has over 600 acres.
What about this?
AC Maude, Blodget, Redlick, Carr...
- What's it held at? - Six dollars an acre.
What about this?
That's the Belvins and that could be got, I'm sure.
- Can everything around here be got? - Sure.
Paul Sunday turned out to be a good friend of ours.
That's right.
You get here as soon as you can.
Bring Fred English. Good enough.
Thank you, porter.
- H.W., how are you? - Fine, and you?
- Pretty good, where's your dad? - You fellows are a long way from Signal Hill.
- Hello Plainview. - Hello G.
- Good to see you. - On your way somewhere else?
Passing through, looking around. Funny to see you.
- Funny isn't it. - You boys are a regular family business.
You boys are a little late.
- What'd you find? - I found some interesting prospects.
- Did you hear Standard bought up? - It's in the north so far.
That's what I hear.
I'm gonna tell you Gene, if you're gonna make a play: look east...
I'd rather it would be you than someone else. There's a lot around here that's been taken.
Life must be easy when you've got such a cute face to carry around with you.
Are you telling me how handsome my son is?
- Well then I am. - That's very nice, thank you.
Good luck, Gene. I said: go east.
I'll be your lawyer if you need to draw up a contract...
...make sure you don't get swindled, boy, get half of what your dad is making.
What are those men doing?
They're just guys that are working for us. They're just looking around.
How much money can we make?
I don't know, depends...
One thousand dollars?
Mary said that her father beats her, if she doesn't pray.
Mary, she is the smaller one?
Yes, she is.
- Everyone here? - Very successful.
But?
There's one who is holding out.
Who?
- William Bandy. - Who is he?
He's an old man, who homesteaded here.
He lives with his grandson... He said he'd like to speak with you.
- Was he here? - No, he'd like you to come visit with him.
He's boosting his price?
He said he'd like to speak with whoever was doing the buying.
Well, let him wait He'll come around. Let's go.
Ladies and gentlemen.
Thank you so much for visiting with us this evening.
I've traveled across half our state to be here and to see about this land.
Some of you might have heard...
...some of the more extravagant rumours about what my plans are.
I just thought you'd like to hear it from me.
Face to face, no great mystery.
I'm an oil man, ladies and gentlemen.
I have numerous concerns right across the state.
I have may wells flowing at many thousands barrels per day.
I'd like to think of myself as an oil man.
As an oil man I hope that you forgive just good old fashioned plain speaking.
This work that we do, is very much a family endeavor.
I work side by side with my wonderful son H.W. I think one or two of you might have met him already.
I encourage my men to bring their families as well.
It makes it a so much more rewarding life for them. Family means children.
Children means education, so wherever we set up camp...
.. education is a necessity, we're just so happy to take care of that.
Let's build a wonderful school in Little Boston.
These children are the future that we strive for.
So they should have the very best of things.
Now something else and don't please be insulted if I speak about this. Bread.
Let's talk about bread.
Onto my mind it's an abomination to consider it to any man, woman or child...
...in this magnificent country of ours.
Should have to look on a loaf of bread as a luxury.
We can dig water wells here.
Water wells mean irrigation, irrigation means cultivation.
We're gonna raise crops here.
We're gonna have more grain than we know what to do with.
New roads, agriculture, employment,
education. These are just a few of the things we can offer you.
And I assure you ladies and gentlemen that if we do find oil here...
...and I think there's a good chance we will.
This community of yours will not only survive, it will flourish...
I'd be happy to answer any questions that you might have...
- Yes. - Will the new road lead to the church?
That'll be the first place that it leads. Thank you, Eli. Anyone else?
Well if anything comes up, I'm pretty easy to find.
You just come visit with me. Thank you so much for your time.
- Daniel, may I speak with you? - Yes come in.
- Good morning. - Good morning.
- How is all the work coming? - Everything's good.
- All the men are provided for? - Of course.
Spirits seem high.
Is there anything that you need from me?
Anything the church can do for you.
I don't believe so, no thank you.
I understand you've asked the people to gather around...
...and watch the well to begin to drill.
- Is that right? - That's right.
I will bless the well.
Before you begin you should introduce me.
You'll see me walk up towards the oil well and...
The derrick.
You see me walk up and then you can say my name.
- When you walk up? - Yes, you'll see me walk up.
And then you could say: the proud son of these hills...
...who tended his fathers flag and then you could say my name.
- That's fine. - And what happens then?
Well then we start the drill.
It's a simple blessing, Daniel, but an important one.
It's just a few words, it won't take long.
- What time? - What time's good for you, Eli?
- Four o'clock. - Well let's make it four o'clock then.
My thanks for your visit.
Good day. Thank you.
Afternoon everyone.
I'll thank you all so much for visiting with us at this time.
I've had the pleasure of meeting some of you...
...and I hope very much the months to come I'll be able to visit with each and everyone of you.
I'm better at digging holes in the ground than making speeches.
So let's forget the speech for this evening just make it a simple blessing.
You see one man doesn't prospect from the ground, it takes a whole community...
...of good people such as yourselves and this is good we stay together.
We pray together, work together and if the good Lord smiles kindly on our endeavour...
...we share the wealth together.
Now before we spud in, Mary's Well Number One...
...named for the lovely Ms. Mary Sunday here by my side.
A proud daughter of these hills.
I just like to say: God bless these honest labors of ours.
And of course, God bless you all.
Amen.
Won't be a minute.
Fast as you can, H.W.
That's it ladies and gentlemen.
Al Rose was very generous, he provided some refreshments...
...for this occasion out of his own pocket. Thank you.
Don't just stay, help yourselves. I'll be back in a minute.
- Do you like your new dress? - Yes, thank you.
You're welcome. I thought you'd like it.
- Are you happy I came here? - Yes.
Your daddy doesn't hit you anymore does he? Does he now?
Better not, right? I'll take care of you.
No more hitting, right? No more hitting. Now go.
Go play some more and don't come back!
It's okay H.W. Go back to sleep.
We lost a man down in the well.
- What man? - Joe Gundha.
- Do I know him? - No.
Then what happened?
Goddammit.
- Where's the body? - We're fishing him out now.
- Where's the bit? - Down the jack.
Well clean him up and put some clothes on him.
And set up a tent.
Anyone goes down into the cellar, you tell somebody.
- Yes? - Yes sir.
Shut down till midday.
And my stomach spoke in a whisper, not a shout.
Touch this woman with your hands and bless her.
My dear Mrs. Hunter, you have arthritis, don't you?
Yes I do, Eli.
Yes the devil is in your hands and I will suck it out.
Now I will not cast this ghost out with a fever.
For the new spirit inside me is so powerful I have a new way to communicate.
It is a gentle whisper.
Get out of here ghost.
Get out.
Get out of here ghost.
Get out of here and don't you dare turn around and come back.
But if you do, the toe of my boot will kick you in the teeth.
And you will be cast up and thrown in the dirt and thrashed back into partition.
And as long as I have teeth, I will bite you.
And if I have no teeth I will gum you.
As long as I have fists I will bash you!
Now get out of here ghost!
Get out of here ghost!
And it left!
Hallelujah!
Great Day!
Mrs. Hunter.
Dance with me.
- It was a wonderful ceremony. - I'll see you tomorrow.
Eli
We had a tragedy at the well last night.
Yes I heard.
Joe Gundha was a man of considerable faith.
So if you wish to say a few words his burial is at noon tomorrow.
Daniel, this accident could have been avoided.
- It is terrible to think that... - Yes it could if...
...these men work in 12 hour shifts and they need their rest.
...if they don't have it, they start to make stupid mistakes.
I've seen some of the man drinking, don't you think...
We need these men well rested to bring in this well...
They can't get that if they're up here listening to your gospel.
And then the well can't produce and blow gold.
I wish I had more time with Joe Gundha, more could have been done.
And then the well can't produce...
...and blow gold all over the place.
Would you see to it that his personal possessions find a way back to his family?
Thank you.
You are managing the relations.
Yes our congregation is growing strongly.
We need more room.
Well that was one goddamn hell of a show.
We were happy to have you Daniel.
Lights out!
Wait here! Wait here!
Let go you're safe, you're safe...
You're safe now, I've got you here.
Tell me where it hurts.
- Did you see this? - No.
Tell me where it hurts. Where does it hurt?
I can't hear my voice.
Were you hit in the head?
Tell me. Tell me if you are.
I can't hear my voice.
That has to be stopped. You wait here for me.
You wait here for me. I'll be back.
I'll be back in a minute. You wait here.
- Please. - I'm gonna take care. Stay here.
- I'm gonna fix this. - Please.
Michael.
Get the spigots and hook up some hoses.
Billy, get the roof wet before it's too hot.
What are you looking so miserable about?
We've got a whole ocean of oil underneath our feet.
No one can get at it except for me.
Is H.W. okay?
No he isn't.
- Where is he? - Mess hall.
That's enough now, that's enough H.W. That's enough.
Do you hear me? Can you hear me in there?
That's enough.
- It's Daddy. That's it. - Easy boy. Easy.
- Soon be over. - Yeah, that's good.
- Now the other side. - Turn him over.
It's over, it's over, it's over...