- "That was MY steak, Valance...!" - Tom making it very clear why Liberty steers clear of him.
- To clarify, Tom stands his ground against Liberty to make it known he means business, while 'evening the odds' against Liberty with Pompey, and kicks one of Liberty's lackeys when he goes to pick up the steak. Then Ranse picks up the steak, Liberty leaves and Ranse delivers a What the Hell, Hero? speech to Tom.
- A subtle one: after Liberty and his boys leave the restaurant, they open fire through the windows, causing everyone to duck. Everyone, that is, except Tom and Ranse, who both stand their ground.
- Besides… you didn't kill Liberty Valance.
- Tom shows a glimpse of his gunslinger skills to Ranse when attempting to teach him how to shoot by nailing three paint cans in three shots and dousing Ranse in paint.
- Ranse punches out Tom shortly after getting doused in paint, knocking him down with a single punch. TO clarify: Jimmy Stewart punches out John Wayne!
Doniphon: "I don't like tricks, pilgrim but that's what you're going up against with Vallance."(Ranse storms up to him and...POW!!!)Ranse: "I DON'T LIKE TRICKS MYSELF, SO THAT MAKES US EVEN!" - "Marshal? You tell Liberty...that I'll be outside."
- To clarify, Ranse is initially about to leave town, but after Liberty beats Mr. Peabody, nearly killing him in the process, trashes his office, and then shoots out Ranse's sign, the town comes over to see what happened, and Ranse listens to Peabody drunkenly claim that he showed Liberty the value of 'freedom of speech', he makes up his mind to fight Liberty Valance in a duel.
- Similarly, Ranse killing Liberty Valance by shooting him with his off-hand (his right arm was shot during the duel). He didn't actually kill Liberty Valance. Tom and Pompey were in an alleyway watching the duel, and Tom shot Liberty at the same time Ranse and Liberty shot each other. The setup made it look like Ranse killed Liberty, so he got the credit.
- Ranse attempts to disappear after Cassius Starbuckle demonizes him by calling him a murderer of a honest citizen and implying that he's not even close to the same caliber as Abraham Lincoln. Tom finds him and delivers a What the Hell, Hero? speech to Ranse while revealing that he was the real killer of Liberty Valance.
"Hallie's your girl now. Go back in there and take that nomination. You taught her how to read and write; now give her something to read and write about!"
- When Tom starts drinking at the bar after shooting Liberty, he gets mad at Liberty's mooks trying to paint Liberty as a hero and Ranse as a cold-blooded murderer. He throws one of them out of the bar, and then when the other one (played by none other than Lee Van Cleef) pulls a gun on him, he disarms him and pistol-whips him with his own gun, knocking him out cold.
- While it was based on a lie, Ransom went on to do great things as Senator thanks to his reputation as the man who shot Liberty Valance. He went on to serve as governor of the new state for three terms, served two terms in the Senate, held the prestigious post of Ambassador to the Court of St. James, before returning to the Senate for another term.
- Real Life example: According to Lee Marvin, a supporting actor called Woody Strode a n***. Before John Wayne could teach him some manners, James Stewart furiously grabbed the man by his shirt and said, "Don't you ever use that word around me again, or I might do something our director will regret because he'll have to replace you with an actor who's not all broken up and and reshoot a helluva lot of expensive scenes".
- Marvin added, "I liked Jimmy Stewart before the incident, but I liked him a whole lot more".
- Stewart was a real life badass. His age and status as a film star would have normally gotten him a cushy job during World War II. He campaigned hard to get assigned as a combat pilot and proved himself quite well. He eventually retired as a General in the Air Force Reserves.
