TV series

Bonanza

Name: Bonanza
Released: 1959
Cast: Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, David Canary, Tim Matheson, Mitch Vogel

1959–1973· 14 seasons· 49 min episodesTV-PG★ 7.5Ended

On NBC — From NBC · NBC Studios

America's Favorite TV Western

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Synopsis

The High-Sierra adventures of Ben Cartwright and his sons as they run and defend their ranch while helping the surrounding community.

Themes

nevada ranch family single father cowboy wild west 19th century early america inspirational

Episodes

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E1 A Rose for LottaNext upSep 12, 1959 · 49 min
Synopsis
Lotta Crabtree is hired by mining tycoon Alpheus Troy to lure one of the Cartwrights into town and hold him for ransom in exchange for Ponderosa timber rights.
Guest stars: Yvonne De Carlo (Lotta Crabtree), George Macready (Alpheus Troy), Barry Kelley (Aaron Cooper), Willis Bouchey (George Garvey), Victor Sen Yung (Hop Sing), Christopher Dark (Langford Poole), Sammee Tong (Hop Ling), Ned Glass (Coach Driver)
E2 Death on Sun MountainSep 19, 1959 · 49 min
Synopsis
Greedy opportunist Mark Burdette and his accomplice Early Thorne stir up trouble between the Paiute tribe and the citizens of Virginia City. Ben discovers Burdette and Thorne are selling antelope beef to the miners and finds the price too high. He offers the miners beef at a more reasonable price. Burdette and Thorne retaliate by framing the Paiute's for attacks, by dressing as them and killing ranchers. Based on a factual accounting. Lorne Greene's first voice-over narration, and no landing constructed yet for the Ponderosa stairway.
Guest stars: Bek Nelson (Glory), Barry Sullivan (Mark Burdette), Leo Gordon (Early Thorne), Cosmo Sardo (Townsman (uncredited)), Karl Swenson (Carl Harris), Jeanne Bates (Stella Harris), Zon Murray (Miner)
E3 The NewcomersSep 26, 1959 · 49 min
Synopsis
John Pennington and his crew want to mine the Ponderosa land by hydraulic means. Ben is totally against this method and evicts them in short order. Hoss is given the task of telling Pennington's men to leave, but soon has a moral dilemma on his hands when he meets Pennington's beautiful sister, Emily. He soon discovers a heartbreaking secret...she's terminally ill; but their relationship soon leads to plenty of trouble for the Cartwrights.
Guest stars: Inger Stevens (Emily Pennington), Charles Maxwell (Krug), John Larch (Blake McCall), George J. Lewis (Jose Moreno), Byron Foulger (Justin Flannery), Troy Melton (Merrill)
E4 The Paiute WarOct 3, 1959 · 49 min
Synopsis
Trader Mike Wilson attempts to escape punishment by the Paiute Indians after mistreating two of their women, by placing the blame on Adam. A fierce war between the Paiutes and the California militia follows, and the Paiutes seize Adam as hostage. Very impressive battle scenes in the this first mini-epic of the series. This episode did all it could to stage the real thing; 50 Indians were used and 50 cavalry actors and extras were used, and the production involved three days of shooting on location. This episode encompassed both the biggest cast and most costly stunts. This episode is based on the factual accounting that occured in May and June of 1860.
Guest stars: Jack Warden (Mike Wilson), Anthony Caruso (Chief Winnemucca), Michael Forest (Young Wolf), Walter Coy (Captain Kelley), Leonard P. Geer (Settler (uncredited)), John Pickard (Capt. Kelley (uncredited)), Jack Tornek (Bartender /Townsman (uncredited))
E5 Enter Mark TwainOct 10, 1959 · 49 min
Synopsis
Samuel Clemens arrives in Virginia City to write for the Territorial Enterprise at the same time a crooked politician tries to lay claim on the Ponderosa.
Guest stars: Victor Sen Yung (Hop Sing), Ron Nyman (Townsman (uncredited)), Patrick McVey (Bill Raleigh), John Litel (Judge Jeremy Clarence Billington), Lane Bradford (Lash's Foreman), Anne Whitfield (Rosemary Lawson), Percy Helton (Blurry Jones), Dorothy Green (Minnie Billington)
E6 The Julia Bulette StoryOct 17, 1959 · 49 min
Synopsis
Little Joe is infatuated wih saloon owner Julia Bulette, whom he imagines is like his late mother. First episode to reveal backround details concerning Marie Cartwright, and inspired by the true story of a Virginia City madam. Also, the first episode to showcase Michael Landon.
Guest stars: Victor Sen Yung (Hop Sing), Jane Greer (Julia Bulette), Alexander Scourby (Jean Millain), Roy Engel (Dr. Paul Martin), Kay E. Kuter (Mr. Finch)
E7 The Saga of Annie O'TooleOct 24, 1959 · 49 min
Synopsis
Adam defends the mining claim of Annie O' Toole in a court presided over by Judge Ben Cartwright. Annie comes to the Washoe Diggings with a claim to a mine filed by her beau, Swede Lundberg. Swede has two claims and sold one to an acquaintance of theirs named Gregory Spain, creating confusion, that only Judge Ben Cartwright can make a ruling on.
Guest stars: Victor Sen Yung (Hop Sing), Alan Hale Jr. (Swede Lundberg), Richard Reeves (Clayton), Dale Van Sickel (Miner (uncredited)), Ida Lupino (Annie O'Toole)
E8 The Phillip Diedesheimer StoryOct 31, 1959 · 49 min
Synopsis
Adam and Hoss assist a German engineer in developing the concept of "square set timbering" in the mines. Based on fact, and the first episode not to include all four Cartwrights. Hoss refers to the character, Emily, with whom he was in love with in, "The Newcomers".
Guest stars: R.G. Armstrong (Andrew Holloway), Charles Cooper (Gil Fenton), Robert Osterloh (Casey), William Forrest (Mine Owner), John George (Miner (uncredited)), Howard Negley (Doctor), Mae Marsh (Mary), Cosmo Sardo (Mine Owner (uncredited))
E9 Mr. Henry ComstockNov 7, 1959 · 49 min
Synopsis
In a flashback, the legendary prospector arrives on the Ponderosa and participates in the founding of Virginia City. Coincidentally, guest star Jack Carson played a teller at the Comstock Bank and Trust in the 1942 film, "Gentleman Jim". This early classic was the second episode filmed.
Guest stars: Victor Sen Yung (Hop Sing), Jack Carson (Henry T.P. Comstock), Jack Mather (Heck Turner), Bruce Gordon (Chief Winnemucca), Abel Fernandez (Lean Knife), Ron Nyman (Miner (uncredited)), Joanne Sages (Princess Saratucci)
E10 The Magnificent AdahNov 14, 1959 · 49 min
Synopsis
Virginia City is visited by actress Adah Issacs Menken, who happens to be an old acquaintance of Ben's. Joe is badly beaten by Adah's jealous suitor, John C. Regan, who is bested in a fight with an enraged Hoss.
Guest stars: Victor Sen Yung (Hop Sing), Ruth Roman (Adah Isaacs Menken), Mauritz Hugo (Hotel Manager (uncredited))
E11 The Truckee StripNov 21, 1959 · 49 min
Synopsis
Luther Bishop and Ben Cartwright have had an ongoing land dispute for a number of years, over a small tract called the Truckee Strip. One of Bishop's employee's has a grudge against the Cartwrights and wants to stir up the feud again, while also harboring designs on Bishop's pretty daughter, Amy. Joe meets and falls in love with Amy, in spite of the family differences and the two want to marry. Just when it looks like the feud will end with the union of the two young people, Bishop's man attacks Amy and Joe must come to the rescue.
Guest stars: Adrienne Hayes (Amy Bishop), James Coburn (Pete Jessup), S. John Launer (Jason Carter)
E12 The Hanging PosseNov 28, 1959 · 49 min
Synopsis
Adam and Joe reluctantly join a group of vengeful townsmen, who are out to lynch the three men who supposedly killed Vannie Johnson. The posse is run by Paiute Scroggs and Flint Johnson, the dead woman's husband. When Adam and Joe clash with them, they both separate and try to reach the three men before the posse does. This episode's storyline is a variation of the 1943 film "The Ox-Bow Incident".
Guest stars: Adam Williams (Blackie Marx), Onslow Stevens (Flint Johnson), Ron Hagerthy (Billy Johnson), John Harmon (Schuster), Dick Rich (Shoehoffer), John George (Townsman (uncredited))
E13 VendettaDec 5, 1959 · 49 min
Synopsis
In a variation of "High Noon", Ben and Hoss must face a gang of outlaws practically all alone when most of Virginia City's citizens go into hiding. The most action-filled episode since "The Paiute War".
Guest stars: Whitney Blake (Ann Samuels), Ron Nyman (Townsman (uncredited)), Bartlett Robinson (Ralph Carter), Bill Quinn (Doc Travis), Harry Carey Jr. (Zack Morgan), Cosmo Sardo (Bartender (uncredited)), Simon Scott (Tom Pryor), Grant Richards (Standford)
E14 The SistersDec 12, 1959 · 49 min
Synopsis
This episode begins with Adam defending the honor of Sue Ellen Terry in a duel. No one gets shot because the other man misses Adam and Adam generously shoots in the air to end the duel. Sue Ellen lives with her sister, who seems nice but turns out to be fairly evil, consumed with jealousy because she's getting older and her sister is a young beauty. When Adam drops Sue Ellen off after a date one night, half way through this episode, someone shoots her dead, and Adam becomes a suspect and is thrown in jail. When the sheriff suggests that Adam escape, he does it, but when he walks out, someone tries to shoot him. He chases after them but doesn't find them, and soon after hears Sue Ellen's sister scream. He runs up the stairs to find her dead, and of course, is then suspected of that murder as well. Of course, his family helps him during the last half hour, and it all turns out that someone we should not have suspected did all the murders, but that he actually wasn't trying to hit
Guest stars: Fay Spain (Sue Ellen Terry), Buddy Ebsen (Sheriff Jesse Sanders), Jean Willes (Amelia Terry), Victor Sen Yung (Hop Sing), Malcolm Atterbury (Dixie), John Stephenson (John Henry), Charles Meredith (Referee at Duel), George Ford (Duel Spectator (uncredited))
E15 The Last HuntDec 19, 1959 · 49 min
Synopsis
Hoss and Joe come across a pregnant Indian woman while hunting bighorn sheep and must deliver her baby. Despite touches of humor, including a scene in which Joe refers to a meal as "cattle fodder", the story does not have an altogether happy ending.
Guest stars: Chana Eden (Shoshoni Girl), Victor Sen Yung (Hop Sing)
E16 El Toro GrandeJan 2, 1960 · 49 min
Synopsis
Ben sends Hoss and Joe to Monterey to purchase an expensive seed bull. The first of Blocker and Landon's many comic misadventures, although the casual use of violence, as in the rapier fight, is oddly uncharacteristic for the series. Hoss reveals his real name to be Eric for the first time.
Guest stars: BarBara Luna (Cayetena Losaro)
E17 The OutcastJan 9, 1960 · 49 min
Synopsis
Because she is related to criminals, a young woman is ostracized by everyone but the the Cartwrights. She unwisely seeks solace with an ex-con friend of Joe's, Clay Renton, and it's up to Ben to straighten everything out. First episode to have a chapter title after the cast credits.
Guest stars: Jack Lord (Clay Renton), Edward Platt (Harvey Buford), Susan Oliver (Leta Malvet), Irene Tedrow (Mrs. Buford), Roy Engel (Dr. Paul Martin), Chalky Williams (Townsman (uncredited)), Robert P. Lieb (Spence), Joel Ashley (Boyd)
E18 A House DividedJan 16, 1960 · 49 min
Synopsis
As the Civil War approaches, Adam and Joe clash over which side to support. The situation is complicated by the arrival of Frederick Kyle, a Southern sympathizer. He was an old friend of Joe's mother and viewers also discover that Joe's middle name is Francis.
Guest stars: Cameron Mitchell (Frederick Kyle), John Anderson (Gorman), Stacy Harris (Regis), Dan Riss (Tom Madigan), Stafford Repp (Mine Owner), John Indrisano (Townsman (uncredited)), Ron Nyman (Barfly (uncredited)), Kenneth MacDonald (Sheriff)
E19 The GunmenJan 23, 1960 · 49 min
Synopsis
In the first all-out comic episode of the series, Hoss and Joe travel to Kiowa Flats, Texas, where they are mistaken for the notorious Slade Brothers, also played by Blocker and Landon.
Guest stars: Henry Hull (Sheriff B. Banneman Brown), Douglas Spencer (Alonzo McFadden), George Mitchell (Jubal Hadfield), Ellen Corby (Lorna Doone Mayberry), King Donovan (Twirly Boggs), Dorothy Neumann (Ouisey McFadden)
E20 The Fear MerchantsJan 30, 1960 · 49 min
Synopsis
The Cartwrights encounter racial bigotry in Virginia City and end up protecting a Chinese boy from mob violence. Victor Sen Yung, in his largest role to date, speaks normally in the presence of his fellow countrymen, but reverts to broken English when with the Cartwrights.
Guest stars: Victor Sen Yung (Hop Sing), Rudy Doucette (Townsman (uncredited)), Ron Nyman (Townsman (uncredited)), Helen Westcott (Amanda Ridley), Frank Ferguson (J.R. Ridley), Philip Ahn (Mr. Lee Chang), Alexander Campbell (Judge), Patricia Michon (Sally Ridley)
E21 The Spanish GrantFeb 6, 1960 · 49 min
Synopsis
In "The Spanish Grant", a young bargirl, Rosita Morales is pretending to be a Spanish noblewoman named Isabella Marie Inez de la Cuesta and at the end of the story, it's revealed she is really Rosita Morales, but on the other hand, is she really Rosita Morales? This little twist at the end is simply entertaining everytime it's viewed, with the viewer able to determine the young woman's real identity at the end of act four.
Guest stars: Victor Sen Yung (Hop Sing), Patricia Medina (Isabella Maria Ynez Y Castra De La Cuesta / Rosita Morales), Celia Lovsky (Dona Theresa Esperanza), Sebastian Cabot (Don Antonio Luga)
E22 Blood on the LandFeb 13, 1960 · 49 min
Synopsis
A shiftless sheepherder, Jeb Drummond, encroaches his herd of sheep on the Ponderosa and refuses to budge. He resists all of Ben's attempts to throw him off his land and finally resorts to taking Adam prisoner in exchange for ownership of the ranch.
Guest stars: Everett Sloane (Jeb Drummond), Ken Lynch (Collier), Tom Reese (Burton)
E23 Desert JusticeFeb 20, 1960 · 49 min
Synopsis
When a tough U.S. Marshal from California arrests a Ponderosa hand, Dave Walker, for murder, Adam and Hoss go along to make sure their employee reaches Los Angeles alive. In one scene, Adam is dressed in black for the first time. In another, Hoss, upon seeing Southern California for the first time, remarks, "It sure ain't never gonna amount to much". Later, Adam makes an amusing reference to the chow Joe says he was forced to eat in "The Last Hunt".
Guest stars: Claude Akins (Marshal Emmett Dowd), Wesley Lau (Dave Walker), Fintan Meyler (Andrea Strasser)
E24 The StrangerFeb 27, 1960 · 49 min
Synopsis
Nevada Territory is awaiting statehood, and Ben considers running for governor until he learns he is wanted for murder in New Orleans. Inspector Charles Leduque arrives and says Ben is wanted for commiting the murder 20 years earlier, and after Joe kills his bodyguard in self-defense, Inspector Leduque makes it appear the other way around. Ben has no choice but go with Leduque, to clear his name in a very suspense-filled episode. Once again, there are several references to Joe's mother, and viewers are shown Marie's grave near the shore of Lake Tahoe.
Guest stars: Victor Sen Yung (Hop Sing), Arthur Shields (Dennis), Joan Staley (Dixie), Lloyd Nolan (Inspector Charles Leduque), Robert Foulk (Sheriff Brady), Donald Foster (Albert Gibbons), Charles Tannen (Jake the Clerk), Hank Worden (Station Attendant)
E25 Escape to PonderosaMar 5, 1960 · 49 min
Synopsis
After Adam is bushwhacked by three army deserters, Ben tracks them down, and tackles the brutal Captain Bolton who is pursuing them.
Guest stars: Gloria Talbott (Nedda)
E26 The AvengerMar 19, 1960 · 49 min
Synopsis
A restaurant owner whom Ben and Adam have confronted over stolen Ponderosa beef ends up dead one night. His daughter, Sally Byrnes runs the cafe and in her resentment, wrongfully accuses Ben and Adam of murdering her father and they are sentenced to hang. A rancher by the name of Hawkins is also jealous of the Cartwrights and has hired his men to stop the town from helping Ben and Adam, ensuring they hang. Hoss and Joe are willing to stop them, but Ben insists they stay within the limits of the law.
Guest stars: Jean Allison (Sally Byrnes), Ian Wolfe (Ed Baxter), Robert Griffin (Sheriff Hansen), Vic Morrow (Lassiter), Richard Devon (Mr. Hawkins)
E27 The Last TrophyMar 26, 1960 · 49 min
Synopsis
Adam takes Ben's friends, Lord Marion Dunsworth and Lady Beatrice, on a hunting expedition, and they are captured by a gang of crude thieves and murderers. During one early scene, after listening to Ben reminisce, Hoss says, "Always like to hear Pa get wound up. He don't do it often."
Guest stars: Jimmy Carter (Kavanaugh's Grandson), Hazel Court (Lady Beatrice Dunsford), Naomi Stevens (Touma)
E28 San FranciscoApr 2, 1960 · 49 min
Synopsis
In this comic episode, the first to take place far from the ranch, Ben, Hoss, and Joe deliver a herd to San Francisco. Although he warns his sons to be careful in the big city ("This is not the Ponderosa!"), Ben is the one who is shanghaied and must be rescued.
Guest stars: Victor Sen Yung (Hop Sing), Kathleen Crowley (Kathleen aka Quick-Buck Kate), James Hong (Hop Sing's #3 Cousin), Richard Deacon (Captain Shark), Herb Vigran (Bartender), Michael Ross (Big Henchman), Donnelly Rhodes (Little Henchman)
E29 Bitter WaterApr 9, 1960 · 49 min
Synopsis
Len Keith, a miner, wants to purchase some land adjacent to the Ponderosa from rancher Andy McKaren. Andy's son, Tod, is anxious to sell. Keith has offered him a partnership,and more importantly, he is in love with Keith's daughter. When Ben warns Andy that a mine on the property would foul up Ponderosa water, Andy agrees not to sell the land. Len Keith, determined to get that land, plants tick infested cattle in a Ponderosa herd to turn Andy against the Cartwrights.
Guest stars: Merry Anders (Virginia Keith), Cosmo Sardo (Bartender (uncredited)), Don Dubbins (Todd McCarren), Robert F. Simon (Len Keith)
E30 Feet of ClayApr 16, 1960 · 49 min
Synopsis
Hoss takes Billy Allen, the young son of a convicted felon under his wing, then is forced to kill his father and Billy will not forgive him. The most emotional Hoss story since "The Newcomers" and one of Blocker's best.
Guest stars: David Ladd (Billy Allen), Guy Prescott (Charlie), John Eldredge (Mr. Sherman), Victor Sen Yung (Hop Sing), Riza Royce (Sarah), Robert Tetrick (Pike)
E31 Dark StarApr 23, 1960 · 49 min
Synopsis
Joe falls in love with Tirza, an undeniably strange gypsy girl who says she is cursed and never does seem to "snap out of it". The first episode of the series with a supernatural flavor, directed appropriately enough, by Lewis Allen, who made the classic ghost film "The Uninvited".
Guest stars: Susan Harrison (Tirza)
E32 Death at DawnApr 30, 1960 · 49 min
Synopsis
Virginia City is plagued by organized crime, Sam Bryant and his gang. One of his men, Farmer Perkins, kills a storekeeper, and at his trial, the wife of the store owner is afraid to testify. When Perkins is sentenced to hang, Bryant kidnaps Ben and wants to exchange Ben for Perkins, which leaves Adam with the most difficult decision of his life. A stellar cast.
Guest stars: Robert Middleton (Sam Bryant), Gregory Walcott (Farmer Perkins), Ron Nyman (Townsman (uncredited))