Bonanza | |
---|---|
Season 4 | |
Cast of
Bonanza in 1959 | |
Starring | |
No. of episodes | 34 |
Release | |
Original network | NBC |
Original release | September 23, 1962 May 26, 1963 | –
Season chronology | |
The fourth season of the American Western television series Bonanza premiered on NBC on September 23, 1962, with the final episode airing May 26, 1963. [1] The series was developed and produced by David Dortort, and season four starred Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon. The season consisted of 34 episodes of a series total 431 hour-long episodes, the entirety of which was produced in color. [2] Season four was aired on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. It ranked #4 in the Nielsen ratings, the highest rated Western for the 1962–1963 season. [3]
Bonanza is set around the Ponderosa Ranch near Virginia City, Nevada and chronicles the weekly adventures of the Cartwright family, consisting of Ben Cartwright and his three sons (each by a different wife), Adam, Eric ( "Hoss"), and Joseph ("Little Joe"). A regular character is their ranch cook, Hop Sing.
Bing Russell was added to the series as recurring character Deputy Clem Foster beginning with episode 18, "Half a Rouge". [4]
On location filming for season four took place at Incline Village for episode 1, "The First Born"; episode 2, "The Quest", and episode 7, "The War Comes to Washoe". [5] Additional locations were Griffith Park for episode 29, "Five into the Wind", [6] and Bronson Canyon for episode 32, "Rich Man, Poor Man" [7]
No. overall |
No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
101 | 1 | "The First Born" | Don McDougall | Judy and George W. George | September 23, 1962 | |
Joe must decide what to do when he learns that new ranch hand Clay Stafford (
Barry Coe) is his mother's first-born son. | ||||||
102 | 2 | "The Quest" | Christian Nyby | John Furia [A] and Thomas Thompson | September 30, 1962 | |
In order to prove himself a man, Joe sets out to win a big timber contract for the Ponderosa.
Grant Richards,
Frank Gerstle and
Dan Riss guest star. | ||||||
103 | 3 | "The Artist" | Don McDougall | Frank Chase | October 7, 1962 | |
Ben tries to help Matthew Raine (
Dan O'Herlihy), an artist who's lost his sight. He's also supported by his friend Ann (
Virginia Grey). | ||||||
104 | 4 | "A Hot Day for a Hanging" | William F. Claxton | Preston Wood and Elliott Arnold | October 14, 1962 | |
A sheriff (
Denver Pyle) hopes to save his town from going bankrupt by framing Hoss for bank robbery and murder while he's making a payment delivery. | ||||||
105 | 5 | "The Deserter" | William Witney | Norman Lessing | October 21, 1962 | |
The Cartwrights face a dilemma when their neighbor Bill Winters (Robert Sampson) is wanted for deserting the Army ten years ago. | ||||||
106 | 6 | "The Way Station" | Lewis Allen | Frank Cleaver | October 28, 1962 | |
A desperate fugitive (
Robert Vaughn) holds Adam and others captive at a remote way station.
Dawn Wells guest stars as Martha "Marty" Johnson. | ||||||
107 | 7 | "The War Comes to Washoe" | Don McDougall | Alvin Sapinsley | November 4, 1962 | |
Statehood convention delegates debate over which side Nevada will take in the Civil War. Little Joe's romance with the daughter of a Confederate sympathizer brings tensions between him and Adam.
Harry Townes,
Joyce Taylor,
Barry Kelley and
Alan Caillou guest star. | ||||||
108 | 8 | "Knight Errant" | William F. Claxton | Joseph Hoffman | November 18, 1962 | |
Hoss inadvertently starts a romantic triangle when he meets his friend's mail-order bride, who falls in love with him.
Judi Meredith and
John Doucette guest star. | ||||||
109 | 9 | "The Beginning" | Christian Nyby | Preston Wood | November 25, 1962 | |
Joe tries to help Billy Horn (
Carl Reindel), who was captured by Indians as a boy, adjust to life at the Ponderosa. A threat emerges when Milton Tanner (
Ken Lynch) claims one-third of the Ponderosa and Billy wants to confront him the Indian way. | ||||||
110 | 10 | "The Deadly Ones" | William Witney | Story by : N. B. Stone Jr. Teleplay by : Denne Petitclerc | December 2, 1962 | |
Mexican patriots loyal to Benito Juárez come to the Ponderosa in order to rob a gold wagon needed for the Mexican revolution and smuggled by Emperor Maximilian.
Will Kuluva,
Leo Gordon,
Lee Farr and
Jena Engstrom guest star. | ||||||
111 | 11 | "Gallagher's Sons" | Christian Nyby | Dick Nelson | December 9, 1962 | |
Hoss helps out Will (
Eileen Chesis) and Charlie (Larrian Gillespie), two orphaned girls who have been raised as boys. He doesn't know a posse is trailing them, looking for a bag of stolen money carried by one of the girls. | ||||||
112 | 12 | "The Decision" | William F. Claxton | Story by : Norman Jacob Teleplay by : Frank Chase | December 16, 1962 | |
A doctor (
DeForest Kelley) convicted of murder is the only one who can perform surgery on Hoss, whose life hangs in the balance at the hands of a biased judge (
John Hoyt). | ||||||
113 | 13 | "The Good Samaritan" | Don McDougall | Robert Bloomfield | December 23, 1962 | |
Hoss tries to play matchmaker for a ranch hand (
Don Collier) and a widow (
Jeanne Cooper). His friend seems determined to sabotage the possible affair. | ||||||
114 | 14 | "The Jury" | Christian Nyby | Robert Vincent Wright | December 30, 1962 | |
Hoss is the only one on a jury who believes a ne'er-do-well is innocent of murder. Since he doesn't agree with the other judges, he's accused of bribery.
Jack Betts,
Don Haggerty,
James Bell and
Bobs Watson guest star. | ||||||
115 | 15 | "The Colonel" | Lewis Allen | Preston Wood | January 6, 1963 | |
An old Army buddy of Ben's jeopardizes the Cartwrights and a Ponderosa land deal with his lies.
John Larkin,
Helen Westcott and
Edward Platt guest star. | ||||||
116 | 16 | "Song in the Dark" | Don McDougall | Judy and George W. George | January 13, 1963 | |
Mysterious singer Danny Morgan (
Gregory Walcott) has been charged with murder and Adam sets out to clear him. | ||||||
117 | 17 | "Elegy for a Hangman" | Hollingsworth Morse | Story by : E. M. Parsons Teleplay by : E. M. Parsons and Shirl Hendryx | January 20, 1963 | |
A man (
Keir Dullea) forces the reopening of a murder case, believing his father was wrongfully executed. Adam helps him. | ||||||
118 | 18 | "Half a Rogue" | Don McDougall | Arnold Belgard | January 27, 1963 | |
Hoss takes in ornery hillbilly Big Jim Leyton (
Slim Pickens), who has been framed for murder. | ||||||
119 | 19 | "The Last Haircut" | William F. Claxton | Charles Lang | February 3, 1963 | |
Joe pursues a cold-blooded killer who used a tricky legal maneuver to escape justice.
Perry Lopez and
Chubby Johnson guest star. | ||||||
120 | 20 | "Marie, My Love" | Lewis Allen | Story by :
Anne Howard Bailey and Anthony Lawrence Teleplay by : Anthony Lawrence | February 10, 1963 | |
Ben remembers his courtship in New Orleans of Joe's mother and third wife, Marie (
Felicia Farr). | ||||||
121 | 21 | "The Hayburner" | William F. Claxton | Alex Sharp | February 17, 1963 | |
Hoss loses his Kentucky racehorse in a poker game and he wants it back. The Cartwright brothers try to come out ahead in the Virginia City Sweepstakes.
William Demarest and
Ellen Corby guest star. | ||||||
122 | 22 | "The Actress" | Christian Nyby | Norman Lessing | February 24, 1963 | |
An actress (
Patricia Crowley) is torn between her love for little Joe and her desire for show business. | ||||||
123 | 23 | "A Stranger Passed This Way" | Lewis Allen | William L. Stuart | March 3, 1963 | |
Hoss develops amnesia following a bushwhacking and is taken in by a Dutch couple mourning their son's death. They plan to take him to Michigan with them.
Signe Hasso,
Robert Emhardt and
Addison Richards guest star. | ||||||
124 | 24 | "The Way of Aaron" | Murray Golden | Raphael David Blau | March 10, 1963 | |
Adam falls for a Jewish woman (
Aneta Corsaut) after helping her and her father. | ||||||
125 | 25 | "A Woman Lost" | Don McDougall | Frank Chase | March 17, 1963 | |
Ben and an ex-prizefighter try to cure a woman (
Ruta Lee) of her alcoholism. | ||||||
126 | 26 | "Any Friend of Walter's" | John Florea | Lois Hire | March 24, 1963 | |
Hoss befriends an old prospector (
Arthur Hunnicutt) and his communicative dog as he helps them fend off gold thieves. | ||||||
127 | 27 | "Mirror of a Man" | Lewis Allen | A. I. Bezzerides | March 31, 1963 | |
A reformed convict is forced to switch identities with his evil twin, who is wanted for murdering a rancher and stealing a horse.
Ron Hayes and
Ford Rainey guest star. | ||||||
128 | 28 | "My Brother's Keeper" | Murray Golden | Seeleg Lester | April 7, 1963 | |
Adam considers rejecting the violent way of life in the West after shooting Joe by accident.
Ken Lynch guest stars. | ||||||
129 | 29 | "Five into the Wind" | William F. Claxton | Meyer Dolinsky | April 21, 1963 | |
Joe and five people are stranded after a stagecoach wreck. Joe is accused of murder when a man is found killed by Joe's knife.
Kathleen Crowley and
Betsy Jones-Moreland guest star. | ||||||
130 | 30 | "The Saga of Whizzer McGee" | Don McDougall | Robert L. Welch | April 28, 1963 | |
Hoss befriends Whizzer McGee (
George Brenlin), a little man with big ideas. | ||||||
131 | 31 | "Thunder Man" | Lewis Allen | Lewis Reed | May 5, 1963 | |
Joe's girlfriend Ann Wilson (Toby Michaels) and her uncle Fred (
Harvey Stephens) are going to Joe's birthday party, but the girl is molested and killed by explosives expert William Poole (
Simon Oakland) who then works to keep his guilt secret by getting a job on the Ponderosa and staying with widowed neighbor Mrs. Gibson (
Evelyn Scott). | ||||||
132 | 32 | "Rich Man, Poor Man" | John Florea | Story by : Arnold Belgard and Robert Fresco Teleplay by : Richard P. McDonagh, Barbara and Milton Merlin | May 12, 1963 | |
Bumbling man Claude Miller (
John Fiedler) loses his job and then tries to buy respect with his new-found wealth. | ||||||
133 | 33 | "The Boss" | Arthur H. Nadel | Leo Gordon and Paul Leslie Peil | May 19, 1963 | |
The Cartwrights attempt to start a rally against the tyrannical owner (
Carroll O'Connor) of a freight-line. The local strongman is also a former friend of Ben. | ||||||
134 | 34 | "Little Man... Ten Feet Tall" | Lewis Allen | Story by : Eric Norden and Frank Arno Teleplay by : Eric Norden | May 26, 1963 | |
An Italian immigrant loses respect for his father (
Ross Martin) when he meets Hoss. |
Season four aired on Sundays from 9:00 pm–10:00 pm on NBC. [8]
Season four ranked #4 in the Nielsen ratings, the highest rated Western for the 1962–1963 season. [3]
Award | Year [a] | Category | Nominee(s) / Work | Result | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | 1963 | Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction and Scenic Design | Earl Hedrick (scenic designer) and Hal Pereira (art director) | Nominated | [9] |
Bonanza | |
---|---|
Season 4 | |
Cast of
Bonanza in 1959 | |
Starring | |
No. of episodes | 34 |
Release | |
Original network | NBC |
Original release | September 23, 1962 May 26, 1963 | –
Season chronology | |
The fourth season of the American Western television series Bonanza premiered on NBC on September 23, 1962, with the final episode airing May 26, 1963. [1] The series was developed and produced by David Dortort, and season four starred Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon. The season consisted of 34 episodes of a series total 431 hour-long episodes, the entirety of which was produced in color. [2] Season four was aired on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. It ranked #4 in the Nielsen ratings, the highest rated Western for the 1962–1963 season. [3]
Bonanza is set around the Ponderosa Ranch near Virginia City, Nevada and chronicles the weekly adventures of the Cartwright family, consisting of Ben Cartwright and his three sons (each by a different wife), Adam, Eric ( "Hoss"), and Joseph ("Little Joe"). A regular character is their ranch cook, Hop Sing.
Bing Russell was added to the series as recurring character Deputy Clem Foster beginning with episode 18, "Half a Rouge". [4]
On location filming for season four took place at Incline Village for episode 1, "The First Born"; episode 2, "The Quest", and episode 7, "The War Comes to Washoe". [5] Additional locations were Griffith Park for episode 29, "Five into the Wind", [6] and Bronson Canyon for episode 32, "Rich Man, Poor Man" [7]
No. overall |
No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
101 | 1 | "The First Born" | Don McDougall | Judy and George W. George | September 23, 1962 | |
Joe must decide what to do when he learns that new ranch hand Clay Stafford (
Barry Coe) is his mother's first-born son. | ||||||
102 | 2 | "The Quest" | Christian Nyby | John Furia [A] and Thomas Thompson | September 30, 1962 | |
In order to prove himself a man, Joe sets out to win a big timber contract for the Ponderosa.
Grant Richards,
Frank Gerstle and
Dan Riss guest star. | ||||||
103 | 3 | "The Artist" | Don McDougall | Frank Chase | October 7, 1962 | |
Ben tries to help Matthew Raine (
Dan O'Herlihy), an artist who's lost his sight. He's also supported by his friend Ann (
Virginia Grey). | ||||||
104 | 4 | "A Hot Day for a Hanging" | William F. Claxton | Preston Wood and Elliott Arnold | October 14, 1962 | |
A sheriff (
Denver Pyle) hopes to save his town from going bankrupt by framing Hoss for bank robbery and murder while he's making a payment delivery. | ||||||
105 | 5 | "The Deserter" | William Witney | Norman Lessing | October 21, 1962 | |
The Cartwrights face a dilemma when their neighbor Bill Winters (Robert Sampson) is wanted for deserting the Army ten years ago. | ||||||
106 | 6 | "The Way Station" | Lewis Allen | Frank Cleaver | October 28, 1962 | |
A desperate fugitive (
Robert Vaughn) holds Adam and others captive at a remote way station.
Dawn Wells guest stars as Martha "Marty" Johnson. | ||||||
107 | 7 | "The War Comes to Washoe" | Don McDougall | Alvin Sapinsley | November 4, 1962 | |
Statehood convention delegates debate over which side Nevada will take in the Civil War. Little Joe's romance with the daughter of a Confederate sympathizer brings tensions between him and Adam.
Harry Townes,
Joyce Taylor,
Barry Kelley and
Alan Caillou guest star. | ||||||
108 | 8 | "Knight Errant" | William F. Claxton | Joseph Hoffman | November 18, 1962 | |
Hoss inadvertently starts a romantic triangle when he meets his friend's mail-order bride, who falls in love with him.
Judi Meredith and
John Doucette guest star. | ||||||
109 | 9 | "The Beginning" | Christian Nyby | Preston Wood | November 25, 1962 | |
Joe tries to help Billy Horn (
Carl Reindel), who was captured by Indians as a boy, adjust to life at the Ponderosa. A threat emerges when Milton Tanner (
Ken Lynch) claims one-third of the Ponderosa and Billy wants to confront him the Indian way. | ||||||
110 | 10 | "The Deadly Ones" | William Witney | Story by : N. B. Stone Jr. Teleplay by : Denne Petitclerc | December 2, 1962 | |
Mexican patriots loyal to Benito Juárez come to the Ponderosa in order to rob a gold wagon needed for the Mexican revolution and smuggled by Emperor Maximilian.
Will Kuluva,
Leo Gordon,
Lee Farr and
Jena Engstrom guest star. | ||||||
111 | 11 | "Gallagher's Sons" | Christian Nyby | Dick Nelson | December 9, 1962 | |
Hoss helps out Will (
Eileen Chesis) and Charlie (Larrian Gillespie), two orphaned girls who have been raised as boys. He doesn't know a posse is trailing them, looking for a bag of stolen money carried by one of the girls. | ||||||
112 | 12 | "The Decision" | William F. Claxton | Story by : Norman Jacob Teleplay by : Frank Chase | December 16, 1962 | |
A doctor (
DeForest Kelley) convicted of murder is the only one who can perform surgery on Hoss, whose life hangs in the balance at the hands of a biased judge (
John Hoyt). | ||||||
113 | 13 | "The Good Samaritan" | Don McDougall | Robert Bloomfield | December 23, 1962 | |
Hoss tries to play matchmaker for a ranch hand (
Don Collier) and a widow (
Jeanne Cooper). His friend seems determined to sabotage the possible affair. | ||||||
114 | 14 | "The Jury" | Christian Nyby | Robert Vincent Wright | December 30, 1962 | |
Hoss is the only one on a jury who believes a ne'er-do-well is innocent of murder. Since he doesn't agree with the other judges, he's accused of bribery.
Jack Betts,
Don Haggerty,
James Bell and
Bobs Watson guest star. | ||||||
115 | 15 | "The Colonel" | Lewis Allen | Preston Wood | January 6, 1963 | |
An old Army buddy of Ben's jeopardizes the Cartwrights and a Ponderosa land deal with his lies.
John Larkin,
Helen Westcott and
Edward Platt guest star. | ||||||
116 | 16 | "Song in the Dark" | Don McDougall | Judy and George W. George | January 13, 1963 | |
Mysterious singer Danny Morgan (
Gregory Walcott) has been charged with murder and Adam sets out to clear him. | ||||||
117 | 17 | "Elegy for a Hangman" | Hollingsworth Morse | Story by : E. M. Parsons Teleplay by : E. M. Parsons and Shirl Hendryx | January 20, 1963 | |
A man (
Keir Dullea) forces the reopening of a murder case, believing his father was wrongfully executed. Adam helps him. | ||||||
118 | 18 | "Half a Rogue" | Don McDougall | Arnold Belgard | January 27, 1963 | |
Hoss takes in ornery hillbilly Big Jim Leyton (
Slim Pickens), who has been framed for murder. | ||||||
119 | 19 | "The Last Haircut" | William F. Claxton | Charles Lang | February 3, 1963 | |
Joe pursues a cold-blooded killer who used a tricky legal maneuver to escape justice.
Perry Lopez and
Chubby Johnson guest star. | ||||||
120 | 20 | "Marie, My Love" | Lewis Allen | Story by :
Anne Howard Bailey and Anthony Lawrence Teleplay by : Anthony Lawrence | February 10, 1963 | |
Ben remembers his courtship in New Orleans of Joe's mother and third wife, Marie (
Felicia Farr). | ||||||
121 | 21 | "The Hayburner" | William F. Claxton | Alex Sharp | February 17, 1963 | |
Hoss loses his Kentucky racehorse in a poker game and he wants it back. The Cartwright brothers try to come out ahead in the Virginia City Sweepstakes.
William Demarest and
Ellen Corby guest star. | ||||||
122 | 22 | "The Actress" | Christian Nyby | Norman Lessing | February 24, 1963 | |
An actress (
Patricia Crowley) is torn between her love for little Joe and her desire for show business. | ||||||
123 | 23 | "A Stranger Passed This Way" | Lewis Allen | William L. Stuart | March 3, 1963 | |
Hoss develops amnesia following a bushwhacking and is taken in by a Dutch couple mourning their son's death. They plan to take him to Michigan with them.
Signe Hasso,
Robert Emhardt and
Addison Richards guest star. | ||||||
124 | 24 | "The Way of Aaron" | Murray Golden | Raphael David Blau | March 10, 1963 | |
Adam falls for a Jewish woman (
Aneta Corsaut) after helping her and her father. | ||||||
125 | 25 | "A Woman Lost" | Don McDougall | Frank Chase | March 17, 1963 | |
Ben and an ex-prizefighter try to cure a woman (
Ruta Lee) of her alcoholism. | ||||||
126 | 26 | "Any Friend of Walter's" | John Florea | Lois Hire | March 24, 1963 | |
Hoss befriends an old prospector (
Arthur Hunnicutt) and his communicative dog as he helps them fend off gold thieves. | ||||||
127 | 27 | "Mirror of a Man" | Lewis Allen | A. I. Bezzerides | March 31, 1963 | |
A reformed convict is forced to switch identities with his evil twin, who is wanted for murdering a rancher and stealing a horse.
Ron Hayes and
Ford Rainey guest star. | ||||||
128 | 28 | "My Brother's Keeper" | Murray Golden | Seeleg Lester | April 7, 1963 | |
Adam considers rejecting the violent way of life in the West after shooting Joe by accident.
Ken Lynch guest stars. | ||||||
129 | 29 | "Five into the Wind" | William F. Claxton | Meyer Dolinsky | April 21, 1963 | |
Joe and five people are stranded after a stagecoach wreck. Joe is accused of murder when a man is found killed by Joe's knife.
Kathleen Crowley and
Betsy Jones-Moreland guest star. | ||||||
130 | 30 | "The Saga of Whizzer McGee" | Don McDougall | Robert L. Welch | April 28, 1963 | |
Hoss befriends Whizzer McGee (
George Brenlin), a little man with big ideas. | ||||||
131 | 31 | "Thunder Man" | Lewis Allen | Lewis Reed | May 5, 1963 | |
Joe's girlfriend Ann Wilson (Toby Michaels) and her uncle Fred (
Harvey Stephens) are going to Joe's birthday party, but the girl is molested and killed by explosives expert William Poole (
Simon Oakland) who then works to keep his guilt secret by getting a job on the Ponderosa and staying with widowed neighbor Mrs. Gibson (
Evelyn Scott). | ||||||
132 | 32 | "Rich Man, Poor Man" | John Florea | Story by : Arnold Belgard and Robert Fresco Teleplay by : Richard P. McDonagh, Barbara and Milton Merlin | May 12, 1963 | |
Bumbling man Claude Miller (
John Fiedler) loses his job and then tries to buy respect with his new-found wealth. | ||||||
133 | 33 | "The Boss" | Arthur H. Nadel | Leo Gordon and Paul Leslie Peil | May 19, 1963 | |
The Cartwrights attempt to start a rally against the tyrannical owner (
Carroll O'Connor) of a freight-line. The local strongman is also a former friend of Ben. | ||||||
134 | 34 | "Little Man... Ten Feet Tall" | Lewis Allen | Story by : Eric Norden and Frank Arno Teleplay by : Eric Norden | May 26, 1963 | |
An Italian immigrant loses respect for his father (
Ross Martin) when he meets Hoss. |
Season four aired on Sundays from 9:00 pm–10:00 pm on NBC. [8]
Season four ranked #4 in the Nielsen ratings, the highest rated Western for the 1962–1963 season. [3]
Award | Year [a] | Category | Nominee(s) / Work | Result | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | 1963 | Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction and Scenic Design | Earl Hedrick (scenic designer) and Hal Pereira (art director) | Nominated | [9] |