Lorne Greene Movies

Vera Miles guest-stars as Ben Cartwright's longtime friend April Christopher. While visiting the Ponderosa, April is bitten by a rabid wolf. As the story progresses, both April and Ben must come to grips with the agony April is in for-and even more importantly, the woman's daughter Lori (Melissa Newman) must also face the cold, cruel facts. First shown on March 21, 1971, "A Time to Die" was written by Don Ingalls. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

All three Cartwright men-Ben, Hoss and Joe-are arrested for trespassing along with their ranch hand Candy. The men are summarily sentenced to a brutal prison camp run by a despot known as The Judge (Alfred Ryder), who specializes in acquiring slave labor to work his gold mine, then in killing his mostly innocent workers when they've outlived their usefulness. Joe manages to escape, but will he be able to save the others? Richard Mulligan also appears as Farley. Written by series star Michael Landon and originally filmed in 1968, the ultra-violent "Kingdom of Fear" was shelved due to the rash of high-profile assassinations in the spring of that year. The episode finally saw the light of day on April 4, 1971, by which time David Canary (Candy) had left the series; accordingly, Canary was given "special guest star" status in the opening credits. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

"The Silent Killer" is the deadly influenza epidemic that has swept through the territory around the Ponderosa. To combat the disease, tradition-bound Doc Martin (Harry Holcombe) and Harriet Clinton (Louise Latham) set up an emergency hospital on the Cartwright spread. Further complications ensue when Mrs. Evangeline Woodtree (Meg Foster), the wife of a progressive young physician (Ion Berger) who'd been jailed on Doc Martin's say-so, defiantly challenges Martin's old-fashioned methods. Written by John Hawkins and Edward DeBlasio, "The Silent Killer" was first telecast on February 28, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Londoners Leslie and Gillian Harwood (Daniel Massey and Jill Haworth) arrive in Nevada to take charge of a ranch on behalf of a British investment firm-and immediately mistake the Ponderosa for the ranch in question. Thus, the Cartwrights become involved in the couple's travails, attempting to find out why the property managed by the Harwoods is regularly losing cattle and profits. In the course of events, the veddy British Leslie slowly but surely evolves into a true-blue westerner. Written by Stanley Roberts, "The Reluctant American" originally aired on February 14, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lorne Greene plays a dual role, as Ponderosa patriarch Ben Cartwright and Ben's con-man lookalike Bradley Meredith. The fun begins when Meredith, posing as Ben, makes a major land sale to the railroad-a deal that the real Ben had previously turned down flat. Also in the cast are Alan Oppenheimer as Wentworth, Linda Gaye Scott as Dixie and Charles Dierkop as Nicholson. Written by Stanley Roberts, "A Deck of Aces" first aired on January 31, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

To silence the taunts of his young friends, Jamie tries to prove that he's a "real Cartwright" by showing up at school with Ben's rifle-and without Ben's permission. Inevitably, the rifle is broken, and a reluctant Ben punishes Jamie for lying about the incident. Embittered, Jamie runs away from the Ponderosa, unwilling to accept the notion that Ben is being harsh only because he truly loves the boy. Lou Frizzell makes one of his earliest appearances as ranch hand Dusty Rhodes. Written by Preston Wood, "The Gold Plated Rifle" was first telecast on January 10, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Had the long-running Bonanza been on CBS instead of NBC, it might have been canceled during the 1970-1971 season as part of CBS' campaign to "de-ruralize" its core audience. Instead, Bonanza was still on the air as of the 1971-1972 season, marking the program's 13th year on NBC. In addition to longtime regulars Lorne Greene (Ben Cartwright), Dan Blocker (Hoss Cartwright), and Michael Landon (Joe Cartwright), relative newcomers Lou Frizzell and Mitch Vogel are back in harness in the recurring roles of ranch hand Dusty Rhodes and Dusty's teenaged foster son Jamie Hunter. The season's first episode, in fact, focuses on Jamie, as Ben Cartwright takes the boy on a guided tour of the 600,000 acre Ponderosa spread -- an exquisitely photographed idyll, filmed on location in Arizona and Northern California. Despite its venerability, Bonanza offered some of its best episodes during its 13th season. Particularly commendable are "Warbonnet," guest starring Native American actor Chief Dan George (Little Big Man); "A Home for Jamie," distinguished by an early guest star turn from a young Robert Carradine; "The Saddle Stiff," marking Buddy Ebsen's first dramatic TV role after his nine-year stint on The Beverly Hillbillies; and the hilarious "The Younger Brothers' Younger Brother, written and directed by series star Michael Landon. For any other series, 20th place in the ratings would be perfectly acceptable. For Bonanza, however, this ranking marked a significant slip, prompting NBC to move the series from its familiar Sunday night slot to a less advantageous Tuesday evening berth for its 14th season. This change would be the first of two deadly blows from which Bonanza would never recover. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jack Elam plays the title role in this Bonanza episode from December 20, 1970. Belying his nickname, Honest John is a prevaricating drifter, who over the protests of the Cartwrights has settled on the Ponderosa. Banking on the trust and friendship of young Jamie, Honest John finds himself in a predicament when Jamie insists that they both leave the Ponderosa and spend the rest of their lives together in carefree vagabondage. Yes, Jamie is in for yet another disillusionment, but there's an additional twist. "Honest John" was written by Arthur Heineman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Neville Brand guest-stars as Pepper Shannon, a stage robber whose career has been blown up to "heroic" proportions by the dime-novel brigade. Unfortunately, Ben Cartwright's adopted son Jamie idolizes Shannon, who has allowed Jamie to "capture" him to avoid being shot by his enemies. It is only after Shannon is framed for murder that the disillusioned Jamie realizes that his hero is a lily-livered coward. Also in the cast are Walter Brooke as Corey, Dan Tobin as Mills, and Arthur Peterson as Donovan. Written by John Hawkins, George Scheneck and William Marks, "The Luck of Pepper Shannon" originally aired on November 22, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Carol Lawson plays Etta, an unwed mother determined to carve out a decent life for her son Scott (Michael-James Wixted). When she learns she is dying, Etta asks her long-estranged parents to look after Scott-but her stern and merciless father Zac (Will Geer) is unwilling to do so. Josephine Hutchinson rounds out the supporting cast as Etta's mother Martha. David Rose's evocative musical score won him an Emmy Award. Originally shown on November 8, 1970, "The Love Child" was written and directed by Bonanza star Michael Landon, who in 1985 reworked the story as "A Child of God," an episode of his later series Highway to Heaven. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Guest star Richard Kiley is cast as Sheriff Gideon Yates, one of Nevada's most admired lawmen. When Joe Cartwright comes to Yates claiming that he has witnessed a murder, the Sheriff realizes to his horror that the killer was his own wife Lydia (Terry Moore). With grim determination, Yates quietly decides that Joe must be silenced for keeps, leading to one of the most thrilling showdown sequences in Bonanza history. Written by Ken Pettus, "Gideon, the Good" was first shown on October 18, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When one of his prisoners escapes, sadistic prison-wagon boss Price Buchanan (Denver Pyle) abducts Hoss Cartwright and forces him to take the missing convict's place. Facing five years at hard labor, Hoss formulates an escape plan with another railroaded prisoner, Madge Tucker (Salome Jens). Others in the cast included George Murdock as Stuart Getty, Jonathan Lippe as Kyte, Lee Jay Lambert as Jase, Stuart Randall as Sheriff Brody, and Bob Vanselow as Fred Quinn. Written by Ken Pettus, "The Wagon" originally aired on October 5, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Originally telecast September 20, 1970, "A Matter of Faith" served to introduce new Bonanza regular Mitch Vogel in the role of Jamie Hunter. The son of an itinerant rainmaker, Jamie is unofficially adopted after his dad's death by Ponderosa hand Dusty Rhodes (Lou Frizzell. Despite the skepticism and outright hostility of the townspeople, Jamie is determined to fulfill his father's promise to bring rain to drought-stricken Virginia City. "A Matter of Faith" was written by Jack B. Sowards, John Hawkins, and former Star Trek scrivener D.C. Fontana. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide