Bonanza (1962)

 

One of the risks of reaching the pinnacle of success is that you inevitably become the target of criticism and ridicule, and such was the case for Bonanza in 1962, though the barbs directed its way tended to be jovial in nature. TV Guide poked fun at the Cartwrights in its July 21, 1962 issue with a mockup of what the three Cartwright sons would look like sporting the silver-fox locks of their father Ben. The October 20, 1962 issue of the same magazine highlighted an upcoming Bob Hope special that was to include a sketch satirizing the popular western with guest Bing Crosby playing patriarch Ben in a very bad wig whilst  host Hope portrayed all three sons in a piece titled "Bananaz," the same title that Mad magazine had used in its parody of the series in its September 1962 issue. Even the largely complimentary cover story in the September 8, 1962 issue of TV Guide concedes that its success is a little puzzling given that the program is "a giant compendium of clichés," "almost a burlesque of the West," and in the mind of its bombastic producer David Dortort an "honest fairytale" akin to King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. But despite its corny romanticism, producers and actors from competing westerns all admitted to liking it, and while the show's ratings actually fell from 2nd and a 30.0 share in 1961-62, to 4th and a share of 29.8 in 1962-63, it became the top-rated western as Wagon Train tumbled from the top spot all the way to 25th for the latter season.

But while the competition could not dislodge Bonanza from its lofty perch, the horses the actors rode on location almost did. While filming "The Dowry" (April 29, 1962) at Iverson Ranch on February 22, Pernell Roberts and Dan Blocker were shooting a scene in which their horses walk downhill on a path that had become muddy. Roberts' horse slipped in the mud and collided with Blocker's horse. Both actors jumped free of their horses as they were trained to do, and while Roberts suffered only a sprain, Blocker landed on his shoulder and broke his collarbone. Michael Landon told Johnny Carson in an appearance years after Blocker's death in 1972 that when Blocker got up, the collarbone was actually protruding through the skin, but rather than calling an ambulance as the cast and crew urged him to do, Blocker pushed the bone back into place and resumed filming, though he finally relented and sought medical treatment at the end of the day. Blocker missed the next episode, "The Long Night" (May 6, 1962), which focused on Roberts' character Adam Cartwright, and then appeared with his arm in a sling in the last two episodes of the season, "The Mountain Girl" (May 13, 1962), in which he explains that a horse fell on him, and "The Miracle Maker" (May 20, 1962), in which he claims that even with his injured shoulder he can drive a buckboard better than most of the other people in the area. He also shows up with his arm in a sling at the end of the episode "Inger, My Love" (April 15, 1962) with the explanation that he had an accident with a wild horse that "stove his arm in" but that it is nothing serious. This episode was actually filmed the week after "The Dowry," though it was aired two weeks earlier. The theme of Hoss being injured in a fall from a horse is reprised in the Season 4 episode "The Decision" (December 16, 1962) when Ben has Adam and Little Joe bring Hoss to a small town lying in the back of a wagon to seek medical treatment after he was thrown from his horse during a cattle drive. In this episode, Hoss has broken ribs that have punctured one of his lungs and will likely die if not operated on, requiring Ben to get permission from the local judge to temporarily release the town's only physician from jail so that he can perform the operation.

Unlike this behind-the-scenes, real-life drama, the stories depicted on the series continued to rehash the same themes covered in previous seasons, ostensibly not wanting to change the formula that had proven successful thus far. The series could have been sub-titled "The Doomed Romances of the Cartwright Boys" because, as we covered in previous posts, no love affair with a Cartwright son has a prayer of surviving as it would destroy the all-male paradise of the Ponderosa. So Hoss gets his heart broken in "The Tall Stranger" (January 7, 1962) when the local girl he intended to marry, Margie Owens, is swept away by tales of far-off adventure from con man Mark Connors. And he has to do the heart-breaking himself in "Knight Errant" (November 18, 1962) after volunteering to escort farmer Walter Prescott's mail-order bride to Virginia City only to have her fall in love with Hoss, incurring the wrath of Prescott who seeks revenge through a pair of hit men. Little Joe suffers similar misadventures on a nearly monthly basis, beginning with "The Lady From Baltimore" (January 14, 1962) when he is targeted for matrimony with the daughter of a scheming wife of a failed newspaper publisher as a way to improve the family's fortunes. In "The Storm" (January 28, 1962), Little Joe is reunited with a childhood girlfriend and decides he wants to marry her, not realizing that she has a terminal illness. In the previously mentioned episode "The Dowry," Little Joe ends up falling for a French daughter betrothed to a Spaniard who seems more interested in her father's dowry of gems than he is in her, only to lose out to the Spaniard in the end. In "The War Comes to Washoe" (November 11, 1962), Little Joe's intention to marry southern belle Morvath Terry is used against him by her Confederate-agent father who tries to leverage his daughters' attractiveness to defeat the drive for Nevada to join the Union. With the father's machinations, Little Joe is given the deciding vote on whether Nevada requests statehood, and the hot-blooded young Cartwright is forced to choose his country over his heart, meaning he doesn't get the girl. Little Joe can't even sustain a bromance for the length of a full episode. In the Season 4 opener "The First Born" (September 23, 1962), Little Joe's unknown brother from another father Clay Stafford shows up in Virginia City and is welcomed with open arms by the Cartwrights, even given his own room at the Big House on the Ponderosa, but by episode's end Stafford decides that he is a wanderer who cannot stay in any one place for very long. The very next episode, "The Quest" (September 30, 1962) shows Little Joe placing his trust in sparring partner Dave Donovan when he wins a lumber contract that he hopes will prove he can accomplish something on his own without help from the rest of his family, but Donovan quickly proves a lazy partner who plays the victim by blaming his bad habits on his upbringing. Little Joe then pals around with Billy Horn in "The Beginning" (November 25, 1962) after the one-time Shoshone abductee decides to fulfill his late mother's dying wish by returning to his white roots and is taken under Little Joe's wing until Horn kills a man making a bogus claim jump on a significant portion of the Ponderosa. Horn thinks that he is actually helping the Cartwrights and feels betrayed when they turn him over to the authorities to face trial. At first Horn tries running away, figuring he will never receive justice from a white judicial system, but Little Joe chases him down and once he gets the complete facts of the incident, Little Joe persuades Horn that he acted in self-defense and should not face any jail time. But, of course, we never see Horn again.

Adam never seems to pursue romance even when given the opportunity, such as in "The Way Station" (October 28, 1962) when he meets a pretty young woman dying to get out and see the world, instead letting her be swayed by a fugitive from justice who shows up at the isolated way station a little while later. But he is roped into a romance, much like Hoss in "Knight Errant," in the episode "The Wooing of Abigail Jones" (March 4, 1962) when he agrees to help tongue-tied Ponderosa ranch hand Hank Myers court school teacher Abigail Jones, and she assumes that despite his protests to the contrary Adam is really in love with her. The only successful romance by a Cartwright we witness in 1962 is the second installment of The Loves of Ben Cartwright, "Inger, My Love" (April 15, 1962), in which we witness how Ben met and eventually wooed Hoss' mother. This kind of romance is safe for the world of the Ponderosa because we know ahead of time that Inger Cartwright is now dead.

Besides doomed Cartwright romances, another recurring theme is wrongful conviction and near hanging of the Cartwrights. First up is "The Gamble" (April 1, 1962) in which all four Cartwrights are accused of being a gang that robbed the bank in the small town of Alkili when they show up late one night with a saddle bag full of money they just earned from a large cattle sale and are framed by a corrupt sheriff and stable boy. Since Michael Landon co-write this teleplay, his character Little Joe breaks out at their sham trial and rounds up a cavalry that comes riding to the rescue just as the other three are about to have nooses placed around their necks. A similar scenario plays out in "A Hot Day for a Hanging" (October 14, 1962) except that this time only Hoss is accused of a bank robbery he didn't commit in which a teller was killed and is sentenced to be hanged, and this time it is Ben who has to work tirelessly through the episode, finally offering to pay the town the full $12,000 they claim Hoss stole, in order to prove his innocence. An unjust, near hanging also shows up in "The Decision," only this time it is not a Cartwright whose neck is on the line but the physician Ben needs to save Hoss' life.

Most of the remaining episodes from 1962 work to establish and solidify each of the Cartwrights as one-dimensional characters. Besides the hot-blooded Little Joe whom we see pursuing various unwise romances while struggling to get out from under his family's shadow in "The Quest," we have Adam cast as the man of action. Rather than pursuing romance, other than as the surrogate for Hank Myers mentioned above, Adam often cautions Little Joe against his unwise choices and is ultimately proven right. But he is also a solver of mysteries and champion of justice. In "The Ride" (January 21, 1962) he proves that his business partner Bill Enders was the masked man who robbed a way station and killed the station agent where Adam was staying overnight. In "The Jackknife" (February 18, 1962) he exposes a cattle-rustling ring that was victimizing the Ponderosa and convinces one of its members to face his punishment to win back the affection of his wife and son. In "The Crucible" (April 8, 1962) he is bushwhacked while riding alone with another sizable amount of money and then stumbles on an old prospector's camp where he is given food and water but then pressed into slavery by the prospector who tries to prove that the high and mighty Cartwright is no better than he. Adam is again entrusted by Ben to travel alone with a large sum of money in "The Long Night" (May 6, 1962) only to be waylaid this time by a ruthless escaped convict. And in "The Way Station" he matches wits with a desperate fugitive and finally convinces him not to take with him the naive, young granddaughter of the way station agent who is dying to escape her drab existence.

Hoss, on the other hand, is the often misguided do-gooder. As mentioned above, his efforts to help injured farmer Walter Prescott by bringing back his mail-order bride backfires in "Knight Errant." In "The Auld Sod" (February 4, 1962) he convinces the rest of the family not to expose the lie that Virginia City drunk Danny Lynch wrote his mother about his being the owner of the Ponderosa when she comes to pay him a visit, with disastrous results. His efforts to help a flat-land farmer drill a well for water during an extreme drought in "Gift of Water" (February 11, 1962) actually succeeds once he enlists the help of the rest of the family, and he finds success of a sort in "The Miracle Maker" (May 20, 1962) in helping injured and guilt-ridden Susan Blanchard regain the use of her legs after a wagon accident that killed her father when she was handling the reins, though he credits her and God for her miraculous recovery while also discrediting faith healer Garth who claimed he could cure her. But he is the dupe of a crafty young girl in "Gallagher's Sons" (December 9, 1962) when he tries to escort a pair of orphan sisters to their closest surviving relative, not realizing until late in the game that they are carrying a satchel of stolen bank money given to them by their late father and are being pursued by his bloodthirsty accomplices. Likewise, in "The Good Samaritan" (December 23, 1962) Hoss attempts to play matchmaker against Ben's advice between jilted and star-crossed neighbor Wade Tyree and a single mother who shows up in Virginia City after being swindled by a notorious and now absent charlatan. Things don't really work out for the new couple until they tell Hoss to mind his own business. In the final episode of the year, "The Jury" (December 30, 1962), Hoss plays the role of Henry Fonda in 12 Angry Men, the lone holdout on a jury determined to send cynical smart-ass Jamie Wrenn to the gallows until Hoss can get the sagacious Adam to prove that the victim was actually killed by his brother, the lone witness who had identified Wrenn as the killer. As in "The Good Samaritan," Hoss doesn't even earn so much as a sincere thank-you for saving Wrenn's life, making his quests to save others from their troubles seem all the more like the title of the episode "Knight Errant."

Of the four Cartwrights, Ben's character comes off the worst. Yes, he will go to hell and back to save his sons in episodes such as the aforementioned "The Decision," "A Hot Day for a Hanging," and "The Deadly Ones" (December 2, 1962) in which he has to tangle with a trigger-happy and morally bankrupt gunman who shoots Little Joe in the back and later tries to steal a shipment of gold intended to be returned to Mexico to finance the revolution against Maximillian. But just as often he shows poor judgment, when he isn't advising Hoss against helping out their neighbors. In "The Lawmaker" (March 11, 1962) he turns down Sheriff Roy Coffee's request to fill in for him while the lawman goes to San Francisco for surgery, instead nominating newcomer Asa Moran, who turns out to be a disaster when he lets the position of power go to his head, resulting in Adam being jailed for only keeping company with a saloon girl that Moran fancied for himself. In the very next episode, "Look to the Stars" (March 18, 1962) Ben has to admit to the entire school board that he made a mistake in recommending they hire school teacher George Norton, who turns out to be an ethnic bigot. He again tries to shirk the responsibility in being the area's most prominent citizen in "Blessed Are They" (April 22, 1962) when he is asked by Deputy Sheriff Clem and the local judge to use his position to try to resolve a simmering feud between two families before it results in bloodshed. He is finally cowed into taking on the task but quickly tries to dump it in the lap of a new and mysterious minister who arrives to take over the local congregation. He again tries to avoid getting involved in "The War Comes to Washoe" by refusing to take sides in the inevitable storm that his brewing about whether Nevada will join the Union or the Confederacy. Rather than joining the side that is against slavery over the one who is for it, he sends Hoss and Adam away on a work assignment when he sees Adam and Little Joe quarreling over the latter being used as a pawn by the father of his girlfriend. In the end, Ben is pressed into service by statehood organizer Bill Stewart when the Ponderosa is designated large enough to send its own delegate to the convention where the statehood issue will be decided, but Ben only does the right thing because he has no other choice. His advice isn't always sage, either: in "The Jury" he seems to think Hoss is letting his heart overrule his head in defending Jamie Wrenn but then tells him that a man is never wrong if he truly believes in his convictions. But the members of the Confederacy, and Little Joe's girlfriend's father in "The War Comes to Washoe," obviously truly believed in their convictions that it was alright to enslave another race. That didn't make them right. In his frequent shirking of responsibility  and misguided advice, Ben Cartwright hardly seems someone who is supposed to be a kind of King Arthur of the Old West.

The first eleven complete seasons have been released on DVD by CBS/Paramount home video.

The Actors

For the biographies of Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon, see the 1960 post for Bonanza. For the biographies of Victor Sen Yung and Ray Teal, see the 1961 post for Bonanza.

Notable Guest Stars

Season 3, Episode 16, "The Tall Stranger": Kathie Browne (shown on the left, played Angie Dow on Hondo and was Darren McGavin's second wife) plays Hoss' girlfriend Margie Owens. Russell Thorson (Det. Lt. Otto Lindstrom on The Detectives and William Kennerly on Peyton Place) plays her father George. Sean McClory (Jack McGivern on The Californians and Myles Delaney on Bring 'Em Back Alive) plays world traveler Mark Connors. Jacqueline Scott (starred in House of Women, Empire of the Ants, and Telefon and played Donna Kimble Taft on The Fugitive) plays Connors' partner Kathie. Dorothy Neumann (Miss Mittleman on Hank) plays Margie's former landlord. Ed Prentiss (the narrator on Trackdown and played Carl Jensen on The Virginian) plays San Francisco physician Doctor Guthrie. Forrest Taylor (starred in True Nobility, Big Calibre, Too Much Beef, and The Lost Planet and played Doc Brannon on Man Without a Gun) plays bartender John. Robert Ridgely (Lt. Frank Kimbro on The Gallant Men, the announcer on The Woody Woodbury Show, Cliff Hamilton on Domestic Life, and the voice of Tarzan on Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle, Flash Gordon on Flash Gordon, and General Ross on The Incredible Hulk) plays an expectant father in the maternity ward waiting room.

Season 3, Episode 17, "The Lady From Baltimore": Hayden Rorke (starred in Father's Little Dividend, When Worlds Collide, and Pillow Talk and played Steve on Mr. Adams and Eve, Col. Farnsworth on No Time for Sergeants, Dr. Alfred Bellows on I Dream of Jeannie, and Bishop on Dr. Kildare) plays Ben's old friend, newspaper publisher Horace Banning. Mercedes McCambridge (shown on the right, starred in All the King's Men, Johnny Guitar, Giant, and A Farewell to Arms and played Kate Wells on Wire Service) plays his wife Deborah. Audrey Dalton (appeared in Titanic (1953), Separate Tables, and Kitten With a Whip) plays their daughter Melinda.

Season 3, Episode 18, "The Ride": Jan Merlin (shown on the left, played Roger Manning on Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, Lt. Colin Kirby on The Rough Riders, and wrote screenplays for Another World) plays Adam's business partner Bill Enders. Grace Gaynor (wife of actor Jock Gaynor, appeared in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Fletch, and Fletch Lives) plays his wife Mary. Hal Baylor (Jenkins on Rawhide and Mercury on Batman) plays Enders' friend Arch Stewart. Chubby Johnson (Concho on Temple Houston) plays Goat Springs relay station manager Toby Barker.

Season 3, Episode 19, "The Storm": Frank Overton (starred in Desire Under the Elms, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Fail-Safe and played Major Harvey Stovall on 12 O'Clock High) plays Ben's friend and former sea captain Matthew White. Brooke Hayward (shown on the right, Dennis Hopper's first wife and later married pianist Peter Duchin, son of pianist Eddy Duchin, appeared in Mad Dog Coll and Six Degrees of Separation) plays his daughter Laura.

Season 3, Episode 20, "The Auld Sod": James Dunn (shown on the left, Oscar winner who starred in Society Girl, Stand Up and Cheer!, Bright Eyes, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and played Earl Morgan on It's a Great Life) plays Virginia City drunk Danny Lynch. Cheerio Meredith (Emma Brand on The Andy Griffith Show and Lovey Hackett on One Happy Family) plays his mother Nellie. Norman Leavitt (Ralph on Trackdown) plays telegrapher Ramsey.

Season 3, Episode 21, "Gift of Water": Royal Dano (appeared in The Far Country, Moby Dick, and The Outlaw Josey Wales) plays flat-land farmer Jason Ganther. Majel Barrett (Nurse Christine Chapel on Star Trek, the voice of the computer on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager, and played Julianne Belman on Earth: The Final Conflict and Bea on General Hospital) plays his wife Belle. Paul Birch (Erle Stanley Gardner on The Court of Last Resort, Mike Malone on Cannonball, and Capt. Carpenter on The Fugitive) plays vigilante Luther Kent. Harry Lauter (Ranger Clay Morgan on Tales of the Texas Rangers, Atlasande on Rocky Jones, Space Ranger, and Jim Herrick on Waterfront) plays fellow vigilante John Lane. Jame Doohan (shown on the right, appeared in Bus Riley's Back in Town, One of Our Spies Is Missing, and all the Star Trek feature films from Star Trek: The Motion Picture through Star Trek: Generations and played Phil Mitchell on Space Command, Thomas on Peyton Place, Lt. Cmdr. Montgomery Scott on Star Trek: The Original Series, Cmdr. Canarvin on Jason of Star Command, and Damon Warwick on The Bold and the Beautiful) plays flat-land farmer Bill Collins.

Season 3, Episode 22, "The Jackknife": John Archer (father of Anne Archer, former husband of Marjorie Lord, appeared in White Heat, Ten Thousand Bedrooms, Blue Hawaii, and How to Frame a Figg) plays Oak Meadow rancher Matthew Grant. Bethel Leslie (shown on the left, appeared in 15 episodes of The Richard Boone Show and played Dr. Maggie Powers on The Doctors, Claudia Conner on All My Children, and Ethel Crawford on One Life to Live) plays his wife Ann. Robert Karnes (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Lawless Years) plays Grant's cattle-rustling partner.

Season 3, Episode 23, "The Guilty": Lyle Bettger (starred in The Vanquished, Destry, and The Fastest Guitar Alive and played Sam Larsen on The Court of Last Resort and Harry Driscoll on The Grand Jury) plays Ponderosa neighbor Lem Partridge. Charles Maxwell (shown on the right, played Special Agent Joe Carey on I Led 3 Lives and was the voice of the radio announcer on Gilligan's Island) plays his wife's killer Jack Groat. Edward Platt (appeared in Rebel Without a Cause, Written on the Wind, Designing Woman, and North by Northwest and played the Chief on Get Smart) plays land office agent Wade Colly.

Season 3, Episode 24, "The Wooing of Abigail Jones": Eileen Ryan (mother of Sean, Chris, and Michael Penn) plays school teacher Abigail Jones. Norma Varden (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Hazel) plays her mother Ma Nutley. Vaughn Monroe (shown on the left, popular singer and bandleader who starred in Singing Guns and Toughest Man in Arizona and hosted The Vaughn Monroe Show) plays Ponderosa ranch hand Hank Myers. Robert Stevenson (bartender Big Ed on Richard Drum and Marshal Hugh Strickland on Stagecoach West) plays saloon proprietor Charlie. Diana Darrin (appeared in The Bold and the Brave, Reform School Girl, High School Confidential!, and Unwed Mother) plays saloon girl Margie.

Season 3, Episode 25, "The Lawmaker": Arthur Franz (shown on the right, starred in Flight to Mars, The Member of the Wedding, and The Caine Mutiny and played Bill Winters on World of Giants and Hugh McLeod on The Nurses) plays temporary sheriff Asa Moran. Les Tremayne (starred in The War of the Worlds (1953), The Story of Ruth, The Slime People, and The Fortune Cookie and played Inspector Richard Queen in The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen) plays Virginia City Judge George Jackson. John Mitchum (see the biography section for the 1960 post on Riverboat) plays Ponderosa hired hand Lou Palmer. Roy Engel (played the police chief on My Favorite Martian and President Ulysses S. Grant on The Wild, Wild West) plays physician Dr. Paul Martin.

Season 3, Episode 26, "Look to the Stars": Douglas Lambert (Eddie Weeks on General Hospital and Walter Schiff on Inside Story) plays teenage science prodigy Albert Abraham Michelson. Joe De Santis (appeared in Deadline - U.S.A., I Want to Live!, Al Capone, and Madame X) plays his father Samuel. Penny Santon (shown on the left, played Madame Fatime in Don't Call Me Charlie, Madam Delacort on Roll Out, Mama Rosa Novelli on Matt Houston, Muriel Lacey on Cagney and Lacey, and Teresa Giordano on Life Goes On) plays his mother Rosalie. William Schallert (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis) plays school teacher George Norton. Booth Colman (Zaius on Planet of the Apes, Prof. Hector Jerrold on General Hospital, and Dr. Felix Burke on The Young and the Restless) plays Nevada territorial representative Henry P. Quince. Ricky Vera (Benny Romero on Our Miss Brooks) plays stable boy Miguel Garcia. Wallace Rooney (Andrew Winters on The Doctors and Tim Butterfield on Lou Grant) plays the school board chairman.

Season 3, Episode 27, "The Gamble": Charles McGraw (shown on the right, appeared in The Killers, Blood on the Moon, The Narrow Margin, and Spartacus and played Mike Waring on The Adventures of Falcon) plays Alkili Sheriff Gains. Ben Johnson (starred in Shane, The Wild Bunch, Chisum, and The Getaway and played Sleeve on The Monroes) plays his deputy Stan Mace. Robert Sampson (Sgt. Walsh on Steve Canyon, Father Mike Fitzgerald on Bridget Love Bernie, and Sheriff Turk Tobias on Falcon Crest) plays stable keeper Artie Clay. Morris Ankrum (starred in Rocketship X-M, Invaders From Mars, Earth vs. The Flying Saucers, and The Giant Claw and played the judge 22 times on Perry Mason) plays bank president Mr. Mason. Robert Foulk (Ed Davis on Father Knows Best, Sheriff Miller on Lassie, Joe Kingston on Wichita Town, Mr. Wheeler on Green Acres, and Phillip Toomey on The Rifleman) plays Virginia City Deputy Sheriff Clem.

Season 3, Episode 28, "The Crucible": Lee Marvin (shown on the left, starred in The Big Heat, Bad Day at Black Rock, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Cat Ballou, The Dirty Dozen, and Paint Your Wagon and played Det. Lt. Frank Ballinger on M Squad) plays prospector Peter Kane. Barry Cahill (Capt. Curt Douglas on 12 O'Clock High and Buck Vernon on The Waltons) plays bushwhacker Jim Gann. Roy Barcroft (Col. Logan on The Adventures of Spin and Marty and Roy on Gunsmoke) plays the Salt Flat sheriff. Paul Barselou (played various bartenders in 9 episodes of Bewitched) plays the Eastgate bartender.

Season 3, Episode 29, "Inger, My Love": Inga Swenson (shown on the right, appeared in Advise & Consent, The Miracle Worker, and The Betsy and played Ingrid Swenson on Soap, Gretchen Wilomena Kraus on Benson, and Connie Stratford on Doctor Doctor) plays Ben's second wife Inger Borgstrom. Jeremy Slate (starred in The Sons of Katie Elder, The Devil's Brigade, and True Grit and played Larry Lahr on The Aquanauts and Chuck Wilson on One Life to Live) plays her brother Gunnar. James Philbrook (starred in The Thin Red Line, The Drums of Tabu, and Sound of Horror and played Zack Malloy on The Islanders, Steve Banks on The Investigators, and Paul Belzer on The New Loretta Young Show) plays saloon owner McWhorter. Harlan Warde (John Hamilton on The Rifleman and Sheriff John Brannan on The Virginian) plays a constable.

Season 3, Episode 30, "Blessed Are They": Walter Sande (appeared in To Have and Have Not, A Place in the Sun, and Bad Day at Black Rock and played Capt. Horatio Bullwinkle on The Adventures of Tugboat Annie and Papa Holstrum on The Farmer's Daughter) plays feuding patriarch Tom Mahan. Irene Tedrow (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Dennis the Menace) plays his wife Winifred. Ford Rainey (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Window on Main Street) plays his antagonist John Clarke. Amzie Strickland (Julia Mobey on Carter Country) plays Clarke's wife Mary. Tracy Stratford (Maria Massey on The New Loretta Young Show) plays their granddaughter Susan. Rory O'Brien (Danny Morley on The Farmer's Daughter) plays their grandson Kenny. Robert Brubaker (Deputy Ed Blake on U.S. Marshal and Floyd on Gunsmoke) plays the Virginia City judge. Robert Foulk (see "The Gamble" above) returns as Deputy Sheriff Clem. Robert Brown (shown on the left, played Jason Bolt on Here Come the Brides and Cater Primus on Primus) plays Virginia City's new minister. Arthur Peterson (The Major on Soap) plays new minister Reverend Jordan.

Season 3, Episode 31, "The Dowry": Steven Geray (appeared in Phantom of the Opera (1943), Spellbound, Gilda, All About Eve, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and played Dr. Herman ver Hagen on The Danny Thomas Show) plays Frenchman Alexander Dubois. Luciana Paluzzi (shown on the right, starred in My Seven Little Sins, Sea Fury, Return to Peyton Place, Muscle Beach Party, To Trap a Spy, Thunderball, The Venetian Affair, and The Green Slime and played Simone Genet on Five Fingers) plays his daughter Michele. Lee Begere (George on Hot L Baltimore and Joseph Anders on Dynasty) plays her fiance Don Ricardo Fernandez. Ken Mayer (Maj. Robbie Robertson on Space Patrol) plays stagecoach driver Crusty. Roy Engel (see "The Lawmaker" above) returns as Dr. Paul Martin.

Season 3, Episode 32, "The Long Night": James Coburn (shown on the left, starred in The Magnificent Seven, Charade, Our Man Flint, and In Like Flint and played Jeff Durain on Klondike and Gregg Miles on Acapulco) plays escaped killer Elmer Trace. Bing Russell (father of Kurt Russell, later played Deputy Clem Foster on Bonanza) plays fellow escapee Poindexter. Frank Ferguson (Gus Broeberg on My Friend Flicka, Eli Carson on Peyton Place, and Dr. Barton Stuart on Petticoat Junction) plays their pursuer Sheriff Hill. Paul Dubov (Michel on The Ann Sothern Show) plays posse member Skidmore. Whit Bissell (starred in He Walked by Night, Creature From the Black Lagoon, I Was a Teenage Werewolf, I Was a Teenage Frankenstein, and Hud and played Bert Loomis on Bachelor Father, Calvin Hanley on Peyton Place, and Lt. Gen. Heywood Kirk on The Time Tunnel) plays posse member Henry Neighbors. Dorothy Adams (appeared in Laura, The Best Years of Our Lives, The Winning Team, and The Killing) plays his wife Martha. E.J. Andre (Eugene Bullock on Dallas) plays an old prospector.

Season 3, Episode 33, "The Mountain Girl": Will Wright (Ben Weaver on The Andy Griffith Show and Mr. Merrivale on Dennis the Menace) plays mountain man Seth Coombs. Warren Oates (shown on the right, see the biography section for the 1962 post on Stoney Burke) plays sheepherder Paul Magruder. Carl Benton Reid (starred in The Little Foxes, In a Lonely Place, Lorna Doone, and The Left Hand of God and played The Man on Burke's Law) plays wealthy San Francisco scion Josiah Harker. Nancy Hadley (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Joey Bishop Show) plays his daughter Stephanie. Mary Treen (appeared in Babbitt, A Night at the Ritz, Love Begins at Twenty, and It's a Wonderful Life and played Emily Dodger on Willy and Hilda on The Joey Bishop Show) plays Ponderosa chambermaid Annie Wilson.

Season 3, Episode 34, "The Miracle Maker": Ed Nelson (shown on the left, played Michael Rossi on Peyton Place, Ward Fuller on The Silent Force, and Sen. Mark Denning on Capitol) plays faith healer Garth. Mort Mills (Marshal Frank Tallman on Man Without a Gun, Sgt. Ben Landro on Perry Mason, and Sheriff Fred Madden on The Big Valley) plays his partner Thorne. Raymond Bailey (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis) plays timber customer Sam Blanchard. Patricia Breslin (Amanda Peoples Miller on The People's Choice, Laura Brooks on Peyton Place, and Meg Bentley on General Hospital) plays his daughter Susan. Jean Inness (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Dr. Kildare) plays her Aunt Celia. Bill Quinn (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Rifleman) plays consulting physician Dr. Gross.

Season 4, Episode 1, "The First Born": Barry Coe (shown on the right, appeared in Love Me Tender, Peyton Place, A Letter to Nancy, and Jaws 2 and played Ben Gregory on Follow the Sun, the Assistant Director on Bracken's World, and Joel Stratton on General Hospital) plays Little Joe's brother from another father Clay Stafford. Eddy Waller (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Laramie) plays drover-for-hire Harry.

Season 4, Episode 2, "The Quest": James Beck (shown on the left, appeared in The Bonnie Parker Story, Paratroop Command, Hound-Dog Man, and The Outsider and played Sgt. Highton on Hondo) plays Little Joe's friend Dave Donovan. Grant Richards (appeared in A Night of Mystery, Love on Toast, and Under the Big Top and played Warren Nash on Love of Life) plays rival lumber supplier Will Poavey. Frank Gerstle (Dick Gird on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp and voiced Raseem on The Banana Splits Adventure Hour) plays lumber crew foreman Jake Weber. Charles Seel (Otis the Bartender on Tombstone Territory, Mr. Krinkie on Dennis the Menace, and Tom Pride on The Road West) plays mining company owner Hawkins. Grandon Rhodes (Mr. Vanderlip on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Dr. Stevens on Lassie, later played Dr. J.P. Martin on Bonanza, and the judge 16 times on Perry Mason) plays banker Mr. Simpson. Harry Lauter (see "Gift of Water" above) plays a drunken lumber worker.

Season 4, Episode 3, "The Artist": Dan O'Herlihy (shown on the right, played "Doc" Sardius McPheeters on The Travels of Jamie McPheeters, "Boss" Will Varner #2 on The Long, Hot Summer, Lt. Col. Max Dodd on Colditz, The Director on A Man Called Sloane, and Andrew Packard on Twin Peaks) plays blind former artist Matthew Raine. Virginia Grey (appeared in Uncle Tom's Cabin, The Women, Another Thin Man, Mr. and Mrs. North, and Stage Door Canteen and played Clara Appleby on The Red Skelton Hour) plays his housekeeper Ann Loring. Arch Johnson (starred in Somebody Up There Likes Me, G.I. Blues, and The Cheyenne Social Club and played Gus Honochek on The Asphalt Jungle and Cmdr. Wivenhoe on Camp Runamuck) plays his ranch foreman Gavin. William Keene (played various reverends on The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D. and Dr. Lubick on Days of Our Lives) plays art dealer Mr. Stevens.

Season 4, Episode 4, "A Hot Day for a Hanging": Denver Pyle (shown on the left, played Ben Thompson on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Grandpa Tarleton on Tammy, Briscoe Darling on The Andy Griffith Show, Buck Webb on The Doris Day Show, Mad Jack on The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, and Uncle Jesse on The Dukes of Hazzard) plays Dutchman's Flats Sheriff Tom Stedman. Roy Roberts (Capt. Simon P. Huxley on The Gale Storm Show, Admiral Rogers on McHale's Navy, John Cushing on The Beverly Hillbillies, Mr. Cheever on The Lucy Show, Frank Stephens on Bewitched, Norman Curtis on Petticoat Junction, and Mr. Botkin/Bodkin on Gunsmoke) plays banker Jesse Fillmore. Olive Sturgess (Carol Henning on The Bob Cummings Show) plays his widowed daughter Mary Ann Wilson. Kelly Thordsen (Colorado Charlie on Yancy Derringer) plays farmer Ned Larson. John Harmon (hotel clerk Eddie Halstead on The Rifleman) plays barber McCray. Terry Becker (Chief Francis Ethelbert Sharkey on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea) plays sheriff's volunteer Shukie. Rayford Barnes (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays saddle tramp Austin. John Mitchum (see "The Lawmaker" above) plays a bartender.

Season 4, Episode 5, "The Deserter": Claude Akins (Sonny Pruett on Movin' On and Sheriff Elroy P. Lobo on B.J and the Bear and on Lobo) plays Indian wars veteran U.S. Army Col. Edward J. Dunwoody. Robert Sampson (see "The Gamble" above) plays local homesteader Bill Winters. Gale Garnett (shown on the right, Grammy-winning popular singer who appeared in Tribute, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding) plays his wife Maria. Robert Carricart (Pepe Cordoza on T.H.E. Cat) plays her Shoshone father Myoka.

Season 4, Episode 6, "The Way Station": Trevor Bardette (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays way station agent Jesse Johnson. Dawn Wells (Mary Ann Summers on Gilligan's Island) plays his daughter Marty. Robert Vaughn (shown on the left, starred in Teenage Cave Man, The Magnificent Seven, The Towering Inferno, and Bullitt and played Capt. Ray Rambridge on The Lieutenant, Napoleon Solo on The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Harry Rule on The Protectors, Harlan Adams on Emerald Point N.A.S., Gen. Hunt Stockwell on The A-Team, Judge Oren Travis on The Magnificent Seven, Albert Stroller on Hustle, and Milton Farnshaw on Coronation Street) plays fugitive Luke Martin. Dorothy Green (appeared in The Big Heat, Face of a Fugitive, It Happened at the World's Fair, and Tammy and the Millionaire and played Lavinia Tate on Tammy and Jennifer Brooks on The Young and the Restless) plays prospective saloon owner's wife Lucy Fisher.

Season 4, Episode 7, "The War Comes to Washoe": Harry Townes (starred in The Brothers Karamazov, Screaming Mimi, and Sanctuary) plays Confederate conspirator Judge David Terry. Joyce Taylor (shown on the right, see the biography section for the 1960 post on Men Into Space) plays his daughter Morvath. Alan Caillou (Jason Flood on Tarzan and The Head on Quark) plays British actor Walter Craigsmuir. Barry Kelley (starred in The Asphalt Jungle, The Manchurian Candidate, and The Love Bug and played Charlie Anderson on Big Town, Jim Rafferty on The Tom Ewell Show, Mr. Slocum on Pete and Gladys, and Carol's father on Mister Ed) plays Nevada statehood advocate Bill Stewart. Harry Swoger (Harry the bartender on The Big Valley) plays drunken Confederate sympathizer Harry. Wallace Rooney (see "Look to the Stars" above) plays the Nevada statehood convention judge. Marshall Reed (Inspector Fred Asher on The Lineup) plays a Union sympathizer.

Season 4, Episode 8, "Knight Errant": John Doucette (see the biography section for the 1960 post on Lock Up) plays rancher Walter Prescott. Judi Meredith (shown on the left, played Bonnie Sue McAfee on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show and herself on The George Burns Show, Monique Devereaux on Hotel de Paree, and Betty Cramer on Ben Casey) plays his mail-order bride Lotty Hawkins. Phil Chambers (Sgt. Myles Magruder on The Gray Ghost and Jason the hotel clerk on The Andy Griffith Show) plays Virginia City townsman Dick Thompson. Tyler McVey (Maj. Norgrath on Men Into Space) plays another Virginia City townsman. Roy Engel (see "The Lawmaker" above) returns as Dr. Paul Martin.

Season 4, Episode 9, "The Beginning": Carl Reindel (appeared in Bullitt, The Cheyenne Social Club, and The Andromeda Strain) plays Shoshone abductee Billy Horn. Ken Lynch (shown on the right, see the biography section for the 1961 post on Checkmate) plays Ponderosa claim jumper Milton Tanner. Raymond Bailey (see "The Miracle Maker" above) plays Horn's murder trial presider Judge Griffith. Francis de Sales (Lt. Bill Weigand on Mr. & Mrs. North, Ralph Dobson on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Sheriff Maddox on Two Faces West, and Rusty Lincoln on Days of Our Lives) plays Prosecutor Adams.

Season 4, Episode 10, "The Deadly Ones": Will Kuluva (Charlie Kingman on Primus) plays Mexican revolutionary General Arturo Diaz. Leo Gordon (shown on the left, appeared in Gun Fury, Hondo, Quantrill's Raiders, and Big Top Pee-wee and played Big Mike McComb on Maverick) plays his gunman Forsythe. Lee Farr (Lt. Jim Conway on The Detectives and was married to actor Felicia Farr) plays fellow gunman Johnny Simms. Jena Engstrom (daughter of actress Jean Engstrom) plays Indian abductee Molly Reed. Rico Alaniz (Mr. Cousin on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays Diaz gunman Miguel.

Season 4, Episode 11, "Gallagher's Sons": Larrian Gillespie (sister of child actor Gina Gillespie) plays orphan Charlotte "Charlie" Gallagher. Eileen Chesis (Sissie Potter on The Tom Ewell Show) plays her sister Wilhemina "Willie" Gallagher. Robert Strauss (shown on the right, appeared in Stalag 17, The Bridges at Toko-Ri, The Seven Year Itch, The Man With the Golden Arm, and Girls! Girls! Girls! and played Sgt. Stan Gruzewsky on Mona McCluskey) plays express robber Blake. Craig Curtis (Greg Selby on The Clear Horizon and Max Matthews on The Young Marrieds) plays his partner Tully. Victor French (appeared in The Quick and the Dead, Charro!, and Rio Lobo and played Agent 44 on Get Smart, Fred Gilman on The Hero, Chief Roy Mobey on Carter Country, Isaiah Edwards on Little House on the Prairie, and Mark Gordon on Highway to Heaven) plays their partner Conn. Tom Greenway (Sheriff Jack Bronson on State Trooper) plays the Cantil sheriff. Chubby Johnson (see "The Ride" above) plays the Furnace Wells way station agent.

Season 4, Episode 12, "The Decision": DeForest Kelley (shown on the left, played, Dr. McCoy on Star Trek) plays jailed physician Dr. Michael Jons. Eddie Quillan (starred in The Grapes of Wrath, Mandarin Mystery, Mutiny on the Bounty, and Hi, Good Lookin'! and played Eddie Edson on Julia and Poco Loco on Hell Town) plays his assistant Danny Culp. John Hoyt (starred in My Favorite Brunette, The Lady Gambles, and Blackboard Jungle and played Grandpa Stanley Kanisky on Gimme a Break!) plays vengeful Judge Franklin Grant. Walter Sande (see "Blessed Are They" above) plays Jons' prospective executioner Sheriff Wall.

Season 4, Episode 13, "The Good Samaritan": Don Collier (shown on the right, appeared in Safe at Home!, Paradise, Hawaiian Style, and The Undefeated and played Marshal Will Foreman on Outlaws, Sam Butler on The High Chaparral, and William Tompkins on The Young Riders) plays jilted rancher Wade Tyree. Jeanne Cooper (Grace Douglas on Bracken's World and Katherine Chancellor Murphy on The Young and the Restless) plays jilted widow Abigail Hinton. Roy Engel (see "The Lawmaker" above) returns as Dr. Paul Martin.

Season 4, Episode 14, "The Jury": Jack Betts (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1961 post on Checkmate) plays accused murderer Jamie Wrenn. Bobs Watson (Sidney on The Jim Backus Show) plays his simple-minded follower Junior. Don Haggerty (Jeffrey Jones on The Files of Jeffrey Jones, Eddie Drake on The Cases of Eddie Drake, Sheriff Dan Elder on State Trooper, and Marsh Murdock on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays juror Bud Murdock. Michael Hinn (George Haig on Johnny Ringo) plays juror Williams. Arthur Space (appeared in Black Beauty, The Cockeyed Miracle, and Target Earth and played Herbert Brown on National Velvet and Dr. Frank Weaver on Lassie) plays Wrenn's trial Judge Crane. Byron Foulger (Mr. Nash on Captain Nice and Wendell Gibbs on Petticoat Junction) plays juror Taylor.