Bonanza Brand Episode Guide: Season 11

Season 11 Episode Guide
Episodes 334- 361

. Go To Season: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Welcome to the BonanzaBrand Episode Guide!

Episodes appear in order of original air date which may not coincide with when they were actually filmed.

Episode #334
Another Windmill to Go
September 14, 1969
An Englishman with an indifference to standard laws shows up on the Ponderosa in a land-rowing boat mounted on a wagon.
Written by: Palmer Thompson
Directed by: James B. Clark
Guest Stars: Don Q. Hoat(Laurence Naismith), Abbey(Jill Townsend), Walters(Bart La Rue), Benson(Gregg Palmer), Andy(Virgil Frye), Shack(Jay Lee Lambert)

Trivia: This was British actor Laurence Naismith's first and only appearance in the series He was a Merchant Marine seaman before becoming an actor, and made his London stage debut in 1927 in the chorus of the musical "Oh, Boy.".

Episode #335
The Witness
September 21, 1969
Jenny Winters, who is prone to telling tall tales claims that she witnessed the Logan gang holding up a stagecoach. Being the only witness, the Cartwrights hide her at the Ponderosa.
Written by: Joel Murcott
Directed by: Don Richardson
Guest Stars: Jenny Winters(Melissa Murphy), Orvil Winters(Stefan Gierasch), Hilda Cutter(Connie Hines), Jim Cutter(Alan Baxter), Fantan(Matt Clark), Bo Logan(Wayne Storm), Sheriff(Bing Russell)

Trivia: This is Melissa Murphy's second of three appearances in the series.

Episode #336
The Silence at Stillwater
September 28, 1969
A young boy identifies Candy as the man wanted in Stillwater for robbery, arson and murder.
Written by: Preston Wood
Directed by: Josef Leytes
Guest Stars: Sheriff Austin(Pat Hingle), Lonnie(Strother Martin), Barnum(Frank Marth), Vern(Eddie Ryder)

Trivia: This is Strother Martin's third of five appearances in the series. Frequently cast alongside Paul Newman, including Cool Hand Luke (1967), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), Slap Shot (1977) and several others.

Episode #337
A Lawman's Lot is Not a Happy One
October 5, 1969
Hoss stands in as a 'weekend sheriff' and must contend with land swindlers and a bride to be.
Written by: Vincent Wright
Directed by: Don Richardson
Guest Stars:Hiram Peabody(Tom Bosley), Cissie Summers(Melinda Dillion), Paul Forbes(Robert Emhardt), Fairfax(Jay Novello)

Trivia: This was Tom Bosley's second and last appearance in the series. He is best known for portraying Howard Cunningham on "Happy Days" (1974). This character was ranked #9 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" [20 June 2004 issue]. Along with Henry Winkler, he is one of only two actors to appear in every episode of "Happy Days."

Episode #338
Anatomy of a Lynching
October 12, 1969
A man is acquitted of murder which upsets the folks of Virginia City. They are ready to lynch him. Ben works to reopen the case by finding out the truth about the case before it is too late.
Written by: Preston Wood
Directed by: William Wiard
Guest Stars: John Degnan(Guy Stockwell), Louise Thurston(Ellen Weston), Roy Coffee(Ray Teal), Jim Fisher(Ted Gehring)

Trivia: This was Guy Stockwell's second and last appearance in the series. He was the older brother of well-known actor Dean Stockwell. He helped create the Los Angeles Art Theater, and taught at the University of California, Los Angeles for two years in the masters program for acting.

Episode #339
To Stop a War
October 19, 1969
Joe wants to hire his friend Dan Logan as range detective to find rustlers.
Written by: Carey Wilbur
Directed by :Leon Benson
Guest Stars: Dan Logan(Steve Forrest), Anita Bayless(Miriam Colon), Frank Slater(Warren Kemmerling), Pete Hill(Alan Vint), Sheriff(Bing Russell)

Trivia: This is Steve Forrest's second and last appearance in the series. This was Miriam Colon's first and only appearance in the series. She is the Founder of the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater in New York City.

Episode #340
The Medal
October 26, 1969
Ben lends a hand to a drunken war veteran, Matthew Rush, who had received the Congressional Medal Of Honor. Joe makes a reference to the flapjack contest in a scene with he and Hoss in this episode. Ben tells the villain, Seth Nagel, "Some wounds take a long time to heal. I have a few of those myself."
Written by: Frank Chase
Directed by: Lewis Allen
Guest Stars:: Matthew Rush(Dean Stockwell), Seth Nagel(Harry Townes), Lori Nagel(Susan Howard), Walt Nagel(John Beck)

Trivia: This is Dean Stockwell's only appearance in the series. Stockwell is probably best known for his role in the NBC series "Quantum Leap." His father was an actor/singer whose greatest claim to fame was supplying the speaking and singing voice for Prince Charming in Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). He is the younger brother of Guy Stockwell, who appeared in two episodes of Bonanza.

Episode #341
The Stalker
November 2, 1969
Candy helps the widow of a man he shot and killed in self defense in Virginia City unaware she has hired her brother-in-law to kill him.
Written by: D.C. Fontana
Directed by: Robert L. Friend
Guest Stars: Lisa Campbell(Charlotte Stewart), Jake(Lloyd Battista), Devlin(John Perak), South(Vernon Waddle), Sheriff(Bing Russell)

Trivia: This was Charlotte Stewart's first of two appearances in the series. She is probably best known for her role in Michael Landon's next series "Little House on the Prairie" as schoolteacher Eva Beadle.

Episode #342
Meena
November 16, 1969
Joe and Candy meet Meena Calhoun, a prospector's daughter, and have a little trouble with claim jumpers.
Written by: Jack B. Sowards
Directed by: Herschel Daugherty
Guest Stars: Meena Calhoun(Ann Prentiss), Luke Calhoun(Dub Taylor), Jesse Potts(Victor French), Owen Potts(Robert Donner)

Trivia: This is the first of three episodes where Ann Prentiss portrayed Meena Calhoun. The sister of actress Paula Prentiss, she displayed signs of emotional and mental problems in later years. In 1997 Prentiss was convicted in a Santa Monica, California court of terrorizing her family. She was convicted of making terrorist threats, assault with a firearm, battery, and solicitation to commit the murder of her brother-in-law Richard Benjamin and her father. She was sentenced to 19 years in jail for the crimes. She died in January, 2010.

Episode #343
A Darker Shadow
November 23, 1969
Joe tries to help his friend who has begun to go blind.
Written by: John Hawkins, Jonathan Knopf, B.W. Sandefur
Directed by: Don Richardson
Guest Stars: Wade Turner(Gregory Walcott), Sarah(Sandra Smith), Clyde(Dabney Coleman), Mr. Baker(Bill Zuckert), Sheriff(Bing Russell)

Trivia: This was Greg Walcott's fifth of seven appearances in the series. During the 1970s, he served as a great "ham-fisted" foil to Clint Eastwood, appearing in four of Eastwood's films: The Eiger Sanction (1975), Every Which Way But Loose (1978), Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) and Joe Kidd (1972). Usually Eastwood would pummel Walcott to a bloody pulp by the end of the picture.

Episode #344
Dead Wrong
December 7, 1969
Hoss and Candy are mistaken for a pair of outlaws in Sunville. Candy and Hoss together stage Hoss' death. A great comedy!
Written by: Michael Landon
Directed by: Michael Landon
Guest Stars: Salty Hubbard(Arthur Hunnicutt), Bobby Dan(Eric Christmas), Big Jack(Mike Mazurki), Banker(Ivor Francis), Hotel Manager(Jim Connell), Sid(Robert Sorrells), Sheriff(Guy Wilkerson), Undertaker(Milton Parsons), Bum #1(Sunshine Parker), Bum #2(Lee McLaughlin), Dillard(John Carradine)

Trivia: This was Arthur Hunnicutt's fourth and final appearance in the series. This was John Carradine's second and last appearance in the series. Michael Landon used Dan Blocker's real name in this episode for one of the characters - 'Bobby Dan.'

Episode #345
Old Friends
December 14, 1969
Two of Ben's old friends are on different sides of the law. One is wanted and the other is a bounty hunter.
Written by: Barney Slater
Directed by: Leon Benson
Guest Stars: Charlie Shepard(Robert J. Wilke), Jess Waddell(Morgan Woodward), Morgan Shepard(Rick Lamson), Sheriff(Bing Russell)

Trivia: This was Robert Wilke's fifth and final appearance in the series. A character actor of primarily villanous roles, his big break occured when he appeared as one of the heavies in High Noon (1952). This led to work in higher-quality films. He worked extensively in television as well as movies, and became an enormously familiar face, though a fairly anonymous one to the general public.

Episode #346
Abner Willoughby's Return
December 21, 1969
Joe befriends a man who tried to steal his horse. The later try to find gold that Abner buried before he went to sea.
Written by: Jack B. Sowards, Leslie McFarlane
Directed by: Herschel Daugherty
Guest Stars: Abner Willoughby(John Astin), Widow Sprague(Emmaline Henry), Charlie(Russell Schulman), Sheriff Brian(Walter Sande), Minnie(Irene Tedrow), Vinson(William Hansen)

Trivia: This was John Astin's first and only appearance on Bonanza. He is best remembered for his starring role as Gomez Addams in the 'The Addams Family'(1964.) He is the only surviving adult cast member still alive.

Episode #347
It's A Small World
January 4, 1970
Ben tries to help a widowed circus midget with a new baby find a job in Virginia City.
Written by: Michael Landon
Directed by: Michael Landon
Guest Stars: George Marshall(Michael Dunn), John Flint(Edward Binns), Mrs. Marshall(Angela Clarke), Sheriff Clem(Bing Russell)

Trivia: This was Michael Dunn's first and only appearance in the series. Dunn was a concert pianist at age 15, until he suffered from chrondrodystrophy, crippling his elbows and ruining his career as a pianist. He then took up acting. He is probably best known for his role as Dr. Migelito Loveless on the CBS western, "The Wild, Wild West(1965). Dunn was nominated for a Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actor(Dramatic) for his role in the Broadway play "The Ballad of the Sad Cafe." He died at the age of 39 in 1973.

This episode was written and directed by Michael Landon, who later reused this script in his next series, "Little House on the Prairie."

Episode #348
Danger Road
January 11, 1970
Ben hires a man to drive a wagon load of beams. But when he actually meet the man, he remembers back to when they both served in the Mexican War on different sides.
Written by: Milton S. Gelman, Brian McKay
Directed by: William F. Claxton
Guest Stars: Raymond "Gunny" Riley(Robert Lansing), Cambeau(William Sylvester), Serafina Riley(Anna Navarro), Willard(Jay Jones), Sheriff(Bing Russell)

Trivia: This is Robert Lansing's second of three appearances in the series. Lansing was a rugged American leading man of 50s Broadway and 60s standard film and TV action drama -- the star of several TV series ("12 O'Clock High" (1964) and "The Man Who Never Was" (1966) among others).

Episode #349
The Big Jackpot
January 18, 1970
When Candy inherits a fortune from an Indian, he quits his job on the Ponderosa to become a vice president of a shady land company.
Written by: John Hawkins
Directed by: Herschel Daugherty
Guest Stars: Atworth Perry(Walter Brooke), Thurston(Robert F. Simon), Hornsby(Al Checco), Harriet(Elizabeth-Talbot Martin), Appleton(Nelson Olmstead), Henny(Robert Ball)

Trivia: This is Walter Brooke's third of four appearances in the series. He also played Judge Simpson in two episodes of Michael Landon's next series, "Little House on the Prairie." Known for his role of Mr. Robinson in the 1967 classic, "The Graduate," he once confided to his nephew that if he'd known that his line about plastics in that movie would take off like it did, he would have invested in it. Apparently the market took off in 1968 because of that one remark.

Episode #350
The Trouble With Amy
January 25, 1970
Ben defends his friend Amy in a competency hearing.
Written by: Jack Miller, John Hawkins
Directed by: Leon Benson
Guest Stars: Amy Wilder(Jo Van Fleet), Margaret(Linda Watkins), Judge(Donald Moffat), Mrs. Ocher(Harriet Medin), Mrs. Eads(Eleanore Berry), Mr. Eads(Harry Hickox)

Trivia: This was Jo Van Fleet's first of two appearances in the series. She received the 1954 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Dramatic) in a Play for her performance in Horton Foote's "The Trip to Bountiful," in which she co-starred with Lillian Gish and Eva Marie Saint.

Episode #351
The Lady and the Mark
February 1, 1970
A new wealthy Ponderosa employee with a weakness for women becomes the target of con artists.
Written by: Preston Wood
Directed by: Leon Benson

Guest Stars: Chris Keller(Christopher Connelly), Charity McGill(Elaine Giftos), Blackwell(James Westerfield), Charlie(Lou Frizzell), Hoby(Ralph Waite), Sheriff(Bing Russell)

Trivia: This is Christopher Connelly's first and only appearance in the series. In the TV series "Paper Moon" (1974), he recreated the role of Moses Pray, originally portrayed in the 1972 film version by Ryan O'Neill, his "Peyton Place" (1964) costar.

Episode #352
Is There Any Man Here
February 8, 1970
Ben agonizes over what to do when the daughter of a friend says she's in love with him.
Written by: B.W. Sandefur
Directed by: Don Richardson
Guest Stars: Jennifer Carlisle(Mariette Hartley), Tuttle Ames(Burr DeBenning), Harry Carlisle()John McLiam, Bert Taylor(Vaughn Taylor), Hop Sing(Victor Sen Yung)

Trivia: This is Mariette Hartley's third of four appearances in the series. She won an Emmy Award for her role in the memorable 1978 TV movie "The Incredible Hulk: Married (#2.1)" (1978) which co-starred the late Bill Bixby. Hartley and Bixby worked together on the pilot episode for "Diagnosis Murder" (1993) and the television series "Goodnight, Beantown" (1983).

Episode #353
The Law and Billy Burgess
February 15, 1970
A young man confesses to several murders and Ben has his doubts.
Written by: Stanley Roberts
Directed by: William F. Claxton
Guest Stars: Matilda K. Curtis(Mercedes McCambridge), Doc Lyman(Les Tremayne), Billy Burgess(David Cassidy), Coulter(Sam Melville), Billings(Charles Maxwell), Osgood(James Chandler), Nicholson(Harlan Warde), Tom Burgess(Bill Phipps), Sheriff(Ray Teal), Judge Rogers(Foster Brooks,)

Trivia: This was Mercedes McCambridge's second and final appearance in the series - she was previously in season 3's 'The Lady From Baltimore.'

This was David Cassidy's first and only appearance in the series. A son of the actor Jack Cassidy, he is probably best remembered for his role as Keith Partridge in the 70's ABC series, 'The Partridge Family.'

Episode #354
The Long Way to Ogden
February 22, 1970
Ben gambles the future of the Ponderosa when a convincing meat packer from Chicago, sets out to ruin the local cattle industry.
Written by: Joel Murcott
Directed by: Lewis Allen
Guest Stars: Emmett J. Whitney(Walter Barnes), Ma Brinker(Kathleen Freeman), Luther(James McCallion), Lloyd Walsh(Arthur Peterson)

Trivia: This was Walter Barnes' second of three appearances in the series. Barnes worked in countless foreign films of the 1960s, playing roles ranging from crusty law officals to occasional villians. Roles included "Captain Sinbad", John Wayne's "Cahill US Marshal", Clint Eastwood's "High Plains Drifter", "Pete's Dragon" and "Day of the Animals". Also as a veteran of television, Barnes had guest starring roles in such series including "Gunsmoke", "Rawhide" and "Cheyenne".

Episode #355
Return Engagement
March 1, 1970
Hoss turns actor when Lotta Crabtree return to Virginia City.
Written by:Stanley Roberts
Directed by: Don Richardson
Guest Stars:: Lotta Crabtree(Sally Kellerman), Marshal Steve Fallon(David McLean), Bonnie(Joyce Bulifant), Lew McDonald(William Bryant), Sheriff(Ray Teal)

Trivia: This is Sally Kellerman's second and final appearance in the series. She was the was the first actress to play Major Margaret "Hot Lips" O'Houlihan in the film version of MASH (1970). The role went to Loretta Swit for the TV series. In 1969, she reportedly almost talked herself out of her most famous role. She had an argument with MASH (1970) director Robert Altman after reading the script. She was incensed about the way her proposed character, "Hot Lips" O'Houlihan, was to be treated. Altman said that her attitude and passion was exactly what he was looking for in the character, and her scenes were among the most popular moments of the movie. The shower tent scene (where O'Houlihan is revealed in the nude) evoked a large number of imitations in movie history.

Episode #356
The Gold Mine
March 8, 1970
Joe befriends a young Mexican boy and saves him from the two men that have enslaved him.
Written by: Robert Bruckner, Preston Wood
Directed by: Leon Benson
Guest Stars: Bayliss(Bruce Dern), Rader(Ross Hagen), Ramon(Tony de Costa), Clerk(Charles P. Thompson)

Trivia: This is Bruce Dern's second and last appearance in the series. He is currently filming a movie based on the TV series 'The Big Valley' which is scheduled for a 2011 release.

Episode #357
Decision at Los Robles
March 22, 1970
Ben and Joe make the mistake of stopping over in Los Robles. Ben is shot and Joe has to defend himself and his father from the men who rule the town.
Written by: Michael Landon
Directed by: Michael Landon
Guest Stars: Jed Walker(William H. Bassett), Father Xavier(Joe De Santis), Maria(Anakorita), Doctor(George Wallace), Ricardo(Rico Alaniz), John Walker(Emile Meyer), Sanchez(Joaquin Martinez), Garth(Ted Cassidy)

Trivia: This is Joe DeSantis' fourth and final appearance in the series. He established himself on radio beginning in May 1940 with "Pepper Young's Family", and later including "Mr. District Attorney," "March of Time" and "Gangbusters". He was inducted into the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters Diamond Circle on May 17, 1985. He also did numerous Italian-language broadcasts.

This was Ted Cassidy's first and only appearance in the series. He is probably best known for his role as Lurch in the television series, 'The Addams Family.' Lurch was supposed to be silent, as in the Charles Addams cartoons, but during the shooting of the pilot, when Ted made his very first appearance at the sounding of the gong, he ad libbed the now famous line, "You rang?" in his trademark sonorous voice, and everyone was so impressed that Lurch became a speaking role.

Episode #358
Caution: Easter Bunny Crossing
March 29, 1970
A Quaker school mistress talks Hoss into dressing up as the Easter Bunny.
Written by: Larry Markes
Directed by:Bruce Bilson
Guest Stars:Red Gaskell(Marc Lawrence), Charity Moffit(Allyn Ann McLerie), Everett(Vic Tayback), Leroy Gaskell(Art Metrano), Fred(Len Lesser), Elijah Meek(Sandy Kenyon), Blacksmith(James Jeter)

Trivia: This was Vic Tayback's first and only appearance in the series. Probably best remembered for his role of Mel Sharples in CBS sitcom 'Alice', based on the movie of the same name.

Episode #359
The Horse Traders
April 5, 1970
Joe and Hoss end up in the livery business trying to outsmart Meena Calhoon's father. This is the second episode featuring the character of Meena.
Written by: Jack B. Sowards
Directed by: Herschel Daugherty
Guest Stars:Meena Calhoun(Ann Prentiss), Luke Calhoun(Dub Taylor), Jesse Potts(Victor French), Virgil Potts(George Morgan), Owen Potts(Robert Donner), Banker(Jack Collins), Firman(Henry Oliver), Rider(John Harmon), Dusty Rhoades(Lou Frizzell)

Trivia: this is Robert Donner's second and last appearance in the series. One of Hollywood's most enthusiastic golfers. He was a member of the former "Hollywood Hackers" and carried a seven handicap. He was the leader of a group of entertainment industry professionals known as 'Don Porter's Thursday Golf Group' as well as joining others at many of the Celebrity Golf Tournaments which raise money for various charities around the world. Robert also played in many tennis tournaments and was frequently called upon during "Celebrity Nights" in which he performed stand-up comedy and promised not to sing. His reputation in this area also led him to become known as one of Hollywood's "in demand" Corporate Speakers.

Lou Frizzell makes his debut as Dusty Rhoades, since negotiations with NBC and David Canary (Candy), were failing. Canary eventually quit due to a contract dispute. Frizzell would later return in season twelve as Dusty, along with Mitch Vogel, as Jamie Hunter, replacing the gap Canary left.

Episode #360
What Are Pardners For?
April 12, 1970
Hoss meets up with two inept easterners who have come West to become bank robbers, after reading about the wild west in books.
Written by:Jack B. Sowards
Directed by: William F. Claxton
Guest Stars: Luke(John Beck), Sheriff(Slim Pickens), Calvin(Hamilton Camp), Judge(Dabbs Greer), Scooter(Bruce Glover)

Trivia: This is John Beck's second and last appearance in the series. In an interesting piece of trivia: Beck's dream TV role on "Dallas" (1978) proved to be just that -- a dream. He played Pamela Ewing's husband on the popular western soap during the series' notorious 1985-86 season, which was explained away at the beginning of the next season as entirely a figment of Pam's imagination.

This was Dabbs Greer's second and last appearance in the series. He later appeared in Michael Landon's next series, "Little House on the Prairie" portraying the Reverend Alden.

Episode #361
A Matter of Circumstance
April 19, 1970
Ben and Hoss leave for a cattle drive andJoe stays at the ranch waiting for the chuck wagon. When a thunderstorm strikes the Ponderosa, Joe is severely injured by spooked horse. He is alone on the Ponderosa as he tries to keep himself alive.
Written by: B.W. Sandefur
Directed by: William F. Claxton
Guest Stars:Griffin(Ted Gehring), Tim(Vincent Van Patten) Hop Sing(Victor Sen Yung), Doctor(Harry Holcombe).

Trivia: This is the final episode for David Canary(Candy Canaday) due to an unresolved contract dispute. He would return in season 14 at the request of Michael Landon and David Dortort.

One of the more unusually filmed episodes, viewers are treated to experiencing what was going on through Joe's eyes, thanks to marvelous direction by William F. Claxton.

In the original filming, Joe lets out a horrifying scream when he is trampled by the horse. When this episode was remastered for syndication, it was decided to remove the scream from the soundtrack because of its intensity.

Jump To Season: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

© BonanzaBrand 2010
This web site is officially licensed by Bonanza Ventures. The name BONANZA is a registered trademark of Bonanza Ventures and is used with permission. Bonanza Ventures is not responsible for the content of this web site, and any opinions expressed are the opinions of individuals and not Bonanza Ventures.

The names and likenesses of the characters appearing in the BONANZA and THE PONDEROSA photoplays, and any images and pictures from such photoplays, are collectively the copyrighted and trademark-protected property of Bonanza Ventures. and NBC Universal, Inc. (as successor in interest to the National Broadcasting Company, Inc.), and are made available only for private, non-commercial use. Please take notice that any use of this material for any commercial use, or any unauthorized display, distribution, transmission or other use of this material, is expressly prohibited and constitutes a violation of the rights of Bonanza Ventures and NBC Universal, Inc.

All images from BONANZA are Copyright © 1959-2010 Bonanza Ventures and NBC Universal Inc. All rights reserved. BONANZA ®, THE PONDEROSA, ® and all related indicia are trademarks of Bonanza Ventures. Used with permission.

Bonanza Ventures is the official worldwide rights holder to the television programs created by David Dortort: BONANZA (and its prequel, THE PONDEROSA), and THE HIGH CHAPARRAL. Any person or entity interested in doing anything related to these series and/or its characters must obtain permission first, and may do so by contacting Bonanza Ventures through its attorney:
Andrew J. Klyde
141-15 72nd Avenue
Kew Gardens Hills
New York 11367-2331 U.S.A.
Phone: (718) 261-4128; Fax: (718) 261-4408
email: AJKLYDE@yahoo.com