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Bonanza Season 4 Episodes
Season 4 Episode Guide
34 Episodes 1962 - 1963
Episode 1
The First Born
Sun, Sep 23, 196260 mins
Clay Stafford just arrived in Virginia City but already seems to know who Joe and the Cartwrights are. When he gets a job on their ranch as a cowhand, his past is revealed and hopes it will not affect his new relationship with them, especially Joe.
Episode 2
The Quest
Sun, Sep 30, 196260 mins
Wanting to prove his independence and (at the same time) break out of the shadows of his Pa and older brothers, Little Joe sets out to win a lucrative timber contract for the Ponderosa.
Episode 3
The Artist
Sun, Oct 7, 196260 mins
Matthew Raine, once a world-class artist, has lost his sight due to disease. When befriended by Ben Cartwright, he realizes he has been feeling sorry for himself all this time and with his friend Ann's help, finds a way to turn his darkness into light.
Episode 4
A Hot Day for a Hanging
Sun, Oct 14, 196260 mins
Hoss is on his way to deliver a large sum of money for his father Ben, $12,000 to be exact, when he's arrested by the new sheriff of Dutchman's Flat, where the teller had been killed and the bank robbed of exactly $12,000. Hoss can prove his innocence with a telegraph message but the sheriff won't send it because he's trying to prove his worth to the townspeople.
Episode 5
The Deserter
Sun, Oct 21, 196260 mins
An Army Colonel comes to the Ponderosa looking for a man who was under his command, then deserted. The Colonel believes the deserter lives in the vicinity of the Ponderosa. He wants to bring him to Washington for court martial. He shows them a picture and they claim not to know him but it's their neighbor, Bill Winters. Just as the Colonel was leaving he is shot by an arrow. While the Colonel rests, Ben goes to Bill who admits it's true. Ten years ago, the Colonel was tasked with keeping the Indians in line and he decided to do that by raiding them. Bill chose not to follow him and aided some of them to escape but he still raided the Indians and many were killed. He learns that there'll be another attempt on the Colonel so he goes to the Ponderosa and kills the Indian who was sent to kill him. When the Colonel sees Bill, he pulls his gun on him but Ben tells him that he saved his life. He then reveals that Bill is his son. When the Indians learn of Bill's connection to the Colonel, they take him for punishment. His wife, who's one of the Indians he saved tells Ben. Ben asks to speak to the Chief whom he knows. The Colonel knows that the Chief won't give his son back so he offers himself in exchange for his son. Knowing that the Indians will kill him, he asks Ben to speak to the Indians for him.
Episode 6
The Way Station
Sun, Oct 28, 196260 mins
Caught by a dust-storm, Adam stops at a stagecoach way station for the night. There he finds an aging stationmaster and his beautiful granddaughter. She yearns to escape from the limitations of her life with her beloved but overprotective grandfather at the remote way station. Luke, a gambler on the run from a posse for murder, seeks shelter from the storm. A stagecoach arrives, with a driver and two passengers who also seek shelter for the night. Luke soon takes them all prisoner, but after a night of tension and trouble, Adam is able to overpower him and deliver him to the posse. Adam finds an unexpected assist from Luke as he helps the stationmaster and his granddaughter find their way to a new life.
Episode 7
The War Comes to Washoe
Sun, Nov 11, 196260 mins
Civil War politics and Little Joe's romance with the daughter of an important Confederate sympathizer bring disagreement and hard feelings with him and Adam, and things don't get any better when there is shady goings on suspected between the girl's father and higher-up Confederate turncoats right before the crucial vote whether or not Nevada should join the Union, where Joe is a delegate.
Episode 8
Knight Errant
Sun, Nov 18, 196260 mins
Hoss Cartwright's good deed results in hard feelings when the mail order bride he has volunteered to escort to a neighboring rancher falls in love with him before she reaches her intended groom.
Episode 9
The Beginning
Sun, Nov 25, 196260 mins
The Cartwrights find Billy Horn, a young man who was taken captive and raised by the Shoshone. He comes to live with them and befriends them, as they try to re-accustom him to the white man's ways. However, a threat emerges with Milton Tanner, a wealthy landowner who is making a claim for one-third of the Ponderosa. Billy believes that Tanner should be fought head on, as the Indians had taught him, rather than in court, and the Cartwrights are unable to convince him otherwise. Billy decides to confront Tanner himself.
Episode 10
The Deadly Ones
Sun, Dec 2, 196260 mins
Mexican freedom fighters loyal to Benito Juárez take over the Ponderosa, gravely wound Little Joe, and force Ben to guide them to a wagon train loaded with gold being smuggled to California by Emperor Maximilian.
Episode 11
Gallagher's Sons
Sun, Dec 9, 196260 mins
Will and Charlie bury their father with the help of Hoss. He decides to help them get to their aunt but he finds out soon enough that he's taken on more than he bargained for when he finds out how their pa was killed.
Episode 12
The Decision
Sun, Dec 16, 196260 mins
Hoss suffers a life-threatening injury while riding with his father and brothers. They rush him to a nearby town looking for help. However, the town doctor is in jail, about to be hanged for murder. Ben manages to arrange for the doctor to treat Hoss. Ben then learns that there's more to the doctor than at first appears to be the case. After further investigation, Ben finds that the doctor is innocent. However, he also discovers that the sentencing judge has special reasons for wanting the doctor dead. Ben must somehow convince the judge to do the right thing if the doctor is to be spared from hanging.
Episode 13
The Good Samaritan
Sun, Dec 23, 196260 mins
A jilted friend of Hoss can't seem to shake the bottle. When a woman and her daughter arrive on the stage the party that was supposed to greet them has left town. Hoss tries to play matchmaker but his friend seems determined to sabotage the whole thing.
Episode 14
The Jury
Sun, Dec 30, 196260 mins
Hoss faces scorn and accusations of bribery when he refuses to vote with his fellow jurors to convict a man for murder based solely on the testimony of the victim's brother who witnessed the act on a dark night.
Episode 15
The Colonel
Sun, Jan 6, 196360 mins
One of Ben Cartwright's old war buddies who claims to be a business tycoon developing a new territory, woos a wealthy Virginia City widow and jeopardizes a Ponderosa land deal.
Episode 16
Song in the Dark
Sun, Jan 13, 196360 mins
Incriminating scratches on cowhand Danny Morgan's arm and his penchant for riding alone through the night strumming his guitar makes him the prime suspect when a woman is found strangled the morning after witnesses heard Danny's voice singing in the dark outside her cabin.
Episode 17
Elegy for a Hangman
Sun, Jan 20, 196360 mins
Bob Jolley is an angry young man who confronts Judge "Hanging Harry" Whitaker about unjustly sentencing his father to death. An attempt on the life of the chief witness leads Adam to wonder if Bob might be right. Powerful interests, including a senator and a railroad, seem to have wanted Bob's father dead. Adam learns that a gunman has apparently been hired to silence Bob. Adam, with the support of his brothers and his father, must defend Bob and bring the truth to light.
Episode 18
Half a Rogue
Sun, Jan 27, 196360 mins
Hoss harbors kindred spirit Big Jim Layton on the Ponderosa while trying to clear the wounded mountain man's name from charges of theft and murder.
Episode 19
The Last Haircut
Sun, Feb 3, 196360 mins
Three rough men enter a barber shop, where one of them finds a pretext to kill a man. Little Joe is on the scene, and befriends the murdered man's son, Paco. The murderer is arrested and brought to trial. However, despite eye-witness testimony, a slick lawyer convinces the jury to return a verdict of Not Guilty. Little Joe is enraged at the failure of the justice system. He joins Paco in seeking vengeance against the freed murderer. Ben helps Joe decide how best to respond to injustice, and how best to help Paco find a new life without his father.
Episode 20
Marie, My Love
Sun, Feb 10, 196360 mins
Little Joe suffers a riding injury that prompts Ben to remember Joe's long deceased mother. His remembrance carries him back to the time he met her in New Orleans. Ben says that a close friend, who had saved Ben's life, made a dying request of Ben, that he go to New Orleans, meet with his estranged wife, and give her a message. Ben fulfills his promise to his friend, and uncovers the deception underlying the estrangement. He confronts those in New Orleans responsible for the deception; and in so doing, finds himself falling in love with his friend's widow.
Episode 21
The Hayburner
Sun, Feb 17, 196348 mins
Unlucky Hoss loses his valuable Kentucky thoroughbred racehorse in a poker game then schemes with brother Adam to buy it back before the end-of-the-month entry deadline for the Virginia City Sweepstakes race.
Episode 22
The Actress
Sun, Feb 24, 196360 mins
Little Joe meets a beautiful woman who tells her of her dreams of becoming an actress. She is a widow with a young son, and Little Joe is drawn by both sympathy and attraction to help her. He arranges a job for her as a singer in high-class saloon. Her first performance is a success, but the attention of male customers piques Joe's jealousy, and a brawl ensues. Despite this and other setbacks, Joe falls in love with her. However, he finds that he must find a way to deal with his feelings when confronted by her success on the stage.
Episode 23
A Stranger Passed This Way
Sun, Mar 3, 196360 mins
Bushwacked and suffering from amnesia, Hoss is found wandering down the road by the Vandervorts, an older couple who are happy to take the gentle giant into their family to replace the son they lost. But when Ben comes looking for his missing son, the Vandervorts lie about seeing him and refuse to tell Hoss who he really is, planning to take him to Michigan with them and away from his real family, and the Ponderosa, for good.
Episode 24
The Way of Aaron
Sun, Mar 10, 196360 mins
Aaron, a peddler, makes a sales call at the Ponderosa. He is accompanied by his lovely daughter, Rebecca. Adam and Rebecca are immediately attracted to one another, and Adam contrives to meet with Rebecca again on the peddler's return visit. After they leave, he talks with Ben about arranging a party at the Ponderosa to help Rebecca meet others in the area. Ben agrees, and Adam rides off to carry the invitation to Rebecca in person. Meanwhile, Aaron and his daughter have stopped on the trail for the night in order to prepare for the Sabbath. Adam is impressed when he learns that Aaron is a devout practitioner of his Jewish faith. Unfortunately, two outlaws have been stalking the peddler. He and his daughter are in grave danger unless Adam can help them.
Episode 25
A Woman Lost
Sun, Mar 17, 196360 mins
While in San Francisco on business, Ben meets Rita, a friend from the past. He's surprised to find that she is now an alcoholic saloon girl. He convinces her to come stay at the Ponderosa for a month, no strings attached. While there, she meets Mace, an ex-prizefighter who falls in love with her. Rita accepts a payoff to get Mace to accept an invitation to fight when he doesn't want to fight. Ben must confront both Rita and Mace in order to help them both.
Episode 26
Any Friend of Walter's
Sun, Mar 24, 196360 mins
Three outlaws lay siege to an aged prospector's shack, hoping to steal the old man's gold. Hoss happens along and, attacked by the outlaws, takes shelter in the shack. There he meets the prospector - and Walter. Walter, Hoss learns, is the prospector's dog - seemingly almost as old as the prospector, and endowed with special talents for convincing the old prospector that Walter is as animated and talkative as the prospector himself. Faced with what seems to be ongoing and very silent slumber from Walter, Hoss is mystified. Meanwhile, two of the three outlaws repeatedly renew an ongoing brawl between themselves. The third outlaw, their leader, tries to get them to patch up their differences and keep their minds on the gold. As often as they stop quarreling though, the two manage to find a pretext to forget about the gold and start tussling with one another once again. Hoss is left with the challenge of finding a way, along with the old prospector and with Walter, to vanquish the three feckless outlaws attempting to bumble their way into possession of the gold in the shack.
Episode 27
Mirror of a Man
Sun, Mar 31, 196360 mins
Homer Barnes is one of a family of criminals and murderers. He has tried to leave his past behind by taking a new name, getting married, and going to work at the Ponderosa. His twin brother, Rube, kills a man and steals his horse. Homer finds himself accused of the crime. As a result, Homer finds that he must face his past. In so doing, he, and Ben, must help Homer's father to make a hard choice.
Episode 28
My Brother's Keeper
Sun, Apr 7, 196360 mins
After Adam accidentally shoots Little Joe during a wolf hunt, he gets help from Mr and Miss Reardon, an Irishman and his daughter passing by. Once back at the Ponderosa, Adam finds one obstacle after another to gaining the medical attention Joe needs. The doctor is late coming, the medicine isn't at the pharmacy, and three lawless men try to extort money for the medicine. Adam must grapple with his own feelings as well as he struggles to find a way to save Little Joe.
Episode 29
Five into the Wind
Sun, Apr 21, 196360 mins
A stagecoach accident in the mountains during a severe windstorm leaves the passengers with no choice but to make their way across country as best they can. One is found stabbed to death with Little Joe's knife, and the suspicion for his murder falls on Joe. Little Joe and the other passengers must explore a complex mystery involving love, deception, money, and more murder, in order to reveal what is hidden among them.
Episode 30
The Saga of Whizzer McGee
Sun, Apr 28, 196360 mins
Hoss meets Whizzer McGee, a man easily provoked by others mocking his short height. Hoss encourages Whizzer to believe in himself, and helps him get a job. However, Whizzer falls in love with a saloon girl who tells him she wants a man with money. Consequently, Whizzer accepts a big loan from a man who just wants to use Whizzer's room that abuts on bank. Soon Whizzer finds an opportunity to steal bank money from bank robbers, resulting in tragedy despite Hoss's efforts to help him.
Episode 31
Thunder Man
Sun, May 5, 196360 mins
While Ann Wilson and her Uncle Fred are en route to her boyfriend Joe's birthday party, Fred suffers a sudden stroke and is rendered unconscious. A man claiming to be a Good Samaritan stops to help, only to rape and kill Ann. Joe is devastated and vows to track down the killer. While Fred is eventually moved to the Ponderosa to recover (and for his protection against anyone who might want to silence him), Joe undermines Deputy Clem Foster's investigation. Meanwhile, the killer - a munitions expert named William Poole - gets a job on the Ponderosa, since his expertise with a new substance called nitroglycerin can help clear old tree stumps off the ranch. Poole, who is staying with a widowed neighbor named Mrs. Gibson, tries to get at Uncle Fred, but Joe, who has been keeping a bedside vigil, stops him at every turn. Eventually, Joe sees Uncle Fred's hand move and begins questioning him. Fred is only able to scrawl a barely legible message before he goes numb, and suffers a subsequent (and ultimately fatal) stroke. Before Fred dies, Joe manages to figure out the note had something to do with "New Orleans Woman." Joe visits Mrs. Gibson, who produces sheet music to the song. After Joe leaves, Poole returns and Mrs. Gibson eventually realizes that he killed Ann. Poole, knowing he can be identified, kills Mrs. Gibson. Joe later hears an explosion coming from Mrs. Gibson's house and, knowing that Poole had finished his work and was supposed to be on his way, returns to investigate. Upon arrival, he sees Poole carrying Mrs. Gibson's burned corpse into the house, but Joe's suspicions that the explosion was no accident is confirmed when he sees the ripped up sheet music, pieces it back together and fingers Poole as Ann's killer. Poole, who reveals himself as a misogynist, threatens to blow the Ponderosa off the map and throws a vial at Joe, but Joe kills the villain in self-defense.
Episode 32
Rich Man, Poor Man
Sun, May 12, 196360 mins
When Claude Miller is fired from his latest job, his girl and Little Joe scheme to help him regain his self respect by buying his worthless land. When he involves his brother Hoss to buy some mining claims too, the prior owners blow it up and discover silver - as big as the Comstock lode! But new riches brings out those wanting to get rich too.
Episode 33
The Boss
Sun, May 19, 196360 mins
"Boss" Tom Slayden has monopolized the freight business and has been intimidating anyone who opposes him. One of Slayden's men shoots Little Joe in the shoulder when he finds Joe hauling a wagon-load of supplies. Ben signs a warrant for Slayden's arrest. When Slayden is arrested, and he shuts down the freight business. Viriginia City's businesses quickly close, and a jury acquits Slayden to save the town's businesses. The Cartwrights, some of the townsfolk, and even Slayden's daughter, Karen, oppose the "Boss."
Episode 34
Little Man... Ten Feet Tall
Sun, May 26, 196360 mins
Nick Biancci and his son come to town seeking their fortune in a new country after leaving Italy. Nick has renounced any kind of fighting, after fleeing violence in his native Napoli. He works at odd jobs, saving money to help his son pursue his talent as a classical guitarist. Ben hires Nick as a cook at the Ponderosa. Unfortunately, two men learn that Nick has savings, and try to beat him into revealing where the money is. When they threaten his son as well, Nick must make a tough decision in order to protect his son and his son's future.