Date: September 14, 1969

Summary: After being helped by Ben and Joe, Don Q. Hoat and his daughter create problems by using an obscure law to claim land used by the Cartwrights for grazing Ponderosa cattle.

Written by: Palmer Thompson
Directed by: James B. Clark
Guest Stars:Laurence Naismith (Don Q. Hoat), Jill Townsend (Abigail Hoat)


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Date: September 21, 1969

Summary: Jenny Winters is the only witness to a stagecoach robbery during which one man is killed and another is seriously wounded. She identifies the murderers as the Logan Brothers who are known for killing the witnesses to their crimes before they have the chance to testify in court. The Cartwrights offer to protect Jenny until the trial.

Written by: Joel Murcott
Directed by:Don Richardson
Guest Stars: Melissa Murphy (Jenny Winters); and Stefan Gierasch (Orvil Winters)


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Date: September 28, 1969

Summary:Candy arrives in Stillwater carrying money to buy horses for the Ponderosa. He is arrested for murder and robbery and when the Cartwrights arrive in town looking for him, the sheriff hides the fact that he is in jail.

Written by: Preston Wood
Directed by: Josef Leytes
Guest Stars:Pat Hingle (Sheriff Austin); Strother Martin (Lonnie)


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Date: October 5, 1969

Summary:Sheriff Coffee and Ben are going to San Francisco to testify in court and Hoss is appointed as the temporary lawman. He has to deal with a stage line worker trying to get arrested to avoid a woman and a big time swindler that Virginia City has taken to heart.

Written by: Robert Vincent Wright
Directed by: Don Richardson
Guest Stars: Tom Bosley (Hiram Peabody); Melinda Dillon (Cissie Summers); Robert Emhardt (Paul Forbes)


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Date: October 12, 1969

Summary: Acquitted of murder, Will Griner is put in jail to protect him from angry citizens who believe that the witnesses at the trial were paid off. Ben works to protect Griner from a lynch mob while trying to find enough evidence of the payoffs to reopen the case.

Written by:Preston Wood
Directed by: William Wiard
Guest Stars: Guy Stockwell (John Degnan); Walter Barnes (Will Griner); Ellen Weston (Louise Thurston)


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Date: October 19, 1969

Summary: The Cattleman’s Association hires a range detective to help stop an increase in cattle rustling. The trouble really begins when one of the ranchers offers a bounty for each rustler that is either convicted or brought in dead.

Written by: Casey Wilbur
Directed by: Leon Benson
Guest Stars: Steve Forrest (Dan Logan); Miriam Colon (Anita); Warren Kemmerling (Frank Slader)



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Date: October 26, 1969

Summary: Ben brings a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, Matthew Rush, to the Ponderosa to work after he finds the man drunk in the saloon. Trouble begins to brew when a neighbor’s daughter, who’s Mother was killed by Union soldiers, becomes attracted to Matthew.

Written by:Frank Chase
Directed by:Lewis Allen
Guest Stars: Dean Stockwell (Matthew Rush); Harry Townes (Seth Nagel); Susan Howard (Lori); Charles Briles (Del)


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Date: November 2, 1969

Summary: Even though Candy kills James Campbell in self defense, his guilt makes him volunteer to help the man’s widow and son. As Candy and the widow begin to fall in love, Campbell’s brother shows up looking for revenge.

Written by: D.C. Fontana
Directed by: Robert L. Friend
Guest Stars: Charlotte Stewart (Lisa Campbell); Lloyd Battista (Jake); John Perak (Devlin)


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Date: November 16, 1969

Summary:Joe and Candy are both trying to get a date with Meena Calhoun. When Joe gets stranded at the Calhoun ranch, Meena decides it is time to get married and Joe is conveniently there. This is first of three episodes in which the Calhoun’s appear.

Written by: Jack B. Sowards
Directed by:Herschel Daugherty
Guest Stars: Ann Prentiss (Meena); Victor French (Jesse); Dub Taylor (Luke); Robert Donner (Owen)


Image courtesy of Tracy and Bonanza Boomers Gallery

Date: November 23, 1969

Summary: Life is good for Wade Turner. He has been promoted at the bank and he and Sarah are making plans to get married. Abruptly, and seemingly without reason, Wade cancels the wedding plans, steals $5000 from the bank and leaves town. Joe wants to help his friend and sets out after him.

Written by: John Hawkins (Teleplay) B.W. Sandefur, Jonathan Knopf (Story)
Directed by: Don Richardson
Guest Stars: Gregory Walcott (Wade Turner); Sandra Smith (Sarah); Dabney Coleman (Clyde)


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Date: December 7, 1969

Summary: Hoss is mistakenly identified as a famous bank robber, Big Jack, when he and Candy accidently spill the money they have received from a cattle sale. The real Big Jack shows up in town and is surprised to find his bank robbery plans going so smoothly.

Written by: Michael Landon
Directed by: Michael Landon
Guest Stars:Arthur Hunnicutt (Salty Hubbard): Mike Mazurki (Big Jack); Robert Sorrell (Sid)



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Date: December 14, 1969

Summary: Ben’s old friend, Jess Waddell, is a bounty hunter in hot pursuit of another old friend, Charlie Sheppard. Ben’s attempt to keep Jess from killing Charlie intensifies when Hoss is taken hostage.

Written by: Barney Slater
Directed by: Leon Benson
Guest Stars: Robert J. Wilke (Charlie Sheppard); Morgan Woodward (Jess Waddell); Rick Lamson (Morgan Sheppard)


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Date: December 21, 1969

Summary: Abner Willoughby is trying to find gold that he buried years ago. After he tries to steal Joe’s horse, they travel together to the town of Shotgun only to find a henhouse has been built on top of the spot where Abner is certain his fortune is buried.

Written by: Jack B. Sowards (Teleplay) Leslie McErlaine (Story and Teleplay)
Directed by: Herschel Daugherty
Guest Stars: John Astin ((Abner Willoughby); Emmaline Henry (Widow Sprague)



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Date: January 4, 1970

Summary: George Marshall, a midget retired from the circus, is having a difficult time finding a job in the real world. Ben tries to help, but has no success. George finally resorts to bank robbery.

Written by: Michael Landon
Directed by: Michael Landon
Guest Stars: Michael Dunn (George Marshall); Edward Binns (John Flint); Angela Clark (Mrs. Marshall)



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Date: January 11, 1970

Summary:The Campbell Freight Company is the only freight hauling company around and they are charging unreasonable rates. Gunny, an independent hauler, was a deserter during the Mexican War and Ben doesn’t want anything to do with him.

Written by: Milton S. Gelman (Story, Teleplay); Brian McKay (Story)
Directed by: William F. Claxton
Guest Stars: Robert Lansing (Gunney Riley); Anna Novarro (Serafina); William Sylvester (Cambeau)


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Date: January 18, 1970

Summary: Candy inherits a gold mine worth over $100,000. When the word of Candy’s fortune gets around town everyone wants a part of the money and not everyone is honest.

Written by: John Hawkins
Directed by: Herschel Daugherty
Guest Stars: Walter Brook (Atworth Perry); Robert P. Simon (Thurston); Alan Caillou (Hare)



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Date:January 25, 1970

Summary: Amy Wilder is an elderly widow who loves and cares for all wild animals. She refuses to sell her land to a developer so he tries to have her committed to a home for the mentally incompetent.

Written by: Jack Miller and John Hawkins
Directed by:Leon Benson
Guest Stars: Jo Van Fleet (Amy Wilder); John Crawford (Barton Roberts); Donald Moffat (Judge); Linda Watkins (Margaret)



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Date: February 1, 1970

Summary: Chris Keller’s problems begin when he walks into Virginia City with $67,000 that he made in the gold mines. A band of confidence men have their sights on Keller’s money.

Written by: Preston Wood
Directed by:Leon Benson
Guest Stars: Christopher Connelly (Chris Keller); Elaine Giftos (Charity McGill); James Westerfield (Blackwell)


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Date: February 15, 1970

Summary: Jennifer Carlisle leaves her fiancé at the altar and comes to the Ponderosa intent on marrying Ben. When her groom, a powerful banker, arrives he plans on financially ruining Ben.

Written by: B.W. Sandefur
Directed by: Don Richardson
Guest Stars: John Liam (Harry Carlis); Mariette Hartley (Jennifer Carlis); Burr DeBenning (Tuttle Ames)


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Date: February 15, 1970

Summary: Doc Lyman is the new school teacher in Virginia City. The students, especially Billy Burgess, are causing a lot of problems for him. Billy even threatens to kill the new teacher. When the teacher is found dead, Billy is accused of the murder.

Written by: Stanley Roberts
Directed by: William F. Claxton
Guest Stars: Mercedes McCambridge (Matilda Curtis); Les Tremayne (Doc Lyman); David Cassidy (Billy Burgess)


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Date: February 22, 1970

Summary:The price of beef is at an all time high and the ranchers are looking forward to a good profit. The ranchers are angered when they discover that all of the railroad cars have been acquired by Emmett J. Whitney. Whitney makes the situation even more heated when he offers to buy the herds for very little money.

Written by:Joel Murcott
Directed by: Lewis Allen
Guest Stars: Walter Barnes (Emmett J. Whitney); Kathleen Freeman (Ma Brinker) James McCallion (Luther)


Image courtesy of Tracy and Bonanza Boomers gallery.

Date: March 1, 1970

Summary: Lotta Crabtree, an actress, is welcomed back to Virginia City with a big party at the Ponderosa. She pays a lot of attention to Hoss which makes her leading man jealous. During the play, Lotta is supposed to shoot her leading man. The blanks in the gun have been replaced by real bullets and Hoss is arrested for murder.

Written by: Stanley Roberts
Directed by: Don Richardson
Guest Stars: Sally Kellerman (Lotta Crabtree; Morgan Sterne (Stan Hope); David McLean (Marshall Fallon); Joyce Bulifant (Bonnie); Bartlett Robinson (Howell)


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Date: March 8, 1970

Summary: Ramon has been sold into slavery by his Father. The boy escapes the men who bought him and discovers a gold mine. Joe befriends the boy and is taken hostage and his life is threatened when he tries to help the boy keep his gold.

Written by: Robert Buckner (Teleplay), Preston Wood (Story and teleplay)
Directed by: Leon Benson
Guest Stars: Tony DeCosta (Ramon); Bruce Dern (Bayliss); Ross Hanson (Rader)


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Date: March 22, 1970

Summary: Ben and Joe stop in the Los Robles saloon for a beer. Ben defends a waitress against the town bully, John Walker. Later, as Ben and Joe leave the bar, Walker shoots Ben in the back. Badly injured, Ben manages to shoot and kill Walker before he passes out. Walker’s son wants revenge and threatens to kill an innocent citizen of Los Robles every hour unless Joe turns over his father within 24 hours.

Written by:Michael Landon
Directed by:Michael Landon
Guest Stars: William H. Bassett (Jed Walker); Joe De Santis (Father Xavier); Ted Cassidy (Garth); Anakorita (Maria); George Wallace (Doctor); Emile Meyer (John Walker)


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Date: March 29, 1970

Summary: Four inept outlaws try to rob the Wells Fargo of a silver shipment and Hoss has dressed up like an Easter Bunny to hide eggs for an orphanage. The two situations come together with unexpected results.

Written by: Larry Markes
Directed by:Bruce Bilson
Guest Stars: Marc Lawrence (Red Gaskell); Art Metrano (LeRoy Gaskell); Allyn Ann McLerie (Charity Moffit); Len Lesser (Fred)


Image courtesy of Bejules and Bonanza Boomers Gallery

Date: April 5, 1970

Summary:Luke Calhoun has told his daughter Meena’s fiancé that unless he gets a job, there will be no wedding. The fiancé, Virgil and his brother become partners in the livery business. Hoss and Joe are trying to make some money selling horses and they aren’t happy with the price. They decide to solve the problem by opening up their own livery stable.

Written by: Jack B. Sowards
Directed by: Herschel Daugherty
Guest Stars: Dub Taylor (Luke Calhoun); Ann Prentiss (Meena); George Morgan (Virgil); Victor French (Jesse); Lou Frizzell (Dusty, his first appearance as Dusty Rhodes)


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Date: April 12, 1970

Summary: Hoss becomes unwillingly involved with two clumsy cowboys who have attempted to rob a bank. He is arrested as an accomplice. As Hoss tries to clear himself of the charges, the cowboys call him partner and make everything worse.

Written by: Jack B Sowards
Directed by: William F. Claxton
Guest Stars: Slim Pickens (Sheriff); John Beck (Luke); Richard Evans (John); Hamilton Camp (Calvin); Dabbs Greer (Judge)


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Date: April 19, 1970

Summary: Joe is injured by a horse that is frightened by a thunderstorm. He is alone on the Ponderosa and struggles to stay conscious and care for his injuries. Convinced that his arm has become gangrenous, Joe decides he must amputate his arm in order to survive.

Written by: B. W. Sandefur
Directed by: William F. Claxton
Guest Stars: Ted Gehring (Griffin); Vincent Van Patten (Tim); Harry Holcombe (Doctor)


Image courtesy of Tracy and Bonanza Boomers Gallery