Date: September 20, 1964

Summary: Joe regrets teaching his friend Johnny Chapman how to use a gun after Chapman masters the fast draw and turns into a hardened bounty hunter.

Written by: Dan Ullman
Directed by: John Florea
Guest Stars: Guy Stockwell (Johnny Chapman), Valerie Allen (Olive), Ron Foster (Al Mooney), Bern Hoffman (Bartender).


Slideshow courtesy of Bejules

Date: September 27, 1964

Summary: Ben is kidnapped by a band of outlaws and held for ransom in an old abandoned mine.

Written by: Donn Mullally
Directed by: Don McDougall
Guest Stars: Harold J. Stone (Chad), Jacqueline Scott (Willa), Conlon Carter (Tip), Bill Clark (Jim), Buck Taylor (Billy), Cal Bartlett (Len)


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: October 4, 1964

Summary: Hoss plans to buy a wild stallion from horse wrangler Lafe Jessup. He goes with Jessup to look at the horses and soon finds himself involved in Jessup's relationship with his estranged wife.

Written by: Jo Pagano
Directed by: William Witney
Guest Stars: Aldo Ray (Lafe Jessup), Kathryn Hays (Prudence Jessup)


Slideshow courtesy of Freya

Date: October 11, 1964

Summary: Drifter Tom Wilson saves Adam from a near drowning. The Cartwrights introduce Wilson to Sue Miller whose father is killed soon after. Wilson is jailed for the murder, released on new evidence and when Adam investigates, becomes the prime suspect again.

Written by: Jerry Adelman
Directed by: Christian Nyby
Guest Stars: Rory Calhoun (Tom Wilson), Linda Foster (Sue Miller), Tom Skerrit (Jerry), Barbara Wilkin (Matilda)


Slideshow courtesy of Rika

Date: October 18, 1964

Summary: Sam Logan returns to town twenty years after Ben helped to send him to prison for stealing a fortune in gold. The gold was never recovered and Logan claims he doesn't know where his dead partner buried it but many people are skeptical, including his partner's son and a persistent bounty hunter.

Written by: Ken Pettus, Robert Sabaroff
Directed by: Don McDougall
Guest Stars: Dan Duryea (Sam Logan), John Kellogg ( Frank Reed), Virginia Gregg (Angie Malone), Tim McIntire (Mike Crawford)


Slideshow courtesy of Freya

Date: October 25, 1964

Summary: Hoss saves a bumbling Waldo Watson from a suicidal leap off a cliff. The Cartwrights take Watson in, contend with his clumsiness and soon learn that he's on the run.

Written by: Rod Peterson
Directed by: Christian Nyby
Guest Stars: George Kennedy (Waldo Watson), Sandra Warner (Nancy Collins), Richard Devon (Weaver)


Slideshow courtesy of Freya

Date: November 1, 1964

Summary: Dime novelist Tobias Finch watches as Ben and Adam fend off a band of attackers during an attempted stage coach robbery. When the Cartwrights refuse to give Finch their permission to write of the exploit, the novelist sees an opportunity in has-been Sheriff Laramore. Finch decides to use Laramore's glorified story to further his writing career and trouble follows.

Written by: Richard and Esther Shapiro
Directed by: William F. Claxton
Guest Stars: Walter Brooke (Tobias Finch), Bruce Cabot (Sheriff Laramore), Charles Maxwell (Gus Pickard).


Slideshow courtesy of Gillie

Date: November 8, 1964

Summary: All the Cartwrights and Hop Sing get taken by con artist Sam Washburn when they buy into his phony land deal.

Written by: Jessica Benson and Murray Golden
Directed by: Murray Golden
Guest Stars: Ernest Truex (Sam Washburn), Nydia Westman (Martha Washburn), Sandy Kenyon (Gibson), Danny Flower (Danny).


Slideshow courtesy of Bejules

Date: November 15, 1964

Summary: Joe's fear of heights renders him unable to retrieve his rifle from a mountain top. He behaves recklessly, is moody and difficult to tolerate until Ben helps him face his fear head-on.

Written by: Ed Adamson
Directed by: William Witney
Guest Stars: Richard Jaeckel (Mitch Devlin), Robert Biheller (Ken)


Slideshow courtesy of Bejules

Date: November 22, 1964

Summary: As payment for his performance in Mr. Tweedy's circus, Hoss and his manager, Little Joe, receive an elephant. Adam is amused by Old Sheba but Ben is not and insists that Hoss & Joe take the elephant back.

Written by: Alex Sharp
Directed by: John Florea
Guest Stars: William Demarest (Mr. Tweedy), Henry Kulky (Bearcat Sampson)


Slideshow courtesy of Gillie

Date: December 6, 1964

Summary: Hoss is framed for murder and trusts his defense to his friend Whitney Parker, a lawyer with a drinking problem. Ben doubts that Parker can properly defend Hoss and wants to obtain new legal representation for his son.

Written by: Mort R. Lewis
Directed by: John Florea
Guest Stars: James Gregory (Whitney Parker), William Mims (Byron Evans), Booth Colman (Flint Durfee), Hal Baylor (Ev Durfee), Michel Petit (Benjie)


Slideshow courtesy of Freya

Date: December 13, 1964

Summary: Ben hires half-breed Harry Starr unaware that his new ranch hand belongs to a gang of horse thieves.

Written by: Donn Mullally
Directed by: William F. Claxton
Guest Stars: Charles Bronson (Harry Starr), Tom Reese (Lee Burton)


Slideshow courtesy of Bejules

Date: December 20, 1964

Summary: Adam's stagecoach is robbed by Mexican bandits who are scared off mid-robbery by the appearance of a rider in full-body armor who claims to be King Arthur. Adam is jailed for the crime when the local sheriff doesn't believe the alibi, convinced instead that Adam is crazy.

Written by: Robert V. Barron
Directed by: Vincent McEveety
Guest Stars: Henry Jones (King Arthur), Charles Watts (Sheriff Munsey), Robert Sorrells (Cyril), Zeme North (Phoebe), Rodolfo Acosta (Juan)


Slideshow courtesy of Rika

Date: December 27, 1964

Summary: An elderly Indian and friend of Ben's is framed in a young girl's disappearance.

Written by: Warren Douglas
Directed by: William Witney
Guest Stars: Anthony Caruso (Squaw Charlie), Don 'Red' Barry (Bud), Virginia Christine (Martha), Vicki Cos (Angela), Myron Healey (Buck)


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: January 3, 1965

Summary: Joe puts Hoss on a starvation diet to ensure Hoss stays hungry enough to eat his way to the $500 prize in Virginia City's annual flapjack contest.

Written by: Frank Cleaver
Directed by: William F. Claxton
Guest Stars: Johnny Seven (Trager), Mel Berger (Big Ed), Joan Huntington (Lily)


Slideshow courtesy of Freya

Date: January 10, 1965

Summary: Joe and his friend Tuck vie for the attentions of Lucy, a sheltered young woman who longs for the adventure she knows only from reading romantic novels. Lucy soon finds more than adventure however, when she, Joe and Tuck find themselves in real danger, captured by a band of renegade Indians.

Written by: Mort R. Lewis
Directed by: Bernard McEveety
Guest Stars: Brenda Scott (Lucy), Warren Vanders (Tuck), X Brands (Sharp Tongue)


Slideshow courtesy of Steffie1305

Date: January 17, 1965

Summary: In a modern re-telling of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, Ben's friend Don Miguel asks Adam to tame his fiery, hot-tempered daughter Margarita, making her suitable for marriage.

Written by: Suzanne Clauser
Directed by: William F. Claxton
Guest Stars: Joan Hackett (Margarita), Cesar Davova (Don Luis), Jay Novello (Don Miguel), Susan Silo (Elena)


Slideshow courtesy of Bejules

Date: January 24, 1965

Summary: Kellie Conrad is a young woman who performs in saloons with her father, dancing while he plays the fiddle. Through the Cartwrights, Kellie meets Paul Mandel who introduces her to ballet and becomes her mentor. When the San Francisco Ballet offers Kellie an audition, she is torn between her desire to pursue ballet and her love for her father.

Written by: Frank Chase
Directed by: Don McDougall
Guest Stars: Barrie Chase (Kellie Conrad), Douglas Fowley (Ned Conrad), Warren Stevens (Paul Mandel)


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: January 31, 1965

Summary: The Virginia City Cattleman's Association hires ruthless range detective Sherman Clegg to determine who's behind a recent rash of cattle thefts. Adam opposes the decison to hire Clegg fearing it will do more harm than good, but when Clegg is accused of murder, Adam comes to his defense.

Written by:Leo Gordon and Paul Leslie Wilke
Directed by: Don McDougall
Guest Stars: Earl Holliman (Sherman Clegg), Robert J. Wilke (Simmons), Don Collier (Tatum)


Slideshow courtesy of Bejules

Date: February 7, 1965

Summary: Hoss gets involved with Professor Klump, his granddaughter, Amanda and their invention, a contraption they hope will enable man to fly.

Written by: Blair Robertson
Directed by: Herbert L. Strock
Guest Stars: Ed Wynn(Professor Klump), Marlyn Mason (Amanda)


Slideshow courtesy of AgnethaF

Date: February 14, 1965

Summary: Adam goes to Placerville looking for Tom Burns, the look-alike who has been impersonating him and taking advantage of the uncanny resemblance.

Written by: Frank Cleaver
Directed by:Wiliam F. Claxton
Guest Stars: Lola Albright (Ann), Elaine Devry (Valerie), John Harding (Jason), Kelly Thordsen (Sheriff Conners)


Slideshow courtesy of Rika

Date: February 21, 1965

Summary: Ben's friend Guido Borelli, a world-renowned aerial acrobat brings his troupe to Virginia City. Trouble ensues when Borelli's girlfriend shows an interest in Joe.

Written by: Jo Pagano
Directed by: Gerd Oswald
Guest Stars: Cesar Romero (Guido Borelli), Fabrizio Mioni (Carlo), Ilze Taurins (Petina)


Slideshow courtesy of Gilllie

Date: February 28, 1965

Summary: Hoss doesn't know that the Englishman he has recently befriended, Professor Poppy, is actually a physician who has given up the practice of medicine. Fellow Englishman Thomas Crippen claims that his wife's death was caused by the Doctor's medical mistake and comes to town looking to exact revenge.

Written by: Martha Wilkerson
Directed by: Tay Garnett
Guest Stars: Michael Rennie (Professor Poppy / Dr. Mundy), Ashley Cowan (Thomas Crippen)


Slideshow courtesy of Freya

Date: March 7, 1965

Summary: Adam takes over as a substitute for injured teacher Barbara Scott. He decides to prepare a lesson on the history of the Nevada Territory and during the course of his research, uncovers an ugly, long-buried secret.

Written by: Jerry Adelman
Directed by: Virgil W. Vogel
Guest Stars: Grandon Rhodes (Doctor), Everett Sloane (Colonel Scott), Mariette Hartley (Barbara Scott), Barry Kelley (Chaffee)


Slideshow courtesy of Rika

Date: March 21, 1965

Summary:Cousin Muley Jones returns to the Ponderosa, this time with a pack of noisy hound dogs.

Written by: Alex Sharp
Directed by: Ralph E. Black
Guest Stars: Bruce Yarnell (Muley Jones), Sue Ane Langdon (Tracey Ledbetter), Chubby Johnson (Abner Ledbetter)


Slideshow courtesy of Adamant

Date: March 28, 1965

Summary: Joe accidentally kills Burk Shannon, the husband of one of his former girlfriends, Hallie. Joe is dismayed to learn that Hallie thinks he killed Burk on purpose, freeing her to marry him. Burk's identical twin brother arrives in town also convinced that Burk's killing was intentional. Things take a turn for the worse when Hallie herself turns up dead.

Written by: Ken Pettus
Directed by: William Witney
Guest Stars: Joan Freeman (Hallie Shannon), Steve Cochran (Burk & Booth Shannon)


Slideshow courtesy of Bejules

Date: April 4, 1965

Summary: Adam tries to reform troubled drifter Howard Mead, a talented singer who can't seem to stop running afoul of the law.

Written by: Paul Schneider
Directed by: Robert Totten
Guest Stars: Hoyt Axton (Howard Mead), Susanne Cramer (Hilda Bruner), Steve Ihnat (Johann Bruner)


Slideshow courtesy of Rika

Date: April 11, 1965

Summary:Unable to find peace and quiet at home, an exhausted Ben checks into the local hotel where he fares no better.

Written by: Frank Cleaver, Jeffrey Fleece
Directed by: William F. Claxton
Guest Stars: Eddie Firestone (Potts), Abigail Shelton (Lucy), Jean Willes (Mrs. Jenny Jenkins), Lloyd Corrigan (Doc), Robert Ridgely (Wilfred), Michael Forest (Frank Shirmer)


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: April 18, 1965

Summary: Tycoon Charles Hackett is out to buy the Ponderosa, at any price. Ben refuses to sell but Hackett won't give up.

Written by: Ed Adamson
Directed by: Virgil W. Vogel
Guest Stars: Telly Savalas (Charles Hackett), Linda Lawson (Maria Hackett)


Slideshow courtesy of Bejules

Date: April 25, 1965

Summary: After Sheriff Coffee orders ladies man Lothario Larkin out of town, Hoss takes him in.

Written by: Warren Douglas
Directed by: William Witney
Guest Stars: Noah Beery, Jr. (Lothario Larkin), Dorothy Green (Laura), Jim Davis (Johnny), Linda Bennett (Francine), Frank Ferguson (Abner Jones), Morgan Woodward (Mike Gillis), Jane Norris (Meg), Olive Sturgess (Nancy)


Slideshow courtesy of Adamant

Date: May 2, 1965

Summary: Ex-con Trace Cordell returns to town after serving his prison term. Ben welcomes Cordell believing he has paid his debt to society but most are displeased to see him, including banker Paul Dorn who was crippled by Cordell's bullet. To complicate matters, Dorn is married to Cordell's former girlfriend.

Written by: Ken Pettus, Frank Chase
Directed by: Virgil W. Vogel
Guest Stars: Tony Young (Trace Cordell), Joan Blackman (Clara Dorn), John Conte (Paul Dorn)


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: May 9, 1965

Summary: Hoss hires George Whitman as a Ponderosa ranch hand despite rumors that Whitman may be a jinx.

Written by: Preston Wood
Directed by: William F. Claxton
Guest Stars: Andrew Prine (George Whitman), Dean Harens (Poole), Angela Clarke (Teresa)


Slideshow courtesy of Freya

Date: May 16, 1965

Summary: Ben invites retired opera star Angela Bergstrom to perform at the Virginia City anniversary celebration. She accepts, neglecting to admit that she no longer has her famous singing voice.

Written by: Dick Carr
Directed by: Gerd Oswald
Guest Stars: Viveca Lindfors (Angela Bergstrom), Ron Randell (Carleton)


Slideshow courtesy of Adamant

Date: May 23, 1965

Summary: Hoss hires loner Patch Saunders as a Ponderosa ranch hand and soon learns why the man is such a recluse.

Written by: Don Tait, William Koenig
Directed by: Ralph E. Black
Guest Stars: Grant Williams (Albert 'Patch' Saunders), Sue Randall (Ann)


Slideshow courtesy of Adamant