Date: September 11, 1966

Summary: The Cartwrights' friendship with a neighboring rancher is threatened when the rancher's daughter accuses Joe of assault.

Written by: William R. Cox
Directed by: William Witney
Guest Stars:Lynn Loring (Laurie Ferguson), Lyle Bettger (Jed Feguson), Ron Foster (Stark), Erik Holland (Cleve Ferguson)


Slideshow courtesy of January

Date: September 18, 1966

Summary:At the request of his old friend Colonel Fairchild, Ben arranges a championship horse race unaware that the fix is in.

Written by: William R. Cox
Directed by: William Witney
Guest Stars: Charles Ruggles (Colonel Fairchild), Julie Parrish (Patty Lou Fairchild), Skip Homeier (Jack Geller)


Slideshow courtesy of January

Date: September 25, 1966

Summary: After the Cartwrights put aging wrangler Dan Tolliver out to pasture, he falls in with a group that plans to rob the Ponderosa.

Written by: Frank Chase
Directed by: Paul Heinreid
Guest Stars: Ed Begley, Sr. (Dan Tolliver), Audrey Totter (Beth Riley), Don 'Red' Barry (Temple), Sherwood Price (Sand), Renny McEvoy (Jim Flint)


Slideshow courtesy of Bejules

Date: October 2, 1966

Summary:Ben, Hoss and Joe go to Beehive to buy horses from Heber Clawson and end up having to help him, as he is being persecuted for being a Mormon and having two wives.

Written by: Thomas Thompson
Directed by: William Witney
Guest Stars: Eric Fleming as Heber Clawson, Dina Merrill as Susana and Lois Nettleton as Elizabeth


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: October 9, 1966

Summary: Heber Clawson and his two wives are forced out of their home and Joe helps them get away. Hoss and Ben meet up with them and they fight off the townspeople, but Heber is killed and Elizabeth dies giving birth to her child. Susana ends up taking care of the child with the help of the pastor and his wife.

Written by: Thomas Thompson
Directed by: William Witney
Guest Stars: Eric Fleming as Heber Clawson, Dina Merrill as Susana and Lois Nettleton as Elizabeth


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: October 16, 1966

Summary: A woman called Carol Attley comes to Virginia City and within a few days, Hoss has decided to marry her. But she harbors a dark secret and it catches up with her in the form of a US marshal, who comes to arrest her for killing her husband.

Written by: June Randolph
Directed by: Sutton Roley
Guest Stars: Geraldine Brooks as Carol Attley, Don Haggerty as the marshal


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date:October 23, 1966

Summary: Joe has a holiday from the ranch and visits an old friend, Morgan Tanner. Joe takes credit for killing a horse thief, even though both he and Morgan shot at the man, because he wants to protect his friend from the man’s three brothers, who are out for revenge.

Written by: Fredric Louis Fox
Directed by: William Claxton
Guest Stars: Don Collier as Sheriff Fenton, Dean Harens as Morgan, Charles Maxwell as Virgil, Regina Gleason as Martha, Ed Faulkner as Casey, Ted Markland as Boone


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: October 30, 1966

Summary: The four Lowell sisters arrive from Boston to claim the ranch left to them by their uncle, but unscrupulous land grabbers also want the land. The Cartwrights offer to help them, but it is not appreciated.

Written by: John M Chester
Directed by: Alan Crossland, Jr.
Guest Stars: Vera Miles as Sarah Lowell, Morgan Woodward as Catlin, Lyn Edgington as Gabrielle, Melinda Plowman as Heather, Madeleine Mack as Lorraine and Owen Bush as Billings


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: November 6, 1966

Summary: Charlie runs the livery stable, but is always telling tall tales about his daring deeds. Billy Barker sets out to rob him. Billy falls on his own knife and Charlie thinks he killed him (but it was Hoss coming to his rescue). Billy’s brothers arrive and are out for revenge.

Written by: Robert and Wanda Duncan
Directed by: William Claxton
Guest Stars: John McIntire as Charlie Connor, Jeanette Nolan as Annie, Tim McIntire as Billy and George Barker, Bill Fletcher as Sam, Hal Baylor as Jack, Bruno Ve Soto as the bartender, Dick Winslow as heckler


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: November 13, 1966

Summary: Colter Preston comes to town singing a song about Ben having a hand in his father being wrongly accused of murder. The boy does all he can to convince everyone that his father was innocent, but it is the widow of the murdered man who finally tells the truth.

Written by: Michael Landon, Rik Vollaerts
Directed by: William F Claxton
Guest Stars: Randy Boone as Colter Preston, Ann Doran as Lisa, Roger Davis as Harold, and John Archer as Dave Sinclair


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: November 20,1966

Summary: Charlie Two, a young half breed, vows to kill Ben for turning in his father to the law, after his father is hung for killing an unarmed man. Joe befriends the boy and tries to persuade him not to seek revenge, without Charlie Two knowing who Joe is.

Written by: Martha Wilkerson
Directed by: Gerd Oswald
Guest Stars: Douglas Kennedy as Big Charlie, Tony Bill as Charlie Two, and Dallas McKennon as Jenkins


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: November 27,1966

Summary: Joe gets shot in the middle of the Ponderosa and Hoss is deputised to go and apprehend the person responsible. It proves to be harder than he thought it would be.

Written by: Herman Hoffman
Directed by: Herman Hoffman
Guest Stars: Louise Latham as Mae Rikeman, Mark Slade as Judd Rikeman and Robert Doyle as Jeb Rikeman


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: December 4, 1966

Summary: Maggie Dowling likes Jarrod, but when her father, who thinks she is too plain to get a husband, offers to pay off Jarrod’s mortgage in exchange for marrying her, she sets out, with Joe’s help, to prove that she can get a man on her own.

Written by: Walter Black
Directed by: William F Claxton
Guest Stars: Ron Hayes as Jarrod, Joanne Linville as Maggie


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: December 18, 1966

Summary:A little deaf mute boy called Tommy, is sent to the Ponderosa by his mother, an old friend of the Cartwright’s. His stepfather has broken out of jail and his mother fears for his safety. Hoss and Tommy form a close bond.

Written by: Mort Thaw, Mary T Taylor and Thomas Thompson
Directed by: William Witney
Guest Stars:Teddy Quinn as Tommy, Janet DeGore as Allie Miller


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: December 25, 1966

Summary: Andy Walker, a successful singer, returns to Virginia City to sing to raise money for the orphans. His uncle, who is now his manager, wants to make money out of the deal, but ends up working for free, as well, when he has a change of heart.

Written by: Thomas Thompson
Directed by: Gerd Oswald
Guest Stars: Wayne Newton as Andy,Jack Oakie as Uncle Thadeus


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: January 1, 1967

Summary: Joe and Hoss go into the rabbit breeding business, but things soon get out of hand when neither of them can bear the thought of skinning the little creatures.

Written by: Alex Sharp
Directed by: William F Claxton
Guest Stars: Dub Taylor and Chick Chandler as Barlow and Clyde.


Slideshow courtesy of Bejules

Date: January 8, 1967

Summary: Joe is in love with the bank manager's daughter, unaware that mild mannered bank clerk, Horace, loves her too. When she is killed, Joe becomes obsessed with proving that Horace is the killer.

Written by: Richard Wendley
Directed by: Lewis Allen
Guest Stars: Beau Bridges as Horace


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: January 15, 1967

Summary: Buford Buckalaw strikes gold, so saloon singer Dolly Brantree's crooked manager insists that she goes out with him, to get at his money. However, she ends up really falling in love with him.

Written by: Robert V Barron
Directed by: Robert V Barron
Guest Stars: Jack Elam as Buford and Lola Albright as Dolly.


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: January 22, 1967

Summary: Joe meets up with a former Ponderosa ranch hand, Friday, who is now a gunfighter. The man is ill and Joe looks after him, only to discover that the man is taking part in a gunfight at the end of the week.

Written by: Herbert Kastle, John Hawkins
Directed by: William F Claxton
Guest Stars: John Saxon as Friday, Ford Rainey as the judge.


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: January 29, 1967

Summary: One of Ben's old friends, Paul Rowan, is now a sheriff in Concho and Ben goes to visit him. The man is obviously suffering with a mental illness and Ben comes to his aid.

Written by: Frank Chase
Directed by: Gerd Oswald
Guest Stars:Leslie Nielsen as Rowan, Nancy Malone, Percy Helton and Douglas Henderson.


Slideshow per Tracy

Date: February 5, 1967

Summary: Joe visits old friends Tom and Ellie Sue and their son Benjie. Their farm is suffering from the drought and Tom has turned outlaw. The gang comes to the house and takes Joe prisoner.

Written by:Joel Murcott
Directed by: Lewis Allen
Guest Stars: John Ericson, Jason Evers, Kevin Hagen, Lindsay Workman, Elizabeth Rogers,Lory Patrick,Richard Hale.


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: February 12, 1967

Summary: Ben saves the life of a Mexican outlaw, Amigo, who is being chased by a posse. Joe wants to turn him in, but Ben decides to help him.

Written by: John Hawkins, Jack Turley
Directed by: William F Claxton
Guest Stars: Henry Darrow as Amigo, Greg Walcott, Anna Navarro, Warren Kemmerling, Tim Herbert, Grandon Rhodes


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: February 19, 1967

Summary: Mary Farnum, an old friend of the Cartwrights, turns up with her husband who is a drunk. Ben gives him a job, for Mary's sake, but it is a mistake.

Written by: Joel Murcott
Directed by: Gerd Oswald
Guest Stars: Diane Baker as Mary, Paul Richards as Russ


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: February 26, 1967

Summary: Joe sets off on a posse, after two men are murdered at a way station. When they catch up with two drifters, Joe has a hard time keeping them alive as one of the murdered men's brothers, is out for revenge.

Written by: Robert Sabaroff
Directed by: William F Claxton
Guest Stars: John Ireland, Harry Carey, James Sikking, Bartlett Robinson, John Raymer and Martin West


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: March 5, 1967

Summary: Joe decides he wants to be a detective, after reading whodunnits. His attempts at solving crime are hilarious, but ultimately successful.

Written by: Michael Landon, Oliver Crawford
Directed by: William F Claxton
Guest Stars: Mort Mills, Ken Lynch, Bing Russell


Slideshow courtesy of Bejules

Date: March 12, 1967

Summary: A young drifter, Billy Wilcox, goes to work on the Ponderosa. He is being hounded by the law for a crime he was not guilty of.

Written by: Kelly Covin
Directed by: Don Daves
Guest Stars: Richard Evans, Linda Foster


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: March 26, 1967

Summary: Giorgio Rossi is now growing grapes on the land Ben has granted him. But the neighboring ranchers decide to take advantage of the family.

Written by: William F Leicester
Directed by: William F Claxton
Guest Stars: Jack Kruschen, Donald Woods



Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: April 2, 1967

Summary: A Russian Count and Countess come to stay at the Ponderosa, but an outlaw is waiting to cause trouble.

Written by: John Hawkins, Melvin Levy
Directed by: William F Claxton
Guest Stars: Lloyd Bochner, Claire Griswold


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: April 9, 1967

Summary: A neighbour of Ben's, Matt Jeffers, is in need of help and Ben offers it. But the man's foreman wants his land and kills Matt's son to put the blame on Joe and cause a wedge between Matt and Ben.

Written by: Steve McNeil
Directed by: Don Daves
Guest Stars: Jeremy Slate, Royal Dano, Joan Marshall, Dorothy Neumann


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: April 16, 1967

Summary: A group of youngsters, led by a young man who calls himself Napoleon, terrorize Virginia City and the surrounding ranches. Joe exposes the boy as a coward, to his followers.

Written by: Judith and Robert Guy Barrows
Directed by: Christian Nyby
Guest Stars: Michael Burns, Robert Biheller, Phyllis Hill and Woodrow Parfrey.


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: April 23, 1967

Summary: Joe has a $1,000 price put on his head by an embittered woman, who thinks he is responsible for killing her brother.

Written by: Michael Landon, Joy Dexter
Directed by: William F Claxton
Guest Stars:Frank Overton, Judi Meredith, Will J White, Myron Healey, Bruno Ve Soto, Robert B Williams



Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: April 30, 1967

Summary:Cousin Clarissa comes to stay with the Cartwrights and ends up alienating most of the town.

Written by: Chester Krumholz
Directed by: Lewis Allen
Guest Stars: Nina Foch, Roy Roberts


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: May 7, 1967

Summary:A palm reading con woman convinces Hoss that he is a musical genius on the violin and he drives the rest of the family mad with his constant practicing.

Written by: U.S. Andersen
Directed by: William F Claxton
Guest Stars: Zsa Zsa Gabor as Madame Marova, Kathleen Freeman


Slideshow courtesy of Tracy

Date: May 14, 1967

Summary: Gus Schultz has been looking for gold for thirty years and when he makes his strike, possibly on the Ponderosa, it causes trouble for the Cartwrights.

Written by: James Amesbury
Directed by: Don Daves
Guest Stars: Robert Middleton, George Chandler, Lane Bradford, William Bakewell, Phil Chambers


slideshow courtesy of Tracy