Episode 21 - THE SPANISH GRANT

[Episode Guide]

Date: February 6, 1960

Summary: A Spanish noblewoman insists that part of the Ponderosa belongs to her family and she has an old Spanish Land Grant validating her claim.

Written by: David Dortort, Leonard Heideman
Directed by: Christian Nyby
Guest Stars: Isabella Marie Inez de la Cuesta/Rosita Morales.Patricia Medina Don Antonio Luga...Sebastian Cabot Sanchez...Paul Picerni Donna Theresa Epananza...Celia Lovsky Hop Sing...Victor Sen Yung Judge Blaton...Ned Weve High Card Smith...Michael Ragan Proprietor...Salvador Baguez Andy Logan...John Frederick Mary Logan...Claudia Bryar Sheriff Hawkins...Stuart Randall Dancer...Genaro Gomez Bob Miles...(uncredited stunt double)

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slideshow images courtesy of January

[PJudith]

Adam and Isabella/Rosita made for a beautiful couple. They positively lit up the screen. Too bad Isabella didn't stay. I think she would've made a good match for Adam.

Only the ending drives me positively nuts! Was she or wasn't she Those "Lady or the Tiger" endings can be so frustrating. I know they wrote a vague ending on purpose so the audience could draw its own conclusions. Trouble is, I can't draw

I always wondered why they cast the Vienna born, Czech actress Celia Lovsky as Dona Theresa, not exactly a Spanish accent there! Guess they figured the audience wouldn't notice. Oh the actress looked the part, she just didn't sound it.

[debpet2]

I agree about Adam and Isabella/Rosita being a beautiful couple. I always thought that if they had gotten together they could have had some spectacular looking children. As for the "was she or wasn't she" question, it may have been left ambiguous, but my personal feeling is pretty strong that she was in fact Isabella and had decided to act in the noble de la Questa tradition. I think Celia Lovsky was cast for her air of authority. I always remember her as T'Pau, the matriarch of Spock's Vulcan family in the Star Trek episode Amok Time.

debpet2

[littlejoenice]

This is the one that irritated me beyond any other episode I've ever seen. Isabella de la Cuesta, Isabella de la Cuesta. I mean, how often did her name have to be said? It's not a common name, something you'd forget. And considering that she never came back, I don't think anybody on the set after that remembered her!

[ellen]

I love the ending - we don't need to know whether Rosita was Isabella. She walked off with her head held high! (and yes, Adam and Isabella/Rosita were a beautiful couple!)

Patricia Medina was GORGEOUS! And she lived to the age of 92, just recently dying in 2012. She was actually about 9 years older than Pernell.

[littlejoenice]

What's Adam think he's doing, going around with an older woman! What would Pa say?!

[Yesm]

I just love this episode, and mainly for one reason. Toward the end, when the coach arrives carrying the Great Lady, Ben is overcome with this noble lady and he approaches her to hand her out of the coach, and then offers her his arm to escort her inside. Such wonderful respect shown! Ben was a true gentleman!

[daisy60]

I just love this episode, and mainly for one reason. Toward the end, when the coach arrives carrying the Great Lady, Ben is overcome with this noble lady and he approaches her to hand her out of the coach, and then offers her his arm to escort her inside. Such wonderful respect shown! Ben was a true gentleman!

Yes, Ben was a gentleman. It seems today most of that has gone out of style! I taught my son to always open doors and treat ladies well so there are a few still out there but hard to find!

[KPat]

The plot for “The Spanish Grant” episode was (loosely) based on the very complex “Baron of Arizona” land Fraud scheme involving one James Addison Reavis and others. The scheme appears to have begun in earnest in about 1871 and, after a couple failures, Reavis met by chance a young woman whom he married, and whom he would advance as Doña Sophia Micaela Maso Reavis y Peralta de la Córdoba, the “last living heir of the Baron of Arizona.” By this time the year was 1887. Reavis eventually did prison time for fraud (perpetrated and attempted). Yet another example where the writers exercised poetic license with regard to historical timeline. Great story, all the same!

[Julianna]

The plot for “The Spanish Grant” episode was (loosely) based on the very complex “Baron of Arizona” land Fraud scheme involving one James Addison Reavis and others. The scheme appears to have begun in earnest in about 1871 and, after a couple failures, Reavis met by chance a young woman whom he married, and whom he would advance as Doña Sophia Micaela Maso Reavis y Peralta de la Córdoba, the “last living heir of the Baron of Arizona.” By this time the year was 1887. Reavis eventually did prison time for fraud (perpetrated and attempted). Yet another example where the writers exercised poetic license with regard to historical timeline. Great story, all the same!

I didn't know that. You learm something new everyday!