A House Divided (16 Jan. 1960)

Ben tries to uncover the reason gold and silver exporter, Frederick Kyle, has befriended Little Joe before the shadowy businessman's hidden Civil War agenda tears Virginia City, and the Cartwright family, apart.

Director:

Lewis Allen

Writer:

Al C. Ward

Stars:

Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Lorne Greene	...	Ben Cartwright
Pernell Roberts	...	Adam Cartwright
Dan Blocker	...	Eric 'Hoss' Cartwright
Michael Landon	...	Joseph 'Little Joe' Cartwright
Cameron Mitchell	...	Frederick Kyle
Stacy Harris	...	Regis
John Anderson	...	Gorman
Marianne Stewart	...	Lily Van Cleet Kyle
Howard Wendell	...	Hennessy
Dan Riss	...	Tom Madigan
Mickey Simpson	...	Northern Miner
Jon Locke	...	Southern Miner (as John Locke)
Kenneth MacDonald	...	Sheriff
Stafford Repp	...	Mine Owner (as J. Stafford Repp)
Barry Cahill	...	Luke

Storyline

Ben tries to uncover the reason gold and silver exporter, Frederick Kyle, has befriended Little Joe before the shadowy businessman's hidden Civil War agenda tears Virginia City, and the Cartwright family, apart.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Western

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 January 1960 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title comes from the gospel of Mark and was used by Abraham Lincoln describing a country that is half free and half slave. "A house divided against itself cannot stand."

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Goofs

Episode #1.18 (16 January, 1960), the character Frederick Kyle (Cameron Mitchell) has one arm. In a fight sequence, and later when Kyle throws a hat, the actor's other arm can be seen hidden under his coat.

User Reviews

The Civil War Comes To The Ponderosa

Cameron Mitchell comes to Virginia City in this episode of Bonanza entitled after Lincoln's famous quote from the Bible that A House Divided cannot stand. In this case it's the residence of the Ponderosa that is shaking because of Mitchell's presence.

This is one of the few, maybe the only episode of Bonanza that dealt with the Civil War. As followers of the show know Lorne Greene's three wives hailed from different parts of the country. Pernell Roberts's mother was from New England, Dan Blocker's from the Missouri border state area, and Michael Landon's from New Orleans.

When Mitchell comes to town he accidentally on purpose meets up with Michael Landon and told him that he knew his mother way back when they were living in New Orleans together. Fans of Bonanza also know that to mention the mothers of any of the boys is to strike a vulnerable chord. With Landon in tow and seemingly the Cartwright imprimatur on his actions, Mitchell tries enlisting the Comstock Lode silver mine owners to the Confederate cause.

Of course all this causes discord on the Ponderosa and more I won't go into. Let's say Lorne Greene had his hands full keeping the family together.

This was one of the most memorable episodes from early Bonanza where politics nearly renders the Cartwrights asunder.