A lot of first rate performers showed up on BONANZA in it's long television reign. One of the best was Michael Rennie, in this particular episode. He plays a man on a wagon train that Hoss (Dan Blocker) is attached to. Rennie's character goes by the name "Professor Poppy", and is very nice but somewhat reticent about his background. He and Hoss become friendly, when another man joins the wagon train named Thomas Crippen (Ashley Cowan). Like "Poppy" he is an Englishman, but of a lower class than Rennie. Crippen recognizes "Poppy" as a Dr. Mundy, who years before botched an operation causing the death of Crippen's wife (highly ironic name and situation here, as historically Dr. Hawley Crippen murdered his wife in 1910). Thomas Crippen proceeds to hound "Poppy" / "Dr. Mundy" for his past mistake. Hoss tries to stick up for his new friend. The crisis comes when the Cockney Crippen decides to even the score, and shoots a man he takes to be Dr. Mundy asleep in Mundy's wagon. Crippen, much to his chagrin, is told whom he has wounded, and is arrested by Sheriff Coffee (Ray Teal), and has to worry if the wounded man can be saved...by Dr. Mundy, who has not practiced medicine since the mistake that cost the life of Mrs. Crippen!
The acting was quite good (most of the time on BONANZA performances were damn good, probably in response to the scripts). Rennie is perfect trying to pull together to redeem his earlier abilities as a Doctor and save the wounded man. It remains a pretty vivid episode to me to this day.
The acting was quite good (most of the time on BONANZA performances were damn good, probably in response to the scripts). Rennie is perfect trying to pull together to redeem his earlier abilities as a Doctor and save the wounded man. It remains a pretty vivid episode to me to this day.
