Bonanza (TV Series) The Legacy (1963) User Reviews

The Cartwright boys are out for blood!

[dukeb0y · 10/10 · 6 June 2014]

Well, this was quite a "who done it". I was pleasantly surprised. Basically, a much more serious tone to this story.. The boys think their dad is killed by a poacher. And they go off a looking for them.

But along the way, three men released from prison get the blame.

But, is one of them the supposed killer? And a poacher? Watch and find out!

James Doohan and James Best in supporting roles.

I'm not a big Bonanza watcher, but this episode is very very good. If Bonanza ever gets redone, I hope the stories are this good.

Ten stars.

How Well Did Ben Raise The Boys

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 11 August 2010]

No single Cartwright dominates this particular episode, all four of them have their moments in The Legacy.

While riding the Ponderosa Ben comes across a poacher and he is shot by him. The man was one of three who were recently let out of prison and are making their way home.

Lorne Greene is left to die on the trail, but a passing drummer finds him and doctors him in the person of Robert Harris. The boys don't know Greene's alive, all they know is their father's horse comes home to the Ponderosa with blood on the saddle. All three of them take after the perpetrators and they split up each going after one of the released convicts.

All three of the sons has a story to tell in catching up with their man. Greene finds out and worries as to what they will do. If he's raised them right they'll leave it to the law. But as we know the Cartwrights are one close knit family.

It's nice and tight well constructed Bonanza episode, but there's one really bad flaw. The shooter steals Lorne Greene's rifle with a carved C on the stock. How he kept it hidden from the other two I still can't figure it out.

James Best, Sandy Kevin, and Philip Pine are the three convicts. Also in the cast in a minor role as a cowboy is James Doohan. Robert Mitchum's brother John Mitchum plays a saloon bartender. In his memoirs John Mitchum relates how well he got along with Dan Blocker who he saw as a good old boy from Texas. He was shocked when he found out Blocker was a liberal, he didn't fit the mold of a liberal in Mitchum's eyes.

Other than that one flaw The Legacy is a good episode showing Cartwright family values at their best.