"Bonanza" The Medal (1969)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Lewis Allen

Writers:

Frank Chase (writer)
David Dortort (creator)

TV Series:

"Bonanza" (1959)

Original Air Date:

26 October 1969 (Season 11, Episode 7)

Genre:

Action | Romance | War | Western

Plot:

Ben offers moral support to Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Matthew Rush when comes down on his luck...

Plot Keywords:

Ranch | Nevada | Half Brother | Brother Brother Relationship | Strong Man

Cast

Lorne Greene	...	Ben Cartwright
Dan Blocker	...	Eric 'Hoss' Cartwright
Michael Landon	...	Joseph 'Little Joe' Cartwright
David Canary	...	'Candy' Canaday
Dean Stockwell	...	Matthew Rush
Susan Howard	...	Laurie Nagel
Harry Townes	...	Seth Nagel
John Beck	...	Walt Nagel
Charles Briles	...	Del Nagel
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Remo Pisani	...	Bartender
James Rawley	...	Sam, telegraph Clerk
E.J. Schuster	...	Barker
Sundown Spencer	...	Boy
Victor Sen Yung	...	Hop Sing

Runtime:

USA:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Fine job of acting by Dean Stockwell, Lorne Greene, Harry Townes & Susan Howard

For those who wondered if the 'Boy With the Green Hair' could act as an adult, look no further than this fine episode of Bonanza. Stockwell plays a man who is on the skids, but he was a Congressional Medal of Honor winner. The narrative tells us most of the people awarded this medal had it awarded posthumously and it is the highest award that could be bestowed for bravery above and beyond the call of duty.

Some of Ben Cartwright's neighbors lost brothers, their stock, had their house burned down and lost their wife/mother according to the husband/father(Harry Townes) because of 'Sherman's men'. He takes a particular disliking to the man who won the 'Yankee's highest killing medal'.

He does everything he can to try to get Stockwell's character out of town, but his daughter likes Stockwell (played by later "Dallas" star Susan Howard) and that makes him even madder.

It comes out in the end that Stockwell was a former ordained minister and Ben invites him to build a church on part of the Cartwright property where some others had a tragedy happen that destroyed their building there. To symbolically 'build out of the ashes' something new and decent and go on with life, not still divided 'north' versus 'south'.

The Cartwright's neighbor and sons are ready to tar and feather Stockwell until the daughter, who has brought Ben along, arrives. Ben reads them a telegram he received including a letter from Abraham Lincoln as to just how he got the medal....it's a shocker and a tear jerker to be sure at the end.

Key line from Stockwell "I want to be liked for who I am, a human being, not for what I did (in the war)".

Don't miss this gem. A fine outing by Lorne Greene as Ben as well.