Ben becomes irritable and reckless when the completion of an important timber contract is hindered by an old rival.

The Prime of Life

Lorne Greene

Pernell Roberts

Dan Blocker

Michael Landon

The Lila Conrad Story

Hoss and the Leprechauns

Hoss wants to marry mysterious Regan Miller, a woman with less than a pristine past.  When he thinks Adam is trying to steal her away, he loses control and beats Adam up.

She Walks in Beauty

Renowned English novelist Charles Dickens comes to Virginia City. In short order, he is accused of a crime he didn't commit. The problem then becomes how to convince the stubborn author to defend himself.

A Passion for Justice

A destitute rainmaker and his family arrive in drought-stricken Virginia City.  While Ben tries to help him make rain, Hoss tends to the man's seriously ill little girl.

Rain from Heaven

Joe is bushwhacked in the desert and awakens to find himself in Martinville, a town that may or may not be populated by ghosts.  An errie, surrealistic and well-produced episode.

Twilight Town

Adam encounters drunken artist James Callan, branded a "squaw man" because he is married to an Indian, and whose talent is going to waste in the town of Sheep Head.

The Toy Soldier

Hoss and a pair of nuns, the younger one having a difficult time training for the order, are robbed and stranded at a way station.

A Question of Strength

Joe has a run-in with Calamity Jane, and takes her home with him after promising her dying father to take care of her.  At first the Cartwrights (besides Joe) think ""Cal"" is a boy, but they soon find out differently.  Cal begins to fall in love with Joe, but Joe finds her attentions unwanted...especially when Cal's boyfriend, Doc Holliday, has it in for Joe.

Calamity over the Comstock

Ben finds an old journal that he kept while in a wagon train travelling from St. Joseph, Missouri to Ash Hollow.  As he is reading it Ben remembers the journey he undertook with his wife Inger and a young Adam.  During the trip Hoss is born and they have trouble with some Indians.

Journey Remembered

Joe struggles to understand whether his friend was right in killing a dying man who pleaded to put out of his misery.

The Quality of Mercy

Adam becomes involved with the recently widowed Laura Dayton and her little girl, Peggy.

The Waiting Game

Adam, Hoss and Joe mistakenly believe their father was murdered.  They split into 3 different directions to confront the supposed killers.  In his heart, Ben knows his sons will not act outside the law; but he is not 100% sure that Joe will behave correctly.

The Legacy

In what is arguably the best comedy of the series, Hoss swears he has seen green elves running around the Ponderosa and a smooth-talking Irishman complicates matters even worse.

Joe and Adam protect a saloon girl, who has killed in self-defense, from an angry lynch mob.  The accompanying Judge, along with his wife, takes a liking to Lila, and before it is all over, he and Lila discover much more about themselves.

Adam, Hoss, and Joe vie for the attention of a pretty young lady named Dolores.  Hoss talks Joe into entering a bull fight, but it doesn't work out quite as planned.

Ponderosa Matador

Ben's plans to marry Katherine Saunders are upset when her son Eden is accused of killing his former girlfriend.

My Son, My Son

A man who looks similar to Joe uses Joe's name and gets Joe in the position of facing the firing squad.

Alias Joe Cartwright

The new stranger in town claims to be the famous pirate Jean Lafitte, and Hoss believes him.

The Gentleman from New Orleans

In this sequel to "The Waiting Game", Laura resents Adam's advice on how she ought to be running her ranch.  A newcomer, Ward Bannister, comes to her aid, but is actually part of a scheme to steal her ranch.

The Cheating Game

While out hunting for a mountain lion, Joe accidently shots Tessa Caldwell causing her to go blind.  As a result of his guilt, Joe ends up proposing to the girl.  However, other circumstances arise that cause Tessa to make a rash decision - one that both her and Joe may regret in the future.

Bullet for a Bride

When mountain man Jim Leyton decides to marry, he chooses Hoss as his best man.  Julie's father, Grizzly, does not agree and Hoss must come to the rescue.

King of the Mountain

While talking with an Indian, Ben is given an unexpected present...a woman.  She is a young white woman named Joan who has lived with the Indians since she was a little girl.  Through a humorous learning experience, Ben tries to teach Joan how to behave like a white woman.  In the process, Ben finds himself in an awkward situation.

Love Me Not

Hoss is suffering from spring fever, goes to the wrong town and is accused of bank robbery.

The Pure Truth

The town council feels Roy Coffee can no longer do his job, and with the notorious Wagner gang on their way to rob the bank, everyone is in a panic.  Ben and Adam disagree with the town council and do what they can to help Roy out.

No Less a Man

Ben must travel to pay his respects after he learns of the death of his nephew Will. When he visits the grave, he finds his nephew barely alive with a bullet wound. He takes him to a doctor and Will insists that he leave, but Ben refuses. Will explains that the men after him must believe that he is dead. Ben decides his best bet is to take Will home. He and Will are followed by the same men who are interested in some valuables Will is carrying.

Return to Honor

The Cartwrights are visited by their second cousin, Muley Jones of Weedville, Missouri who sings with a window-shattering voice and stirs up trouble with Indian negotiations that Ben is trying to ensure.

The Saga of Muley Jones

Will is having second thoughts about staying on at the Ponderosa, and outlaws hit the ranch and take him with them.  The leader, Lee Hewitt, is a young killer and plans on robbing the Ponderosa, so Will must take action to save himself, Hewitt's wife, the doctor, and his newfound relatives, the Cartwrights.

The Roper

A headstrong Chinese girl (Marlo Thomas) visiting the Cartwrights incites labor unrest among local workers.

A Pink Cloud Comes from Old Cathay

Mateo Ibara and his wife Carla visit the Ponderosa.  Ibara asks Will to return to Mexico with him. Ibara and Will fought together for Juarez's cause and Ibara saved Will's life. For this reason, Will feels obligated to Ibara, but Ben is suspicious of the man's motives.

The Companeros

After a triumphant tour in Europe, a famous Negro singer encounters racial prejudice in Virginia City when he arrives for a concert.

Enter Thomas Bowers

Moody bounty hunter, Dev Farnum, shows up on the Ponderosa, where the Cartwrights are harboring the wife of the man he is after.

The Dark Past

Laura Dayton's Aunt Lil comes to visit and quickly decides it's time she help the hesitant Adam propose to her favorite niece.  Her plan is to make Adam jealous by using his cousin Will but it doesn't go exactly as planned.

The Pressure Game

Adam and Laura are finally engaged.  Adam is secretly building a house and planning for the future. Laura realizes that it's Will she is in love with. Adam is then confined to a wheelchair after falling from a ladder and out of guilt, Laura and Will deny their feelings.

Triangle

Hilarious sequel to "Any Friend Of Walter's" in which Obie leaves Walter in Hoss' care.  The three outlaws, Macy, Teague, and Willard, kidnap Walter and hold him for ransom, leaving Hoss and the returning Obie to rescue him, but matters turn out the other way.

Walter and the Outlaws

The High-Sierra adventures of Ben Cartwright and his sons as they run and defend their ranch while helping the surrounding community.

The Prime of Life

Seasons14

Season 5 Episodes34

Cast4

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Episode Summary