The BEST episodes written by Ward Hawkins
#2 - The Testing Post
Rawhide - Season 8 - Episode 12
An army lieutenant requisitions 100 prime steers and only offers a piece of paper in return. He pulls a gun and Rowdy wings him. Reinforcements come demanding the 100 head. Rowdy goes forty miles to the fort and the major says he can't pay him.
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#3 - The Dark Gate
Bonanza - Season 2 - Episode 24
Adam is confused by the sudden behavior of his good friend, Ross Marquette. He beats up his wife, Delphine, after accusing her of having an affair with Adam. He also joins a group of rustlers and killers and helps rob a gold shipment. Adam thinks Ross is suffering from insanity, in this highlight of season two.
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#4 - The Devil's Children
The Virginian - Season 1 - Episode 11
Uncontrollable 16 year old Tabby McCallum (Joan Freeman) is chastised by the Virginian for shooting a shiloh steer. In retaliation she tries to burn down the Shiloh barn but is accidentally shot by a Shiloh hand, Sam Hicks (Charles Aidman). Tabby's brother Bruce McCallum (Carl Reindell), who is from the same mould as Tabby, claims she was deliberately shot while her father, Tucker (Charles Bickford), thinks her boy friend, Dan Flood (Bert Brinckerhof), started the fire. The result is a spiralling series of events which eventually lead to murder.
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#5 - The Small Parade
The Virginian - Season 1 - Episode 21
In Coyote Wells to deliver some cattle, the Virginian, Trampas and Steve Hill encounter Martin Reese (David Wayne). Reese had lost his wife and children to smallpox, had sold his farm, and now travels giving lectures urging vegetarianism. His lectures are not received well in cattle country and when one of his hecklers is found murdered, Reese is the main suspect, is seen as a murderous loony and is pursued by a posse. On the way back to Medicine Bow the Shiloh cowboys encounter a woman, Ellen Beecher (Barbara Barrie), who knows of Reese's whereabouts. Ellen has several orphans in her care and the Virginian and crew become involved in trying to help Ellen with the children and in finding and protecting Reese from the vengeful posse.
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#6 - School Mom
Little House on the Prairie - Season 1 - Episode 9
After Ms. Beadle sprains her ankle, Caroline becomes the substitute teacher. Caroline takes a special interest in helping an older student, Abel, learn to read. One day Mrs. Oleson shows up and causes Abel to quit school. Because of this Caroline quits, but returns after she convinces Abel to give school another chance.
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#7 - Money Crop
Little House on the Prairie - Season 1 - Episode 21
A college-educated farmer named Joe moves to Walnut Grove with his pregnant wife. He tells the Walnut Grove-area farmers of a new hybrid of corn that would produce good crops, to which the farmers are very enthused. They decide to buy some of this new seed. While on the way back to Walnut Grove with the seed, Joe gets into an accident, as the farmers wait for his return.
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#8 - Founder's Day
Little House on the Prairie - Season 1 - Episode 24
Walnut Grove celebrates this great day with several different competitions. There are very competitive spirits between the Olesons and the Ingallses.
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#11 - Blaze of Glory
The Virginian - Season 4 - Episode 15
Trampas meets local rancher and former Sheriff Bill King (Leif Erickson) and his daughter Judy (Joan Freeman) riding into Medicine Bow. Trampas asks Judy to the dance but she is reluctant to go with him even though she eventually acquiesces. At the bank, banker Bert March (Noam Pitlick) refuses Bill a loan saying he was not a good credit risk even if he had spent 20 years as the town Sheriff. He also refuses to take for credit the gold watch Bill got from the town for his service as Sheriff. Bill goes to the saloon for a drink with Emmett Ryker and afterwards, as they leave, the money wagon arrives driven by Ben Wallace (Karl Swenson), an old friend of Bill's, who announces he has been robbed of its gold shipment. Emmett organizes an unsuccessful posse to find the three robbers. Trampas picks up Judy for the dance and as they leave the King ranch they are watched by a young man, Sam Coates (Michael Sarrazin). Coates enters the ranch house with his gun drawn on Bill. He reveals he had b
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#12 - Circus Man
Little House on the Prairie - Season 1 - Episode 19
A traveling circusman, O'Hara, comes to Walnut Grove and tries to get everyone to believe he has magic healing powders. However, he is really found out when Mrs. Oleson almost loses her life when she tries his healing powders instead of having an operation.
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#13 - 100 Mile Walk
Little House on the Prairie - Season 1 - Episode 3
In the beginning, things look very good for the Ingalls until a bad hailstorm ruins their crops. Charles and some other farmers must leave to look for work. They end up working in a quarry. While Charles is away, Caroline is able to get the women of Walnut Grove to join together to harvest the remaining crops.
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#14 - Dangerous Road
The Virginian - Season 3 - Episode 26
Trampas escorts a murderer back to a town where he knew the sheriff. There is a question of the man's innocence plus Trampas learns the sheriff died in a horse accident two days later. He decides to investigate the questionable stories.
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#15 - The Fence
Bonanza - Season 10 - Episode 29
While Ben and Hoss visit an old friend to negotiate the purchase of a mine, former Confederate soldiers arrive wanting to exact revenge on the Cartwrights' friend for starving POWs during the Civil War.
#16 - Family Quarrel
Little House on the Prairie - Season 1 - Episode 16
After a major disagreement, Nels and Harriet go their separate ways. Many people in town try to get the two back together.
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#17 - Mark of Guilt
Bonanza - Season 10 - Episode 13
Hop Sing tells Hoss and Candy they can use the ancient Chinese art of fingerprinting to prove Joe is innocent of murder.
#18 - The Tall Stranger
Bonanza - Season 3 - Episode 16
Hoss plans to marry Margie, a pretty blonde, but Margie becomes fascinated with a tall, traveling stranger named Mark Connors. Margie marries Mark but soon finds it was far from a match made in heaven.
#19 - The Running Man
Bonanza - Season 10 - Episode 26
Joe and Candy travel to Butlerville and learn that one of Ben's closest friends is burning out new settlers, whom he regards as squatters. Candy's old ex-flame is married to Jess Parker, who always saw Candy as a rival in the past, but things have changed with both men and Jess' wife Barbara. Cal Butler is the real problem: he will stop at nothing to keep Parker from testifying alive.
#20 - The Final Hour
The Virginian - Season 1 - Episode 30
Strip mining operations begin in the Medicine Bow area. While Judge Garth sees the mining as ""progess"" other locals see it as a threat to their way of life and also do not like the influx of polish miners. Amongst the miners' families is the beautiful Polcia (Ulla Jacobsson). A ""love quadrangle"" develops as three men desire Polcia: Jan (Dean Fredericks) the son of the leader of the miners, Jack Anderson (Don Galloway) the son of the rancher most opposed to the mining, and Trampas, who had been assigned by Judge Garth to assist the miners in getting settled and who is Polcia's true love. Fueled by ethnic sentiments events escalate into a series of conflicts and tragedies.
#21 - The Infernal Machine
Bonanza - Season 2 - Episode 29
Hoss believes in his friend's primitive version of the automobile in this lighthearted, yet sad episode. When the "car" uses up the last of its fuel, Hoss remarks, "Dadburn it, I still say it woulda worked".
#22 - Deadly Invasion
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea - Season 3 - Episode 10
Faceless aliens invade Earth and try to take over an underwater atomic base. The leader takes the form of an old, deceased friend of Admiral Nelson in order to convince Nelson they mean no harm. Nelson will have none of it and leads a landing party to the base to stop the aliens, even if the cost includes their own lives.
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#23 - The Gold Detector
Bonanza - Season 9 - Episode 14
Hoss wants to buy a mine thought to be worthless and orders a fancy invention to prove it isn't and becomes the local laughingstock in town
#24 - The Machines Strike Back
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea - Season 2 - Episode 12
A missile defense platform-drone malfunctions and threatens to destroy the East Coast of the US.
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#25 - The Peace Tree
Daniel Boone - Season 2 - Episode 9
A Scottish emigrant, a Cherokee chief s son and Israel try to prevent a war between settlers and Indians.
#26 - The Mechanical Man
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea - Season 2 - Episode 25
Drs. Paul Ward and Peter Omir have discovered a powerful new element -- Subterranium 116. This element can produce limitless pure energy, but Omir may have another agenda.
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#27 - Land Grab
Bonanza - Season 3 - Episode 15
The Ponderosa is overrun with settlers bearing phony property deeds, and one of Ben's oldest friends is responsible.
#28 - The Arrival of Eddie
Bonanza - Season 9 - Episode 30
Eddie McKay, the son of a robber and murderer who Hoss killed several years ago in a shootout, returns to Virginia City to make a good start. Hoss wants to help reform Eddie and help him get over his bitter feelings for the Cartwrights, but it's an uphill battle. Not helping matters – a rancher who wants Eddie to help him steal from the Ponderosa.
#29 - The Dilemma
Bonanza - Season 7 - Episode 2
Ben helps a convict win a parole only to have the man later become the chief suspect in a bank robbery.
#30 - Vengeance Trail
The Virginian - Season 5 - Episode 15
Stacey is forced to kill a man who tries to rob him. He returns the body to the man's sister who asks Stacey to leave rather than see the Sheriff. She is afraid their younger brother who joins the Shiloh cattle drive will try for revenge.
#31 - The Creature
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea - Season 3 - Episode 15
The Seaview is called in to help track an artificially created life form, now loose in the Pacific. The creature, which is growing at a fantastic rate, has its own agenda -- starting with a takeover of the crew.
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#32 - Fallen Woman
Bonanza - Season 13 - Episode 2
An alcoholic woman lashes out at Hoss after his testimony sends her husband to prison. She gets back at him by forcing the big guy to take custody of her young son, Petey. Hoss must decide whether to ask the court to adopt him, or help the mother deal with her alcoholism.
#33 - Pride of a Man
Bonanza - Season 9 - Episode 32
Joe reluctantly takes a job as a substitute teacher and must contend with two older students who have no use for an education.
#34 - The Grand Swing
Bonanza - Season 13 - Episode 1
Jamie deliberately disobeys Ben's order not to drive the supply wagons. During his recklessness, the wagon goes out of control on a sharp curve and is wrecked. Nobody is hurt but a badly injured horse has to be put to sleep. Fearing punishment, Jamie decides to run away, until Ben decides to take him on a tour of the Ponderosa, namely to see how others handle their mistakes in positive and negative ways.
#35 - A Place to Hide
Bonanza - Season 13 - Episode 24
The Cartwrights are once again brought in the middle of the Civil War. This time, the wife of former Civil War Col. Cody Ransom brings her young daughter to the Ponderosa, trying to pick up the pieces of their lives. However, Ben soon learns that Col. Ransom may be trying to search for his family. However, Union Maj. Donahue has been pursing Ransom and his men for many years after the war ended, and has refused to accept anybody's terms of surrender – especially since Donahue considers capturing Ransom a personal matter.
#36 - Nightmare at Fort Killman
The Virginian - Season 5 - Episode 24
Watched by two men, Stacey Grainger buys a train ticket to San Francisco where he is to meet the Virginian. He leaves his bag with the Station Master (Harry Harvey Sr.) but when he returns to the station to catch the train he is waylaid by the men who had been watching him. One of the men, whom it turns out is army Sergeant Tom Beale (Johnny Seven), dresses Stacey in an army uniform, fills him with rotgut and takes him to Fort Killman where he gives the clerk (Wally Strauss) papers saying Stacey is Willard J. Thorne, a new recruit. Beale is surprised to learn, however, that his own army discharge papers have not yet arrived and won't come through for two days. The unconscious Stacey is thrown in the guardhouse where he meets black soldier Billy Martin (Don Mitchell). The top Sergeant, Joe Trapp (James Daly) and commanding officer, Captain MacDowell (Les Crane), return to the fort from a reconnaissance. It is clear the two distrust one another and are not on good terms, with Trapp imply
#37 - The Marriage of Theodora Duffy
Bonanza - Season 14 - Episode 15
A serious game of "let's pretend" begins when Griff and government agent Theodora Duffy pose as husband and wife to capture a gang of war criminals.