Bonanza (TV Series) Springtime (1961) User Reviews

An enjoyable classic episode from the long running series.

[kfo9494 · 9/10 · 7 March 2014]

It's springtime on the Ponderosa and the Cartwight boys are itching to let loose. It just so happens that a friend of Ben's, Jedediah Milbanks (John Carradine) a banker from California, has some business in the area and is coming by the ranch for a visit. Upon his arrival Milbanks is injured when the Cartwright boys get into a mud fight in a small pond. Needless to say Ben is not happy with his sons when he finds out that Milbanks has an injured leg. But we learn that the injury is really not bad but Milbanks has a plan where he will not have to handle his business and will let the Cartwright boys do his dirty work.

It just so happens Milbanks has three chores. One is given to each to complete since they were the one that caused the injury. Joe is to go remove a squatter from some property Milbanks owns. Hoss is to buy a piece of property from a young couple. And Adam is to evict a family from a house when the family falls on hard times and cannot pay the mortgage. But when the Cartwright boys see the situation that they have been assigned it will not work out like exactly as wanted by Milbanks.

This is one of those Bonanza episodes that made the series so enduring. Each situation is played out just like we would expect a Cartwright to handle. And each story is interesting in itself. John Carradine is excellent as the tight-wad banker and gives one of his better performances. This episode provides all the good things we think when we remember the series.

John Carradine makes the first of his two appearances

[kevinolzak · 7/10 · 30 August 2011]

A third season episode, "Springtime" guest stars the legendary John Carradine as conniving San Francisco banker Jedediah Milbank, an old friend of Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene), who takes advantage of the Ponderosa's hospitality after he gets knocked off his feet by Ben's three sons during a tussle in the mud. Joe (Michael Landon) is assigned to drive off a harmless squatter (John Qualen) looking over the property Milbank intends to sell to the railroad; Hoss (Dan Blocker) is asked to buy a small ranch from a young couple to use as a feeding station for his cattle; Adam (Pernell Roberts) is required to evict a family overdue on their ranch payment. In each case, nothing goes as Milbank would have liked, and the exhausted Cartwrights are quite happy to see the old miser leave. Denver Pyle plays the proud father of the family Adam helps, and 73 year old Selmer Jackson, nearing retirement two years later, pops up as a doctor. John Carradine and John Qualen both enjoyed memorable roles in a pair of John Ford classics, 1940's "The Grapes of Wrath" and 1962's "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance." Playing a different character, Carradine would return to BONANZA 8 years later in "Dead Wrong," written and directed by Michael Landon.

The man who came to the Ponderosa

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 18 February 2017]

I'm surprised that previous viewers did not recognize the plot premise of The Man Who Came To Dinner for this Bonanza episode. True that there was not the constant name dropping of prominent 30s celebrities. But John Carradine who hurts his foot caught up springtime fever horse play the Cartwright sons are engaged in just stays on and gets the boys and even Lorne Greene to do some disagreeable tasks.

Carradine is a miserly old banker and he assigns Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon all jobs about his properties. Best of the small stories involves Little Joe trying to evict squatter John Qualen. Michael Landon is not cut out to be a process server.

In the meantime Carradine lives the Life Of Riley at the Ponderosa with Lorne Greene getting fed up catering to him and his aphorism quoting laziness.

Very funny story with John Carradine hamming it up to beat the band.