Bonanza (TV Series) The Long Night (1962) User Reviews

All kinds of mistaken identity

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 1 April 2019]

At the same time that Adam Cartwright is taking a $10,000.00 endorsed bank draft to Virginia City, a posse is raised by Sheriff Frank Ferguson is raised to go after a pair of escaped convicts from the state prison one of whom is James Coburn, one mean and deadly dude.

I won't go into the plot details but Coburn has the posse thinking he's a prison guard and Pernell Roberts is a prisoner he's caught. Coburn plays the posse like piccolos with the exception of Frank Ferguson and Whit Bissell. Most especially he's got young punk deputy Jack Chaplain thinking that lynching is just the thing to do.

Coburn is a study in mesmerizing evil in this Bonanza story.

Brilliant, Gripping, and Good Ending

[samwa-27311 · 10/10 · 3 April 2019]

It is important to understand a show fully, before becoming a wanabee reviewer.

Definitely an Adam Episode, this episode shines as one of the best.

Various twists, make it more interesting, and it moves along well.

Dramatic, exciting, with a good ending.

Predictable show with predictable results

[kfo9494 · 4/10 · 6 June 2012]

Pernell Roberts is given his own show as we see Ben send Adam out to deposit a large bank draft for the purchase of cattle. As soon as he sets off we get a rider screaming into town to tell the sheriff that there has been a break-out at the prisoner and two convicts are on the loose. From the first few minutes of the show the plot has been presented as we follow Adam on his encounter with convicts.

In a near-by town the sheriff gets a posse together. Most are common townsfolk but one is a young buck who has a desire to get a notch in his gun by shooting someone. He gets a badge and they all set off to find the convicts.

While Adam is riding, he gets stopped by a prison guard. However, he is no prison guard but happens to be one of the convicts. He makes Adam remove his clothes and wear the prison garb. So Adam is left walking in prison clothing in an area that is being patrolled by the local posse.

As you may think, the show continues until the posse catches up with Adam. They also meet up with convict, still in prison guard clothing, and team up with him. With help from the rouge guard some of the men want to hang Adam at the nearest tree. When the sheriff protest the young buck teams up with the fake prison guard to by-pass the sheriff and get his first kill.

The plot for this episode is one used many times in westerns. In fact it will be used a number of time in other Bonanza shows throughout the run. And the show is predictable from the beginning.

Pernell Roberts gives his usual nonchalant performance as he has no emotion even when a rope is presented for his hanging. He appeared, just as us viewers also do, that we all know the ending so lets just get it over. The only interesting event is to see how some posse members turns from town folks to blood-thirsty animals. A predictable show with predictable results.