In my opinion, this is a great episode, intergrating a novel-premise with Russian-history, in an American-setting, i.e., the warmly-familiar Ponderosa. The plot is as stated elsewhere. One reason I like this episode is that it's a little-unusual for a standard-entry of the series. Having a brother & sister of Russian-nobility visiting the Ponderosa on a tour of the U.S. is quite-appealing. Countess Elena, played by an actress unfamiliar to me, Claire Griswold, is very-beautiful. It's a treat for a history-buff like me to hear references to Czarist Russia, St. Petersburg, the Crimean War, Cossack cavalry-charges, and the czar himself, interspersed throughout the story. It's also visually-stunning to see the Russian-visitors, including Vladdy, played persuasively by Lloyd Bochner, all dressed in their finest, most-splendid, formal Russian-attire while at dinner with the Cartwrights. The overall plot is intricate but comprehensible. The acting-prowess of the 3 main "Russian" guest-stars is superb, each convincing & totally-into their respective-roles. The idea that the countess would be travelling with her personal-jewels, worth well-over a quarter-million dollars, could be considered dangerously-unrealistic, never occurred to me but I concede the point. On the other hand, she & her brother, played by Warren Stephens, might've considered this a wise safety-precaution, in case anything happened to them on the long-journey which could result in their suddenly finding themselves in dire, desperate financial-straits. Remember, they had Secret Service protection as well as a cavalry-escort the entire time, including their stay on the Ponderosa. In short, "The Prince" is a solid, colorful episode, combining Russian with American history, featuring high-caliber acting & some truly-suspenseful moments!
2 Reviews
The prince who was a rogue
bkoganbing24 December 2015
Nothing against the regulars or the guest stars who did the best they could with this story. But the writers must have been on hallucinogens to have dreamed up the characters and the plot.
It seems as though way back, the Ponderosa foreman went to Russia and became an adviser to the Romanov court on breeding and maintaining cattle. He in turn got himself a title and begat himself a brother and sister count and countess in Warren Stevens and Claire Griswold.
Now they're grownup and visiting the Ponderosa with cavalry and secret service protection and she's got jewelry said to be worth a quarter of a million dollars. That kind of swag you leave in a vault in St.Petersburg but no Griswold takes it with her to show it off to those plebeian Americans.
Who should show up at the same time but Lloyd Bochner, a Russian prince who was a rogue back in St.Petersburg and hasn't changed his ways. He's got it in mind to steal those jewels. It's a nice reunion but everyone including the Cartwrights is wary.
I won't say any more, but this is as preposterous a plot premise as I ever saw on Bonanza. The idea for this episode came from an actual tour that a Romanov crown prince made of the American west during the Grant administration with Buffalo Bill Cody serving as guide.
Better they had worked that into the story than what we got here.
It seems as though way back, the Ponderosa foreman went to Russia and became an adviser to the Romanov court on breeding and maintaining cattle. He in turn got himself a title and begat himself a brother and sister count and countess in Warren Stevens and Claire Griswold.
Now they're grownup and visiting the Ponderosa with cavalry and secret service protection and she's got jewelry said to be worth a quarter of a million dollars. That kind of swag you leave in a vault in St.Petersburg but no Griswold takes it with her to show it off to those plebeian Americans.
Who should show up at the same time but Lloyd Bochner, a Russian prince who was a rogue back in St.Petersburg and hasn't changed his ways. He's got it in mind to steal those jewels. It's a nice reunion but everyone including the Cartwrights is wary.
I won't say any more, but this is as preposterous a plot premise as I ever saw on Bonanza. The idea for this episode came from an actual tour that a Romanov crown prince made of the American west during the Grant administration with Buffalo Bill Cody serving as guide.
Better they had worked that into the story than what we got here.
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