Bonanza

This is a great Little Joe episode. He displays all of his defining characteristics. He lets his temper get the better of him when allows his brothers teasing of him to push him to take a job as sheriff in the little town of Rubicon. He wants to take the job even before that, to prove he isn't just a kid and the "little" brother. He is also persuaded to take the dangerous job by the pretty girl in Rubicon, Sylvie Ann, who is really the girl of the bad guy, Abe Brock. Fortunately, he also shows that he is brave and resourceful in his defeating the bad guys.



One of my favorite scenes is one in which Joe has figured out that Brock and Sylvie Ann's father really got him to take the job of sheriff because they thought he was just a kid and he wouldn't be able to stop them from pulling off a murder. Joe figures out a way to stop them, which involes having them continue to think he is a dumb kid. Joe comes into the saloon where he acts like a little boy playing sheriff, all nervous and confused. It is a pretty convincing act!



There is also a great fight scene toward the end. Joe confronts a really big gorilla type named Higgler. In the opening sequence, Higgler picks a fight with Joe over Sylvie Ann and Joe knocks him out, pretty much with one punch. Joe stands over him, after he is laying in the dust, and looks at his left hand, in amazement, since this guy is as big as Hoss. When Joe later confronts Higgler in the livery stable, after he is sheriff of Rubicon, Higgler pounds him, but good! It looks as though Michael Landon did almost all of the stunt work for this fight scene, with the exception of a segment where Little Joe is knocked through a window. It is a great fight!