Bonanza

The Jury - S4-E14

Other mistake: At night, Adam goes to visit a man whose brother has been shot and killed. After the man lights a lantern on the table to Adam's right, Adam's shadow is to his right and not to his left as it should be.

The Dream Riders - S2-E32

Other mistake: An Army friend of Ben's uses Ponderosa land to test his hot-air balloon. There are very few clouds in the sky. A balloon in flight is shown but it is obviously stock footage. The sky is filled with clouds and the film contains several black spots and scratches.

Five Sundowns to Sunup - S7-E12

Other mistake: The Lassiter brothers have kidnapped a judge and a posse is searching for them. One of the men says they should quit for the day because "it's almost sundown." Judging by the shadows of the men, their horses and nearby trees, the time appears to be around 1 PM.

Steven Lee

Return to Honor - S5-E25

Other mistake: Outside the Pine City marshal's office is a painted backdrop depicting some two-story blue-and-white buildings. The same backdrop is seen from the Virginia City saloon. It also appears in another town in the episode "The Legacy."

The Legacy - S5-E11

Other mistake: Adam stops at the Wild Horse Saloon in a nearby town, seeking information about a man who he mistakenly thinks has killed Ben. Outside the saloon is a painted backdrop depicting some two-story buildings. It is the same backdrop seen from the saloon in Virginia City.

A Visit to Upright - S13-E25

Other mistake: Several people, believing a treasure is hidden inside the Trails End saloon, are tearing the wooden building apart. To stop them, Joe pulls out his gun and fires a shot into the ceiling. Even though he held the gun at a 75-degree angle in front of him, the falling dust and plaster land directly on top of his head.

Search in Limbo - S13-E21

Other mistake: The episode opens with Ben Cartwright ascending an outdoor staircase to a land office. The sound of a howling wind can be heard but no dust or leaves are blowing and all the surrounding bushes and trees are motionless.

Little Girl Lost - S10-E8

Other mistake: Calvin Dorcas enters the Ponderosa home and slumps into a chair. Ben asks, "What happened to you?" Calvin explains that he fell into the river while searching for his granddaughter. However, his clothes and his hair are completely dry.

A Bride for Buford - S8-E18

Other mistake: A crowd of men is awaiting the arrival of saloon singer Dolly Bantree. When the stage pulls up, she exits carrying a small bag. Hoss offers to carry her luggage and then is dismayed when the stage pulls away and he sees 20 more bags stacked in the street. The 20 bags were not atop the stage, nor would there have been room for them inside the stage.

The Hostage - S6-E2

Other mistake: A gang kidnaps Ben Cartwright and holds him for ransom. He is chained to a post in an abandoned mine. When the men walk around inside the mine, the sound of their footsteps make it obvious that the floor of the mine is actually plywood covered with a layer of dirt. Additionally, when Ben finishes eating stew that was brought to him and sets the container down, it makes a loud "clunk."

The Roper - S5-E27

Other mistake: Ben and Little Joe do not see the horse belonging to Ben's brother Will, who is staying with the Cartwrights. Joe says, "I'll see if he's in his bedroom." Joe is out of the scene for only five seconds, then returns and says, "He's not there." Five seconds is not nearly enough time to go upstairs, check a bedroom and come back downstairs.

The War Comes to Washoe - S4-E7

Other mistake: In early evening, Hoss and Adam discover the body of a man who had been shot with an arrow and killed. Even though it is still very bright sunlight, Adam lights a match and holds it close to the man's face so he can see who it is, then lights another match so he can read a letter that was in the man's coat pocket.

Sam Hill - S2-E34

Other mistake: A windstorm in the opening scene was obviously created by a wind machine. The branches of the trees in front of the Ponderosa are swaying, but no dust or leaves are blowing on the ground, and the trees in the background are motionless.

A Girl Named George - S9-E16

Revealing mistake: Jack Albertson's character is taking pictures of The Cartwrights and ranch hands. The video camera moves across the front of the prop camera as Albertson pushes and holds the button to take a picture. The shutter on the camera never opens and isn't open until he releases the button. In those days the shutter had to stay open an elongated time to enable the light to infiltrate the negative. People had to stay still during this time.

terry s

More mistakes in Bonanza

Adam Cartwright: Let's go back to the Ponderosa, Pa. This isn't any of our affair.
Ben Cartwright: We can't ignore the rest of the world. We're the only stabilizing influence in the country.

More quotes from Bonanza
More trivia for Bonanza

The Last Haircut - S4-E19

Question: How could one of the three have been in prison during the murder at the barbershop? Did he have a twin?

More questions & answers from Bonanza

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