
Gallagher’s Sons Full Episode – Bonanza, Season #04, Episode #11
Gallagher’s Sons introduces us to Will (Eileen Chesis) and Charlie (Larrain Gillespie), two young girls who have been raised as boys by their patriarchal father, Gallagher. Upon Gallagher’s demise, the sisters find themselves orphaned and left to navigate the world alone. Their unexpected encounter with Hoss Cartwright, a passerby, sets off a chain of events as he takes it upon himself to escort them to their sole surviving relative. Unbeknownst to Hoss, the girls are pursued by a relentless posse determined to reclaim a stolen fortune amassed by their father’s light-fingered exploits.
Joining the ensemble are Robert Strauss, portraying Blake and Craig Curtis as Tully. “Gallagher’s Sons,” penned by Dick Nelson, originally aired on December 9, 1962.
Explore the intricacies of the plot and delve into mesmerizing trivia, or indulge in the entire episode by watching below.
Table of Contents
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Main Cast
The eleventh episode of Bonanza’s fourth season, “Gallagher’s Sons,” showcases several familiar faces from the show’s recurring and supporting cast. Here’s the full lineup of actors featured in this episode:
- Lorne Greene as Ben Cartwright (credit only)
- Pernell Roberts as Adam Cartwright (credit only)
- Dan Blocker as Eric ‘Hoss’ Cartwright
- Michael Landon as Joseph ‘Little Joe’ Cartwright (credit only)
- Robert Strauss as Blake
- Larrian Gillespie as Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Gallagher
- Eileen Chesis as Wilhelmina ‘Will’ Gallagher
- Craig Curtis as Tully
- Chubby Johnson as Sam
- Victor French as Conn
- Ken Mayer as Stage Driver
- William Henry as Lou (as Bill Henry)
- Tom Greenway as Sheriff
- Bill Clark as Relay Station Employee (uncredited)
- Bob LaWandt as Baggage Man (uncredited)
- Robert Robinson as Townsman (uncredited)
Full Story Line for Gallagher’s Sons
Hoss extends a helping hand to Will and Charlie, two young girls who were raised as boys by their deceased father. Oblivious to the fact that they are being pursued by a posse eager to recover a bag of money entrusted to one of the girls by their thieving father as a gift, Hoss escorts them to their sole remaining relative, Aunt Chloe.
Full Script and Dialogue of Gallagher’s Sons
Reckon that's all we can do for him, kids. Like for me to say some words over him? Ain't anything to say. Ought to be some flowers. Might be able to find some if we looked around. Nah. There ain't any. I got a red hair ribbon he brought me once. I think that'd be real nice. Pretty red hair ribbon would be... right nice. I'll... go get it. Know something? I been here most all morning, and I still ain't got you two gals straight in my mind. Now, which one are you... Will or Charlie? Will. Will. Is that short for Willow, or something like that? No, just Will. Kind of a peculiar name for a couple of gals, ain't it? Will and Charlie? What you say your name was? Hoss? That's right. Hoss. You mean like a critter? Yeah, like a critter. I don't think I'd take on about names like Will and Charlie if I had a name like Hoss. You want something? Yeah, I'd sort of like to talk to you for a minute if I could. What about? About you and your little sister. I mean, your being left here alone and all. We'll make out. You want me to thank you for burying Pa? All right, thank you. And now you can ride on out, 'cause we don't need you no more. If I hadn't have chanced to ride in here this morning to get some water for my horse, you'd have been in a peck of trouble. I said thanks, didn't I? Look, Charlie, you can't just stay here alone. Ain't gonna stay here. Where you gonna go? You got kinfolks? We got Aunt Chloe. Yeah? Where does she live? - She lives in... - In Cantil. All right. You come along, and I'll see to it you get to her. You don't have to. We don't want you to. Can't you understand that? We'll get there by ourselves. Well, I'm sorry, but you do. That's the way it's got to be. I ain't about to let the two of you young'uns get out on the desert all by yourself. Now, you get your paraphernalia all collected here and get it ready, and I'm gonna go out and saddle your horse. Charlie, you can't take... You mind your own business, Will Gallagher! And don't you dare say nothing to him or to nobody else. You understand? Yes. Well, it wasn't buried with him. Yeah, I don't think it's around here no place. Don't look that way, do it? That double-crossing snake. He was no good! After all you done for him. Look what he's done to us. What do you mean, "done to us?" He's been taken care of. Just one less share. Now, come on. We wasted enough time around here. Get Lou and Con out of that shack. - Con? Lou? - Yeah. - Blake says get out here. - We're coming. This place ain't fit to raise pigs in. There's nothing here. Uh, Tully, come here. I spent some time out there checking on tracks. I found out plenty, too. Now, somebody rode in here yesterday and buried Gallagher, then rode out again with his kids. And that ain't all he rode out with. I'll bet on that. Yesterday? Then we still got a chance? Con? You knew Gallagher better than the rest of us. Did he have any friends or relatives? Friends? That snake? He most likely hatched from under a rock. Maybe some drifter happened by. No drifter's going to take the chance on slowing himself down with two kids tagging along, once he had his hands on that bundle of ours. Now. Now, come here. Let me show you something. This whole stretch of desert here... is just one big trap. And Gallagher's partner or friend, or whoever he is, is headed right into it. Now, we're here at Gallagher's place. Our man is making tracks in a beeline to Cantil right here. Only two ways out of Cantil. One over the mountains by a stage couch this way. The other, out across the desert this way. Now, if they're going out through the desert, they have to go to a place called Furnace Wells. Right here. It's the only place that has water this time of year. - Now, Lou? - Huh? I want you to ride directly to Furnace Wells. And if they head that way, you'll be sitting there, waiting on 'em. Con, I want you to ride across country right here. They have a relay station. I want you to check out every coach that goes through there. Wh-What about me? Well... you'll ride with me. We'll trail 'em. They got a day's ride on us, but it's a two-day ride to Cantil. With any kind of luck, we got a good chance. They can't be making good time trailing those kids along with them. Now, let's get going. Now, come on. What is it really? I mean, is it something like Willow? I think Willow'd be a pretty name for a little gal. Ah, who'd go naming me after a tree? Yeah. What about, uh... What about Williwaw? You know what a williwaw is? It's a great big wind. Nah, that ain't a real name. Well, I'll tell you what. I'm just mean enough to keep calling you that if you don't tell me what your real one is. Well, it's... Wilhelmina, but don't you use it on me! It's a terrible name! I don't think it's so bad. It's terrible! Charlie's ain't so bad. Her whole name is Charlotte, but... What did you tell him that for?! I ought to whack you good! Now, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Here. Hold on a minute. I tell you what. I'll forget the whole thing. As far as I'm concerned, you're just plain Charlie, and she's just plain Will. You'll never hear me call you by them other names again. Your bed's all made up. Time you was in it. It ain't even dark yet... hardly. Now, you go on now. Yeah, why do you always have to be so bossy? 'Cause Pa said you was to mind me. He... Guessed I shouldn't have said that about Pa. Guess she'd almost forgotten for a while. Charlie... what happened to your pa? I mean, how did he get shot? I don't know. He just came home like that. Hurt. Never told us who done it. He have any, uh... Have any enemies? Anybody that want to see hurt him? Wasn't anybody like that. Pa was always helping folks out. Everybody liked him. I told you to get to bed! I forgot Judge Telford. Judge who? Judge Telford. You want to see him? Good gracious, get that thing out of here, honey! Them things dangerous. He gets cranky, being shut up all day. Strange pet, ain't it, for a little gal? Well, I had a puppy once, but it ran off. Charlie said mostly likely coyotes ate it. Anyways, Judge Telford ain't gonna run off. Even if he did, I bet nobody'd eat him. Yeah, it ain't too likely. Go to bed. Yeah. Good night, Hoss. Good night, sweetie. Must be a pretty lonely life for a little young'un to have turned to a scorpion for a friend. It's always lonesome on a ranch. Didn't you say you grew up on one? Yeah, but I had my pa and brothers. You got brothers? How many? Two. Gee, bet it's great, having brothers. We was gonna have some, only Ma died when Will was born. Pa was gonna raise a whole family of boys like the one he come from. You know, he had five brothers! Is that a fact? Yeah. They was famous in Boston where they all grew up. Pa used to say, all you'd have to do was go down to Scollay Square and tell 'em you're a Gallagher, and they'd just about give you the whole town! Charlie, your Aunt Chloe... is she your pa's sister or your ma's? Pa's. His only sister. Like I said, the Gallaghers go in mostly for boys. Ain't you asleep yet? It's lonesome over here. Ain't you ever comin' to bed? Now, listen here... you lie down and go to sleep! - Charlie? - What? What's the matter? Him. He's real nice, Charlie. All right, he's nice. Now, go to sleep! She all right? Yeah. She ain't usually such a blame nuisance. Bet you'll be glad to get shut of us tomorrow. Guess we're both kind of a nuisance. I'll tell you, Charlie, when I first run on to you out there and realized I was gonna have to take you to your Aunt Chloe, I must say, I was feeling pretty put out. Sure, I don't blame you. But let me tell you something. It ain't been that bad a chore. As a matter of fact I've kind of enjoyed it. I'm glad we run into each other. I really am. Yeah? Well, good night. Good night, sweetie. ♪♪ Well, that storekeeper ain't never heard of your Aunt Chloe. You sure this is where she lives? Well, I guess so. How long has it been since you visited her? I don't know, a long time ago. What happened to Charlie? Where's she? Well, I guess she's looking for Aunt Chloe, too. All right, just come along peaceable now, and won't nobody get hurt. What are you talking about, Sheriff? Where? Come where? You should've been smart and stayed clear of my town, mister. We don't cotton to kidnappers around here. Aw, Sheriff, I ain't... All right, now, come on. - Sheriff, this... I... - Let's go. What'd you do, Charlie? That Sheriff! Aw, shut up. We'll send a letter. They'll turn him loose. He's an awful nice fella. I wish he could come to Boston with us. Ain't nobody gonna get to Boston unless we get on that stage! Now, come on! ♪♪ Hyah! Whoa! Hey! Hey, you're late. Late? Well, today is Tuesday, ain't it? - Yeah. - Well, according to my timepiece I'm just about an hour shy of being a week early. Say, ain't you gir... Oh. I'm sorry. I just wanted to tell you we'll be here about ten minutes while we change horses. Long way to the top of that summit... That's where we're gonna stay the night. Oh. We don't ride all night? Oh, no, not over them mountains. They're tricky even in daylight. No, we're gonna sleep up there at Walker's Pass. There's a nice little roadhouse up there. Say, can I get you something? Drink of water maybe? No. Well, I better go tend those horses. ♪♪ What happened? You girls... Hyah! Hey! Hey! Come back here! Who was he, Charlie? What did he do that for?! Shut up! Don't say nothin'. That man hurt you at all, kids? Ought to get the sheriff back in town. No. No, you don't have to do that. I... we know him. You know him? He's my... our uncle. Mister, could you rent us a horse? We got to go back to town. - Go back?! - Can you, mister? We'll leave it at the depot in town. Honest, we will. Uh, you in some kind of trouble, miss? We got to go back. We was running away from home. Didn't figure they'd worry so much about us. Oh, now, that's all right. We'll take care of you. Well, I guess she knows what she's doing. - Better get her a horse. - All right. Don't you kids worry about a thing; we'll take care of you. I thought we was going to Boston. Ain't you got any sense? That fella's gone back for the others, the bunch that was after Pa. But I thought he headed back for town. What are we going back there for? 'Cause now they'll all come after the stage thinking we're on it, only we'll be headed the other way. Now, come on. We got to hurry! Wait a minute. Let me put Judge Telford in. Now, you know, it wasn't my fault them Virginia City folk took all day to answer that telegram. Must've been a whale of a story that little gal told on me. That's all I can say. Well, it wasn't just the story. There have been a lot of funny things going on around here. - Like what? - That, uh, big express robbery up about 50 miles north of here happened last week. I got instructions to pick up any suspicious-looking strangers and hold 'em... Now, that's all I was doing. Yeah? Sheriff, where's my horse? Well, they're both of them down at the livery stable. But it's kind of late to start travelling. You're welcome to stay here if you'd like. No, thanks. Doggone, I'd like to know why they done it. You know, I was getting to thinking those two little tykes was kind of taking a liking to me. See you, Sheriff. - Hoss! Hoss! - Hey! Get down off of me! - What are you doing! - Aren't you glad to see us? Glad to see you! I don't know why I should be! I ought to take both of you out and give you a good spanking, that's what I ought to do. How come you had to tell that sheriff all them lies on me? How come! Well, what are you gonna do with us now? Tell you what I'm gonna do, I'm gonna... I'm gonna take you to your Aunt Chloe and get rid of you. We'll be shed of one another once and for all. Now, for the last time, where's she at? She's at... Joburg. Joburg?! But Joburg's 30 miles across a desert! All right, if that's what it's gonna take, then that's what it's gonna be. I'm gonna take you to her. - Uh... - Yeah? Well, as long as we got to cross the desert, it gets kind of hot out there during the day, you know. Yeah. Well, why don't we leave right now while it's cool and all. After all, you've been resting all day. Yep, that's all I been doing, resting. All right. Tell it one time more, mister, just in case you left something out. They got off the stage at the relay station. They borrowed a horse. They said they run away from home, and they were going back, and they did. And, mister, that's all I know. And there wasn't anybody else with them, you're sure of that? Yes, sir, I-I'm sure. All the way back to town. We must've rode right past 'em coming out here. The man that was with them... pretty shrewd. Must've planned it that way. Gave the kids instructions to double back. One chance at 'em, all I'd like is one chance. You'll get it. There's only one place they can get water. One place. Furnace Wells. ♪♪ Can't we go any faster? Look, Charlie, you want to kill these horses? What's your big hurry anyhow? Well, it's so hot, I figured we could rest the horses when we get to Furnace Wells. Look, your little sister's half sick now from being so tired. I got some blankets over there, and we'll make a lean-to to get in out of the sun for a while. You're gonna stop here? ♪♪ ♪♪ Charlie, you, uh, you looking for somebody? What makes you say that? Well, uh... you wanting to get out of town last night in the middle of the night and hurrying all day today. I just thought... I just don't like wasting time. Pa always said, when you make up your mind to do something, you best get it done. Why don't you ease off a little bit? I mean, it ain't like you got to wear the pants in the family now. You, you got your Aunt Chloe. I mean, you're just a little gal. It'd be different if... If I was a boy? Whole lots of things would be different if I was a boy. I could have helped Pa make a ranch out of that brush patch back there. Wouldn't have been such a burden to him. He wanted a family of boys so bad, it liked to kill him. Yeah, I guess it did kill him 'cause if he hadn't been so worried about Will and me, about us growing up and not having nothing, he wouldn't have gone and... Gone and what? Nothing. You trying to tell me you-your pa got hisself killed trying to provide for you and Will? No. How'd he get shot, Charlie? I don't know. I told you before, I don't know. Now, leave me alone! Somebody coming. You see the haze on the horizon over there? Looks like they're still about a half day away, but they're coming pretty hard and fast, according to all the smoke they're throwing up. Reckon who they are? I don't know. I imagine we'd better be getting on into Furnace Wells. Yeah... please. ♪♪ Judge Telford... I almost forgot. He's gone. He got out. It never come open before. He's gone, Will. Now let's get out of here. But it's the middle of the desert. Sure, it's in the middle of the desert. Scorpions just love the desert. He'll probably find another scorpion and raise a whole family. Now, will you quit blubbering over a dumb fool varmint and get on the horse? Will, I, I'm afraid he's gone, honey. Leastways he can get inside, out of the sun if he comes back. Come on. Hey, I'll tell you what. How would you like to ride with me for a while, okay? Here, ride up on old Chub. That's the way. Hyah. ♪♪ Lots of tracks. They must have made camp here. Let's rest the horses a while. Mine's finished. You're last. Come on. Let's go. What are you doing? I said let's get going! Hold still. Let me take a look. Big old granddaddy scorpion... What's left of him. Scorpion? Folks die from scorpion bites, don't they? It's nothing but a sting. A sting... m-my hand's all afire. I got to get me a doctor. Come on. I'll take care of it. No, no. No, I-I'm going back. Get me a real doctor. All the way back to town? Look, you stupid... I'm going. Don't you try to stop me. Let him go. Go on, you stupid fool. Go back to town. Now, git! But, Blake, you... Hold it. You won't need this where you're going. Now, git. Go on, git. Scorpion, huh? That dirty... Wait till I catch up with him. Let's go. Howdy, sure glad to see you. You're just in time for supper. Want me to help you with the little one? Yeah, if you want. - Yeah. - There you go. Hey, we're a little more interested in water than we are food. These old horses ain't had much to drink. We run out of water about an hour ago. Everybody does. Well, well's right over there. Water is a dollar a bucket, so don't spill none. A dollar a bucket? Well, sure, that's the only well in the whole durn desert. Dug it all myself, all hundred foot of it. Man's got to get something for his labor. All right. Charlie, take Will on in the house. Hey, you kids come on with me, I got a real fine supper cooking for you. I'd just about gived up on you. I thought you took the other road. You be real careful with that thing. You got the wrong man, mister. Sure, sure, take it easy. All I want from you is no trouble and $34,000. Thirty-f... you're crazy. I said no trouble. Now, where's it at? I don't know what you're talking about. Now, look here, mister... He got a little too close to the horses and got hisself tromped, I reckon. He sure did. You know him? Yes, sir, he came in last night. Said he was waiting for friends. He wouldn't be a friend of yours, would he, Charlie? No. Look, Will, you go on with the man and put the horses up. Charlie and I got some talking to do. It's ours. Give it to me! You ain't been ten feet away from this since we left your place. I ought to known it was no just ordinary laundry bag. Yep. Just about $34,000, like the man said. It's ours, Hoss, mine and Will's. Is it? That sheriff back in Cantil told me about a big express robbery. Happened right here close just about the same time your pa got a bullet put through him. That is the money from that robbery, ain't it? I don't care. Pa gave it to us. He gave it to me and told me to keep it, to go to Boston with it. You can't do that, Charlie. Your pa, those other men... they stole that money. Well, like Pa used to say, sometimes you got to steal. Some folks... that's the only way they can get anything. They can work all their lives and still have nothing. That's why I'm keeping it. Charlie, you can't. Your pa was wrong. You can't keep it 'cause it ain't yours. It is! We paid for it, didn't we?! We lost our pa for it! I ain't gonna let him be dead for nothing. He was too good of a man to die for nothing. Come on, Charlie, come on. You get you something to eat. Get you some rest, too. We can't stay here, not with those men coming after us. Now, you look here, I ain't forgot about them. Don't you worry about 'em. There's a good husky bar on that door, and if there's gonna be any trouble, this is the place to have it... Right here. Look, Charlie... I'd like to be a friend to you and Will, give some help to you. More than just somebody you're using for a while. Well, howdy, right glad to see you. Out kind of early, ain't you? Did you see anything of a man riding through here with two kids? Oh, yes, sir, th-they was here. Right lively bunch they was, too. Tully, check the house. You know, them two youngsters snuck out in the middle of the night. Then this other one... Well, he, he woke up and smoked right after 'em. He was real upset. Well, then I got up and I walked around, too. And you know what? Somebody had gone and broke into my storehouse. Do you know what they took? Two 50-pound sacks of salt. Now, that had me real stumped. What did they want with all that salt? Well, I wondered about it and wondered about it right up until I made my morning's coffee, and then I found out. You know what? They dumped it right into that well... A whole 100 pounds of salt. Ain't that a corker? Only water in the whole desert. Well, I got to move into town now. Yeah, it'd take a whole month to get that there salt out of that there well. Couldn't pump that brine out no more. Shut up, you dirty old fool. - Well, I... I got to go and... - Tully?! Tully, get out of there! Lou's inside. He's all busted up. Get on your horse. Well, let's get some water. There's no more water. He salted the well. He what?! If I have to crawl on my hands and knees through all hellfire, I'll get him. Giddyup. Whoa! Whoa! I didn't want to run away. She made me. Aw, shut up! What am I gonna have to do, hogtie you two gals? Why don't you just let us be?! I told Charlie we ought to not leave you alone when the bad men came. Did they come after we run away? Not by the time I'd left, they hadn't. Who are they anyhow? I don't know. Well, guess we don't have to worry about 'em no more then 'cause Charlie fixed it so's they couldn't follow no farther. Will, I'm gonna whack you if you don't shut up! Wait a minute. Wait a minute. What do you mean, you fixed it? - She... - Nothing. We gonna sit here in the sun all day? We're going to stay right here till I find out what you did. She put salt in the well. Boy. Boy, oh, boy. You're just full of tricks, ain't you? Well, I'll tell you one thing for sure, young lady. This money's going back to the folks it belongs to. If nothing else happens, that's gonna happen, I promise. Look! All right, you two kids smoke it on out of here. I'll stay here and talk to 'em. Well, go on! Get out! Do you hear me? Get out of here! Please, please, come, Hoss. All right. We'll give 'em a run for their money. Come on, let's go. Get! Get up! Hyah! ♪♪ Hyah. Hyah. Hyah. Get! Get! Hoss! Will, get up here! Hoss, please get up. Get up here now! No. We got to help him. Will, you go on and do what she says, you hear? Will, get up here now! Go on, Will. Do you hear her? Now, you do what she says. Get out of here. Go on! You got to! Oh, Hoss. Come on! What's the matter, mister? You all out of tricks? Ha. You can't see me, huh? Well, I want you watching. I want you watching me. I want you to see the slugs coming at you. I've been a long time waiting. Mister? Hey, you dang fool kids, get out of here! Come here! He didn't know nothing about anything. It was me who did 'em. Well, you got to be plumb crazy, trying to make me believe it was them two that done it. There. What my pa took from you. Why, you're nothing but a kid. A kid run me ragged, made a fool out of me. You're nothing but a miserable kid! Gallagher's kid, mister. Guess that makes the difference. Gallagher's kid, huh? I suppose you're real proud. Proud of a no-good horse thief? And it was me. Me gave him the only chance in his whole misbegotten life. And he crossed me. Now I'm gonna give you what I gave him. What are you do...? Charlie, no! Don't, Charlie! Charlie, you can't do that. Can't I? Put the gun away, Charlie. No. He killed my pa! Wait. Wait a minute. I didn't know your pa. Some of the things he taught you and Will I ain't in agreement with, but I know one thing for sure. He loved you, and he loved you a lot. And he was proud of you. He was proud of you for being Gallaghers. You can still go back to Boston, Scollay Square, and meet all them other Gallaghers. But you'll never be able to face 'em as long as you live if you pull that trigger. Or maybe you don't care. Maybe you just don't care what them Gallaghers will think of you. Whoa. Hey, I hear you got some precious cargo going East. Doggone right, and I'm gonna hold every stage driver from here to Boston personally responsible for 'em. Oh, now, you don't worry about that, Hoss. All the drivers along the line have been alerted. Them? What a difference. Say, now, you ladies ain't gonna run off on me again, are you? No. All right, now, get aboard. Oh, my, I don't believe I ever saw two prettier little girls in my whole life. Dresses. Ain't they awful? Hey, listen, while you was in there getting dolled up for the trip, the sheriff told me that you're likely to pick up a real nice piece of change for catching all them outlaws. You got the whole bunch? Well, you did kind of leave 'em scattered from here to breakfast, but, uh, we got 'em all. I'll tell you something else. Judging from the sound of that message I got from Boston, all your kinfolks are gonna be there waiting for you, including your Aunt Chloe. Aunt Chloe?! That's right. As a matter of fact, she's the one that wired me. Beats me how anybody in Joburg could send a telegram from Boston. But then, of course, she is a Gallagher, ain't she? Oh, let's get aboard. If I wrote you a letter, would you write one back? Why, sure I will, Will. Oh, Hoss? Oh, get out of here. Go on. Giddyup! Bye, gals. Bye, Hoss! Bye! Bye, Hoss! Bye! Bye, gals! I got a notion that old Boston town is in for some excitement like... like it ain't seen since that Tea Party.
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Bonanza provides family-friendly entertainment for solo viewing and gatherings with loved ones. Gallagher’s Sons marks the 111th episode out of 430 in the series. Produced by NBC, Bonanza aired on the network from September 1959 to January 1973, spanning 14 seasons.
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