
Logan’s Treasure Full Episode – Bonanza, Season #06, Episode #05
After Sam Logan (portrayed by Dan Duryea) is incarcerated, he claims ignorance about the whereabouts of $100,000 in stolen gold hidden by his partner Jack Crawford. Upon his release after 20 years, Sam finds himself pursued by various dubious and money-hungry individuals, including the relentless bounty hunter Reed (played by John Kellogg) and Crawford’s son Mike (portrayed by Tim McIntire). Ben Cartwright, whose testimony led to Sam’s imprisonment, also becomes entangled in the hunt for the missing gold. Virginia Gregg takes on the role of Angie. On October 18, 1964, Premiering Logan’s Treasure was penned by Ken Pettus and Robert Sabaroff.
Explore its intricate plot and intriguing trivia, or enjoy the complete episode below.
Table of Contents
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Main Cast
In the fifth episode of Bonanza’s sixth season, “Logan’s Treasure,” several recurring and supporting cast members appear. The ensemble for this episode comprises:
- Lorne Greene as Ben Cartwright
- Pernell Roberts as Adam Cartwright (credit only)
- Dan Blocker as Eric ‘Hoss’ Cartwright
- Michael Landon as Joseph ‘Little Joe’ Cartwright (credit only)
- Dan Duryea as Sam Logan
- John Kellogg as Frank Reed
- Virginia Gregg as Angie Malone
- Tim McIntire as Mike Crawford
- Ray Teal as Sheriff Roy Coffee
- Russ Bender as George
- Jack Carol as Hotel Clerk
- Martha Manor as Martha – Stage Passenger (uncredited)
- Billy McCoy as Shotgun Rider (uncredited)
- Sammy Shack as Barfly (uncredited)
- Sailor Vincent as Barfly (uncredited)
Full Story Line for Logan’s Treasure
Following a two-decade incarceration, Sam Logan is welcomed to stay at the Ponderosa by Ben, who trusts his assertion of ignorance regarding the bank’s missing gold.
As three individuals pursue the money, Sam decides whether to follow them or his steadfast friend Ben Cartwright loyally.
Full Script and Dialogue of Logan’s Treasure
You know, Pa, it ain't, ah, too late yet. I could still go over and get him a hotel room. We've already discussed that. We're taking him home. You got any idea what kind of man he's gonna be, Pa? Hmm, twenty years is a long time. Man changes. Howdy, Ben, Hoss. Morning, Roy. You meeting the Carson stage? - Yup. - Sam Logan's gonna be on it. Yeah, I know. I thought you did. I had a telegram from the warden over at Carson saying that he was not only heading this way but he'd be staying with you. That's right. He wrote me, asking me if he could. But why you, Ben? I've kept in touch with him over the years. - But you shouldn't... - Now, look. After 20 years, Logan is gonna have a whole new life to get used to. I may be able to help him. He's gonna need some help. Roy, he's all paid up. All paid up. I know that, Ben, and I'm not planning on bothering him any. Well, then what's your concern? You know why I'm concerned. Hundred thousand dollars in gold dust, eh? No, the fact that the hundred thousand dollars in gold dust is still missing. - Well, Logan says that he does... - I don't care what Logan says! I don't care what Logan says. You don't believe him? Well, let's just say that after all these years I never have really decided one way or another. But I know this for sure. There's lots of people that don't believe Logan and some of them are coming by and asking him where that gold dust is at. And that's the load of trouble you're taking home with you. And I mean a load of big trouble. - Martha, have a nice trip? - Fine, Mr. Cartwright Hello, Sam. Hello, Ben. I guess we got old, huh? Well, older anyway, heh. Uh, ahem. - Sam, this is my son, Hoss. - Howdy. Glad to know you. Other two boys, Adam and Little Joe, they're in San Francisco. They'll be back next weekend. I'll put your bag over in the wagon. Well, shall we go? I'll wait around here for the mail and move on later, Pa. Very good, Hoss. - All right? - Yeah. Hyah. You know what's mighty hard to believe? - What's that, Roy? - That that old man was Sam Logan. Uh, you, uh... You still think he means trouble? Hoss, so as long as there's folks that believe that Logan's got that Wells Fargo gold buried somewhere and that he's gonna dig it up now that he's out of prison, there's gonna be trouble for sure. Well, uh, I reckon if it comes up, we can handle it, Roy. If it comes up? Hoss, it's already here. Look yonder. I guess I still ain't used to how big the world really is. Don't let it scare you. It don't. Never did. Was that the place? BEN: Whoa. Yep, that was the place. Seems different somehow. Maybe that's because the tree is gone. The tree where they hanged Crawford? What happened? I cut it down. You still blame yourself for what happened, don't you? I was the one leading the posse that night. Wasn't your fault it turned into a hanging bee. If it hadn't been for you, I'd have been swinging right up there with Crawford. I guess you were the only one who believed me when I swore I didn't know where Crawford buried that dust. Do you still believe me? If I didn't, you wouldn't be here right now. - Ben. - Yup? Anybody named, uh, Frank Reed been around? Frank Reed? No. He will be. Yeah! - Anything from Adam or Little Joe? - Not a thing, Pa. - Where's Logan? - He's upstairs, getting settled. Tsk, Pa, you know what, you left town as we were talking to Roy Coffee. Seems a fellow rode into town. He knows Logan is out of prison. He knows he's staying here with us. He's looking for him. - His name is... - Frank Reed. How did you know that? Sam told me about him on the way up. I'm going into town to see him right now. Who is he, Pa? He's a bounty hunter. Mr. Frank Reed, bounty hunter. He used to work for the Fargo company. He was in charge of trying to find that gold after Sam and Jack Crawford stole it. He couldn't find it. And when he couldn't find it, the company fired him. And ever since then he's been hounding Sam for 20 years. Hounding him right in prison. How could he do that? He got the guards to work on Sam. Yeah. Tried to get the guards to force Sam to tell them where the gold was. There's a $10,000 reward out for the recovery of the gold. And he promised to split that reward money with the guards. So you can bet the guards worked on him. We got here Sam covered. Sometimes Sam would have to go for days without food, without water, without sleep. Well... Wait a minute, Pa. What are you gonna do? I'm going to tell Mr. Frank Reed that he's through hounding Sam Logan. Mr. Logan has paid his debt to society. Wait a minute, Pa. [SIGHS] You sure you're helping the right man? What? I mean, it was Jack Crawford that got lynched, Pa. You sure you're not going way out of your way to help Logan just to make up for that? [DOOR SLAMS] You're Frank Reed. And you're Ben Cartwright. I've been looking for you. I thought you would be. Maybe not quite so soon, but I figured Sam would send you to see me sooner or later. - No, Sam didn't send me. - He sent you. He told you about me and here you are. Just like he knew you would be. Logan doesn't have that gold, Reed. How does the story go? "Me and Crawford got separated for a while the night we was caught. Crawford was carrying the gold. He buried it somewhere. I don't know where. The posse strung him up before he had a chance to tell me." And what's wrong with that story? One thing. It's a lie. How can you be that sure? I've staked 20 years of my life on it, Cartwright. Why? Why? Why 20 years? Driving yourself? Tormenting Sam? Never letting up? Couldn't be just for the reward. Not even for all that gold. Something personal between you and Sam? When I get that dust, Sam will be just another old man to me. Then why? There's a fat, pig-eyed little man in San Francisco. He's the manager of Wells Fargo. He took my scalp when Logan and Crawford got away with that gold. And someday, Cartwright, someday, I'm gonna walk into that little man's office with those bags of dust and I'm gonna drop them on his desk and I'm gonna get that reward. And then... Then I'm going to spit in his face. That's why, Cartwright. It'll never happen. It'll happen. No, it won't. Now, you get this through your head. There's no gold. It's vanished. It's lost. It'll never be found again. And get this through your head. Sam Logan is not an old man alone in a cage anymore. And if you cause him any trouble, I'll be back. - Stay away from Sam Logan. - Now it's my turn, Cartwright. Why? You got no stake in this. Or maybe you have. I've been thinking it was Logan using you. It just occurred to me it could be the other way around. Now, what is that supposed to mean? Why should you play Good Samaritan unless you want something from Logan? Like that gold? Richer men than you have been tempted by a lot less. I'll tell you what I want. Peace for Sam Logan. He's paid his debt in full. Leave him alone. Like you left Crawford swinging from a tree? Don't do it, mister. It was a mistake. Stay away from Sam Logan. He's got something I want. Someday, somewhere, I'm gonna get it. And when that time comes, and you get in my way, I'll kill you. A boy is bringing my bag over from the stage depot. Oh, fine. Here's your key, Mrs. Malone. Miss Malone. Please send my bag up when it arrives. All right, miss. Do you know a ranch around here called the Ponderosa? Oh, sure thing. Cartwright place. - Everybody knows it. - Good. Then the, uh, livery stable should be able to tell me how to get there. Oh, it sure can. See you, miss. [DOOR CLOSES] You wanna ride up there? Yeah. Do you know if your pa ever got in touch with Crawford's wife? I think Pa wrote her. I don't think she ever wrote back. I wonder what ever happened to her? She had a baby just a few months before... She hated me. Kept telling Jack how I'd get him into bad trouble someday. And that night, I remember looking up at him and thinking how she was right. How Jack should've listened to her. Well, we better get going, boy. SAM: Tsk, tsk. [CARRIAGE APPROACHING] [HORSE NEIGHS] [RAPPING ON DOOR] Oh. Ma'am. Are you Ben Cartwright? Yes, ma'am. Something I can do for you? I want to talk to Sam Logan. Well, Mr. Logan isn't in right now. I can wait. Oh, you must do all right. Places like this don't grow on trees. Like Sam always used to say, the next best thing to having money was to have friends who have money. You must be Miss Malone. How did you know? Oh. Tsk. Sam must have talked about me, huh? Oh, yes, he, uh, mentioned you. Yeah, well, then you know that Sam and me was friends. Very best friends. No, I don't know. As a matter of fact, he put it rather differently. Oh, he did, did he? I don't quite recall the exact words but I think he said something like: "With Frank Reed in town, Angie Malone can't be far behind." I think his exact words were: "One vulture always attracts another." You're lying. Sam wouldn't say a thing like that about me. Really? Why don't you...? Why don't you ask him? Sam! Sam, heh. Oh, Sam, heh. Excuse me. - The first thing I thought when I... - I know what you thought, Angie. I always knew what you thought. Because the only thing you ever thought about was money. No. Oh, no, Sam, you're wrong. I know you don't have the gold. How do you know? Well, I don't. Not really, I mean. But if you say you don't... - That's what I say, Angie. - I believe you, Sam. - Didn't I always believe you? - I don't remember. Sam, it's the gospel. Now, you ask Frank Reed. What about Frank Reed? He says he's back in town. What have you got to do with him? Oh, you didn't think he was gonna leave me alone, did you? He's been coming around for years. Questioning me and watching me, thinking maybe I knew something. But I told him if you said you didn't know where that gold was, then that was that. You didn't know. You can ask him if I didn't say that. The last time he came around, I wouldn't even talk to him. That's because you had nothing to talk about. Don't you walk away from me. I came here to talk to you and I'm going to talk to you. All right, Angie. What's on your mind? I've got something, Sam. I've got a letter. - A letter? - A letter. It could send you back to prison. Or maybe even get you hung. [CHUCKLES] I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that I'm bluffing. Would you like for me to go back to town and get that letter and show it to you? - No! Sam! Unh. - I'll tell you what you're gonna do. You're gonna go back and get on that stage and go back to wherever you came from. - No, let me go. - From whatever slimy, smelly hole you crawled out of this time, because I got nothing for you. - You hear? - Aah. Nothing! [SIGHS] [DOOR CLOSES] [KNOCK ON DOOR] Come in. I got your message. Close the door. Once you told me that I could have all the reward money if I could get Sam to tell me where he buried the gold. Well? Well, I've got something here that'll make him talk. He says it won't, but it will. - I know it will. - What do you got? May you remember a long time ago, about 22 years, a federal marshal was bushwhacked in Prescott. A man named Ferguson. He was looking for Sam. Everybody was sure Sam killed him. Well, the trouble was that nobody could prove that he was anywhere near Prescott at the time. So? I've got a letter. A letter that Sam wrote to me from Prescott the night before Ferguson was killed. - Has the letter got a date on it? - Yes. Did Sam kill Ferguson? Now, what difference does it make? I just wondered. You know, when the chips are down, when it's either tell where the gold is or risk going to the gallows, he'll talk. - I wonder. - He'll talk. Well, suppose I ride out to the Cartwright place in the morning and put it to him? Well, suppose I ride out with you just to make sure you remember who gets the reward money? [CHUCKLES] [DOOR OPENS THEN CLOSES] Hey, there! Hey! What do you want, buddy? What's going on, Hoss? Found this kid here snooping around. What are you doing here? What do you want? What do you think he wants? Who are you, boy? What's your name? My name's Crawford. - Crawford? - Mike Crawford. - Are you telling us that you're...? - Jack Crawford's son. That's what I'm telling you. You following me? Sure, I'm following you. Sure, I'm waiting for you to go after that gold because half of that was supposed to be my pa's. And now that half is mine. What if there ain't any half, boy, for you or for me? - You think I believe that? - Well, I hope you do, boy. For your own sake, I hope you do. Let's get in the house. You sleep the night here and then tomorrow morning we can talk some more. What more we got to talk about? Well, you know, like your father maybe. I never knew him. Well, your mother must have told you something about him. MIKE: Mm-hm. She hated him. - What, she teach you to hate him too? - Oh, she didn't have to teach me. I kind of came by it naturally when I watched her work herself to death after he got himself lynched. Well, you still want to get his share of the gold, don't you? Why not? I'm not a superstitious man, but offhand I'd say that that gold was cursed. Cursed? Yeah, it killed your father. And killed your mother in a way. It robbed Sam Logan of 20 years of his life. The thought of finding it made a slave out of another man named Reed. It turned a pretty, young girl into a greedy, old woman. And now it's got you. You're following the same blind trail. Good night, son. [BEN SIGHS] You sure the kid won't light out during the night? As long as he thinks you know where the gold is, he'll stay, just to keep an eye on you. I guess he must hate me as much as his ma did. I can't say that I blame him. Well, unh, I guess I'll turn in too. Good night. Good night, Sam. [KNOCK ON DOOR] - What do you want? - Shh. What do you want? You look a lot like your pa. Your pa and me was friends, boy. Good friends. Real friends. - Yeah. - Now, that's the truth, boy. I don't care what your ma said about me. Me and your pa was friends as God's own truth and don't you laugh at it. Don't you laugh. For 20 years, I've lied to Frank Reed, to the guards and warden at Carson, to Angie Malone, to Ben Cartwright, everybody. Nobody believed me, I knew that. Nobody but Ben Cartwright. I was beaten, sweated, ah, thrashed. But I kept right on lying. But I ain't gonna lie to you, son, because you're Jack Crawford's boy. Jack and me, we could always trust each other. And I wanted the same with us. You're right, boy. You are entitled to your pa's share of the gold. I knew that. You know where that is, don't you? - We'll ride for it in the morning. - Why not tonight? Because I don't know who else might be out there, like you was, waiting for me, watching for me. The morning's time enough. It'll be like old times for me. It'll be like riding with your pa again. Oh. The things I could tell you about him, the kind of man he was. Stuff your ma never knew and maybe wouldn't have told you if she did, coming to hate him the way she did. But you're gonna get to know your pa before I'm through, boy. The kind of a man he really was. Tell me now. - Well, it's getting a little late, boy. - Now. All my life I've heard bad things about him. Now I wanna hear one good thing, that's all. Just one good, decent thing he ever did. All right, boy. All right. Pa, are you sure one of us ought not to stay here? Why? Afraid that Sam will run off? I wanna check up on Reed while you're getting the supplies in town. Now you can go out and saddle up a couple of Ben's best horses. SAM: There it is. Just around the other side of the lake. You sure? For 20 years, every time I closed my eyes, I could see this lake just the way it is now. I could find that gold with blinders on. [SAM GRUNTING] It's here. This is the spot. I know it. It's gonna be... It's gotta be just about... You do it, boy. There's 50,000 in these pouches and more just as full on this side. How about that, boy? It's a lot of gold. - Something wrong, boy? - No. Well, then let's get moving. I got a lot of living to catch up on. You coming, boy? [HORSE SNORTS] Where are you going, Reed? Have a talk with Logan. Not on my property. Why don't you let Sam decide that? And what's that supposed to mean? Look, Cartwright, I'll make you a deal. You give me and Ms. Malone five minutes with Logan. If he hasn't told us where he buried the gold, then that's it, the end of the line. I'll buy your story and Logan's if he doesn't know where the gold is. And what do you think five minutes is gonna do for you that 20 years wasn't able to? Give them to me and see. Oh. Look, Pa, if it'll put an end to it, why not? All right. Hoss, ride into town and get Roy Coffee out here. If Sam's gonna do any talking, I want the law to hear it. All right. Hee. Hyah! It's funny. This is the same way your pa and me rode that night with the posse right behind us. And here's where we tried to lose it by spooking the horses and hiding in the cave. Reed! Sam! Logan, we wanna talk to you! [HORSE NEIGHING] - No! - What's the matter with you? Sam's got the gold. That's why he wants a fight. - You all right, boy? - Yeah. Hyah. Come on, boy. Come on. Come on. Give it up, Logan! You hear me? Put your gun away, Reed. I'm going in after him, Cartwright. No, you're not. He made a fool out of you. He lied to you. He used you. So? Sam? I wanna talk to you! It's all been said, Ben! Not all of it, Sam. I'm coming in. [GUNSHOT] Don't try it! All I want is two minutes of your time, Sam. Just two minutes. [COCKS GUN] Right back where we started from, hey, Sam? You're wasting your breath, Ben. I went through 20 years of hell for this gold. Only thing that kept me going was getting my hands on it when I was free. Free? You're not free, Sam. You may be out of prison, but you're not free. You just got different walls and chains, that's all. You got hate and greed now. And you'll never be free until you get rid of that stuff. Shut up and get out of here before I kill you. Yeah. [SCOFFS] Maybe you're right, Sam. I guess everything has been said, hasn't it? What about you, son? I'm gonna stay with him. I guess you know you'll never spend an ounce of that gold, don't you? I don't care about the gold. BEN: Well, you don't care about it? I guess your pa didn't care about it either. That's why he got himself hung over it. Good or bad or whatever he was, he was my pa. And Sam and my pa were friends and I'm gonna take his place. Do you understand that, Mr. Cartwright? Well, of course, I understand that. You gonna get yourself killed for nothing too. Nothing? My pa died for that gold. I guess I'm ready to do the same thing. Oh. You hear that, Sam? I think the kid's right. You helped killed his pa, you might as well go full circle. I told you you wouldn't get anywhere. Now I'm taking over. - We're waiting for the sheriff. - I'm not. Don't be a fool, Reed. Sam would blow your head up before you got within 10 feet of that cave. REED: We'll see about that. There isn't going to be any killing. I told you in the saloon if you got in my way, what I would do. Now move. Put down the gun, Reed. Drop the gun. Sam! Sam, you can come out now. It's your chance to get away! Sam? - Why? - Because I'm tired. And that stuff's just too heavy to carry around any longer. Come on, son. Sam. I tried to help. Who? What are you thinking, Reed? Didn't you ever wonder what it would be like when it was all over? How does it feel to have 20 years of your life in your hands? Cartwright, [SIGHS] give this stuff to the sheriff. Too heavy for you too? [SIGHS] I hear there's some land up around the Snake that the government's opening for homesteading. We might head up that way. Well, you be sure and keep in touch with us. Sure, Ben. On the other hand, the kid here says that he's got a hankering to go south. Arizona, maybe, or New Mexico. We might drift that way. I guess now there's nothing holding us back from going any ways we got our mind to. You're absolutely right, Sam. Not a thing in the world. Well, then, let's ride, shall we, son, heh? Hoss, I think they're gonna get along all right together now that they're both free.
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Bonanza is a delightful, family-friendly series ideal for individual and collective enjoyment. Logan’s Treasure is the 173rd episode among 430. Produced by NBC, Bonanza graced their network from September 1959 to January 1973, boasting an impressive 14-season run.
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