
The Mountain Girl Full Episode – Bonanza, Season #03, Episode #33
In the May 13, 1962 episode of Bonanza titled The Mountain Girl, the central character is Trudy Harker, portrayed by Nina Shipman. Trudy, raised in the hills by her reclusive grandfather Seth, finds herself under the care of Joe Cartwright following Seth’s passing. Committed to fulfilling a promise to Trudy’s late grandfather, Joe endeavors to refine her rustic demeanor, preparing her to transition into the refined society of her wealthy grandfather, Josiah Harker’s, San Francisco mansion. Warren Oates appears as Paul, and Nancy Hadley as Stephanie. This episode was penned by John Furia Jr., originally aired on May 13, 1962.
Explore its plot and mesmerizing trivia, or enjoy the full episode below.
Table of Contents
Watch the Full Episode of The Mountain Girl
Watch the Full Episode of The Mountain Girl:
Main Cast
Apart from the main cast, “The Mountain Girl,” the thirty-third episode of Bonanza Season 3 presents a diverse array of recurring and guest-supporting actors. The cast includes:
- Lorne Greene as Ben Cartwright
- Pernell Roberts as Adam Cartwright
- Dan Blocker as Eric ‘Hoss’ Cartwright
- Michael Landon as Joseph ‘Little Joe’ Cartwright
- Nina Shipman as Trudy Coombs / Harker
- Warren Oates as Paul Magruder
- Carl Benton Reid as Josiah Harker
- Nancy Hadley as Stephanie Harker
- Will Wright as Seth Coombs
- Victor Sen Yung as Hop Sing
- Mary Treen as Annie Wilson
- Bob Hoy as Jeb (uncredited)
Full Story Line for The Mountain Girl
Joe is tasked with fulfilling Grandpa Coombs’ dying wish: to reunite his granddaughter with the Harker family, who belong to high society. However, the granddaughter, having lived as a sheepherder in the mountains, needs to familiarize themselves with their refined lifestyle. Joe must teach her the ways of the Harkers before their arrival.
Full Script and Dialogue of The Mountain Girl
(fanfare plays) (whinnies) What happened to you? Well, I was all at once struck down. My heart... Oh. My arm hurts something fierce. Well, you take it easy, I'll get you to a doctor. Oh, I ain't gonna last long enough for no doctor to give me my money's worth. Just get me back to my camp. All right. Just show me where your camp is. (sheep bleating) Paul, hurry up with them splints. Here you go. Straight enough, I guess. Give me your handkerchief. Come on, you ain't helpless. Well, all right. What-what are you gonna do with him? Take care of him. It's gonna be a lot of trouble to you. Poor lorn thing. Well, Trudy, something like this happens every lambing time. (bleating) Go on to your mom. Go. Trudy, I tell you what, come fall, you fatten him up real good, and I'll build a big fire and we'll roast him. Paul! Don't you dast even think of such a thing. (laughing) Now, Trudy, I was just funning. - I was just funning. - I'll get you good if you ain't. Grandpa? Grandpa. What did you do to him? I found him this way on the trail. He helped me, Trudy. Give me a hand; we'll get him off the horse. Let's lie him down. Here we go, Pa. Take it easy. Does the name Harker mean anything to you, girl? No, Grandpa, it don't. There's a rich family in San Francisco named Harker. Yeah, they're the ones I'm talking about. They're your folks, Trudy, just as much as I am. How could that be? I-I ain't never even heard of them. Your father was Frank Harker, a fine, upstanding man. Grandpa, why didn't you tell me all this before? It wasn't easy to tell. You see, your mother met young Frank Harker in San Francisco and fell in love. But the Harkers was high and mighty. They wasn't gonna have no hill girl by the name of Abigail Coombs in their family. No, sir. So, Frank and Abigail, they run away and got married. What happened them? One day, Abigail came here with you. She told me that Frank had up and died. And she come to me 'cause she had no place else to turn. She made me make a promise before she died. What kind of promise? She made me promise that I'd try to get you back to the Harkers and the things that were rightfully yours. I've been happy here, Grandpa. Seth, I'll take care of her; you know that. You don't have to worry about it. Now, you stay out of this, you hear? I didn't raise her to marry no sheep-herder. I want you to go to your rightful people, Trudy. Make them take you back. I don't want to leave here, Grandpa. I'm asking you for your promise, Trudy. Now, would you do as I ask? I'll try, Grandpa. Now, I'll need yours, too, son. You have my word. Now I can rest easy. He's gone. (theme song playing) Look, Trudy, I put the ground sheet on for you, just in case it comes on rain or something. Well, it don't seem likely. Well, you can't never tell about those things. I put some bread and meat in there for you, too, if you get hungry. Thank you, Paul. You look after that lamb, now. Oh, I will; don't you worry about that. Just don't you get to liking it down there too much. Oh, you know I could never like anything but what's right here. Paul, I'm a-feared. Trudy. I'm all trembly inside. I've never done nothing like this before. Well, I don't like it, neither. I don't like your Grandpa sending you off to people you don't know and strangers taking care of you. I ought to be the one that's taking care of you, Trudy. Thank you very kindly, Paul, but you ain't no kin of mine. You-you don't need to. Well, I want to. You know I got a strong feeling for you. Why, I didn't know nothing of the sort. You never spoke of it. Well, there-there are things that... you just don't speak right out. How-how's a girl to know unless you tell her? Well... you know now. I got all kinds of things planned for us. I want to tell you about it. Paul, Paul, I want to hear about them things. I want to hear about all of them. There just ain't no time now. I got to go and do what Grandpa made me promise. Yeah, I guess you do. Well, you go on then. Don't worry about things. I'll watch over everything right here for you. Thank you, Paul. And don't you fuss now, 'cause I'll be back. I'm hoping you will, Trudy. You know I will. Sure. Sure, I know you will. We better get started. Well, uh, the sooner I-I get going, the sooner I'll be back. You take care of her now, you hear, Cartwright? Don't you worry; I'll take good care of her. 'Cause I don't want anything to happen to her. I'll be back before you know it. Come on in. It's-it's bigger than a church. Guess it is. (chuckles) Come on, I'll take you upstairs to your room. - Yeah, this your room right here. - (gasps) Woo, look at it. This whole place just for me? Yeah, the whole place just for you. Ooh-wee. Just walk around and get acquainted. But I-I'm gonna go downstairs and heat up a couple of buckets of water. You could kind of wash up a little bit before my family gets here, kind of pretty up? Is it gonna be all right with them, I mean, me staying here? Oh, yeah, yeah, my-my Pa loves company. You leave that to me. Uh, you need anything, just call me. - I'll be downstairs. - Yeah. Oh, Little Joe, you've been real good to me. Just... just make yourself at home. Thank you. (door closes) Hello, Joseph. Uh, uh, hi, Pa. Well, you're, uh, back early. How was the hunting? Well, I-I didn't have any luck at all. Joseph? Yeah? Whose horse is that outside? Horse? Oh... That, um, just belongs to a friend of mine - that came back with me. - Oh. A girl. Oh? Where is she? Well, uh, she-she's upstairs. Oh? Yeah, she's gonna take a bath. Oh. No, sir, you don't... you don't understand, Pa. Well, you're right. I don't understand. Now, suppose you start explaining. Um, explaining. Well, her-her name's Trudy. Yes? And, uh... She's a fine, sweet girl. Good. And she's gonna take a bath and stay with us for a while. Gonna... stay with us? J-Just overnight. She-she wouldn't be any trouble at all. I-I don't think she'd be any trouble at all. Good. D-Do you think? ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Well, I suppose I should meet... (clattering) No trouble at all. What-what-what happened? It's that tippy chair, Little Joe! - Shh! - I fell clean over. - Are you all right? - Well, I reckon. But you oughta warn a body about them things. They ain't safe. Wh-Wh-What happened in the chair? - It's broke! - Shh! (whispers): Oh, it's broke. D-Don't say anything. Oh. Trudy, I'd like you to meet my father. Pa, this is... Howdy, Mr. Cartwright. Well... Miss Coombs, it's a, it's a pleasure. My name's Harker now, I guess, Mr. Cartwright. At least I think so. Oh, well, from what Little Joe told me, I... Well, it's just that so much has been happenin' to me today, I'm not sure about anything. 'Cept'n that you folks are bein' right nice to go to all this trouble for me. It's no trouble... is it, Pa? Oh, no, no, of course. It's no trouble at all. Uh, Trudy, we're gonna be fixing supper pretty soon and... we're going to wash up and I... thought maybe you'd like to wash up. Yeah, I was just bringing her the water when you came in, Pa. Oh, never you mind, Little Joe; I can tote it. Oh! And don't you worry none about that tippy ol' chair, Little Joe... It ain't broke much. I'll fix it myself, first thing in the mornin'. It ain't broke much. (weakly): Well... Joe, that girl wouldn't be safe in Virginia City by herself. You can't send her to San Francisco. Yeah, well, why not? Her grandfather wanted me to. No, no, no, you said that he wanted you to look after her. Well, she has family in San Francisco. They can look after her. Joe, suppose, by chance, she happens to find this family of hers... What, the Harkers? Yeah. Harkers. And suppose they don't take her in. And then what's she do... couple of hundred miles away from anybody she knows? But why wouldn't they want to take her in? She's part of the family. Joseph, you just told me Mr. Harker turned away her mother 20 years ago. Yeah, that's right. I guess we don't have a guarantee he'll take her in, do we? You really got yourself into something, didn't you? ADAM: Evening, Pa. BEN: Evening. I was wondering when you boys'd get back. Hoss, what did the doctor say about your arm? Aw, it's all right, Pa. He said I'd have full use of it in another week or two. Oh, good. Uh, listen... I'd like to talk to you about something. Yeah, we... we know all about it, Pa. We met Little Joe going into town a while ago. - Oh? - That's our little brother. Goes out looking for a bear and brings back a girl. I hear them Harkers are pretty fancy folk there in San Francisco. Think we ought to dress or something before we meet this little gal? Well, I don't think that will be necessary. This particular little gal wasn't brought up in San Francisco society. Well, Joe didn't give us any detail; he just said he was wiring the people, and what's the story? Well, there was this old man Coombs, up in the mountains... (door closes) Trudy, come on down. I want you to meet my other two sons. Miss Trudy Harker, my son Adam. - Howdy, Adam! - How do you do? And my son Hoss. - Howdy! - Howdy, ma'am. Ooh, Mr. Cartwright, you sure raised some fine ones. How'd you get 'em so big? Well, I guess it's the double helpings they're always eating. Uh, well, uh, Trudy, how about some dinner? Uh, Joe went to Virginia City to send a telegram to your grandfather, but, uh, I think, among the four of us, we ought to be able to rustle up something. Oh, no, no, no, I'll do it! - Oh, no, no, Trudy... - No, sir. Cookin' is a woman's job. I'll go see what's out here. If'n you got some, I'll fix you up some hogback and turnips. It'll take but a short while. Hogback and turnips. That don't sound bad at all, does it? You know, I think that girl is going to have a little trouble in San Francisco. Yeah. I think our work is cut out for us. What-what sort of work, Pa? Making a young lady out of a mountain girl. LITTLE JOE: Hi! BEN: Well! Looks you... looks like you made out pretty well. Yeah, pretty good. - Sent that telegram off... - BEN: Yeah? And I persuaded Mrs. Wilson to open up the store. Did you buy all them packages of clothes for Trudy? Yep. Wasn't an easy job, either. Uh, tell me something... How'd you pick out the sizes? I just got Maisie from the saloon to come down and try things on for me. She's about the same size. I'll be dad-burned. HOSS: Little brother... gotta hand it to you... When it comes to women, you're the real expert in the family. I just hope you're right. Hey, where is Trudy, anyway? (door closes) Good morning, Mr. Cartwright. - Morning, Mr. Cartwright. - BEN: Good morning. - Morning, Mr. Cartwright. - HOSS: Good morning, Trudy. Morning, Little Joe. Whoo-wee! I'm sure glad there ain't no more of you! I'd be plumb wore out. (men laughing) Oh, Little Joe, I saw you ride up. Did you hear from Grandpa Harker yet? No, I just sent the telegram last night. It'll take a little time. But I made a deal with the man in the telegraph office to bring it here, just as soon as he gets it. Trudy, like some coffee? Whoo! Yeah, sure. (slurping) Ah! If there's one thing I like in the morning, it's good hot coffee. Yeah, we noticed. I, uh, I got you some new clothes for your trip to San Francisco. New clothes? For me? Oh...! Gee, thanks, Little Joe. I ain't never had no store-bought clothes before. These don't look to be too sturdy, Little Joe. Don't you reckon they'll wear out awful quick? Uh, Trudy... uh, why don't you... take-take these upstairs and try them on there, and I'm sure your instincts will tell you what goes with what. Little Joe, soon as I get this stuff figured out, I'll come down and you can tell me if'n I was right. I think maybe you should have brought Maisie along. No, no, no, little brother's the expert. He don't need any help. (laughing) ♪♪ Well, Jeb just brought the telegram from Mr. Harker. Oh? I don't get it. He doesn't want her to come to San Francisco. He wants to come here. - Oh? - Said he'll be here two weeks. Just signed "Harker." I don't know whether it's good or bad. I was so sure he'd want her to come there right away. Mm. Maybe he just wants to check, make sure this is really his granddaughter. Yeah, maybe. Or there could be another reason. And what's that? You know, the Harkers are fairly wealthy people, from what I've been given to understand, and, uh, well, they live a very social life. And, well, Trudy's from the mountains. What does that got to do with it? She's part of the family. Joe, you don't understand. For the last 19 years, Trudy's been hidden up in the mountains, away from civilization. The Harkers, you know, they... they live a life quite different from ours right here on the Ponderosa. Maybe they, uh, they want to look the girl over. Maybe they don't think that she'll fit in to their kind of life. You mean I ain't good enough for 'em. Well, Trudy! Come on down. You look lovely. That's it, ain't it? Just like my ma wasn't good enough! Oh, Trudy, we... we were just talking. Just what does a body have to be, to be one of them? Trudy, now, let's look at it calmly, now. They-they-they do lead a different kind of life, and they think differently and talk differently and... and they dress differently. Joe, could you teach me to... to talk and act like them before they get here? Trudy, it's... it's hard to learn a whole new way of life in two weeks. But if I tried... would you help me? Little Joe, you promised my grandpa. Oh, it ain't for him, just... it's for me... to show 'em I'm a lady, too. Trudy! Oh, Trudy, you... you are a lady. You have courage and you have honesty and... well, those are the things that a person should be judged on, not just clothes and manners. But them things, though... Them clothes and manners... They're important to the Harkers, ain't they? Yeah, well, they-they-they might be important. Then I want to get 'em. Oh, it ain't just for my sake, it's for my ma's sake, too! Yeah. Will you help me, Little Joe? Yeah. Yeah, I'll help you, Trudy. Thank you. (door closes) Trudy, why don't you rest for a while? You've been, you've been going at it pretty hard now for a couple of days. I don't have time, Little Joe. I got to learn it all, everything. Nobody's gonna say that I ain't... Nobody is going to say that I'm not fit. Just don't you give up on me, please, Jo. Don't worry, I ain't. Okay, come on. Let's try it again. Trudy, put your arms down. You're makin' fun of me. I am not making fun of you. Nobody eats this way. In San Francisco, the society people do eat this way. With all of them forks? All of these forks. With all of these forks and spoons and glasses? Well, you don't need but one of each of 'em. And if you have to, you can get along without any of 'em. Look, I'm not gonna argue with you about it. Now, you're gonna learn it. We're gonna go through it again all right? Starting from the left, what is this? A fork. I know it's a fork. What kind of a fork? One, two, three, one, two three, one, two, three. See? Okay, ready to try it? Well, might as well get my feet wet. Right. When a gentleman comes over and he wants to ask you to dance, he says, "May I have the pleasure of this dance?" Pleasure? Ain't he taking a lot for granted? Then you're supposed to say to him, "I'd be delighted." Do I got to say that? You have to say something like that. Why? Well, what if I ain't delighted? Well, just say it anyway as a favor to me. I guess that's so's he won't feel bad if I don't want to dance with him, huh? Yeah, I think it's something like that. Come on. Now this arm here. See? And you take my hand there. Don't-don't-don't squeeze my hand so tight. I got a good strong grip! I skinned and quartered an elk once all by myself. Mm. Well, just-just relax when you're dancing. Try to, try to think of your partner as someone more, more charming, more exciting than an elk, - all right? - Mm-hmm. Okay now, on one. One... - Sorry. - It's all right. Here we go again. Ready? Let me get... Okay. One, two, three, one, two, three... That's you. Trudy. It's, uh, 1:00, child. I couldn't sleep, Mr. Cartwright. I reckon you couldn't neither, either. (chuckles) As a matter of fact, I, uh, I heard someone moving around down here. Don't you think you ought to be in bed? With Grandpa Harker coming tomorrow, I'm just too excited. You've been working very hard for the last two weeks, and you've done very well. But don't you think that you ought to look lovely and rested in the morning? But there's so much to do and remember! Oh, bye the way, I've asked Annie Wilson to come over in the morning to help out with the last-minute details. Thank you. Now you haven't a thing to worry about. Tomorrow will be just fine. Tomorrow I've got to do everything right. You will. I've just got to make him want me. I've just got to! Mr. Harker will want his granddaughter whether she picks up the right fork or not if he's any kind of a man. - If he doesn't like me, I, I'll just die. - No... Oh, you don't understand, Mr. Cartwright, what it's like sleepin' on a new soft bed for the first time, wearin' pretty clothes and eatin' off a tablecloth, just so. Must be very wonderful for you. I don't ever want to lose all that. I can hardly wait to get to San Francisco. All them tall buildings and them shiny bright carriages and fancy parties and wearing pretty clothes all the time. Well, Trudy, you know, it isn't all one big party. All them stylishly dressed young men come to take you dancing! Trudy, don't I remember Little Joe saying something about a young man up in the mountains? You mean Paul? Well, uh, so much has been happening to me, I, I ain't thought about him much lately. Yeah, I guess right now tomorrow is the most important thing on your mind. So don't you think you better get some sleep? I'll try. But I won't shut my eyes a wink! Hop Sing, where are those curling irons? In a minute! In a minute! Right now and hot! Here, I'll take those. LITTLE JOE: Hey, Hop Sing! Hey, Hop Sing, there's no hot water in the guest rooms! Here, here, I'll take those. Five people yelling all the time! Only one Hop Sing! Let me have those. Let me have those. I want to talk to Trudy anyway. Isn't this fun? I can't breathe! You're not supposed to. Now, now hold tight! (knocking) - Ooh! - I'm coming! Here, put this dress over your head. LITTLE JOE: These things are burning my hands! I'm coming, I'm coming! Do the best you can. - (knocking) - I'll be there! I'll be there! - Oh. - Come on. These things are hot. Oh, well, all right. Hook up her dress. Sit down. Sit down there. - Do you remember everything now? - I hope so. What do you do with your butter knife? I don't know. Just keep watching me. Do whatever I do. What foot do you lead off with when you're dancing? The left. I lead off with the left. You lead off with the right. The right, the right. You're scalping me! If you just hold still... BEN: Little Joe, they're coming! Oh, my gosh! Oh, Little Joe, I can't remember nothin'! Just relax. You're gonna be fine. You're gonna be just fine. I'm gonna up and die! I just know it! Mr. Harker... Mr. Cartwright. Welcome to the Ponderosa. Thank you, sir. My granddaughter Stephanie. - How do you do? - How do you do? Uh, my son, Adam. How do you do? Stephanie, Mr. Harker. And my other son Eric. We call him Hoss. I'm charmed, Horse. No, ma'am, not, not Horse. Just plain Hoss. Well, boys, would you look after the luggage? And perhaps Mr. Harker, Miss Harker will come into the house. It's rather elegant, isn't it, Grandfather? Considering how deep we are in the wilderness. Mr. Cartwright, I've been looking forward to meeting you for some years. Well, thank you, sir. I-I didn't know San Francisco had ever heard of us. We have. Your Ponderosa's quite famous, sir. Well, thank you again. Now I'm sure you must have had a long, tiring ride. You probably want to rest up a bit. Well, you're very thoughtful, sir. Mr. Cartwright, where's the young lady you promised to show us? Well, I'm sure you'll... (hushed): Hold fast to me, Little Joe. Miss Harker, Mr. Harker, my youngest son, Joseph. How do you do? How are you, sir? And this, sir, is your granddaughter, Trudy. Howdy do? It's a pleasure, my child. My other granddaughter, Stephanie. Howdy do? How do you do? I'm looking forward to chatting with you, young lady, after I've rested. - Mr. Cartwright? - Oh, yes, of course. Excuse us. Interesting, most interesting. I'll get a little more light in this room. That's better. And I'll get some hot water. Will you please sit down a moment, Mr. Cartwright? Of course. If I may come directly to the point, sir. You know the reason I've come out here, don't you? Well, I presume it's to see your granddaughter Precisely. I made a mistake 20 years ago in disowning my son. He was a strong man. He had a good independent mind. Now after I die, there'll be little enough strength left in the Harker family. Stephanie will run through my money in a year. Oh? Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations. Yes, I'm afraid that's true. In my old age, I'm looking for an element of strength, my son's strength, if you will, to bring back into the Harker family. I'm hoping there is some of that strength in young Trudy. Well, Mr. Harker... I don't know if Trudy's gonna be everything that you might want her to be. But I do know this: she's your granddaughter. Everything happened so fast, Little Joe. I didn't get a chance to do anything. Don't you worry about it. I think you said howdy very well. Besides, you're gonna get a chance to show off at dinner tonight. Oh, and that Stephanie, have you ever seen anyone so beautiful? I'm gonna look like a new clipped sheep next to her. Now, look, I think you're prettier than she is, and don't you forget it. All right, Little Joe. Mr. Cartwright. Oh, hi. I thought you were gonna rest for a little while. Oh, I'm much too excited to rest. It isn't every day that you meet an only cousin for the first time. Yeah, I never thought about it that way. Joseph, would you be sweet and do us a favor? I would so much like so much to talk to cousin Trudy alone for a while. Oh, sure. So I'll go check on Hop Sing, see how he's making out with the biscuits. Well now, Cousin Trudy, we must have a nice, long chat. (door closes) Tell me about yourself, what you've been doing all these years. Well, I've been living up in the mountains with my grandpa. My other grandpa. Oh, yes, the one who asked the Cartwrights to wire us about you. And what did he tell you about us? That we were very rich? No, he... I mean, yes. He didn't mean anyth... Oh, don't apologize, my dear. Believe me, if I'd been you, stuck up there on some mountain, and learned that I had some very rich relatives, I would have tried to get to them much sooner than you did. Oh, it's not that way. I mean, about the money. Grandpa said that you were all the kin I had. And you were hoping to be reunited with us, weren't you? Well, yes. I always thought that kinfolk should be together. (sighs) Well, come now, Cousin Trudy, you wouldn't fit into our life in San Francisco any more than I could live on your mountain. Now, Grandfather Harker is a very reasonable man. And I'm sure that you can work out a nice financial arrangement with him. Financial arrangement? I-I don't understand. What are you talking about? I'm talking about money. Isn't that what you're really after? Oh, but that's wrong. You're wrong. I don't want any money. (horse approaching) Hi, Trudy. Paul, wh-what are you doing here? Well, I just, uh, came down to see how you was doing. I want to tell you that the little lamb died this morning. Lamb? What lamb? Well, you've changed, Trudy. With that pretty dress and everything, I almost didn't recognize you there for a minute. Cousin Trudy? Don't you introduce your acquaintances? Oh, I'm sorry. Paul Magruder, this is my cousin, Stephanie. How do, ma'am? How do you do? Are you a friend of Trudy's from up in the mountains? Well, yes'm, uh, we're spoke for each other. Does that mean that you're Trudy's fiancé? Well, I guess that's what it means. - We gonna get married. - Paul, I never said I would. You didn't? Well, you said you was gonna come back. My, but this is fascinating news. May I offer my congratulations? Well, thank you, Cousin Stephanie, but nothing's settled yet. Well, I would say it's all settled. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm sure an engaged couple must have lots to talk about. Oh, Paul, why did you have to come down here? And why just now? Well, I missed you. I wanted to see what you was doing, that's all. Well, I'm doing all right. Didn't you think I'd be able to manage things? And why-why did you have to tell her we was spoken for? There ain't nothing wrong with a body telling the truth. Well, it ain't the tr... isn't the truth. At least wise, right now. I got to find out about Grandpa Harker first. If'n he wants me, if I'm good enough. Good enough? What do you mean good enough? Oh, Paul, you don't understand. Tonight-tonight is so important. Paul, please, you go on up back to that mountain. And as soon as I know, I'll send for you. You ain't coming back, are you, Trudy? Paul, you-you just don't understand. Please. (door opening) (closing) Hey, Paul, when did you get here? Hello, Joe. I just came down to see Trudy, that's all. Come on inside. No, she don't want to see me. What are you talking about? Trudy tell you that? Just the same as; she said she's gonna send for me when her folks got her settled. Look, Paul, I don't think she meant that. What's going on around here, Little Joe? Something's changed her. Oh, I think maybe she's a little upset. It's been a big day for her, meeting her relatives. Mm-hmm. Well, maybe I'd just like to meet them folks myself. You think you can fix that up for me? I don't see any reason why not. Why don't we go to the bunkhouse and clean up. We'll have dinner in a little while. Thank you, Hop Sing. Mr. Cartwright, this fowl is delicious. Ooh, simply marvelous. Which wine was used in the sauce? I believe Hop Sing uses a sauterne, the grapes of which are grown not too far from your part of the country, Mr. Harker. Well, whatever it is, it's, uh, right tasty. Paul, use your fork. Cousin Trudy, why don't you let your friend eat in his own fashion? Uh, Mr. Harker, I thought, perhaps, tomorrow we might ride around the Ponderosa, and then you can take a look at our livestock operation. That'd be most interesting to me, Mr. Cartwright. I've told my business associates time and time again of the resources of this country. STEPHANIE: Oh, piffle, Grandfather. Do we have to go into that sort of thing now? My dear, you'll find that if you give a man half a chance, all he wants to talk about is business. I-I suppose. How about you, Mr. Magruder? I was hoping you might show us where you live. Well, it's, uh... (clears throat) It's a pretty poor piece, ma'am. It's up in the high country on the north fork of the Bushy Creek. Bushy Creek, what a quaint name. Is that where you have your house? Yes'm, but it's not a house exactly. It's a cabin. You built it yourself, no doubt. Sure did. Including the dirt floor? Stephanie, that'll be enough. But, Grandfather, I was just asking about the house because I want to know if that's where he intends to take his wife. Stephanie, I fail to see where any of this is our concern. Grandfather, you mean Cousin Trudy hasn't told you that Mr. Magruder is her fiancé? They're engaged to be married. Trudy, is this true? Well, you see, Grandpa... Go ahead and tell him, Trudy. Paul and me, we've known each other a long time. Are you going to marry him? I guess she's not. Excuse me for pushing in here, Mr. Cartwright. Oh, Paul, sit down. You're welcome here any time, you know that. Well, thank you very much, sir, but if it's all the same to you, I'd like to stay in the bunkhouse tonight. I got to get back up to the mountain first thing in the morning. I got a lot of things to do. There's a meadow up there that ain't never been turned to plow. And there's a creek up there that I got to dam up. There's things up there in the high country a man needs for his family and his children. It's important to me. I used to think it was important to you, too, Trudy. I guess you... found something else. Whatever it is, I wish you well. I'm very sorry. I-I seem to have started something. Yes. I think it's probably just as well. Oh, I think you're wrong, Grandpa. Dead wrong. Maybe Paul didn't know which one of them doodads to... to scoop up his vittles with, and maybe I don't either, but I've had enough upbringing to know that you don't make fun of somebody sitting at the same table with you. Trudy, I just want you to know that I'd be proud to have you come and live with me in San Francisco. Up to now, I-I felt that the Harker family had almost lost its last vestige of courage and honesty. Grandpa, thank you, but I know where I belong now. It's with Paul and the things he believes in. (sighing) And I guess it's high time I stopped trying to be something I'm not. I grew up on that mountain, and I reckon I belong there. Trudy? I'll be leaving come morning. (cock crowing) Well, Miss Stephanie, it was nice having you here at the Ponderosa. Mr. Cartwright, I'd like to say... As I told you before, Stephanie, you've said enough already. I just wanted to thank you for your hospitality. You're very welcome. Well, good-bye, sir. Hoss will meet you in Virginia City with your tickets for San Francisco. And I'm, I'm sorry that your trip wasn't all that you thought it would be. On the contrary. I found the granddaughter I was looking for. The fact that she won't be living with me won't change that. Perhaps someday she'll come to see me. Will you please tell her that for me? I think you can tell her that for yourself. I just wanted to say good-bye, Grandpa Harker. Well, I'm sorry if I disappointed you. You didn't disappoint me, child. I'm proud of you, and when you feel like it, I hope both you and your husband will come to visit me. Good-bye, Cousin Stephanie. Good-bye, Trudy, and I-I'm sorry. (clicking): Git up. Hyah. Well, Trudy, what now? Well, Little Joe's helping Paul tie my things on my horse, and I guess we'll be going. Trudy, there's something I'd like to say to you. You're a real lady. Thank you, Mr. Cartwright. Least I learned what a real lady is. (chuckling)
Behind the Scenes of The Mountain Girl
Will Wright’s final television appearance occurred before his passing in June 1962.
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Bonanza is an outstanding family-friendly series suitable for solo viewing or sharing with loved ones. The Mountain Girl marks the 99th episode out of 430 in the series. NBC produced Bonanza, which aired on the network from September 1959 to January 1973, spanning 14 seasons.
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