
The Rival Full Episode – Bonanza, Season #02, Episode #28
Bonanza kept its viewers tuned in to the show weekly through its action-packed stories revolving around the fictional Cartwright family and the people around. Anthony Lawrence wrote the series’ sixtieth episode, The Rival, which made its television debut on April 15, 1961. Moreover, the episode was one of the few that Robert Altman directed for the program.
Hoss Cartwright withholds this information from Sheriff Coffee despite the irrefutable evidence pointing to Jim Applegate’s (Charles Aidman) connection to a lynching. Friendship or loyalty aren’t the primary reasons behind Hoss’ silence. Hoss and Jim are both in love with Cameo Johnson (Peggy Ann Garner). Hence, Hoss does not want his testimony to appear as if he’s slandering his romantic rival for his interest.
Robert McQueeney plays Gideon, while Joe De Santis acts as Morehouse.
Read The Rival‘s plot, including some fascinating trivia, or watch the full episode below.
Watch the Full Episode of The Rival
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Main Cast
The Rival, the twenty-eighth episode of Bonanza’s second season, features the following actors and actresses:
- Lorne Greene as Ben Cartwright
- Pernell Roberts as Adam Cartwright
- Dan Blocker as Eric ‘Hoss’ Cartwright
- Michael Landon as Joseph ‘Little Joe’ Cartwright
- Peggy Ann Garner as Cameo Johnson
- Charles Aidman as Jim Applegate
- Robert McQueeney as Gideon
- Joe De Santis as Morehouse
- Ray Teal as Sheriff Roy Coffee
- Orville Sherman as Jess Morehouse
- Charlene Brooks as Peggy Morehouse
- Bill Clark as Clem Johnson
- Rudy Doucette as Townsman (uncredited)
- Jaye Durkus as Deputy (uncredited)
- Frank Ellis as Townsman (uncredited)
- Michael Jeffers as Lynch Mob Member (uncredited)
- Ethan Laidlaw as Townsman (uncredited)
- Rex Moore as Townsman (uncredited)
- John Rice as Townsman (uncredited)
- Milan Smith as Lynch Mob Member (uncredited)
Full Story Line for The Rival
A group of masked individuals ambushed a couple, where they lynched the husband and shot the wife dead. Before they left, the gang left a note on a wooden post sign, calling the couple cattle thieves.
When Hoss returns home from seeing Cameo, the girl he’s courting, he finds a group of men, followed by Jim Applegate, leaving an area. He didn’t find them suspicious until he discovered a family dead for allegedly stealing cattle.
At the Ponderosa, the Cartwrights were discussing the incident that happened earlier that day. Hoss was heading towards his room when Joe brought up the fellow that got away. Although hesitant, Hoss tells them that he saw a bunch of men riding from the Morehouse place, recognizing one of them as Jim Applegate. Hoss believes Jim is not a vigilante, but Ben insists they report this information to the sheriff.
Hoss visits Cameo early in the morning. However, he didn’t expect Jim to be there. Jim is Hoss’ close friend, and seeing him at Cameo’s place made them both understand that they’re romantic rivals for Cameo’s affection. When Jim cracks a joke, he notices Hoss is not in the mood to laugh. Cameo tells Jim that Hoss found the dead couple last night. At that moment, Sheriff Roy and his men arrive to arrest Jim as one of the vigilantes who were at the murder place. Cameo insists that Jim’s innocent, leaving Hoss no choice but to accompany her to town.
Cameo and Hoss visit Jim in jail. Jim noticed Hoss’s hesitance, assuming he was in doubt of his innocence because of Cameo. However, Hoss insists that’s not his reason. Frank Gideon from the nearby cell declares Jim was beside him when they lynched the homesteaders. Still, Cameo insists she believes Jim.
On the other hand, Hoss tells Jim that he saw him with the group of men at the Morehouses’ place. Jim admits being with them but says he didn’t participate in the lynching since he only crossed paths with the vigilantes. He insists he’s innocent, but upon seeing Hoss’s hesitance, Jim tells him to tell the sheriff. Jim thinks doing so will benefit Hoss, leaving Cameo all to himself.
Despite Frank’s statement involving Jim’s way with women, Hoss chooses not to inform the sheriff for fear of jeopardizing Cameo’s reputation. When Hoss leaves, Frank taunts Jim, saying he’ll get lynched like him. Jim and Frank loved the same woman, Frank’s wife. However, Frank’s grudge towards Jim is rooted in the first woman Frank stole from him.
As Sheriff Roy hands Jim his food, Jim knocks him down and escapes. He throws in the keys, a bit far from Frank’s reach.
Hoss returns to the Ponderosa, riled up that he unintentionally became mean towards Adam and Little Joe. Ben encourages him to open up, eventually revealing about Jim and Cameo. Hoss tells Ben that he doesn’t want to make it appear that he wants to get rid of Jim by testifying against him. Meanwhile, Ben thinks Hoss was letting his personal feelings influence his decision.
A group of men led by Morehouse suddenly arrive at the Ponderosa, ordering the Cartwrights to surrender Jim and Frank. Ben says they’re in jail, but Morehouse insists Hoss helped them escape. Hoss prepares his hat and gun, heading where he believes he’ll find Jim.
Jim and Cameo were at the barn, expressing their love for each other. Jim thinks about running away with Cameo but hesitates because of his friend, Hoss. Cameo assures him that she doesn’t belong to Hoss, and although she once did, it all changed when she realized her love for Jim. Unbeknownst to them, Hoss is outside, sadly listening to their conversation.
Cameo leaves to pack their food. Hoss enters the barn once she leaves, aiming a gun at Jim. Hoss tries to bring Jim back to ensure a fair trial, but he refuses. The two engage in a fight until Cameo returns with a rifle. Hoss insists Jim should face the law to find the truth, whether he’s innocent or not. However, Cameo insists on running away with Jim.
Jim and Cameo camp for a moment. There, Jim realizes Hoss’s right, but Cameo believes returning will only lead to his death. However, Jim was implying that he had taken Cameo from Hoss. Cameo assures him that it is her choice to join him. Morehouse and his lynch mob appear behind the rock, getting the couple cornered. He allowed Cameo to leave, but Cameo refused to go.
Cameo eventually runs away to Hoss, who’s still at the barn. She tells him the lynch mob got Jim, begging Hoss to help him. Hoss refuses, implying Jim and Cameo’s decision hurts him. Cameo continues to appeal to Hoss, who recognizes he’d be risking his life just so Cameo can have Jim, eventually going after the lynch mob.
Hoss arrives at the Morehouse’s place, aiming his gun at the lynch mob and ordering them to drop their weapons. Jim is sitting on a horse, with his neck hanging. Morehouse calls for his horse, forcing Hoss to carry Jim’s legs so he wouldn’t get lynched. However, the lynch mob pursues Hoss until Frank shoots his gun, holding Cameo hostage.
Hoss asks Frank Gideon to help him cut Jim down. However, Frank reveals he’s been waiting to watch his brother, Jim, at the rope’s end. Frank has felt envious of Jim from the day he came alive since he stole their mother’s name and love, while she seemingly forgot about Frank.
Frank orders Hoss to drop Jim, who tells Hoss to do as Frank says. However, Hoss refuses, forcing Frank to shoot him on the arm. Afraid Hoss’ll die, Jim kicks Hoss to drop him. Cameo immediately rushes to his aid, along with the lynch mob, while Morehouse takes a gun and shoots Frank dead.
The lynch mob untied Jim. In Cameo’s arms, Jim reveals that his brother was telling the truth, including being there during the lynching of the couple. He apologizes to Hoss and Cameo, then tells her he loves her. Before he could ultimately say Hoss’s name, Jim succumbs to his death.
In the end, Hoss and Cameo bid their goodbyes.
Full Script and Dialogue of The Rival
okay [Music] oh what are you gonna do oh [Music] no yes [Music] [Applause] so [Music] now [Music] greg and i ain't much good at making light conversation cameo you just leave that up to me horse i can rattle on enough for the two of us my what a glorious night smell the air it's so sweet yeah right that must be honeysucklers lots of it around here i just love this place it's so peaceful and quiet away from the noise of the town it's uh getting late house cameo uh there's there's something there's something i'd like to say to you oh what's that hollis [Music] ain't nothing i ain't nothing important i uh let's be getting inside cameo yeah you reckon uh you right now you reckon i could kiss you tenderloin i reckon you could [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] that's them sheriff it's got to be take a horse just hold it right there boys here what's going on that's what we want to find out where you boys been they were at my brother's house wearing masks i saw them drag taking jess out of the house and kill them and what about it he was there with a green jacket you come up here where i can see your face [Music] [Music] i never thought he'd turn to this clem johnson was a friend of mine no excuse for this he's not the only cattleman around it's been taking a beating think of all the steers we've lost i'd rather lose every living thing in the ponderosa than resort to the rope you're a cattleman how come you weren't asked to join the vigilante pack i was asked didn't show you the letters sent to stock owners all over the territory full of noble virtuous arguments all they liked was one thing signatures uh i think i'll go up and get a little rest you know i wonder about that fellow that got away oh they'll catch up with them sooner or later i don't know it could be anybody nobody saw him [Music] i think i did [Music] are you telling the chef about it no sir why not well paul i didn't actually see nobody around the morehouse place i just saw a bunch of men riding from that direction they might not have nothing to do with it i don't know but you recognize some of them one of them who was it was jim applegate jim ain't the sort to go vigilante well neither was clem johnson us you've got to tell the sheriff about this paul i know jim he's just a hard-working wrangler i still think you have an obligation to tell the sheriff that you saw him with some of them and near the scene of the lynching yeah we're gonna do i'll talk to sheriff in the morning while i'm going to town [Music] haas i didn't expect to see you this morning i uh heard about last night you finding those people it must have been awful yeah it wasn't very pretty hold on would you like to come inside for a little while yeah thanks i can't stay with a minute i got to get on into town [Music] hello horse [Music] hey jim i didn't expect to see you here i guess i'm doing the same thing you're doing visiting cameo well isn't this nice you to know each other sure do next to you hoss probably only real friend i got why don't you just sit there and make yourself comfortable i'll make us some tea won't that be nice jim didn't [Applause] i didn't know he was both caught in the same gal hall likewise she sure is a nice gal ain't he real nice jim i ain't seen you around lately well i've been around lost my job oh i've been looking for work it was mighty fancy new boots for a man out of work well you know me hoss never save for tomorrow which you can spend the day the tea will be ready in a minute it looks like wind is brought over doesn't it wrecking soul the indians say when the hazelnut is about the size of a squirrel's ear it's safe to put in seeds i go by corn on my left foot when the swelling goes down summer's on [Laughter] i guess a horse don't feel much like laughing he found those poor people last night oh yeah yeah old town's talking about it a poor woman must have been awful had no call to kill that woman man no call to kill nobody you expect more company cameo don't tell me horse ain't my only competition i couldn't know i can't imagine who that could be [Applause] good morning you mavicate you're under arrest under arrest what are you talking about i'm talking about you being one of them vigilantes that's what i'm talking about take him out boys sheriff jim couldn't possibly do anything like that for me i'm afraid he couldn't did them two folks who murdered last night are no more cattle rustlers than you or me they're just a couple of homesteaders who are giving some stock man a little trouble over land rights you shouldn't be taken up with a man like that he's a murderer [Music] hosts they're making a terrible mistake jim's no vigilante haas i want to go into town right now camille you you best stay out of this stay out of it he's your friend too horse do you really believe he could have killed two innocent people i don't know maybe he didn't make this too innocent how can you say that i don't believe what the sheriff says i'm going hosh you can stay if you want to [Applause] what are you doing here cartwright coming to see your friends all right i guess that sort of comes under the head of my business don't it is it your business to murder innocent people mr morehouse i'm i'm terrible sorry about your brother and his wife forget your sympathy i don't need it they were lynched by cattlemen and you're a cattleman come on cameo afternoon sheriff uh sheriff we'd like to see jim applegate of course you got no call to get mixed up in this just the same we'd like seeing well i reckon i can't deny that right are you all right jim they didn't hurt you did they yeah i'm all right i'm sorry about this cameo because i kind of busted up our tea party you shouldn't have come down here shouldn't have come down here they took an innocent man right out of my house and threw him into jail didn't they yeah well i guess you're about the only one in town that believes i'm innocent how about you hoss i don't make no difference what i think jim it's what the law approves it counts heck i couldn't lynch nobody you know that cameo i'm assure that jim as i am of anything the horse ain't so sure why sure he is house is not so i i hope he is yeah hope he is what kind of talk is that how could you even doubt it maybe he's got a reason what possible reason could he have you jim you know better than that i ain't so sure the way you're acting look has neither one of you in your life ever met anybody that you could trust that that you just knew was telling the truth jim that's the way i feel about you and haas that's the way i feel about you ma'am looks like you're wrong about both of them who are you i'm uh frank gideon man i'm one of those terrible fellas that lynched them homesteaders and jim boy was right there at my side weren't you jim that's a lie cameo boss he's lying believe me i believe you jim jim you you and me have known each other for a long time i've always respected you for a non-disorder feeling that i'd like to believe you you'd like to but you can't jim i seen you last night seen me where riding in from the more houses with a bunch of other fellas i've seen you just as plain and clear as i see you right now that's rad hoss i was with him that's a fact but i didn't take part not lynching what was you doing with him well i met him just say he was leaving the morehouse place i was heading back from canolans spread just the other side of truckee as over there looking for work and mr kenlin can verify what you're telling me there wasn't nobody home when i got there i plumb forgot that canlan rides his scrub stock in the market on the 15th then there ain't nobody that can tell where you was i'm telling you the truth hoss i'm innocent i swear it's funny they all say that right after the time they swing need that right mister all right go tell the sheriff tell him that you saw me go ahead maybe it'll do you some good what's that supposed to mean you know what i mean with me out of the way you're not gonna have any competition with cameo [Music] uh [Music] [Music] mr morehouse you're not going to gain nothing by stirring up a lot of hate it ain't me that's been stirring it up cattlemen there's been a lot of mistakes made a lot of mistakes made by both sides you're going to keep on making them let's show them what we do to cattlemen boys you just stay right where you are that goes for all of you can't stop it retail man mr moorhouse i don't want to hurt you your brother and his wife are two innocent people those two fellows in there might be too don't you want to hang around find out they're gilly hearts they're as guilty as sin but they will be accorded the due process they'll get all the due process they need same kind they gave my brother and a helpless woman now wait a minute boys i told you earlier that a gathering like this was illegal and i asked you to break it up but now i'm telling you to break it up so go on yet before somebody gets into real trouble this man is a no good drifter now forget about him he's always been that way this time he's got himself into real trouble and he's gonna pay for it roy i i thought your job was catching criminals not hanging my job is protecting the public but that don't mean i ain't got a right to my own personal opinion dad burn it roy i got a right to my opinion too and there might be just an outside chance at jim's telling the truth what about these how much can you let this boy twist the truth to suit himself i don't know but i'm gonna find out i gotta [Applause] i didn't expect to see you again i'm sorry about what i said before i guess i must have had a burn in my saddle forget it just keep talking to your boy just keep talking maybe he'll forget about you trying to steal his car don't listen to him horse he doesn't know what he's talking about don't i [Applause] why don't you tell him about you and me i think he'd be mighty interested in hearing that's got nothing to do with this in it you told a sheriff yet you've seen jim boyd with us why don't you shut up i think you'd better i'm just trying to help mister that little girl ears gym boy here's got his eye on her gideon shut up oh come on jim boy steal another fellas girls nothing new to you remember don't listen to him hoes i've seen this boy work oh he's got away with women yeah they melt like hotel when he looks at him they forget about everybody else is that right jim boy ain't like it sounds horse plus listen to me us roy yeah oh what's matter boy you got something to tell me [Music] he's gonna tell him now jim boy that's all they'll need to get you good well if it ain't the law to be them homesteaders they're gonna dangle you into nowhere just like me why don't you stop be kind of fit and wanted two men in love with the same woman dangling from the same tree huh then i guess you never really did love her i just used her because he couldn't think about anybody else but you that was a long time ago you gonna carry that around your gut for the rest of your life it's easy for you jim everything's always been easy for you i just love him and leave him i didn't take yelling away from you she couldn't stand the sight of you ellen oh oh yeah [Music] my wife i'd almost forgotten about her [Music] i guess i never cared very much for alan she's not the one i hate you for it's the first one you stole from me that's the one i hate you for [Music] that's the one i hate you for help me out jim boyd i i didn't mean what i said uh honest jim it's all in the past give me the keys huh the keys that's more of a chance than you give me [Music] have you been to virginia city again days foreign ain't got to account for nobody ever well now we just missed your strong back around here that's how i do my share wait i guess i riled up about it i ain't riled up oh i guess red's uh your natural color maybe it is what are you making your bullets for you too cheap to go in town buy them hold on to a dollar longer than anybody i ever seen oh wait a minute oh excuse us no come on i want to find out what's up [Music] awesome [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] what is it son this isn't like you uh right i just felt like being mean paul [Music] is jim applegate thing troubling [Music] i guess i'm letting it get me down is that the only reason no sir there's a girl you know cameo what's cameo gonna do with it i like cammy a whole lot poor so does jim and i gotta make sure that if i tell what i saw it ain't gonna be just to get rid of him [Music] it seems to me that you're letting your personal feelings influence you to the point where they're interfering with what you're obligated to do paul that's exactly what i'm trying not to do don't you see the the sheriff already thinks jim's guilty everybody else does all they need is an eyewitness me i think there's one possibility which you seem to be avoiding maybe he is guilty [Music] what do you want here mohaas we want jim applegate and frank gideon well they're in jail don't get me that contract they're out and you know it your boy helping to escape and he's hiding them here boss last time i saw him he's in jail for he's lying they're friends of his mr morehouse you're a little excited so i'll overlook the fact that you called my son a liar but my patience where's very thin so is mine cartwright we'll find them when we do we'll give them exactly what they gave my brother and his wife [Music] unless what about it you didn't help him escape did you of course not what are you off to get my hat and gun take a little ride i think i know where jim might be [Music] i love you cameo i love you jim first i tried not to but i just couldn't help myself [Music] i got to run i hate running but i got to if i'm going to stay alive and i'll run with you jim it wouldn't be fair see that's that's not right are you thinking about hoss i can't help it i know how horse feels about you he's been very decent to me cameo nobody else has i don't belong to horse chin cameo will you ever harshest girl i thought i might be once until do it until i realized how much i care for you i'll go pack us some food we can't stay here [Applause] i don't want to kill you jim i wouldn't use mine either jim you you pretty had me believing you back there in jail i never lied to you why did you run off deck stacked horse they even got an eyewitness jim i didn't tell him what i saw the worst possible thing you could have done was to run away just makes you even look that much guiltier well i guess it doesn't matter how guilty i look now yes it does i'm taking you back jim nobody's taking me in there hoss not even you jim i respect how you feel but i have to why do you have to i got to find the truth out about you jim and the law has a right to decide it that your only reason no it ain't i ain't gonna let you run cameos laugh just because she feels sorry for you you gotta quit fooling yourself hoss she doesn't feel sorry for me she loves me i'm taking cameo and i'm leaving no you ain't well you're gonna have to shoot me if you want to stop me jim [Applause] let him go hoss [Music] i said let him go i can't do that cameo you're going to have to he's got to go back for his own good they'll kill him hearts not if he ain't guilty they won't you keep saying that you don't even believe it yourself cameo it don't make no difference what i believe we got to go by the rules otherwise all the things we ever believed in don't mean nothing i don't care anything about rules anymore all i care about is what i feel inside you just you just feel sorry for him you don't really love him don't i [Music] what is it jim what's wrong wrong though nothing's wrong it's just funny i was just remembering a thing a fella once told me and how right he was i don't understand i don't understand either cameo but i got to admit the feller is right don't talk like that you frighten me i always get the best of everything don't i what are you talking about you're running for your life those men back there want to kill you i don't mean that don't you understand i'm talking about you jim please i took you away from a horse didn't i no no it was my choice i'm here because i love you [Music] don't move applegate just get up nice and slow [Music] well this is a surprise we figured you were holed up somewhere on the ponderosa we were tracking your friend gideon we're gonna hang you from the same tree where you hang my brother mr morehouse he didn't have anything to do with that lynching you got no course to worry we ain't gonna hurt no woman now you're free to go miss cameo or you can stay and watch them hang it's up to you you go on you go ahead no i won't go i won't leave you no you got to go try to find the sheriff get some help sure get the sheriff he'll get back here in time to cut him down [Music] um [Music] please you gotta help him i ain't never helping nobody no more but how's that gonna lynch him i don't care what to do to him oh please carry away i ain't no just plain ordinary piece of clay you can just mold in any shape you want i i got feelings on the inside too i know you do i know you have i deserve anything you may think about me but you just gotta help him he doesn't deserve to be murdered no please you want me to go out there and risk my neck to save him so he can have you that's what i want let's go [Music] ain't no way of stopping you from hanging an innocent man is it none whatsoever all you want to see is blood huh go ahead more ass get it over with quick all right boys morehouse if that horse moves i'll kill you now you boys put your guns out here in a little pile that's away and then move over to the tree move slow but move you stay here [Applause] it goes for you too mr moorhouse right over there [Music] yeah get it boys stop it stop what i say stop it get away stop it stop it i'll shoot all right boys back away looks like you're in kind of a spot gym boy get in cut him down i can't hold him much longer cut him down i've been waiting 30 years to see my brother at the end of a rope your brother folks always found that hard to believe didn't they jim boy you were the handsome woman stealing ladies man my brother jim gideon no you've got the wrong man that's jim applegate he's my brother he took everything her name her love if he's your brother cut him down she loved me before you came along yo your love child she ought to be here now jim boy stroke your hair and hold your hand and sing your songs maybe that sing your songs i was four or five years old she used to lock me out of the house sit under the window and listen to her talk to you sing too yeah you forgot all about me one day i tried to climb in and she slammed the window on my hand drop my brother cartwright drop him now or i'll shoot you out from under him [Music] do what he says [Music] i'll kill you with the next one cartwright what do you mean he'll kill you [Music] please help me [Music] come on hurry up [Applause] my brother was telling the truth about everything i lied to you i was there when they once those people but i thought that they was only going to scare them i'm sorry hearts and cameo you just got to believe me i really do love you oh [Music] oh [Music] come on horse we got to take care of that huh [Music] thank you mr morales [Music] it's difficult to put things into words sometimes i know it is don't even try you were so right horse you do have to go by the rules i don't i don't reckon any of us was right just a lot of folks looking for different things in the wrong places i know but i'll never forget you horse you've been so very good to me i'll never forget you either get me home goodbye [Music] i still feel the same way about it don't you boy yes sir no a man's feeling changed overnight no did you tell her no sir why not why not son i know how she felt about your map okay another another jim's ghana oh paul jim ain't gone he'll never be gone not forgiving when he won't [Music] so [Music]
Looking for More Bonanza Episodes?
The Western television series, Bonanza, is a fantastic program worth watching alone or with the people you love. The 14-season show aired on NBC from September 1959 to January 1973. The Rival is the sixtieth episode out of 430 and the twenty-eighth for the second season.
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