| Bonanza episode | |
|---|---|
| “A Hot Day for a Hanging” | |
| Season 4, Episode 4 #104 in Series | |
 | |
| Air date | October 14, 1962 |
| Production code | |
| Guest starring: | |
| Written by | Elliott Arnold Preston Wood |
| Directed by | William F. Claxton |
| Episode Guide | |
| Previous Episode: The Artist |
Next Episode: The Deserter |
| External links | |
 IMDbA Hot Day for a Hanging on IMDb | |
Summary[]
On an errand for his father, Hoss delivers a huge amount of money to tiny Dutchman Flats where a bank robbery has just been committed. Sheriff Stedman, desperate to prove his worth to the townspeople, arrests Hoss even though he knows he's innocent of the crime. The unhappy locals are furious over losing their money; they form a lynch mob and march to the jail, noose in hand.
Plot[]
Hoss, carrying $12,000 in gold, arrives in a town where outlaws have just killed a man and robbed the bank. He becomes a suspect and is arrested. The ineffectual sheriff promises to send a telegram to Ben to confirm Hoss's identity, but is pressured by the town folks who want the stolen money replaced.
The sheriff and town folks go back and forth arguing his guilt, with the wife of the murdered man demanding justice and revenge for her husband, while the banker tries to convince the mob that they should wait and let justice prevail.
Finally, Ben arrives just in time, but has his pleas ignored by the sheriff. Just then a lynch mob, noose in hand, approaches the jail and pressures the sheriff into letting them take Hoss, knocking Ben unconscious in the process.
Just as the mob is preparing to put the noose on Hoss, a shot rings out that comes from Ben who offers to let the town keep all the money in the sheriff's safe if they give him one more day to prove Hoss's innocence. The half crazed wife of the murdered man grabs a rifle and attempts to shoot Hoss, but hits the local banker who steps in the way. The mob leader changes his mind and the mob breaks up, apologizing to Ben and Hoss.
Cast and Characters[]
The Cartwrights[]
The Cartwrights
- Lorne Green: Ben Cartwright
- Dan Blocker: Hoss Cartwright
- Michael Landon: Little Joe Cartwright
- Pernell Roberts: Adam Cartwright
Other[]
- Bill Clark: Lynch Party Member
- Denver Pyle: Tom Stedman
- Gene Roth: Milton Conley
- Herman Hack: Lynch Party Member
- John Harmon: McCray
- John Mitchum: Bartender
- Kelly Thordsen: Ned Larson
- Lane Bradford: Tibbs
- Max Wagner: Lynch Party Member
- Olive Sturgess: Mary Ann Wilson
- Rayford Barnes: Austin
- Robert Carson: Elmer Horner
- Roy Roberts: Jesse Fillmore
- Terry Becker: Shukie
Notes[]
Did you know?[]
- German episode title: "Unter falschem Verdacht", meaning "Under False Suspicion".
Quotes[]
Gallery[]
Videos[]
