| Bonanza episode | |
|---|---|
| “The Saga of Annie O'Toole” | |
| Season 1, Episode 7 #7 in Series | |
 | |
| Air date | October 24, 1959 |
| Production code | |
| Guest starring: | |
| Written by | Thomas Thompson |
| Directed by | Joseph Kane |
| Episode Guide | |
| Previous Episode: The Julia Bulette Story |
Next Episode: The Philip Deidesheimer Story |
| External links | |
 IMDbThe Saga of Annie O'Toole on IMDb | |
Summary[]
Feisty Annie O'Toole comes west with her old Da to mine silver and winds up feeding the silver miners, shanghaiing Adam Cartwright to be her partner in her tent-kitchen, "The Square Meal", and her attorney in Miner's Court when an old enemy challenges her right to her claim.
Plot[]
Annie O'Toole decides to go to Nevada to stake a claim that is rightfully hers. The Cartwrights are settling an argument when Annie rides up with her father’s body in the back of her wagon. She says her old Da claimed he would die if he had to come to Nevada and he did just that. Ben Cartwright is elected "dispute referee", while Adam attempts to get Annie out of town because he feels a mining camp is no place for a woman.
Annie refuses to leave her claim and her father, who was buried on the claim by Hoss. Adam continues to ask Annie to leave, but she ignores him and continues to cook for Hoss. When all the men catch wind of Annie’s "woman cookin", Adam hatches a plan to open a restaurant to feed the miners. Adam makes it clear that the proceeds will go towards her ticket back to San Francisco.
Adam and Annie open the restaurant and he can't seem to get out of the partnership with Annie, no matter how hard he tries. She also refuses to go back to San Francisco. The Cartwrights are eating when Swede Lundberg, Annie’s beau, comes in asking them for help with his claim. They agree to help him figure out which claim is his and which one he sold to Annie.
Annie’s property seems to be the one sold and she doesn’t want to move. The present owner, Gregory Spain, believes the claim number has been altered and Ben has to oversee the dispute. Swede remembers that he left his tools on claim number two. Hoss remembers the tools on Annie’s claim because he used them to dig a grave for her father.
To get rid of the evidence, Annie puts the tools with Swede’s initials on them in her oven. Adam has a suspicion that Annie is behind it all. This suspicion turns out to be correct when he finds the remnants of tool handles in her stove. Adam doesn’t understand why they can’t just trade claims, but claim two happens to be one of the richest claims in the entire area.
Spain, the man Swede sold the claim to, pulls a gun on everyone in Annie’s restaurant, stating no improvements have been made to the claim, therefore it’s abandoned and belongs to him. A fight ensues after the speech by Spain and he leaves when the Cartwrights force him to go. Ben decides that miners court would be a good idea and both sides are given half an hour to come up with their defense. Adam and Annie are in her tent thinking about their evidence and Adam agrees to testify for Annie’s sake. She is so happy she kisses him just as Swede walks in. Swede storms off angrily.
The trial begins, Spain speaking first. Then at Adam’s turn, he claims the grave that Hoss dug was in fact an exploration shaft, proof that Annie did indeed make an improvement, not abandoning the claim. Ben quickly agrees and awards the claim to Annie, hastily ending court.
Spain tries to buy the claim from her, but Annie feels that she could not do that to her father. Adam finally gets out of his partnership with Annie, but hears rumors of their engagement. He goes to see what is going on, but there just seems to be a misunderstanding. She wants to marry Swede, but he is missing. Annie has sold her claim to Spain by this point and is getting five percent of the profits.
On the day of her father’s funeral, paid for by Spain as part of the agreement for the claim, Swede shows up finally and it turns out he didn’t go to Africa. His claim turns out to be even richer than Annie’s. Swede and Annie wed, then honeymoon in Europe together. When they get back they build a huge mansion on the road between Virginia City and Reno. Annie finally gets her dream of being a lady.
Cast and Characters[]
The Cartwrights
- Lorne Green: Ben Cartwright
- Dan Blocker: Hoss Cartwright
- Michael Landon: Little Joe Cartwright
- Pernell Roberts: Adam Cartwright
Recurring[]
Other[]
- Alan Hale Jr.: Swede Lundberg
- Brad Morrow: Bart
- Henry Lascoe: Gregory Spain
- Ida Lupino: Annie O'Toole
- Jack Tornek: Miner
- John Patrick: Kevin O'Toole
- Ollie O'Toole: Simpson
- Richard Reeves: Clayton
- Tom Smith: Miner
Notes[]
Did You Know?[]
- Pernell Roberts narrates part of the story.
- Ida Lupino was married to actor Howard Duff, who played Samuel Clemens was in Enter Mark Twain.
Quotes[]
- "Would you turn him around so he can see the saloons? Then he'll know he's not in a heathen land."
- ―Annie O'Toole to the pallbearers about to lay the casket to rest on a hillside.[src]
- "An' me figurin' the only man I could count on were you."
"Was me."
"Well, you wasn't." - ―Annie O'Toole and Adam Cartwright[src]
- "First you want me to round up the cows. Then I get word you want me to empty the storehouse and bring everything here. Will you make up your mind?!"
- ―Little Joe to Adam[src]
- ""Adam could you really learn me to write numbers?"
"Could I 'teach' you."
"I don't know could you?"" - ―Annie O'Toole and Adam[src]
