| Bonanza episode | |
|---|---|
| “San Francisco (episode)” | |
| Season 1, Episode 28 # in Series | |
 | |
| Air date | April 2, 1960 |
| Production code | |
| Guest starring: | |
| Written by | Thomas Thompson |
| Directed by | Arthur Lubin |
| Episode Guide | |
| Previous Episode: The Last Trophy |
Next Episode: Bitter Water |
| External links | |
 IMDbSan Francisco (episode) on IMDb | |
Summary[]
After a long cattle drive, the Cartwrights and their men look forward to painting the town of San Francisco. Despite Ben's warning, a couple of their naive hands get themselves shanghaied and on a boat heading to China.
Plot[]
Ben, Hoss and Joe, and two hired hands, Hamp and Johnny, delivered a herd to San Francisco. After giving the men a bonus and a reminder that he's buying dinner, Ben sends them off to enjoy the city. Hamp and Johnny promptly get drunk. Out on the street, Johnny says he wants to buy his wife a bolt of silk. A man overhears them and claims he's an importer and they should come with him to see his stock. When they get to a shop near the docks, two thugs knock Hamp and Johnny out. They've just been shanghaied.
Ben's worried when Hamp and Johnny don't arrive for dinner. Hop Sing knocks on the door and reports that his #3 cousin saw two cowboys get hit on the head and dragged away. He thinks it was Hamp and Johnny. The Cartwrights go to check on it.
Cut-rate Joe, the supposed silk dealer, is really a dealer in shanghaied sailors. He tells his two thugs that he needs four more men by midnight. He looks down at the two unconscious cowboys and wonders what he can do to make them look more like sailors.
After searching around the Barbary Coast, Ben decides to go to the police. He warns Hoss and Joe to be careful and tells Hop Sing to stay with them. When Ben arrives at the police station, the sergeant isn't terribly concerned about two missing men. He recommends Ben hire more men to replace them. Ben angrily informs him that he'll find his men with or without the police's help. The sergeant merely says, "Go right ahead," and returns to his paperwork.
Hoss, Joe, and Hop Sing aren't having any luck asking about the cowboys. Nobody will tell them anything. They decide to split up and take opposite sides of the streets. Joe thinks Hop Sing should go check with his cousins again. Hop Sing doesn't like the idea of leaving the boys alone. They split up. Hoss immediately finds a man even bigger than he is and the two start circling each other sizing each other up. Joe, on the other hand, enters Pig Eye Pete's. He asks the bartender if he's seen two cowboys. Herb isn't helpful either and tells Joe he's too young to be there. Joe starts to protest, but Herb pulls out a big mallet and two thugs at the end of the bar are paying attention. Joe thinks it's best to leave.
Joe comes out to meet Ben. He's angry they split up, but they quickly find Hoss, ready to fight the big man. They've drawn quite a crowd and with one solid punch, Hoss bring Busthead Brannigan down and wins $100. This was a boxing match against the local champion, who he's now trying to revive. Hop Sing rushes up with his Cousin #3. #3 is glad to meet Hoss, because Hoss just won him $100. Then Hop Sing warns them that word is up and down the Barbary Coast that they're asking too many questions. Ben sends Hoss and Joe back to the hotel and keeps Hop Sing and his cousin with him.
Ben also goes into Pig Eye Pete's, leaving Hop Sing and #3 outside to wait. He orders a drink and outrageously compliments the bartender. When he finally asks if Herb has seen his two friends, Herb gives a quick nod to the thugs at the end of the bar. Rhodes walks away to get the boss. Herb stalls. Alexander Pendleton (David White) arrives and escorts Ben to the end of the bar where it's quieter. He says the men were there but they left. At his signal, Herb pulls a handle and a trap door under Ben opens up. He falls into the water below. Herb asks if Pendleton knows what he's doing. He's had enough trouble with the two cowboys he bought from Cut-Rate Joe and now he just dumped their boss. Pendleton says he still needs three more men.
Hop Sing and #3 go back to the hotel and tell Hoss and Joe that Ben went into a bar and never came back. The boys take off.
Ben is led into a room where Hamp and Johnny are also being held. Pendleton, a.k.a Shanghai Pete, brings in Captain Sharp to sell him the new sailors. Sharp peeks through a slot in the door and wants to know why there are only three. Ben offers to pay Pendleton twice whatever the captain is offering. Pendleton is tempted, but the captain says they have a contract and if Pete's wants his future business he'll stick to the contract. Pendleton refuses Ben's offer even when Ben ups it to three times the price. Sharp says that Ben isn't drunk and therefore doesn't want him, but he'll take Hamp and Johnny. He says if Pete doesn't have three more men in an hour, he's going to Cut-Rate Joe's.
Kathleen, a waitress at Pig Eye Pete's, brings Ben some dinner. Ben turns on the charm and asks what a nice girl like her is doing in a place like this. She admits it's the money. He offers her $500 if she helps him escape and find his men. She agrees and says she'll be back for him later.
Hop Sing reports that #5 Cousin never saw Ben leave Pig Eye Pete's and to make matters worse, #6 Cousin, who works on the docks, says one ship that was shorthanded now has a crew. He's afraid Mr. Ben is now a sailor man. Hoss is ready to bust some heads and marches into Pig Eye Pete's. He demands to know where his pa is. Ross and Rhodes, the two thugs, start to move toward him, but Hoss pulls his gun. Pendleton arrives and assures him that Ben did leave. He calms Hoss down and walks him to the end of the bar. Down the hatch he goes.
A man is waiting below to help Hoss out, but Hoss pulls him in too and starts dunking him to get answers from him.
Kathleen takes the opportunity to get Ben out. She leads him to a "friend's" house, but it's really Cut-Rate Joe's and she's Quick Buck Katie. She offers to sell Ben for $100. Ben is stunned, particularly because he offered her $500. She says she knows he'll turn her over to the police. She raises her fee to $150. Cut-Rate Joe refuses and she settles for $75. As she leaves, she assures Ben that he'll see his friends.
Kathleen returns to Pendleton's and reports that she sold Ben to Cut-Rate for $25. Since Capt Sharp already refused Ben, Pendleton thinks it's funny that Cut-Rate will be stuck with him. Besides, he's got an even bigger Cartwright. Hoss enters bashing people as he goes. He hauls Pendleton up over his head and demands to know where Ben is.
Joe is down by the water searching when Hop Sing comes up and reports that Hoss went into the bar and never came out. Right then, the door they're next to bursts open and a man comes tumbling out. Joe goes in to find Hoss beating people up. He joins right in.
Meanwhile, Capt Sharp is telling Cut-Rate that he already refused Ben because he's not drunk. He's a temperance man. But any man who's foolish enough to get drunk deserves whatever happens to him. He will not take a sober man and turns his back. Ben is clubbed and a bottle of whiskey poured over him. Sharp turns around to see Ben staggering and smelling of whiskey. He takes him for $100.
After Hoss has knocked everyone out, Joe demands answers from Kathleen. He has to do some arm twisting, but she finally admits she sold him to Cut-Rate. Hoss is stunned, but wants to know how much she sold him for. Joe drags him away. They go to Cut-Rate's and get more answers. Then Hop Sing reports that #3 Cousin saw Ben being taken aboard a ship.
Ben wakes up next to Hamp and Johnny on a ship. They are tied together, but Ben is loose and demands to see the captain. He starts yelling at the captain. Hoss, Joe and Hop Sing are now on the docks and Hoss is glad to hear Ben's voice. And the fight is on. Sailors are going every which way and the Cartwrights and Hop Sing win.
At the hotel, the boys are tending their black eyes and Hoss wants to know how much Kathleen got for Ben. He won't answer. Hop Sing arrives, also with a black eye, and says #7 Cousin is in the silk business and gives a bolt to Johnny. Then he says #9 Cousin is a chef in the hotel and they're going to have a delicious meal. But he'll serve it in the room because he doesn't want them getting into any more trouble. Hoss asks one last time how much Kathleen got for Ben and he just glares at Hoss.
Cast[]
The Cartwrights[]
Recurring[]
Other[]
- Bill Clark: Sailor/Thug
- Bob Miles: Sailor/Thug
- David White: Alexander Pendleton/Shanghai Pete
- Don Rhodes: Little Henchman
- Herb Vigran: Bartender
- James Hong: Hop Sing's #3 Cousin
- Kathleen Crowley: Kathleen/Quick-Buck Kate
- Michael Ross: Big Henchman
- Murvyn Vye: Cut-Rate Joe
- O.Z. Whitehead: Hamp
- Richard Deacon: Captain Shark
- Robert Nichols: Johnny
- Stephen Roberts: Police Sergeant
- Tor Johnson: Busthead Brannigan
Notes[]
Did you know?[]
- This episode is also known as "San Francisco Holiday".
- Michael Landon told the story on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson of what happened when Lorne Greene fell through the trap door into the water. Lorne, who was never seen without his hairpiece, went under the water, but his hairpiece floated on the surface. Greene's hand came up, feeling around for his hair as he held his breath. He refused to surface until he had his hair back on his head.
