EPISODE: The Truckee Strip
Reviewed by Nancy
Episode #11, Season 1 – Air date November 21, 1959
Guest Stars: James Coburn – Pete Jessup, S. John Launer – Jason Cauter, Carl Benton Reid – Luther Bishop,
Adrienne Hayes – Amy Bishop
Written by: Herman Groves
Directed by: Christian Nyby
SUMMARY:
The episode opens with the Cartwrights chasing trespassers off of their land, a piece known as “The Truckee Strip”. It seems that they cut down a tree. All the boys are running the strangers off when Joe breaks off from the family and chases one of the trespassers through a stand of trees and by a small creek where who does he discover? A half-dressed girl! (LJ has all the luck, doesn’t he?) Well, talk goes on about how this is Cartwright land and the girl insists it’s Bishop land and well Joe ends up helping the girl get dressed, (always the gentleman). However, we the viewers soon discover, through a dramatic crescendo and heart stopping eye contact, that Little Joe is smitten with this girl. We also find out that this girl just happens to be Amy Bishop, the daughter of Luther Bishop, the family the Cartwrights have been feuding with for years over this particular piece of this land.
Ripping himself away from Amy, Joe rides back to meet the family to find Ben posting 24 hour guards to keep the men off the strip. No way is Luther Bishop going to cut down trees on the Truckee. Ben has a ranch foreman, a kind of sleazy looking guy named Trump, working for him and in charge of the guards. Adam questions Trump’s loyalty and Ben insists there is nothing to worry about. When Joe joins in the conversation, he questions Ben’s actions, not understanding why Ben continues to fight over this land and one tree. Ben seems a bit surprised by Joe’s reaction but brushes it off, his concern being with that of Luther Bishop.
Next the scene flips to town where Pete Jessup is meeting in the offices of Jason Cauter, Land Developer, who wants the Truckee Strip and the trees for himself. Jessup reports that things are going as planned and the cutting down of the tree has started tempers flying. Cauter says he hopes Jessup’s plan works, because he’s tried to buy the land and Bishop has refused to sell. Jessup says not to worry, that he has a plan that will start an all out war against the Cartwrights and Bishops. This way, they will wipe each other out and both be out of the way, leaving the land for Cauter to take. We find out, too, that Jessup is out for revenge against the Cartwrights due to his brother being killed in a gunfight on the Truckee Strip a few years earlier. Cauter tells Jessup he doesn’t want to know the plan but just do it, because he wants that land!
From here things go from bad to worse. Jessup does follow through on that plan by leading some men wearing masks in stealing some Cartwright horses, riding onto Bishop land (“The Concho”), and shooting some of Bishops men. When Luther Bishop hears that the Ponderosa brand is on the horses responsible for the “raid”, he declares an all-out war against Ben Cartwright. He orders his men to set up camp on the Truckee Strip and start taking down trees -- timber he’ll sell to Jason Cauter.
In the heat of it all, Little Joe is secretly meeting and making out with Amy Bishop. With each meeting, he is falling more in love with her and the two realize that they want to spend the rest of their lives together, feud or no feud. Joe even asks Amy to run away with him if their families will not allow them to be together. (I think she should have opted to run away, while she could)
Well, from here Trump informs Ben that Bishop has set up a lumber camp on the Truckee Strip and is cutting down trees. Ben asks Adam and Hoss about Joe’s whereabouts and they say he’s gathering strays. (Yeah, sure). Off the Cartwrights go to stop Bishop, without Joe. Ben confronts one of Bishops men asking, “Where is Luther Bishop?” The man tells Ben, “Luther is still up at the house and should be down shortly.” Before Ben can head out, they hear a boy’s screams and discover Trump is missing. Ben says something like, “Oh no!” and we see Ben run into a tent and find a Chinese boy dead, strangled. Ben looks at Trump and says something about him being an animal and Trump attacks Ben. Hoss comes to the rescue and beats him up good. Ben then tells Hoss to take Trump to town and turn him over to the Sheriff. Before they leave though, Joe rides up to the scene and is shocked. He can’t believe what’s happened and blames his father. He tells Ben, “You just don’t understand, do you?” He has words with Ben and draws a gun on him! (Oh my!!!!) Thankfully, he realizes what he is doing and apologizes to Ben but insists on bringing the dead boy back to his father and to the Concho, wanting to explain things to Luther Bishop. (Just a side note: in this complexity of plots, we find out, through the Cartwrights, that Trump hasn’t been right in the head since he was shot in the face by Luther Bishop some years back. Now that has to explain Trump’s irrational behavior because Ben would never hire a murderer!)
Next scene brings Joe riding up to the Concho, carrying the dead boy. He and Luther Bishop have words and Bishop tells Joe that he, as well as all the other Cartwrights, are not to set foot on Concho land or risk death. Joe hands the boy to Luther and attempts to leave when Jessup joins him and tries to start trouble. There are words said about Amy and Amy rushes from the ranch house and into Joe’s arms. Joe tells Jessup if he touches Amy, he’ll kill him. Luther emerges from the ranch and comments that it looks as if Amy and Joe know each other. Luther tells Amy to get in the house and the conversation ends with Joe saying something to Bishop like, “you can’t keep us apart.”
We then see a worried Ben, gun belt in hand, waiting for his youngest sons return home. Adam and Hoss assure Ben that Joe can take care of himself, when we hear Joe ride up. Ben asks the boys to leave so he can talk to Joe alone. Then Ben confronts Joe about his behavior as of late. Joe spills it and tells him about Amy, and Ben delivers one of his best lines ever, I think: “Son…are we so far apart? I’d never hold my land before my sons. Before that would happen, I’d destroy the Ponderosa.” Ben then encourages a relieved Joe by voicing his approval and saying that he and Luther Bishop have a lot of taking to do!
The next day the whole family rides up to the Bishop Camp where Ben tells Luther the story about the stolen horses and how they had nothing to do with the raid on the Concho. He then tells him that Trump was responsible for the boy’s murder and he is in jail and awaiting punishment. Ben asks Luther if he’s ever lied to him before and Luther states, no. Then Luther adds, “Seems we have some talking to do about my Amy and your Joe” and Luther Bishop tells Joe to go up to the house to fetch her. Smiling, Joe rides off.
Unfortunately, Jessup beats Joe to it and chases Amy from the main house attempting to force himself upon her. Joe rides up and, hearing Amy’s screams, rushes to the barn where he gets into a heated fight with Jessup using chains, whips, and other assorted farm tools. Amy is a witness to the whole scene and is forgotten as Jessup throws a pitchfork across the barn, barely missing Joe. Joe ends up killing Jessup, but when he looks for Amy, finds she’s been…yup…you guessed it, pierced with the pf.
The final scene finds the family gathered at the Bishop home, outside of Amy’s bedroom door. The doctor comes out and says there’s nothing more he can do. Then he tells Joe, Amy would like to see him. His head hung low, Joe slowly enters Amy’s bedroom. He kneels down beside her bed and they talk about how she’ll be alright and about the piece of land Pa gave them. Then Amy dies and Joe cries as only Joe can. Nothing like great ML angst! Reluctantly, Joe stands and turns leaving the room. On the way out of the door, he pauses and says softly, “She said it could never be… a Cartwright and a Bishop…” and he exits. As only the Cartwrights can, they too pause and together leave the Bishop home to follow Joe. The story ends with all of them riding off and Joe holding back and then following….a classic Bonanza finale.
REVIEWS:
“Some people infer in some fan fiction writing that Joe may have lost his innocence with Amy? Some believe that Amy was a woman Joe Cartwright could have wed, if given half the chance.” Nancy
"The Truckee Strip" is one of the few episodes from Season 1 that I enjoy. I think Ben and his sons act more like the Cartwrights we come to love in the later seasons in this episode than in any of the other episodes during the first year. I like the "Romeo and Juliet" aspect of this story, although I do think that "death by pitchfork" is a rather weird way to kill off Joe's love interest.” Susan Grote
“I liked this episode, too. About the only thing in it that really bothered me and didn't ring true, was Joe pulling a gun on his own father. I just do not think that is anything he would do...never in a million years. Yeah, he is sorry right after, but still...I don't think he would have done that. And then Ben just says something like, 'it's ok, son'? I don't think so! Just my opinion, though.” Leesa
“The bit where Joe draws his gun on his father leaves me cold, and I just can't believe that Joe would have done that, or, if he did, that Ben would have dismissed it so lightly. Adam and Hoss look horrified, and I think that Ben should have disarmed Joe and marched him home for a necessary talking to in the barn, just my opinion As to allowing him to take that boy's body home, alone, I thought that was crazy, knowing how everybody's tempers were already frayed. The only thing I do like about this ep is Amy. As a girlfriend for Little Joe, she was sweet, but I think it was only puppy love, no hanky panky.” Lynne Little Joe forever
“This was the first episode I remember watching when I was 9, and I was so worried something was going to happen to Joe. I hadn't realized yet that he was one of the stars, so he was safe.” Ginny
“I've always liked this episode, even though it is very much an early Old Testament Ben show. Amy Bishop was one of the few early Little Joe romances who was believable as somebody he might fall for. They were both about 17 - considered old enough to marry in those days but still young enough to be innocent and full of faith that everything would work out just because it was right and fair.“ Helen A.
“I also loved the scene where Ben told Joe he would never put the Ponderosa above one of his sons. It was definitely a heartwarming scene. I do find it odd that the writers would have Joe pulling a gun on his father as that is pretty extreme but I could understand the way Ben dealt with it. He knew in his heart that Joe wasn't serious and that something was really troubling him.” Deb