EPISODE: The Lonely House

Reviewed by Judy S.

Episode 70, Season 3, Originally aired October 15, 1961

Guest Stars: Paul Richards, Faith Domergue

Written by Frank Chase

Directed by William Witney

This episode opens with a nice scene between Pa and Little Joe, who is trying to convince Pa of his 6 good reasons for not going on this errand. Pa tells him that there is 1 good reason he should go, because Pa asked him too. Little Joe replies, “There go my 6 good reasons.”

Little Joe stops at the bank near where the widow lives to cash the draft Pa gave him for the widow. While there, the bank is robbed by 3 men. Little Joe convinces the leader, Trock, though wounded by the teller, not to kill them. He reminds Trock that bank robbing won’t get him hanged, but murder would.

Little Joe goes on to the widow’s farm where she greets him with a shotgun. When she realizes who he is, she lets him in, and says he can stay in the barn because it’s late and there is a storm coming. The widow goes to let Little Joe out when thunder strikes frightening her right into Little Joe’s arms. She yells at Joe for trying to take advantage of her. Little Joe is baffled, as after all, the widow had turned around startled and grabbed him, not the other way around. She confesses that she’s seen too many men who want to take advantage of her living alone, assuming she’s lonely, that she has forgotten what it’s like to be with a nice kind man. Little Joe understands and goes off to sleep in the barn. (Well, she wouldn’t be lonely if she had stayed in his arms now, would she?)

Little Joe soon returns with bank robber Trock, obviously in pain, holding a gun on them. The widow has kept her late husband’s medical bag and she and Little Joe try to remove the bullet. Trock, half-delirious with pain, thinks the widow is his long-lost love. She plays along to keep him quiet, even kissing him so Joe can get the bullet out.  Trock passes out, and the widow hides his gun. They’re safe -- wait, not quite. The other 2 bank robbers find Joe once again in the barn.

Trock has the money from the robbery. The rest of the episode shifts between the other 2 robbers trying to force Little Joe to hand over the money, and between scenes of Trock and the widow sharing small talk and long, meaningful looks. Little Joe has hidden the money he found in the barn when Trock was unconscious and is refusing to let them know where it is. When they threaten the widow, Joe goes to get it, and is able to get the one robber killed by the other, then overpowers the remaining one, leaving the injured Trock. The widow has fallen for Trock now, and holds Trock’s gun on Little Joe, stating that they’ll turn over the money to the sheriff but Trock gets to leave. She can’t bear to see him captured.

Trock leaves, and Joe and the widow are seen later talking at the table, with Little Joe saying he’ll explain to the sheriff what happened. The widow says she is not going to let Little Joe take the blame for her letting Trock leave. Just then Trock returns, realizing he loves the widow, and after all, Little Joe has told him before that robbery isn’t a hanging offense. He asks the widow if she’d need a ranch hand in about 5 years; she tells him if he came back then, he’d find a job that would last him a lifetime. Little Joe leaves to take Trock, the other robber and the money to the sheriff and the episode ends.

REVIEWS:

While I personally love any episode with Little Joe featured in it, I really think this episode was more suited to Adam. I don’t think Little Joe has ever truly been lonely in his life. He always had such love from his Pa and brothers, and affection or friendship from the ranch hands, townsfolk and countless girlfriends. I think there is a deep-seated loneliness in Adam so centered in his soul that he is alone even with Pa and his brothers. The widow had that same deep loneliness. - Judy

This episode I liked because the widow did have some guts. Though lonely, she wasn't afraid and had some fire in her, not something they let you see in most of the women characters portrayed on Bonanza. There was that hint of sexual tension between Trock and the widow, and even the widow and Joe. - Nancy

This was a spooky creepy episode sort of like a Twilight Zone episode. It was another time Bonanza showed women as being so second rate to the men. The poor lonely widow, trying to grab poor Joe.  And she figures that shot up bank robber is better than no man at all. YUK. - Robin

I thought Joe was perfect for this part as he was a true romantic and could well understand the feelings of someone falling in love so quickly. That is what also allowed let him understand her letting Trock go. - Deb

I think Joe's upbeat persona and zest for living were just what a sad widow would need. Plus, in the end, he was happy for her and Trock--a love triangle may have been difficult for the woman in her vulnerable state and of course, Joe didn't see her as a love interest anyway. - Leesa