EPISODE:  A Knight to Remember

Reviewed by Susan Grote

Episode 181, Season 6, Originally aired December 20, 1964

Guest stars: Henry Jones, Robert Sorrells

Written by Robert Barron

Directed by Vincent McEveety

SUMMARY:

Hoss is in Virginia City picking up supplies when he meets Roy Coffee. Hoss invites the sheriff to a dinner the next night that the Cartwrights are having to celebrate a big timber deal Adam has closed. Looking a bit downcast, he adds that Adam always does things right and never has any problems (the green-eyed monster of jealousy rearing its head, perhaps?). Roy consoles Hoss by saying that Adam doesn’t lead nearly as interesting a life as Hoss. Hoss brightens at the thought and agrees.

In the town of Morris Flats, a deputy rushes to the stage depot to try to get some important papers on the Virginia City stage. Told that he missed the stage, the deputy hurries to try to catch up with it at a resting point.

On the stage, Adam is dozing as the driver pulls the coach to a halt to rest the horses. As Adam gets out of the stage, a group of bandits appear. The outlaws knock out the driver and grab the strongbox, shooting off the lock as Adam watches. Suddenly, a knight in full armor on a horse appears in the distance. Adam stares at the figure in disbelief (great expression on Adam’s face here).

The knight charges his horse at the bandits, who run off because they think they’ve seen a demon. As the knight starts to chase them, Adam ducks out of the way just in time then watches as the knight falls off his horse. Hurrying up to the man, Adam thanks the knight, who introduces himself as King Arthur. When the man asks Adam if he’s heard of King Arthur, Adam admits that he has (it’s obvious from his tone that Adam is playing along with “Arthur”). Arthur insists that Adam say nothing about his involvement, which Adam readily agrees to (he’s already suspecting no one is going to believe his story). As Arthur prepares to ride off after the bandits, Adam tries to talk the man out of the idea. But Arthur isn’t to be dissuaded and rides off.

Turning back to the stage, Adam starts to pick up the strongbox just as the deputy from Morris Flats arrives. Adam tries to explain that he didn’t have any part in the robbery but the deputy takes him back to Morris Flats anyway.

In the sheriff’s office, Adam tells the sheriff about the robbery. However, when the sheriff asks why the bandits rode off, Adam pauses before finally saying “someone” scared them off. When the sheriff presses him on who scared off the outlaws, Adam hesitates to answer then abruptly announces that it was the deputy who scared them off. The sheriff is skeptical of Adam’s answer (gee…just because it took Adam five minutes of hemming and hawing before he decided the deputy scared off the bandits?) and wants to arrest Adam. Outraged at this, Adam huffily explains who he is and says Roy Coffee will vouch for him. The sheriff is impressed that Adam knows Roy Coffee (apparently Roy’s fame has spread far and wide) but decides to lock up Adam until he gets confirmation from Roy that Adam is who he claims.

In Virginia City, Ben, Hoss and Joe ride in to meet Adam but instead find Sheriff Coffee telling them that Adam has been delayed. Coffee shows them the telegram from Morris Flats and advises it’s probably just a routine matter. Hoss is gleeful that Adam has gotten himself in trouble, but when Ben chides him for not being worried, Hoss admits that he’s worried about what will happen to the chocolate cake Hop Sing made.

The next morning Adam is released from jail by a reluctant sheriff. The sheriff admits the telegram he received speaks highly of Adam and the Cartwrights but he’s still suspicious. Adam hurries off before the sheriff can lock him up again.

On the stage to Virginia City, Adam is dozing when the bandits again stop the coach, knock out the driver and rob it. Adam is standing by the stage when King Arthur appears once more and charges at the outlaws. The frightened bandits run again. Suddenly Adam realizes Arthur’s charge it out of control and tries to warn the knight. But Arthur charges by him, ramming his lance into the side of the stage. The startled horses start running with Arthur hanging on to his lance still stuck in the coach’s side. Adam grabs Arthur’s horse and rides to the rescue, but the stage crashes before he can reach it. As Adam rides toward the fallen Arthur, he starts quoting from Shakespeare: “All the world’s a stage…” (a nice bit of ironic comment here).

After dusting off Arthur, Adam insists the man return to Morris Flats with him because Adam was blamed for the robbery last time. But Arthur ignores Adam’s pleas, and instead rambles on and on about the life of a knight. Finally Arthur tells Adam he won’t go to town because the authorities will make him “go home”. Adam, however, declares Arthur is dangerous both to himself and to others. While Adam is insisting Arthur return with him, the knight climbs on his horse and rides off. Walking back to where the driver was left, Adam is bending over the strongbox when the driver pulls a gun on him and insists Adam is a bandit.

Once more, Adam is in the sheriff’s office being questioned about the robbery. Adam insists he is innocent but the sheriff doesn’t believe him. Reluctantly, Adam agrees to tell the sheriff exactly what happened.

The next scene shows Adam locked up in a jail cell (obviously, the sheriff didn’t believe Adam’s story…wonder why?). Suddenly, Arthur appears at the window of the jail cell. As Adam is calling for the sheriff, Arthur disappears. Adam starts ranting wildly, insisting that the deputy go look for Arthur. The sheriff tries to calm Adam down by agreeing, but in the office, the lawman tells the deputy that Adam is crazy.

Back in the cell, Adam sees Arthur at the window again. He yells for the sheriff once more, but Arthur has disappeared by the time the sheriff and deputy arrive. Adam gets down right hysterical, raving about Arthur and declaring the place an insane asylum. The sheriff agrees with Adam and beats a hasty retreat.

Once in his office, the sheriff sends his deputy to wire the Cartwrights, asking them to come and get Adam. He is then called away to break up a fight in the saloon, leaving the office empty. Arthur comes into the office, grabs the keys to the jail cell and wants to let Adam out. But Adam won’t go, insisting he’s in enough trouble already. Arthur starts talking about the glory of catching the bandits and the fun of the chase. Intrigued, Adam agrees to leave with Arthur. When he returns to lock up a drunk he’s arrested, the sheriff is astonished to find Adam’s cell empty even though it is still locked (I guess he figured Adam disappeared in a puff of smoke or something).

At the Ponderosa, Ben is waiting for Adam. But when Joe and Hoss arrive, they tell Pa that Adam wasn’t on the stage. When Ben angrily declares he’s going to get Roy Coffee to send another wire to Morris Flats, Joe reluctantly tells Ben that Sheriff Coffee already received a telegram from there. Ben demands to know what the telegram says. Looking decidedly uncomfortable, Hoss admits the telegram says Adam has been acting “peculiar”. When Ben wants to know what “peculiar” means, Joe grudgingly answers that Adam has been “seeing things”. Ben angrily asks what kinds of things Adam has been seeing. Joe flinches a bit and tells Hoss to answer. Hoss finally blurts out that Adam has been seeing knights in armor. Ben is outraged by this answer, declaring he could understand if Hoss and Joe saw things but never Adam. Both Hoss and Joe are taken aback by this statement. As Ben orders them all to ride to Morris Flats, he glares at Joe, who cringes at the look and softly asks “why me?” (great reactions by Joe and Hoss in this scene!)

In Morris Flats, Ben, Hoss and Joe find the sheriff, who tells the Cartwrights Adam has escaped. When the sheriff adds he is going out looking for Adam, Ben insists that he, Joe and Hoss will be riding along.

Out in the hills, Adam and Arthur are riding double on Arthur’s horse. Arthur tells Adam that he knows where the outlaws are hiding and has a plan to capture them. Adam, on the other hand, wants to get the sheriff. But Arthur insists that they should have the glory of the capture. Finally, Adam agrees to at least look at the hide-out and listen to Arthur’s plan.

As Adam and Arthur are scouting the hide-outs, all but one of the bandits ride off to rob the stage again (these guys are really stuck in a rut – you’d think they’d want to try a bank or something just for some variety). Adam once more starts telling Arthur that they need to get the sheriff but Arthur rides off, leaving Adam behind. Arthur charges into the camp, scaring the outlaw who was left behind. As Arthur chases the man, Adam hurries to the camp. When the outlaw climbs a tree, Arthur rides after him and rams his spear into the tree. Adam helps Arthur and agrees to the man’s plan to capture the others.

Ben, Hoss, and the sheriff are searching for Adam when Roy Coffee arrives to join the posse. Joe suddenly appears, saying the stage was robbed up the road. The group rides to the stage where they find the driver once more knocked unconscious (the driver really needs to find a new line of work if he wants to avoid permanent headaches). A woman (wearing a blue dress…hmm) is tending to the driver. She tries to talk to the sheriff, but the lawman insists that the posse has to go after the bandits. The men ride away before the woman can say anything.

The bandits return to their camp, triumphant at having at last successfully robbed the stage. Without warning, a landslide blocks the entrance to the camp, caused by Arthur rolling rocks from the hills above. Adam then appears with a rifle and captures the bandits.

The posse is riding across a field when they see Arthur leading the captured outlaws toward them. Adam is in the back of the group with the rifle, and merrily joins in when Arthur starts proclaiming he’s captured “the varlets”. The posse is stunned at the sight.

When the posse, along with Adam, Arthur and the bandits, return to the stage, the woman in the blue dress recognizes Arthur. She calls him Uncle Leo and insists he return home with her. Arthur starts to disagree, but she insists, saying that the man has caused havoc across the country.

In Morris Flats, Arthur (Uncle Leo now in both dress and manner) is regaling Hoss, Joe, Roy and the sheriff with the tale of his capturing the bandits. Off to the side, the niece tells Ben and Adam that Leo worked in a bank his whole life, but craved excitement. His adventures had been make-believe until now, but he suddenly decided to have a real adventure. Leo joins his niece, Ben and Adam, raving about his glorious adventure. Adam agrees it was an adventure but doesn’t want to repeat it. Leo agrees but adds that he now has memories to last him a lifetime. He also promises to stay home from now on.

As Leo and his niece start climbing on to the stage, Leo stops. He turns to Adam and “knights” him. The stage drives off as the rest of the men watch. Adam looks at the men around him and gets a smug look on his face. As he walks off, Adam calls the rest of them “peasants”.

REVIEWS:

What I like most about this episode is the wonderful expressions Pernell Roberts uses throughout the show. His face is very expressive, showing astonishment, reluctance, etc. I also enjoy watching Adam joining in with Arthur from time to time, giving out a few "yea verily" comments and so on. The scene where Joe and Hoss try to explain why Adam isn't on the stage is great too. Joe and Hoss are downright insulted that Ben believes that they could see things, but never Adam. This episode always gives me some chuckles as I watch it.” Susan Grote

“I've noticed that, for whatever reason, it's usually Hoss who ends up being the one explaining things to Ben.  (Like in Adah, when Ben asks Hoss what are his brothers trying to say).”  Marianne

“I agree with you about the way PR approaches this ep. He shows Adam going along with the whole concept of this man being Arthur and getting quite a kick out of it; I suppose it certainly livened up a rather boring stage ride home. Hoss is definitely showing signs of being jealous of Adam's business  acumen, and rather gleefully receives the news that 'ol' Adam's got  hisself in some dumb trouble'; I suppose that is the curse of growing up in the shadow of an older, smart, big brother. I don't blame Joe and Hoss for being upset when Ben says they would see things, but Adam never would. It was a bit unfair of him. I love the way that Adam totally loses it in the cell and kicks the bars, hurting his toe, talking about lunatic asylums, and one of my favorite lines is when the rather gormless deputy asks for a description of King Arthur and Adam rather bitingly says 'that he's the only knight out there' LOL I really enjoy this ep and always choose it as one of the ones to watch when I want cheering up. Oh, and the peasants line at the end, cracks me up.” Little Joe forever Lynne

“This is one of my favorite episodes, even if there isn't much of Joe.” Ginny

“I finally saw this episode and I laughed through the entire airing.  Pernell did have wonderful facial expressions in this.  There were some really silly things that took place in this episode, and I give Joe and Hoss credit for their antics which helped Adam decide to go along with "King Arthur" and his quest. I even found myself telling Arthur to turn as he raced along with his lance, only to crash into the stage, a tree and anything else that seemed to block his chase. At the end, when dear Leo knights Adam and the others stand watching, was a great moment.  I had to rewind the tape just to see each of their expressions when Adam addresses them as "peasants."  An unusual episode for Adam's character, but great for a laugh showing a lighter side of the serious eldest son.  Even though I am devoted to Adam, I will admit that Hoss and the Leprechaun's was the best comedy episode in my book. A Knight to Remember was not the best comedic episode but it was enjoyable viewing.” Miss Maggie

“I too like this episode because of PR's acting. So well done. He really can make a storyline humorous and really plays off the other characters in this episode quite well.” Nancy

“Of course, it's one of my favorites because it features my beloved "Addy" (a nickname I picked up in an excellent story by Krystyna Woolen recently, called "The Outlaws"). It was different seeing Adam in such lighthearted circumstances. Usually, he's so serious, in control and quiet.  But what a temper and passion under the surface!  He's quite compassionate with "King Arthur".  How many of us could have dealt with that nutcake??  Henry Jones was quite good also as the "King". "The Wooing of Abigail Jones" is my favorite all-time comedic episode, Hoss and The Leps is second and "A Knight To Remember" (loved the title) is third!” Gail (whoa bunny bonanza)

While I like parts of this episode, it isn’t one of my favorites. Pernell applies a different acting style to this one, at times deliberately over-acting like one would do in melodrama or broad comedy (in the “theatre” sense). There is nothing wrong with this approach to the story, of course, but I just don¹t care for it myself. (Maybe it¹s that roar that finally puts me over the top!) But I love the scene where Joe and Hoss have to explain to Ben why Adam's not home yet, and perhaps I would have liked the episode more if there was a little more of the whole family throughout. I think of the possibilities for funny moments with the family if, in addition to the sheriff and deputy, the other Cartwrights were in that town from the beginning of the episode when Adam has his various knight sightings.” Sue W.