EPISODE: The Impostors

Reviewed by Lindy

Season 12  Episode 373 Air Date: December 13, 1970

Guest Stars: Strother Martin, Anthony Colti, Anthony James

Written By: Robert Vincent Wright

Directed By: Lewis Allen

SUMMARY

 

It starts out, Joe and Hoss go into the saloon and order a beer. Hoss asks the bartender, if he knows Joe Bruter. The bartender tells Joe and Hoss he's not his keeper and they'll have to find him. They come upon 2 guys. They are Randy Bruter's brothers. They tell Joe and Hoss to get out of town. In walks Joe Bruter. He asks Hoss and Joe who they are. Hoss says he is Bud York. Joe says he is Gabe Leroy. Hoss and Joe ask if he is Joe Bruter. He says yes.

Joe and Hoss both get a confused look on their faces. Joe Bruter turns to his boys and says it's plumb rude to treat a stranger like that. He starts hitting them. Bruter is constantly eating candy. He smacks one of the boys for eating the red jelly beans, which are his favorites.

It flashes back to when Joe and Hoss first meet Randy Bruter. Randy, Bud, and Gabe, held up the stagecoach that Joe and Hoss are in. Randy took Hoss' money belt. It had a lot of money in it.

Joe Bruter takes Joe and Hoss upstairs to his apartment. They were expecting a run-down place. Much to their amazement, it is really nice. Bruter asks Hoss how much was in the money belt. He says $51,000. Randy told his pa where the money was. He tells Hoss and Joe he has to think on what he will do.

Another flashback. Randy double-crossed Bud and Gabe. Hoss and Joe find them. Gabe draws a gun on Hoss. Joe saves the day and shoots him. Hoss tells Gabe, he is going fast so Gabe spills his guts. He says that Joe Bruter has the money for safe keeping. He also says that they are in a ghost town. Hoss then tells Gabe to get up; it is just a flesh wound. Gabe says that they tricked them.

Randy's two brothers tell Joe Bruter, that they deserve the money, since Randy is in jail, and can't spend it. The boys then head out of own.

A lawyer comes to see Randy in jail. He tells him, he has to be paid, before he will take the case. Randy tells him, his pa will pay him. Randy reaches through the bars and grabs the deputy. He holds a gun to his head. He then escapes.

Joe Bruter rides out of town to do some thinking. Joe and Hoss say that there are just them and the bartender in town. It may be a trap. Hoss and Joe go through Joe Bruter's apartment. They hear some people coming and get out real quick. Several men go into Bruter's with several real silver items.

The sheriff comes to tell Ben, that Randy escaped. They take off for the ghost town.

Joe Bruter decides that he will divide the $51,000. All of a sudden, in walk Randy’s brothers. They have Mrs. York. They are trying to see if Hoss and Joe are really who, they say they are. Hoss and Joe start sweating. They think that they've been busted. Mrs. York walks over to Hoss and slaps him in the face. She doesn't bust them. Their secret is safe for now. She acts like Hoss is her husband. Joe Bruter tells Hoss that he and Mrs. York can have his bedroom since they haven't seen each other in 2 years. Joe is loving this. He is sitting back, grinning from ear to ear, laughing to himself. Hoss and Mrs. York go into the bedroom.

Hoss asked her why she saved hem. She said she is ornery. Randy's 2 brothers forced her to come there. She wanted to make a fool out of them. Hoss tells Mrs. York what really happened, and who he really is. Mrs. York tells him he better stop calling her ma'am, and start calling her Katy. She doesn't want the Bruter's to get suspicious. Hoss is going to sleep in the chair. Joe Bruter knocks on the door. He wants to see if they are warm enough. Hoss has to hop into bed with Katy, so Bruter doesn't find out he is an impostor. Hoss hops out of bed, and Katy starts crying. She tells Hoss, that she would be very lucky to have a man like him.

In walks Randy Bruter. Joe is clueless. He is asleep in the chair. Randy tells his pa, that Joe isn't his partner. He tells him, that they are the Cartwrights that put him into jail.

Pa, the sheriff and the deputy ride into town. They ask the bartender if he knows Joe Bruter. He says no. He is about the most unfriendliest man that I have ever seen.  Randy is going to kill Joe and Hoss. Bruter tells Randy that he doesn't approve of killing. Shots are fired. It distracts all the Bruters. Hoss and Joe jump the Bruter brothers. While they are fighting, you get several nice Joe butt shots. Randy runs out, straight into Pa. Joe flies out the door, after him. Joe and Randy start fighting. Joe knocks Randy out. Joe Bruter tells Pa that he raised his boys right. Hoss tells Katy that her husband didn't run out on her. He is tied up, waiting to go to jail. Hoss also tells Katy, that he hopes things go better for her.

REVIEWS:

“This was a good episode. I loved the part, where Joe is loving it, that Hoss and Katy has to share a bedroom. It also pretty cool, when in walks the Bruter brothers with Katy. Hoss & Joe just know, that she is gonna bust them. They are really sweating. You should see the look on their faces, when she keeps their secret.” Lindy

“I always enjoy the episodes where Hoss is clever rather than the episodes where he is painted to be a mindless moron. I liked when Joe and Hoss shot the robber while they were sitting around the campfire. The baddie says "Am I hurt bad?" And Hoss tells him that he is mortally wounded. For a moment I was shocked that Bonanza, in that late episode, had the Cartwright actually shoot a guy and then were acting so uncaring that he was badly wounded. It was all a fake out by Hoss and the guy wasn't badly hurt. "Just a flesh wound"." Robin

“I laughed so hard at Hoss telling the guy he was mortally wounded, and I remember thinking that the bad guys were stupider that usual.” Miss Maggie

“I always liked this ep - and of course Strother Martin! He cracks me up. The bedroom scene between Hoss and Katy is sad though the scene with LJ cracking up at the prospect of Hoss sharing the room with a woman is great. I can stay on pause while I watch LJ sleeping on the sofa for a loooonnnngggg time!” Judy

“I like that part of the ep where Joe is sleeping, he looks soooooooooooooo cute there. :) The rest of the ep is funny in my opinion. At least I was laughing at some places.” Karine

“This is kind of a tongue-in-cheek episode, not really funny but obviously not meant to be taken too seriously. I love how Joe is obviously reluctant to go along with Hoss' idea but he does it anyway because Hoss is his brother and he'd do anything for his big brother. When Katy makes the comment that she guessed Hoss was the one playing her husband because Joe is too good looking to have married her, it's both a sad and funny statement. Sad because Katy doesn't think enough of herself to believe Joe would like her, but also funny because of the look on Hoss' face when he realizes what that means she thinks of him.” Susan Grote

“I found the part where Katy picked Hoss because she didn't figure the handsome one would be married to the likes of her sad, too. Then when poor Hoss says 'so you picked the ugly one', he also looks unhappy. But after Katy is with Hoss for just a short time, she realizes that his personality and character make him handsome in his own way and that makes him feel better. They both seem to understand then that looks aren't the important thing; it's who you are as a person. I liked that part.” Leesa