A Surreal Episode of ‘Bonanza’ Once Featured ‘Leprechauns,’ Gold & Hoss Standing Up For Tolerance
Yes, it might seem like something you dreamt while watching Bonanza late at night, but there was a time when Hoss chased down a “leprechaun” for its gold.
In the odd episode “Hoss and the Leprechauns,” originally airing on December 22, 1963, Eric “Hoss” Cartwright (Dan Blocker) is busy fishing on the Cartwright land when he hears cries for help. As he checks it out, he sees a bear chasing down a little man all dressed in green.
Hoss scares off the bear, who has trapped the little man up a tree. Instead of explaining himself, the stranger hightails it, with Hoss in pursuit.
Hoss eventually loses the stranger, but in his search, he discovers a strongbox full of gold dust. And soon, it turns out that there isn’t just one little man in green, but…five!
NBC/Screengrab
As Hoss heads back home, his family doesn’t believe that he saw a “leprechaun.” Not his brothers, Little Joe (Michael Landon) or Adam (Pernell Roberts). The head of the family, Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene), believes there’s truth to the story, thanks to the strongbox containing “thousands of dollars’ worth of gold.” But even he is skeptical.
That skepticism after the “leprechauns” sneak into Ponderosa Ranch and steal the box back.
Around the same time, a stranger named McCarthy (played by Irish actor Sean McClory) arrives in Virginia City. McCarthy is interested in Hoss’s tale of “little men in green suits,” and reassures that Hoss indeed saw “leprechauns.” Ah, but only if he caught one, then they’d get twice as much gold!
This spurs the townsfolk to go on a leprechaun hunt. And of course, hijinks ensue.
Of course, it’s all a ruse. McCarthy is actually a showman, the promoter of “McCarthy’s Leprechauns,” and the men in green suits are his former troupe of performers.
“They sing, they dance, and as you’ve seen, they’re daring and accomplished acrobats!” he boasts when the jig is up.
It turns out the “leprechauns” were panning for gold so that they could buy a farm, settle down, and pay for their families back east to join them. And that McCarthy had cheated the men out of their savings, before bankrupting their troupe in Kansas.
NBC/Screengrab
But, since the gold the men panned was on the Cartwrights’ land, it means it actually belongs to Hoss and his family. That revelation prompts McCarthy to pull a pistol, hoping to steal the gold, recapture his “leprechauns,” and ride off to start the whole scheme anew.
But Bonanza isn’t going to end on a sad note. The “leprechauns” help the Cartwrights capture McCarthy. And Hoss, realizing how much good the gold would do, gives it to the performers so they can start their lives. And Hoss, when introducing the men as the new citizens of Virginia City, stands up for his new friends. He makes a passionate speech to implore the townfolks to see past their differences and celebrate their similarities.
“I figure every one of us is gonna benefit from their being here,” says Hoss. “I figure we oughta give them a great big rousing Virginia City welcome.”
The episode, albeit a bit odd and slightly controversial by today’s standards, is noteworthy for featuring famed actors Frank Delfino, Harry Monty, Felix Silla, Nels P. Nelson, and Roger Arroyo as the “leprechauns.”
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TV Westerns of the 50's & 60's
September 2021
’50s and ’60s TV Westerns roundup, celebrating the shows and stars of their golden age.
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