Millions of fans and casual viewers tuned in to watch the popular television series entitled Bonanza. The nontraditional Western program revolves around the Cartwright family and their weekly adventures. Fred Freiberger and Steve McNeil wrote the thirty-eighth episode of Bonanza, Denver McKee. At the same time, B-picture auteur Jacques Tourneur served as the episode’s director.

Denver McKee, played by Franchot Tone, is a former law enforcement officer. With his money, he aspires to give everything to his beloved daughter Connie (Natalie Trundy). McKee has secretly joined an outlaw gang to fulfill his wish, accepting large sums of money in exchange for his cooperation.

However, the father-daughter duo faces trouble. Connie returns home from a fancy Eastern school right when McKee goes out of town to apprehend the exact outlaws who offered him a partnership. When things couldn’t get any worse, Joe Cartwright falls in love with Connie.

Ken Mayer (Miles), Stephen Courtleigh (Harley), Bob Barker (Mort), William Fawcett (Pete), Jim Galante, Jack Lester (Johnson), Greg Rhinelander, and Pete Robinson (Fleming) join the cast in this episode. 

Apart from the entire episode, you can read the plotline, including some exciting trivia below.

Watch the Full Episode of Denver McKee

Watch the Full Episode of Denver McKee:

Main Cast

Aside from Bonanza’s leading actors, the second season’s sixth episode, Denver McKee, featured some of the series’ recurring and supporting cast members. The following actors appeared in the episode:

• Michael Landon as Joseph ‘Little Joe’ Cartwright
• Lorne Greene as Ben Cartwright
• Pernell Roberts as Adam Cartwright
• Dan Blocker as Eric ‘Hoss’ Cartwright
• Franchot Tone as Denver McKee
• Natalie Trundy as Connie McKee
• Ken Mayer as Miles Briscoe
• Stephen Courtleigh as Harley
• Bob Barker as Mort
• William Fawcett as Pete Redfern
• Jim Galante as Party Guest
• Jack Lester as Johnson (uncredited)
• Greg Rhinelander as Party Guest (uncredited)
• Pete Robinson as Fleming (uncredited)

Full Story Line for Denver McKee

Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe are returning to the Ponderosa ranch when a gunshot rings from a distance. They found an older man, Pete, robbed of three years worth of work and shot, but couldn’t identify the robbers’ identity apart from their physical features. Hoss promises to get the doctor, but he dies before their eyes.

Ben pays Denver McKee, an old friend, a visit. Miles, Denver’s foreman, welcomes him as he hooks his horse to a buggy. Miles reveals that Denver’s daughter, Connie, is going home from her Eastern school, making Denver extremely anxious. Denver exits his home, dressed up to make a good impression on his daughter. He has changed a few aspects of their home to make it look decent and is worried Connie wouldn’t like her new surroundings. Ben invites Denver to a welcome home party for Connie at the Ponderosa that night, and Denver gladly accepts his invitation.

Back at the Ponderosa, the Cartwright boys inform Ben about the unfortunate news: the robbery and Pete’s death. The only clue they have is one of the burglars’ red hair. Ben puts Pete’s few personal belongings in a drawer and prepares himself for the celebration.

The party begins that night, and everyone is excited to see Connie return after four years. Denver and Connie arrive as Ben makes a toast for the two. Joe gives Connie a welcome kiss, but she slaps him on the face, telling him that’s how they greet people in the east. She greets the remaining Cartwrights with joy, not expecting a party for her return. Denver tells Ben he wants to offer Connie security, much like what Ben has provided to his sons. Ben assures Denver that although it hasn’t been easy for Denver, he has already done it.

Ben, Adam, and Hoss set forth to drop by Denver’s place in search of the robbers. They arrived when Denver was shooting a can around the yard. Denver informs Connie about Pete’s incident, but Connie believes Denver shouldn’t join their search, thinking Denver has had enough violence in the past. Ben assures her they’re doing it to help the sheriff and uphold the law. Connie can only tell his father to be careful because there’s nothing she can do to stop them.

Connie visits Little Joe at the Ponderosa ranch. Connie is initially teasingly hostile toward Joe, but her entire demeanor shifts after Joe brings up his gift for her. His present was a horse, and Connie expressed her delight and gratitude with a kiss. They ride off together, stopping by a pond to take a break. There they exchanged kisses and playful mentions about Joe’s so-called girlfriends. Joe asks Connie if she is returning to the East, but she is uncertain about it, including Joe’s feelings for her.

Ben, Adam, and Hoss ride to the canyon the next day, where Denver loses the robbers’ trail. They realize the robbers have doubled back to trick them. The Cartwrights lose track again after the course left by the robbers leads to a busy road. Ben realized that the killers weren’t strangers, maybe even one of their neighbors. At that moment, the Cartwrights hear gunshots from a distance and discover that three more people have been shot dead. Horses were running nearby, so Adam and Hoss went after them. Ben checks the bodies and hears a groan, revealing one of the three men, Corey, is still alive. He tells Ben that four men shot them, three of whom were wearing masks, one redheaded, and someone who looked familiar to him. Adam and Hoss return, failing to find the men. Although Corey couldn’t identify the men, his statement confirms that the robbers were people they knew.

At the robbers’ camp, Denver and Miles discuss the killing that occurred earlier that day. Miles is upset because he does not want to see anyone get killed. Denver is unbothered even if Miles brought up the Cartwrights. Miles also doesn’t wish for Connie to find out what they’re doing. On the other hand, Denver believes that since he’s in charge, everything will end up fine. Miles wants to leave the group, but the others don’t want anyone quitting, even threatening to kill the first man to flee.

Ben, Adam, and Hoss report the shooting and the trail to Denver. They also tell him they think the robbers are someone they know, but Denver finds it unbelievable. Denver insists he does not want to assist them anymore since he does not want to get hurt. He states he’s worn out and sick of helping other people for years. Denver wishes to focus on looking after Connie. Ben is surprised that Denver feels that way but doesn’t press him for any more assistance.

Connie and Joe arrive with Joe carrying Connie’s shopping packages. Denver invites Joe to dinner, but Connie assures his father that Joe will change his mind later. When Connie goes upstairs, Joe and Denver discuss the two’s relationship. Joe expresses his fondness for Connie, telling Denver that he’ll ask Connie to marry him. Denver is upset and outright refuses, stating he only wants Connie to be happy. Apologetic, Joe leaves.

Connie returns, asking about Joe. Denver is confused since he assumed Connie intended to travel east to find happiness. However, Connie tells her father that she no longer wants to leave. Denver could only tell her that all he ever wanted was for her to be happy, and they shared a hug.

At the Ponderosa, Joe is upset to hear Ben, Adam, and Hoss suspect Denver and Miles, especially since the latter wasn’t at the party when the Silverado payroll robbery happened. Joe couldn’t believe it. Ben asks Hoss to go to the McKee place to follow Miles in case he leaves the ranch.

Joe comes early in the morning to relieve Hoss from his duty. However, Joe sees something and asks Hoss to stay. They find Denver, Miles, a redheaded man, and a stranger gathering at the ranch. Joe and Hoss decide to get Ben and Adam. Denver tells them that the Cartwrights are onto them after gathering information. Miles feels they need to lay low for some time, but the redhead refuses, planning to sleep in the bunkhouse rather than outside.

The Cartwrights arrive at the McKee ranch. They find the redhead standing outside, then ask Denver if he knows him. The redhead draws his gun, but Joe quickly shoots him. Adam shoots the stranger who tried to fire back. Connie rushes out to see what the gunshots are about, but Denver tells Joe to assist her inside.

Still confused, Ben asks Denver why Denver’s involved with the gang. Denver reveals that he ran out of money and did what he had to do. Ben declares he has to take Denver in, but Denver refuses to surrender his weapon. Denver draws his gun and fires, and Ben shoots, hitting Denver in the stomach. Devastated to see his old friend dying, Denver assures him that he doesn’t have to blame himself.

Connie is ready to leave on the stagecoach. Waiting outside is Joe, who asks her if Connie truly wishes to go. Connie believes it’s what she has to do to get away and forget. She tells him she loves him and then enters the buggy to leave.

Full Script and Dialogue of Denver McKee

[Music]
[Applause]
oh you two are a big help
you know i had that gal sweet talked
eating right out of my hand
you two have to bust in and hustle me
out of there oh you just be grateful we
got you out of trouble before it
happened
you know what i think well it couldn't
be much it takes brains for thinking
yeah well i think you're jealous
just because i find the only pretty gal
in town who's not wearing some man's
brand
did not tell you he showed on brains ah
but she was wearing some man's brand
cazanova
and he was rounding up a few of his
friends and they were fixing to take you
apart but there was no talk about
putting you back together again
and me and adam being the charitable
fellows we are we just decided your hide
might be worth safe uh not that we care
but uh
paul might have been a little upset
45. sounds like it came from old pete
redford's place uh he don't know no 45.
peter they got everything
three years work gone pete
did you get a good look at him it was
wearing masks
one of them was a big redhead
a reddited man
hat fell off there was
farm pete don't you worry we're going to
get a doctor for you out of virginia
city
how is he
[Music]
he's just fine oh he didn't hurt no more
[Music]
hello miles uh noon this guy right
denver around yeah inside
walk about six foot off the ground
nervous as a wrestling church
he hasn't had this buggy out since that
school teacher left now don't tell me
he's getting married
oh ain't gonna get married don't have to
but i have a woman around the place
again connie's coming home yeah
bye gully four o'clock stage yeah yeah
you must have card right that man scared
to death
you know reckon since she's been back to
that eastern school going on four years
he figures she's a queen england
well you know she's going to see a lot
of changes in this place
yeah denver's done a good job with it in
four years
well for the love of zachary p taylor
that you denver yeah
that's me denver
where you preaching nowhere but i wish i
was
behind a pulpit i could take off these
doggone gators
but ben do you think a man's feet keep
on growing
well i heard that uh when a person gets
older his body shrinks i
don't know about feet though well i
haven't had these gaiters on since the
harrelson wedding but i
swear either they're a size smaller and
my feet are a size larger
then you think i look all right well you
know if i didn't know better
i'd swear you were a senator i'm going
in to meet connie i know
milestone yeah he told me sure i told
him
i ain't forgot how to talk doesn't seem
like four years doesn't
it does to me i tried to get the house
fixed up so kind of have a decent place
to come home to
i don't know you think she'll like it oh
it looks real nice i had some new
curtains made
for a room some kind of lace yeah
they're real pretty to me well then it
is real pretty
now what are you worried about that
little girl won't even know the place i
know
but she's grown up now 18 her last
birthday you make it sound like she's an
old maid
when she left here she was a kid what do
you know about it you old goat
who's an old goat i ain't more than two
years older than you are that makes you
an old
goat two cents i'd quit for two cents
i'd fire you
now hold on you two how long have you
known each other too
dang long since before connie was born
that's long enough
well denver if i were you i'd hold on to
miles as a foreman
you give me one good reason why i should
well if you don't
connie i'll have you hide
[Laughter]
you better get going denver that stage
live will be early well it hasn't
happened
yet but i suppose it could ben you
wouldn't
want to ride in with me would you well
no you
you two have a lot to talk about yeah i
guess you're right
four years is a long time well
you sure i look all right ben i told you
yeah like a senator
then you can't lie worth a hoot
well and uh like a state senator then
oh there is one thing yeah what's that
well you know i was thinking uh
it's a little short notice i know but
this is saturday night and uh
connie coming home i thought i'd like to
give a little welcome home party for
connie the ponderosa tonight
well that's fine ben if i can get these
gators broke in by that time
well if you want you can come barefoot
thanks ben connie'll like a party
[Applause]
well i guess i'd better get along home
and have the boys spread the word around
about the party
well i uh won't be able to make the
party miss conrad
somebody's got to watch the store oh
sorry about that miles
that's all we found on him paul
we followed the four men until we lost
their drill and we went back and buried
pete
not very much to leave after a lifetime
of hard work is it
what could anybody expect to get robbing
old pete redfern
huh i don't know adam some people say
pete did fairly well with that mind of
his he could have had some money stashed
away somewhere
paul this seems to me like it's a like
it's an organized outfit this is a third
robbery in less than a month
no it's the first killing pete was
killed because he got a good look at one
of the men
on that side what'd he say about him
well not much except
except he had red hair
well i'll talk to denver mckee he might
be able to pick up the trail you boys
lost
yeah he's probably good at that old
denver's about half bloodhound in here
well meantime you go ahead and pass the
word around about the party
i don't think pete would want to spoil
connie's homecoming
you keep quiet about this i'll talk to
denver right
[Music]
[Applause]
um
hey is that you i smell a little brother
well it couldn't be you or rather you
two smell like horses
smells a bit like the wednesday
afternoon ladies society don't you think
yeah maybe maybe walsh's livery stable
and we felt let's take a long walk
like to china well our little brother
we'd be happy to but we got to hang
around here to
take care of your hide well i'll tell
connie mckee to be sure to thank you
oh joe uh remember don't mention
anything about
pete redfern at the party okay all right
did he have any kin
no no according to paul his wife died a
few years back and
that's how come he's out here manning
hmm well you boys see a red-headed man
at the party tonight be sure to shoot
first and talk about it later hey wait a
minute
josh perkins come to that party tonight
he's red-headed and
the best dang barber in virginia city i
sure wouldn't want to shoot him
oh you know i would if i were you what a
haircut that gave you
[Applause]
[Music]
hey charlie
wonder what's keeping denver mckee and
that daughter of his they're late
now listen fleming have you ever taken a
woman anywhere i'm being tired
little connie mckee you know the way she
used to ride that horse i thought she'd
break her neck before she got a chance
to go to school
i wonder whether she changed the east or
the east changed her i guess the east
dropped some rough spots off her but i
imagine she's still the same girl she
was
at least i hope so for denver's sake he
was shaking like a leaf when he went to
pick her up at the stage
here's to denver mckee the greatest
sheriff colorado ever had
here's to denver mckee the best indian
scout in the us army
here's to denver mckee the most
frightened father in nevada
ah there they come
[Applause]
it's gotta be connie cause she's with
old denver i don't know i don't look
like connie to me
hell you wanna know something fellas i
don't really care who that is
welcome home connie hello little joe
it's so nice to see you
hey wait a minute way to say hello to an
old friend
in the east that's the way we treat
freshmen looks like you two are gonna
take up just where you left off four
years ago still fighting
hello hoss it's so good to see you hi
connie dog gone it we we like not even
recognize you
you wait right here we got a real big
surprise for you all right
adam how are you oh connie you have
changed yeah not so you could notice
you still got that same old sweet temper
hello how are you
welcome home connie thank you i didn't
expect a welcome home party like this
it's so wonderful
oh i'd forgotten how beautiful the
ponderosa is well she put on a
best party dress for you denver she's
your daughter you better introduce it to
the guests
thanks ben folks
most of you remember my little girl but
for those who don't
connie mckee welcome home
oh it's beautiful but it's a shame to
cut it
well we can't either you do well just
make a wish first and then blow
he's a real beauty denver she sure is
ben
i can say that because i can't take any
credit for it she's a spitting image of
my mother
yeah i only hope i've done right
that what connie how do you know about
girls ben
you see i didn't want her to grow up
here like a wild bronco marry the first
saddle trap that asked her
i got tired of the ranch and head for
san francisco to twist the town by the
tail
i wanted to give her what you've given
me a boy security
background i wanted to have a chance to
see something besides steers and horses
and a kitchen stove well
you've done it and i know it hasn't been
easy
here's a little piece off why don't we
call it a truce well seeing as you
started the war i accept
there'll be another war little joe if
you try to hog the guest of honor
uh connie why don't we go somewhere we
can draw up a peace treaty i have a
better idea
let's have some punch hey that is a good
idea why don't you two go ahead
well come on fellas connie and i are old
friends but connie wants to make new
friends don't you connie
since you've been east little joe is a
changed man connie
he doesn't seem any different to me
that's just on the surface
underneath he's wilder in a local steer
right more wilder sometimes
in virginia city they have what they
call the girls protective association
when little joe comes into town all
those mamas go into action
why little joe i had no idea miss connie
would you care to meet some of my
friends
yes i'd love to oh connie i hope she
isn't really mad at little joe
no no she's not mad at joe just trying
to show him that he isn't the only man
in nevada
doing good
what's your mind little brother you
having trouble she looks like i got
typhoid fever or something
what's the matter with me anyway uh got
a couple hours i'll tell you
i'll never mind she's not the only girl
in nevada hmm
she's the prettiest
oh come on you're not gonna really eat
the rest of that it's too good of cake
let's go waste joe
thanks so much for everything all of you
that even includes you little joe
thanks man for a while there tonight you
made me forget connie'd ever been away
at all
[Music]
well the short straw stays the rest of
us get denver see if we can pick up the
trail of the killers
well guess who's got it
get your state job
i still don't see why we all can't go
well somebody has to stay here
make yourself useful joe help number one
cousin with the dishes
that's pretty good shooting that amber
the useless way to spend money ben
i just started wondering if i still had
to touch well i guess it's a little like
swimming
man never forgets you ready to go yeah
i'm ready i guess we better get started
get started where connie i didn't want
you to be bothered with any of this but
you see
yesterday an old named pete redfern got
killed his life savings stolen
oh that's terrible well it's more than
that last night
two men got killed the silverado mine
payroll was taken
we're just going out scott around see
what we can find out
i see but why do you have to go
but connie i just told you three men
have been killed
i'd almost forgotten about the violence
in the west
and the fact that nobody is immune or
wants to be
we mean to try to put a stop to this
before there's any further violence
do you or do you enjoy it
we're just trying to do what we feel we
have to do
we'll leave my dad out of it he spent
most of his life with violence
it wasn't a game with him it was his
business and he's retired
can't you leave him alone connie these
are neighbors asking me to help because
i know about these things
connie last year 200 head of steer
vanished completely without a trace
and 50 men couldn't find him now we're
looking for four men
now the sheriff needs all the help he
can get
uh if we find them in and i hope we do
well it's not gonna make us feel good
not gonna make us feel big and brave
that's right connie none of us get any
joy
out of this just something has to be
done
i'm sorry mr cartwright you will be
careful won't you dad
i didn't get this old being careless
connie you try not to think about it
where'd you leave little joel back at
the ponderosa
oh he's got a few chores to do uh not
too many
nice day for a ride if little joe wants
to see me he knows where i am
the only trouble is he can't leave the
ranch let him stay there
i certainly have no intention of running
after him
are you late don't tell me you were
expecting me
well pat didn't tell you had to stay
here and do a few things around the
house
i really don't remember because i really
don't care
oh well in that case you probably
wouldn't be very interested in a little
present i was fixing up for you
a present for me mm-hmm yeah if you
don't care there
really isn't much point to it did i say
that it was in you
well i may have but that was before you
mentioned a present
oh well they really taught you a lot in
that girls school back east how to be
mercenary in one easy lesson
you're so wrong little joe no woman
alive needs that lesson
she's born that way oh i just didn't
know they admitted to it
but since you did
how do you like him
oh little joey's beautiful
[Music]
well if that's the way you say thanks
it'll just take me a second to wrestle
up about a dozen more just like him
never mind one beautiful horse like this
is enough for anybody
maybe so but i don't hardly think one
kiss is enough for anybody
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
why little joe i thought you had to stay
back at the ranch
and i want to have something better to
do like kissing my best girl
you mean kissing girls don't you any
girl
well where in the world did you get that
notion it wasn't hard
almost everyone at the party last night
volunteered that information
and more oh you're not gonna believe
them well why shouldn't i not because
they're lying
i mean there's no such girl as uh joan
curry
oh sure there's such a girl is joan but
she's a and uh
how about uh carol childress and judy
polk and uh
sally putnam
how do you do it you haven't been back
24 hours and you know every girl i've
ever talked to
i have only mentioned four would you
like me to tell you the rest of the list
no never mind of course uh you didn't do
anything when you were back east
except maybe and it sucks oh you know
very well i went to a girls school
yeah only the way i heard it there was a
boys school right down the block
how long is your list you'll die
wondering little joe
look connie those girls didn't mean
anything to me
they were just girls yeah that's right
they were just girls
well that's exactly what i am a girl
now you're very special here was
something i wanted to ask you
are you going back east well i'm not
sure why
i just don't want you to go back that's
all well that's hardly reason enough
because i think you're very beautiful
that still isn't much i like you very
much
[Music]
i've only been back for 24 hours little
joe
tell me the same thing in 24 days
[Music]
now if we cut across the rim rock and we
can
come in through the brakes
i'll come you through your back so soon
we lost the trail
four horses how'd you lose a trail like
that it wasn't easy
they went into the flint canyons up near
the timberline rocks so hard there you
can drive a thousand head of cattle
through that part and never leave a sign
they gotta be up here in the sierra
somewhere i'm one of those high meadows
probably they they gotta have grass and
water
yeah but adam there must be a hundred
places like that up there we could ride
for a year and not find them all
oh you could find them the first day
they've had all the breaks so far it's
about time we had one
we're right out of dawn
uh yeah
i'm sorry i can't go with you oh
you mean there's a there's something you
prefer to the high sierras
well no it's just uh see i didn't expect
to be back so soon so i
promised connie i take her into virginia
city
hey joe aren't you afraid you might be
over courting that little gal
i mean you keep on like this and she's
liable to think you want to marry her
uh joe i think you ought to ride up into
the mountains with us it uh
well there's a lot of snow up there and
uh maybe it'd cool y'all
yeah what's your big rush anyhow joe
you've done without that little guy for
four years one more day ain't gonna hurt
nothing
if i want me to ride with you i will
no you you go ahead with your plans with
connie thank you
you know i think our little brother's
coming down with a real bad case
love it us mm-hmm never mind the levitis
let's get back to this
now look we get up through the high
[Music]
meadow
oh i'm getting about half tired of this
canyon we must have been up here seven
or eight times
i'm not only tired of the canyon i'm
just playing tired
but this is denver lost the trail so
this is where we start hunting
start and finish above here there's a
half a mile of flint and wash rocks for
canyons and
all the points of the compass to choose
from poor
what if they ain't up there tall what if
they just come this far to make us think
they're going up there
with us behind them they'd have to head
for high country i just want to dine
what do you got in mind boy well sir a
fox will double back on the hound
how come a man can't i mean they could
lead their horses across the rocks and
get over into
in little branch canyon go all the way
back down the valley and then leave us
hunting up here in a big country
yeah that might be just worth looking
[Applause]
[Music]
into
[Music]
four or five horses paul they did double
back
[Music]
well once your way to cover up your
tracks is it right down the busiest road
you can
and didn't take quite a chance though
they might have been seen yeah
well i'm thinking that they just didn't
care if they would what do you mean paul
he means that the killers aren't
strangers that's right
they could afford a double back i'm
beginning to think that
they could even be one of our neighbors
you can't keep your finger off that
trigger it wasn't my fault one of them
saw us coming
can still be easy i'll throw enough lead
into him to keep him busy
brennan can work around the back of the
cabin and drop a torch on the roof
[Music]
come on leave it
let's go awesome
corey
yeah sit on this barrel easy
come out of nowhere one minute is quite
as
church the next minute jess is done
and bullets are wasn't like bees that is
foreign
did you get a look at any of them saw
four of them
all mass but one hat on the
the back of his head uh red hair sean
i never seen him before but i'd known if
i ever seen him again
there was no use spa they had fresh
horses ours were done when we got here
what about the others cory mask like i
said
but there was one clothes maybe or
the way moved i i couldn't put a name to
him but i
i i swear i've seen him a dozen times
looks like he was right about him being
our neighbors paul
yeah let's get going to a doctor and
then we'll make a few social calls
is it good easiness
[Music]
well the boys seem happy how about you
i don't like the way things are going
why
what's wrong there want to be no
killings we decided that when we started
all this
when you point a gun at a man sometimes
he has to go for his own
when that happens she's got to pull the
trigger
if i learned one thing as a sheriff it
was that
you never learn to shoot no man in the
back
harley's killing those two payroll guys
got this whole valley stared up
well maybe harley was a little hasty
won't happen again i'll take care of
that
meantime we've got a posse on our next
why worry about that
i've let other posses around in circles
till they get dizzy and quit
i can do it again this ain't other
posses
this is ben cartwright and his boys they
ain't going to quit it was simple honest
cow man
from sun up till dusk just chasing
strays out of the drawers
denver they're not strays
any good cow man rides by he's going to
see you just drifting a few head up and
down the valley
now we've been in this a long time how
come you're getting sweat up about it
now thinking of connie like we both was
when we started
miles i know you loved that kid like she
was your own daughter
i know you're worried about her finding
out she won't
a couple of more jobs like the last one
we'll have everything we ever wanted for
her
i don't figure it that way don't wait a
minute
you getting ideas about quitting me they
both till i quit denver
but i don't think we can what are you
getting at
first it was just you and me and you
sent me out at the colorado badlands
pick up a lot of hard cases giving big
talk about big pickens
hey they've had a taste of it
you can't expect them let go now i can
call this thing off anytime i want to
can you holly
brennan olia
[Music]
we heard talk about some of you boys
wanting to pull out where'd you're alive
with the payroll we've piled up we
better than 30 thousand dollars now
that's nothing of what we're gonna do we
got more men coming in
good man
denver here was wondering how you men
felt about a man quitting with his chef
he wants to
why nobody better even think of pulling
out we come here to clean up
that sits real good with me and that's
what i'm aiming to do
not the way you feel about it boss
sure yeah miles and i just wanted to see
how you felt
don't worry boss the first man tries to
run out on is a kill
ben come on in
your fellas look as if you could use a
drink little water be right fine
trouble well they
they jumped wind clearing corey you know
they put up a fight
lincoln got killed and gordy got hit bad
well not too bad thanks
that on the shoulder he'll be all right
do you recognize any of them nope
like we ran across the trail of one of
them before
a redhead that red head had to be the
one that killed old pete redfern
ran across the trail of another one of
them corey tells me that he's
seen him before recognizing by his walk
instead of his shoulders
corey says he must have seen him a dozen
times somewhere lara's mask
be somebody we know might even be a
neighbor a neighbor
i find that hard to believe man well i
didn't want to believe it either but
we picked up that trail today they
doubled back on that tracks right down
the main road
didn't have to worry about being seen
because it's seen there every day
more killings every day that's why we're
here denver
i spent the better part of my life as a
peace officer ben
i was lucky i only caught one bullet you
got a sheriff you got all the men you
need
don't ask me to press my luck you
pressed it when you went out with us the
other day
we're all taking the same chance not
according to the odds
i've been riding a streak of luck for 30
years i don't intend to press it any
further
so far they've only got the miners and
the mine payrolls they might decide to
branch out
you could be helping to put out a fire
in your own house my own house
all right about time i started taking
care of my own house
taking care of other people's houses for
20 years what the devil would ever get
me a hundred dollars a month a lot of
plaques in the wall
pat on the back and a bullet in the
shoulder
i had no idea you felt this way well now
you know
i'm sick and tired of taking care of
other people's troubles
don't you think i owe something to my
own kid
yeah well i guess you got it right to
your own way of thinking
not going to press you but we're going
out after those killers
come on boys
hey where'd i put these
i think i think she ran out of money and
i had to send in the hay wagon oh little
joe you know perfectly well i needed
every one of these things
i'm sure you did connie state of supper
uh no thanks i'm gonna show my face
around the ponderosa i'm gonna forget
them remember the family start charging
me room and board you change his mind
i'm gonna put these things upstairs then
i'll be down to cook's upper dad
you better stay little joel she's a
pretty good cook
hey you got a wonderful girl there mr
mckee that's what i always wanted it to
be
i uh i wanted to talk to you about
connie and me
well
what's on your mind what sir
connie and i have known each other for a
long time
haven't we sir yes you have quite a long
time
and i know you've probably heard a lot
of stories about
all about me and those virginia city
girls but i i just wanted you to know
that they didn't mean a thing to me not
any of them
i hope you didn't tell them that at the
time well uh
no no no sir not at the time i
well anyway that's not the way it is
with connie and me
i'm very fond of her sir um
and if connie i'll have me i
what i'm trying to say is sir i'd like
to ask her to marry me
well i don't think there's any way i can
keep you from asking him
does that mean you'd rather i wouldn't i
don't mean that at all
it's all i ever wanted was for connie to
be happy
have the chances other girls have
so that's what i mean to offer her
suppose i knew all along this had
happened
i should have known i should have known
[Music]
i'm sorry i upset you sir
oh you're getting on home now
tell connie i'll see you soon
little joe gone yeah he just talked to
me
i was hoping he would
like that is it yes it's like that
he mentioned marriage one thing at a
time dad
first you fall in love i thought you'd
done that already
uh-huh but you have to give it time to
grow
to build dreams to be so filled with
happiness and the wonder of it that
you're about ready to explode
and then you get married you're all like
we talked about
selling all this heading east you were
so dead set on that when you first got
here
i know but i didn't realize then you
thought you couldn't be happy out here i
didn't think so either
that's what i didn't realize that
geography has nothing to do with
happiness
oh dad i know why you were talking about
selling out and going east and i'll
always love you a whole lot more because
you were doing it for me
but now you know
i know baby all i ever wanted for you
was happiness
well all right go ahead and say it what
do you want us to say
oh come on adam you've been walking
around it like it was a rattlesnake all
right it's somebody we know a neighbor
well come on say the rest of it you
think denver mckee had something to do
with it
uh nobody said that joe nobody's even
thinking it oh no
now why don't you tell me what denver
said about not wanting to help then you
drop it so fast i could hear the thud
when it hit
i only thought you hears your heart when
somebody mentions the name of mckee
well what do you really think well i'd
stick my life that
denver had nothing to do with it well i
hope you're right paw
but we have to face the truth there was
only one man that wasn't at connie's
party the night the silverado payroll
was stolen
that's right miles briscoe you know when
i was telling denver about the party
miles was with him he said he couldn't
go to the party because he had to look
after things at the flying end
right so he wasn't at the party does
that prove anything
no of course it doesn't joy
but it's worth looking into boss
why don't you uh ride out to the mckee
place have a look around and
if miles leaves the ranch trail them how
long you only stay paul
no one of us will leave you in the
morning
ah come on don't look so worried
[Music]
that just scared me to death you must be
avenged and you just plumb up on it
before i knew it
i didn't see anything not a thing i
think we wasted our time
man well we're young brother we got
plenty of time maybe sold with as low as
it went last night i feel like i'm 90
years old already
i'm gonna go get me some sleep right
breakfast already it is uh
then sleep's gonna be the second thing i
get
hey huss
take a look at that
[Music]
it's a redheaded man stranger miles in
denver
go let's go get paul on it
i'm telling you for the last time don't
you come around this ranch anymore
like red hair is like a latin you've
been seen
twice don't make any difference the two
that see me ain't doing any talking
well you're wrong pete redfearn
identified you before he died
and corey the miner you shot yesterday
he's still alive
i must be out of practice you're not out
of practice you're just out of brains
i think we ought to lay low for a while
things quiet down
you fellas sound like you're getting a
streak up your backs
you set up this play denver the rest of
us have been taking all the risks
sure we had to do a little shooting i
want you to clear out of here you think
i want my daughter to see you
no i don't think much about your
daughter one way or the other mr mckee
and i'm tired of sleeping up in those
rocks you got a bunkhouse back there
i mean to use it
[Music]
so
good morning ben morning denver
you know this man sure he knows me ben
what about it
we've been looking for a redheaded man
you're the only redheaded man in the
area
other than a barber in virginia city
since when is being redheaded a crime
since we found out that a redhead killed
two men maybe two others
do you figure to do anything about it
[Music]
you take connie back into the house all
right
come on kenny come on
[Music]
now put away your guns boys you won't
need him
you're taking a lot of chances aren't
you ben i could not shoot you any day
you live
maybe so there's no reason for it to
come to that
why that staked my life you had nothing
to do with this
why that's very simple man i ran out of
money
i did what i had to do and i'm not
backing down from it
there are other ways what other ways
i did a good job as a marshal
when i needed money i turned to what i
knew best
i did a pretty good job at that too
denver i'm gonna have to take you in
[Music]
and give me a gun huh no but
you got to take it oh he means it yeah
man i mean
[Music]
no denver no
and now don't you go blaming yourself
then
the man pulls a gun on you you got to
draw your own
you got to pull a trick
[Music]
he could outdraw me any day of his life
and he could shoot a lot straighter than
that
[Music]
you're sure you want to go i have to go
joe
i have to get away i need time to think
and time to forget
[Music]
i understand
i love you
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Music]
man
[Music]
you

Behind the Scenes of Denver McKee

Little Joe stays home as Ben, Adam, and Hoss set forth to find Pete’s killers. As implied in the previous episodes, Hop Sing is still in Hong Kong. Adam tells Joe to make himself useful by helping “#1” cousin with the dishes. (Season two’s episode three featured the mentioned cousin, portrayed by James Hong.) Number-1 cousin never appeared in this episode, even during Connie’s welcome home party at the Ponderosa.

Looking for More Bonanza Episodes?

Enjoy the adventurous tales of the Cartwrights in Bonanza alone or with family. All 14 seasons aired on NBC from September 1959 to January 1973. Denver McKee is the 38th episode out of 430 and the second season’s sixth one.

You can find more about any of the 430 Bonanza episodes here>>