The legendary Western show Bonanza kept its viewers tuned in weekly through its action-packed stories mixed with great morals and occasional laughter. Herman Groves wrote the program’s fortieth episode, The Abduction, which made its television debut on October 29, 1960. 

Joe and Hoss Cartwright find themselves in a perplexing mystery while attending a garish carnival with their girlfriends when Joe’s sweetheart (Jackie Russell) mysteriously vanishes. Determined to find her girl and unravel the secret behind her disappearance, Joe enters the strange and secret world of the “carnies.” Displeased with his intrusion, this group of people stops at nothing to block his way. 

Gerald Mohr appears as the evil owner of the carnival, and Theo Marcuse, a dependable TV series actor, joins the cast. 

Read the storyline and the episode’s interesting trivia, or watch it below.

Watch the Full Episode of The Abduction

Watch the Full Episode of The Abduction:

Main Cast

The Abduction, Bonanza’s eighth episode for its second season, stars a few of the show’s special guests, recurring and supporting actors in addition to the lead cast.

• Lorne Greene as Ben Cartwright
• Pernell Roberts as Adam Cartwright
• Dan Blocker as Eric ‘Hoss’ Cartwright
• Michael Landon as Joseph ‘Little Joe’ Cartwright
• Gerald Mohr as Phil Reed
• Barbara Lawrence as Della Thompson
• Jackie Russell as Jennifer Beale
• Theodore Marcuse as Roudin the Great Mystic
• Jerry Oddo as Gerner
• Bob Hopkins as Carnival Announcer
• Laurie Mitchell as Harriet
• Stafford Repp as Sheriff Brady
• Robert ‘Big Buck’ Maffei as Hercules (as Robert Maffei)
• Mary Orozco as Daisy the Fat Lady
• Sam Bagley as Roustabout (uncredited)
• John Barton as Carnival Attendee (uncredited)
• Bill Clark as Carnie Thug #1 (uncredited)
• Joe Garcia as Vendor (uncredited)
• John George as Roustabout (uncredited)
• Chester Hayes as Carnival Attendee (uncredited)
• Eddie Hice as Carnival Attendee (uncredited)
• Walter Lawrence as Roustabout (uncredited)
• Martha Manor as Carnival Attendee (uncredited)
• Maurice Marks as Carnival Attendee (uncredited)
• Rex Moore as Roustabout (uncredited)
• Al Roberts as Carnival Attendee (uncredited)
• Cosmo Sardo as Ticket Seller (uncredited)
• Jack Tornek as Carnival Attendee (uncredited)

Full Story Line for The Abduction

Hoss and Joe take their beloved ladies to a colorful carnival to enjoy the day.

At one point, Jennifer Beale, Joe’s girlfriend, caught one of the carnival workers’ attention. The carnival owner, Phil Reed, recognized her as Joshua Beale’s daughter. He tells Gerner, the mentioned employee, that he can only dream of her.

Jennifer volunteers at Roudin the Mystic’s magical show, thinking it will be a fun experience. Backstage, she meets Phil and develops an interest in him. Phil’s sweetheart, Della Thompson, could only watch their conversation from across the room.

Later, Hoss, Joe, and the two ladies attend another show. However, while the three are enjoying the act, Jennifer disappears from her seat. Phil finds Jennifer roaming around the carnival, looking for him. He invites Jennifer to his wagon. Della sees them and goes back to her tent, upset.

Gerner tells Phil about his plan to abduct Jennifer for one million dollars from Joshua Beale, the wealthiest man in Comstock. He encourages Phil to help him, guaranteeing that her father will pay the ransom to ensure her safe return. The initially hesitant Phil agrees, so they tie and hide Jennifer in Reed’s quarters.

Joe meets Della upon searching for Jennifer. He tells her that one of the reasons why someone might take her is that she’s the daughter of the wealthiest man in Comstock. Della offers to find Jennifer for Joe. Upon leaving, several carnival workers enter, beating Joe under Gerner’s orders.

Suspicious of her lover and envious of Jennifer, Della confronts Phil about her whereabouts. Phil initially denies her hunch but later reveals he has Jennifer after Della brought up knowing about Jennifer’s father and their motive for holding her hostage.

Della informs Joe about her suspicions about Jennifer’s disappearance. Before she can say more about the situation, Gerner discreetly shoots her in the back using Joe’s gun, leading to her death. The gunshot draws the attention of Hoss and the carnival people, who accuse Joe of killing Della.

Reed summons Sheriff Brady to the scene, and Joe explains that Della died because she was helping him find Jennifer. Brady believes Jennifer’s disappearance was no different from the ones he had before. However, determined to find her lover, Joe flees from the scene, and the party organizes a search to capture Joe for the murder of Della.

Rodin the Mystic helps Joe, believing he didn’t kill his close friend, Della. Hercules arrives to kill Joe, thinking he killed Della. Roudin believes making Hercules an ally would be great, mainly because he loves Della and hates Reed.

Joe travels deep into the carnival’s bowels to find Jennifer. They encounter intense resistance from the carnival people, who devise various ways to stop them from finding even a trace of her. Joe’s hiding leads him to Reed’s quarter. However, Gerner piled several pieces of clothing on Jennifer, causing Joe to fail to find her.

Roudin, Hercules, and Hoss meet up outside of town. However, out of rage, Hercules attacks Joe, and all three stop him. Rodin tells him that Joe didn’t kill Joe, implying that someone else killed her. He reminds Hercules how Phil often makes Della upset, and Reed is the key to finding the truth.

Together, the four turn the tables on Reed and Gerner. Phil reveals that Gerner killed Della, including Gerner’s idea of kidnapping Jennifer for the ransom money. Gerner throws a knife at Phil, which kills him later. Rodin talks to Daisy to reveal where Jennifer is, but Gerner threatens her with a knife from behind. Joe attacks Gerner, and Roudin tells Daisy about Phil’s death.

Joe finds Jennifer tied up in Reed’s quarters.

With Phil dead, Roudin manages the carnival, and Hoss and Joe wish him the best of luck.

Full Script and Dialogue of The Abduction

[Music]
no it's different it's all alive on the
inside step right up people there we go
it's new it's different it's all alive
see the fabulous little egypt
who once danced for the queen of england
little egypt the shimmy dancer now in
all confidence folks for those of you
who've never seen the female figure in
delicious movement from head to toe
you can see it here for only 25 cents
one quarter of a dollar
on the inside
i'll eat this sweetness dead gum thing
you ever seen
virginia city's really come of age now
that the carnival circuit has hit it
oh i can't stand and look at him
supposedly you wouldn't miss oh yeah
well you don't look very scared jennifer
what said to be scared of
i'd give anything in the world to change
places with that girl up there
well adam i guess you and i better get
on our way we've been here longer than
we planned
harriet jennifer good night
joe you promised mr beale faithfully to
get the girls home by 10 o'clock tonight
right
mr carter please do you have to remind
me
don't worry paul keep an eye on him good
sure but who's going to keep an eye on
him
25 cents a quarter of a dollar the most
delectable package
you're going to see this charming little
lady move every muscle in her body
[Music]
so
[Music]
so
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
good night girls good night boss joe
good night
good night
[Music]
it's just a beating snack burn thing you
ever seen joe well you're just not
kidding
are you getting anything special gurner
that girl the redhead
she looks familiar hey you're right
we'll take you in first
how about the mystic tent like to have
my fortune tell all right that's what
i'd like to hear about wouldn't you
harriet well not if it's any bad news i
wouldn't
she's been plastered all over the front
pages of the san francisco paper for the
past couple of months
that's joshua beale's daughter joshua
beale
the silver king he's one of the richest
men in the world
stop dreaming gurner before the big show
begins the most electrifying
act ever to appear on the midway west of
the mississippi
just once in my life i'd like to get my
hands on some real money
more money than we'll ever see guys
hey horse are you going to let this guy
read your future i don't know i might
just take him on
ever since that old pirate squad read my
palm and told me i was going to be
taking that long trip i i've been
plumbing off my feedback i can't eat but
five or six meals
[Music]
hey
now if one of you will give to my
assistant
some personal objective
don't be afraid ladies and gentlemen
nothing will happen to it
if you please some personal object
are you ready mr wizard i
am ready then can you tell me what i'm
holding in my hand
i see a round object
of precious metal i hear a strange sound
very strange sound i believe it is
a gold pocket watch
joe how do you write when he does that
it's the heck out of me you think of
some sort of trick
of course it's a trick how do you know
well i just
silence and now
i will bring to you one of the most
astounding
disappearance acts in the annals of all
magic
and tonight just to prove to you that
this is truly
an outstanding and remarkable feat
instead of using my regular assistant
i shall ask one of you to assist me
is there a young lady in the audience
who would like to disappear for a few
minutes
i assure you it's a thrill that you have
never realized before
i'd like to try yeah you know what your
paul said about leaving little joe's
site
he didn't say anything about this and
besides this will be fun
but if if you disappear that's going to
be leaving his side ain't it
jennifer sit down everybody's looking at
you
hey joe don't you think you're gonna
stop her i'm gonna let it go ahead
it's just a trick
it seems a shame to make such a pretty
young lady disappear
don't worry young man i'll have her back
to you soon enough
now see you ladies and gentlemen that
this is an ordinary wardrobe
young lady
[Music]
[Music]
where am i backstage
and i open it
why she was doing things like that like
the time she ran off to san francisco
i kind of like it show she's got a lot
of spunk the young lady will reappear
when the mystic spirits are willing and
now ladies and gentlemen
while that beautiful young lady is out
there floating around in space
i offer you for two bits a quarter part
of a dollar
this elixir of life no young ladies
since you were kind enough to join our
act i hope you'll be discreet enough to
keep our secret
i'm phil reed owner of the show oh i
won't tell
but i must say i certainly expected much
more than a back door and a trunk
hmm i guess that magic is pretty simple
huh
you know the most fascinating place i've
ever seen
i uh i think you better get back in the
trunk it won't take long before he sells
all the snake oil
even when you know the tricks there's
such a strange atmosphere
such an air of excitement about it all
it's a living
oh i'm sure it's much more than that
much more
i think you better get back to your
friends huh please mr reed
i can get away from my friends now look
if you're not in that box when he opens
it the whole act is gonna be ruined
isn't there any way i can change your
mind mr reed
aren't you afraid of what could happen
to you in a circus side show alone
afraid mr reed
i'm not afraid of anything i'll bet
you're not
[Music]
and now ladies and gentlemen i think
that the beautiful young lady
who has been so far away from us they
have returned
hey where'd you go off to far far away
no really it's all the way behind that
curtain over there well jennifer aren't
you going to tell us about it
maybe someday and that's only the
beginning folks
only the beginning i want to call your
attention to one of the most sensational
acts ever presented west of the
mississippi
in just a few moments directly next door
we're going to present
that 350 pound strong man hercules just
follow me right this way
the greatest act of his kind ever
presented on our midway
right this way you'll love it it's the
most sensational outstanding act
and now ladies and gentlemen hercules is
going to bend this solid one-inch iron
bar
like it was made out of this sawdust on
the floor
[Music]
hercules
how about that oh
hey would you like to uh
examine that bar sir to see that it's
genuine
thank you
would you like to examine this sir try
that right in there sir
ladies and gentlemen and i what are you
smart alligators
ladies and gentlemen if there's anybody
in the audience who doubts the genuine
strength of hercules
or thinks that this is some form of
trickery hercules
is now ready to match his strength
against any two men in the audience
and furthermore we're prepared to offer
50 bucks 50
to any man or woman who can force
hercules
across this white line within the time
limit of one minute
do we have any takers huh what about you
two stalwart young gentlemen down there
i'm with the two beautiful young ladies
huh
us yeah you two come on up boys and show
the girls how strong you are
go on little joe you're not afraid to at
least try
are you why he's bigger than anything
would you like to try your luck come on
house i think we can take him yo
let's go
all right gentlemen the time limit is
one minute remember to pull hercules
across this white line
are you ready go
and now there ladies and gentlemen is
the greatest advertisement in the world
for our elixir of life would you believe
it folks at one time
this poor boy was only a 74 pound weekly
but after 90 days and 90 nights
hercules taking this elixir of life
today look at the results
355 pounds of solid blubber per muscle
there he is folks hercules one time the
74 pound weaklings
come on
hey hercules is the winner hercule's the
winner now
thank you very much gentlemen thank you
let's keep moving it along folks keep it
moving along some wonderful shows out on
the midway
see the sword swallower and the fire
eater who swallows that fold right now
janice they're waiting
out of the she's gone did you see her
leave i was watching the stage
why is she always doing things like this
well it's probably just her idea of some
kind of a joke
we gotta find her oh we're gonna find
her and when we find her i'm gonna hug
tire for the rest of the evening
come on come on let's go let's find out
where she could be
you didn't do so good tonight out there
dilla
don't start an argument with me phil not
tonight i'm tired i'm talking about the
good of the show
those robes pay their money to see you
give a performance
how long do i have to keep on doing this
you told me a year ago we could get
married i could get out of the act and
help you run the show next time you go
on you give them their money's worth
another argument oh no not really
just that i know him so well he saw a
pretty young girl out in the audience
tonight
captured his fancy he looks at her
wanting her and
then he looks at me
why don't you let me be the mystic in
the show huh
i'll tell you what we'll do as soon as
hercules finishes his act
the three of us will go out and have a
cup of coffee together
i'll tell your fortune
[Music]
oh mr reed i was looking for you i can't
say i'm not flattered
what are you doing wandering around out
here alone what do you propose to do
about it
send me back again is there any reason
why i shouldn't
just one mr reed it wouldn't do any good
how does your father put up with you oh
father he just doesn't understand me he
doesn't realize i'm not as conservative
as young ladies of his day
why don't we go someplace where we can
talk i was hoping you'd say that
my wagon's right here let's go
[Music]
someday i'll kill him for what he does
to her
hercules do you think that will make her
love him
[Music]
i had no idea sideshow wagon would be
like this well not all of them are
there has to be some compensation front
in the show
i'm sure there must be what do you mean
by that
let's say uh compensation such as uh
entertaining young ladies in your
private quarters isn't that right mr
reed
you're a very attractive young lady
thank you
and you're a very handsome man
now mr reed i i thought we came in here
to talk
can't you knock i can if i want to
hello miss beale i didn't tell you my
name
oh i know your name i know your father's
name too
joshua beal the richest man on the
comstock
how much do you suppose you're worth to
that father of yours miss beale
are you out of your mind gurner i'm mr
reed or you
if you miss this chance we can break
camp tonight
by tomorrow morning we can be over the
mountain and well on our way to
placerville
all you have to do is write a note to
joshua beale
one million dollars that's all it'll
cost him to get his pretty little girl
back home
y'all never get away with it with your
help i can read
listen read one million dollars you know
what that could mean
you always wanted to make some big money
shut up don't scream lady this is a
sharp knife
where do you think it'd hide her i
thought you'd figure out a way
you ought to hold her like i'm doing you
don't know how good it feels to hold a
million dollars
we're gonna have to tire up phil get the
rope it's right behind you
go on phil
[Music]
me
[Music]
[Applause]
is
the most magnificent monstrosity ever
mounted on the midway
she's beautiful she's glamorous she's
fat 500 pounds of feminine poker tubes
you're a good girl daisy just keep quiet
about it
anybody ask you you haven't seen
anything you understand
[Music]
you've always been my favorite daisy
you can have a job with me as long as
you want it
just keep quiet
500 pounds
[Music]
you ain't seen a little red-headed girl
about so high have you
why don't you look inside buddy get a
ticket right over there
right this way folks follow me right
[Music]
here
he wouldn't tell you anything anyway
these carny people stick together
tighter than those bartenders in san
francisco the time they tried to
shanghai our park
halloween knows she's even here at all
now where else would she be
salt lake or saint louis for all we know
plus i think we can cover more ground if
we split up why don't you inherit look
out here i'll check behind those tents
all right you be careful you're here
right all right kelly that knowing if he
don't get mixed up with some of the
dangerous women i ever saw
now you be careful what you say haas
jennifer's my best friend
well listen if you're staying close to
her why don't you tell her to be real
friendly and come on back here
yes what is it i saw your wagon i was
just trying to find out who's in charge
of the show
i am why do you have a complaint no no
complaints
see i came here with a girl tonight now
she's disappeared i just wondered if you
might have seen her
sonny i see an awful lot of people and
happily all paying customers
yeah well about this girl her name's
jennifer jennifer beale
she's 18 she has light red hair brown
eyes
well from your description i can
understand why you feel badly about
losing her
but you know what they say they don't
always go home with the fellas that
brought him
sorry i can't help you
[Music]
hey
[Music]
my name is joe cartwright i just
wondered if you're a little young for
this sort of thing aren't you joe
cartwright
oh look you don't understand you see i
didn't come here to uh
but what i mean is exactly what do you
mean joe
well i'm sorry i barged in on you like
this miss little egypt call me della
thanks stella say i brought my girl to
the show tonight yes i remember seeing
her
she's very pretty now she's disappeared
i've been all over the carnival asking
questions nobody seems to want to give
me any answers
that's why when i saw your light i sure
it hurts to lose someone doesn't it oh
it's not quite as painful as all that
it's just that i am supposed to make
sure she's all right i don't think she's
run off with another fella
all right tell me about her who is she
her name's jennifer beale
but is there anything special about her
or some reason
someone might want to harm it yeah
there's one big one
my father's one of the richest men on
the comstock
yes that is a reason you stay here joe
i'll go ask some questions
maybe i can find your girl for you
thanks stella
what you doing here boy you looking for
something to steal
no wait a minute mister i'm no thief
well i think you are
i think we better teach you a lesson
now look wait a minute fellas we can
[Applause]
talk
[Music]
a good job boys very good that'll teach
him some snooping errata
wait a minute is this his gun that's
right
hello della how'd you do oh pretty well
how did you do what's that supposed to
mean
nothing on your mind well a young man
just
paid me a visit in my tent and it seems
he lost his girlfriend
but what's that gonna do with me well it
just sounded familiar that's all oh
honey i thought we weren't going to have
any more of those suspicions
i saw you talking to a girl earlier phil
and i saw you bring her in here
mm-hmm and if you'd hung around a few
minutes you would have seen her leave
oh she was a child an innocent kid
looking for adventure
i got rid of her fast
you are telling me the truth aren't you
you're not lying to me
oh dylan there's nobody else but you
can't you believe that i'm sure
i can believe it well then let's forget
about the girl
i saw the kid who visited you in your
tent i told her maybe his girl saw a boy
she liked better and went home with him
i guess that's what she did sure now
come on you're tired
get a little rest because we're pulling
out tonight tonight
mm-hmm why tonight i thought we were
going to play this stand for the rest of
the week we were
but i changed my mind see later you have
got the girl haven't you phil
are we gonna start that all over again
stop lying to me
i know who she is and what you're trying
to do all right so you know
tell her this is the biggest thing that
ever happened to us do you think you can
kidnap joshua beale's daughter and get
away with it she fell into our laps
i didn't invite her in here she walked
in she's worth a million dollars to us
do you know the kind of life we can have
with a million dollars
i love you i guess i always will
but i'd rather see you dead than mixed
up in something like this stella we're
not gonna harm the girl
when joshua beale pays off we'll turn
her loose how can you stand there and
say you're gonna turn her loose
don't you know she'll remember you if
you go through with this you can't turn
her loose who said anything about
turning her loose
does she know where the girl is no
you shouldn't have told della about the
girl phil that didn't tell us you
figured it out
well that's too bad yes that's very bad
isn't it phil
all right it's too bad
all right
i don't know where else we can look
we've done covered every inch of this
carnival
twice yeah i think i might as well be
getting you at home harry ain't no using
your folks thinking you disappeared too
i don't know what happened little joke
house
hey joe what happened what's the matter
boy
four guys just piled him up in there
i'll be all right
what happened you're gone yeah they must
have taken it after they beat me up
oh you know there's something real wrong
around here horse i got dumped because i
was asking questions about jennifer
you mean this is just one of her jokes
you think something's happened to her
hey listen cos you take harry at home on
the way stop by tell sheriff brady to
get over here the car out as quick as he
can
what are you gonna be doing in the
meantime now the only thing i can do
keep on looking
joe you gotta find her yeah harry i know
i'll bring the sheriff myself be back in
a minute come on
joe joe what happened to you where were
you
oh honey that's a fine question for you
to ask me i have to have your four
friends work me over
work you over sure i didn't
i've got to talk to you it's about
jennifer
[Music]
all right you said you knew something
about jennifer please believe me joe i'm
trying to help you find your girl
she's somewhere here in the carnival oh
we're gonna find her all right i've
already sent for the sheriff
please joe uh let me do this my way
don't call in the sheriff
the carnival people are good friends of
mine they'll help i've already seen the
way they help i'll take the sheriff
but if the sheriff comes then a lot of
innocent people will be hurt
people i love and that are good people
that know nothing about this
i'm sorry i can't help that joe let me
tell
[Music]
you killed her
no no actually no stella wouldn't want
it that way
[Music]
come on come on hurricanes come on
i'm gonna kill you no
come on
[Music]
what happened
there's a lot of things i got to know
well first of all i didn't do it
second i got jennifer hit out around
here someplace you better forget about
jennifer there's been a murder here yeah
i know that girl was killed because she
was trying to help me find jennifer
you know anything about this reed well a
boy talk to me i've questioned everybody
in the show and nobody knows anything
about her
is this your gun yes it's my gun but i
didn't have it when this guy i think you
better come along with me
look i'm not gonna leave it'll be fine
jennifer son i know jennifer as well as
you do
maybe better i had a posse out comb in
the hills for her that time she ran off
to san francisco
joel maybe you ought not to make any
more trouble for yourself
come along hey look what happened
in here i'm trying to help you in here
i don't know what you're up to mr but
thanks a lot i'm not up to anything
i'm rudow i was de la thompson's closest
friend
i don't believe you killed her now
are you sure you didn't see him come by
here i didn't see anything
i just sit here i don't see nothing
[Laughter]
sheriff i know little joe didn't kill
that woman
but had a heap of heat brothers even
your jail is running loose around here
now we're not gonna learn anything here
now listen to me
there's only so many wagons and so many
tents so we'll search them one by one
boss you take one party i'll take the
other right
it could be kidnapping i'm sure della
thought so too
they're just getting ready to tell me
something when she was killed
i believe you joe but i don't know what
to do about it
what can you do well we're a funny bunch
here
in time we get to believing our own acts
maybe i can do a little mind reading
[Music]
in here
[Music]
there's no you searching for the girl in
here hercules i'm not looking for the
girl i'm looking for the man to kill
della
do you think i'd protect anyone that
harmed della
i gotta find him i gotta kill him with
my bare hands
i always told dyla i'd kill anybody that
harmed her
i'm your friend hercules don't you trust
me all i know is della is dead
[Applause]
you stay here i'm going out back
you stay here
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
you there rodin yes i'm here
i told you there was no trick i'll find
him and when i do
i'll kill him
well i wish there was some way to
convince him you were innocent
i said oh i oh he'd make a good ally
he's really a nice man and he was in
love with dela thompson
him well we're all
freaks here one way or another
doesn't mean we don't have any heart
thanks
[Music]
what are you going to do keep on
searching
i know these folks are friends of yours
but one of them's a killer i gotta get
to jennifer before he does
[Applause]
don't make a sound
my you're a forceful one aren't you
look i'm uh i'm terribly sorry about
that sir i
uh see i thought you were to scream just
because a handsome man came in my tent
why what makes you think i'd scream
well you're the one they're looking for
aren't you oh yeah yeah and then uh
well they're looking for me all over the
place i think i better get out of here
before i get you in a lot of trouble
don't
go okay maybe i'd like to get into a lot
of trouble
hey well uh oh man maybe sometime we
could uh we could talk
that's what they all say now why don't
you just relax and we can get acquainted
well ma'am i i just really don't think
this is a time to get acquainted
i saw you earlier this evening with that
girl
now i thought she was too young for you
i think you'd prefer a more
sophisticated lady like me
now wouldn't you oh mama
can i come in ma'am quick behind the
dresses
i'll protect you and uh after they've
gone
uh you've seen a young fella go by here
doesn't belong to the carnival
no i haven't seen anyone ma'am
they're gone honey honey
[Music]
bye
[Music]
say has anybody searched this wagon yet
i'm sure the other party searched it
thoroughly
they've searched here daisy haven't they
yes they've searched very good
well i didn't see it i think i'll take a
look as sheriff if you don't mind
there are very few people with daisy
lets into a wagon i'd rather somebody
search it that she knows
you understand yeah i think i understand
garner why don't you take a look and
satisfy the sheriff well if that's what
the sheriff wants
look in there behind those clothes
garner look in the back of the wagon
[Music]
nobody here sheriff
[Music]
um
[Music]
any luck at all nope it's like that
little brother of mine disappeared as
completely as that gal did
well sheriff you convinced she's not
here i'll decide that
as you wish just trying to cooperate
sheriff um we got to start tearing down
camp we open in placerville day after
tomorrow
isn't that right mr reed mm-hmm we're
gonna find the guy that killed della
there's coffee up in the cook tent why
don't we all settle down for a bit it's
a good idea mr rhodium
right this way sir
i'd like to talk to you phil what about
i think you know i'm no more of a mind
reader than you are
no but you are a carnival man
a lot of people depend on you phil well
haven't i always come through for them
yes but will you come through for them
now
you think i had something to do with
that girl's disappearance don't you i
think you could
shed some light on it yes
well you're wrong
if i am i'll back you up but
if i'm right i'll turn your people
against you phil and i can do it
hercules for one has always hated you
for the way you treated della
hey thanks for not sneaking up on me you
little galoot what are you trying to do
i'm still trying to find jennifer she's
around here someplace horse
della knew it so she was trying to tell
me when she was killed
now let's go over it again just how much
was she able to tell you
nothing though she wanted me to know and
yet she didn't want me to know
i don't know maybe she was trying to
trying to protect someone
of course i should have known
phil reed she would want to protect him
mr rudine
if phil reed knows something about this
and he ain't telling how you'll get out
of him
then you'd have the carnival people and
the sheriff down on you
i know these people i got a strange kind
of
loyalty i can believe that i couldn't
find anything from any of them
hercules is the only one that that might
turn against reid
you got any idea how you can convince
him to help us
well not so long as he's with the others
it was supposed we could get him away
some places we could talk to him yeah
but how are you figuring on doing that
i mean he's pretty anxious to get his
hands on me let's just let him know
where i am
yeah wait a minute you think that a
little risky look i'll chance it what do
you think mr rooney
well reed is afraid of hercules deathly
afraid
and with reason might work yeah well
just in case it don't i'm gonna be
around
thanks look i'll meet you outside of
town there's a grove of live oaks house
knows the place
right let's go
i thought you said there wouldn't be any
trouble there won't be
[Music]
might as well come out now my mystic
powers have told me where to find you
just as they let me read through a
blindfold
oh wait hercules if my powers told me
where to find him they live let me read
it
[Music]
come on come on
i got him in a hammer don't hold him
yeah hercules actually it's like
me we don't want to hurt you but we just
want you to know that joe didn't harm
your dulla
and if you go chasing after little joe
while the guilty one gets away
you're not showing any love for della
you're letting her down
you say you love della you think you're
the only man who loved somebody that
didn't love him back
listen hercules mr reed is the only one
who really knows what happened to della
he used to make dela cry
remember hercules
we want mr reed to tell us what he knows
will you help us
[Music]
i'll go with you
think the sheriff has given up yet he
never did think we had the girl didn't i
tell you'd be easy
i'll think of it phil one million
dollars that's what that girl's gonna
bring us
mr reed garner i think there's something
you ought to know
[Music]
you two know what's good for you keep it
quiet you made miss dela cry and you're
gonna pay for this that ain't all you're
gonna do buster you're gonna tell us
everything you know about that little
girl that disappeared about miss dulla
i don't know a thing about it maybe you
better ask him your way then hercules
stop him
stop him
[Music]
tell us and i'll make him quit was
garner
gonna kill della i had nothing to do
with it
you're a dirty liar you liar
you're the one that killed dulla it was
all gurna's idea
he kidnapped the girl and then he killed
ella because she was going to tell where
the girl was hidden
well where is she man she's down
[Music]
get it hey read the girl
where is she
ask daisy
[Music]
yo sure
joe well young fellow are you ben you
caused us enough trouble wait a minute
sheriff it was gunner that killed a girl
he just killed mr reed and he got away
and hercules after him did you find out
anything about jennifer
just before mr reed died he said ask
daisy that's the fat lady well let's go
better let me handle this you keep the
others back i will never get anything
out of her
you come with me little joe right
daisy i'm your friend you know that
don't you
mr reed said that you knew something
about the girl that disappeared
can you tell us anything
all right daisy thanks a lot
[Music]
daisy daisy are you sure
[Music]
are you sure that you can't tell us
anything about the girl
no daisy no you don't have to protect mr
reed anymore
mr reed is dead do you understand daisy
mr reed is dead mr
reed dead
[Music]
daisy
[Music]
jennifer where are you
wait i'll leave you tied up till i get
you home
all right you're okay what are we gonna
do now mr roderick
we're going on just as usual it's the
only thing we can do
if you need anything mr roelian you let
us know well thanks very much
but there's very little pleasure people
like us have except the satisfaction of
helping ourselves
joe don't you let that gal out of your
side no more you here
little joe can you ever forgive me
well
yeah yeah i think i can forgive you of
course it's gonna take some time
quite some time
[Music]
so
[Music]
you

Behind the Scenes of The Abduction

The Bearded Lady puts her arms around Little Joe in one scene. The audience will find her hands behind Joe’s back when the camera focuses on her. However, her hands are on Joe’s chest when the camera shifts its focus to Joe.

“Hercules” hands the iron bar to the announcer after bending it. The iron bar given to Hoss for demonstration differs from what Hercules had. Apart from its color, the difference also lies in its angle.

When the knife thrower, Gerner, is ready to silence Daisy if she reveals any information, he holds his knife out of the tent, enough for everyone to see.

Joe emerges from the tent without a bruise on his pretty face even after being beaten up by four men.

Looking for More Bonanza Episodes?

Bonanza, which features the tales of Ben Cartwright and his sons, is a fantastic show to watch alone or with your beloved ones. All 14 seasons and over 400 episodes of the program ran on NBC from September 1959 to January 1973. The Abduction is the 40th episode out of 430 and the eighth for the second season.

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