Bonanza, a 14-season Western television series, told the story of the Cartwrights, a fictional family led by the patriarch, Ben Cartwright. Ward Hawkins wrote the forty-ninth episode, The Spitfire, which aired on January 14, 1961.

Jeb Hoad’s wild and feisty daughter, Willow (Anita Sands), intends to exact revenge on Joe Cartwright after being forced to shoot and kill trespasser Jeb Hoad in self-defense. After appeasing the girl, Joe returns with her to the Ponderosa. Feeling responsible for her, Joe attempts to help Willow become a “proper” lady with the assistance of the ranch’s female staff. 

Meanwhile, Jeb’s mother, a whip-wielding Kentucky mountaineer named Maude Hoad (Katherine Warren), vows vengeance against the Cartwrights—with the help of her son (Jack Elam). 

Read The Spitfire‘s plot, including some behind-the-scenes trivia, or watch the full episode below.

Watch the Full Episode of The Spitfire

Watch the Full Episode of The Spitfire:

Main Cast

The Spitfire, the seventeenth episode of Bonanza’s second season, featured some of the show’s recurring and one-time guest cast in addition to the lead actors. See the list below for this episode’s cast members:

• Michael Landon as Joseph ‘Little Joe’ Cartwright
• Lorne Greene as Ben Cartwright
• Pernell Roberts as Adam Cartwright
• Dan Blocker as Eric ‘Hoss’ Cartwright
• Katherine Warren as Maud Hoad (as Katharine Warren)
• Anita Sands as Willow Hoad
• Jack Elam as Dodie Hoad
• Steven Terrell as Bud Harvey (as Steve Terrell)
• Ray Teal as Sheriff Roy Coffee
• Mary Treen as Mrs. Shaughnessy
• Jack Mather as Bart Hastings
• Don C. Harvey as Jeb Hoad (as Don Harvey)
• Claude Hall as Bud Hoad
• Theodore Lehmann as John Hoad (as Ted Lehmann)
• Bill Clark as Deputy Sheriff (uncredited)
• Bob Miles as Hastings Hand (uncredited)
• Chick Sheridan as Hastings Hand (uncredited)

Full Story Line for The Spitfire

Jeb Hoad, a homesteader, starts a fire on the Ponderosa to clear himself a piece of land while his daughter, Willow, assists him by bringing dried tree limbs. When Little Joe tries to stop the fire, Jeb shoots him despite Joe’s warning. Jeb brings out a long rifle, ready to shoot Joe. However, the quicker Little Joe fires back in self-defense, killing Jeb.

Feeling responsible for the dead man’s daughter, Joe brings the feisty Willow back to the Ponderosa. Ben asks Hoss to have the body decently laid out while Adam report to the sheriff and gives Willow shoes, a dress, and some skirt to use.

Meanwhile, Willow’s mother, Maude Hoad, a determined woman traveling from the Kentucky hills, descends with her hulking son, Dodie, and a couple more relatives. They encounter Bart Hastings and his men, so they ask about Virginia City and her son, Jeb Hoad. Bart reveals that Jeb and his daughter camped on his ranch without permission and killed one of his steers for beef. Maude insists on camping on Bart’s land, but he refuses. One of Bart’s men draws his gun when Dodie shoots him dead. Maude whips Dodie for firing without notice. However, Maude refuses to take responsibility, stating it is an act of self-defense.

Little Joe comes back and forth in Willow’s room, bringing several buckets of water to get Willow cleaned. Hoss brings a contraption to help Mrs. Shaughnessy groom Willow. Inside the room, Shaughnessy soaks Willow as she sits on top of the wooden contraption. When they finish, Little Joe brushes Willow’s hair while Hoss puts on a shoe on her feet.

After a while, Willow’s cleaned and dolled up. They set up a mirror in the room, and Willow looks pleased with her look. Little Joe excitedly shows Ben how Willow looked. However, much to his surprise, Willow has fled with Ben’s horse.

The sheriff arrives to tell Ben about the Hoads, who intend to exact revenge on the Cartwrights. Upon hearing that the Hoads set camp at the Ponderosa, Ben and Hoss saddle their horses to face them.

Once the Cartwrights and the sheriff arrive at the Hoads’ camp, they see Maude with her whip and her men aiming their rifles at them. The sheriff asks for Dodie to stand trial for the death of Slim Carter, whom he shot at the Lazy K ranch. However, Maude insists once again that it was self-defense. The sheriff tells Maude that it’s up to the jury to decide. Maude argues that when Dodie’s wife died after some wild bunch shot her, the lawman only drove them off. Ben introduces himself. Maude tells him they want to kill the person responsible for Jeb’s death. Ben tells Maude that it was an act of self-defense, and the sheriff backs him up, insisting he takes Dodie. Seeing Maude wouldn’t surrender Dodie, Ben tells the sheriff they leave for the meantime to think about what to do next. Once they’re far enough, Ben tells the sheriff he’ll reason with Maude alone.

Ben tells Maude they should set aside grief and hate and try living as neighbors. He offers her private land, a head of beef, and ten horses. However, considering Ben’s generous offer, Maude thinks it’s a lie. Ben argues that it’s a trade to stop the killing between their families. Still, Dodie has to stand trial. Undecided, Maude tells Ben that her answer would be Dodie’s arrival at sundown the next day while ending their conversation with a warning.

As Willow flees out of the house, Little Joe rushes after to bid his farewell and tell Willow that she can keep everything they’ve given her. Joe understood that Willow heard her family was nearby, so he let her go. Moreover, Joe thinks it’s best to tell the Hoads about what truly happened, just as he promised Willow.

When Willow arrives at the Hoads’ camp, she tells Maude about the pretty things she received from the Cartwrights, including details about their house. Willow also tells Maude that the Cartwrights invite her to visit them anytime. However, Maude reminds her that the Cartwrights killed Jeb, expressing her determination to avenge her son.

Little Joe visits the Hoads’ camp. However, Maude was busy talking to Willow. Dodie talks to Joe, but after seeing the rifles aimed at him, Joe refuses to talk. Dodie brings up shooting Adam, forcing Joe to tell him what happened between him and Jeb. At some point, Dodie is about to shoot his gun, so Joe retaliates, killing Dodie in the process. Maude threatens to kill Joe, thinking everything is just a trick.

When Joe leaves, Maude orders the other Hoads to go after Joe and Ben. However, they threw their guns, expressing their disgust for killing. They explained how Dodie attempted to murder Joe, so he only shot in self-defense. Maude whips them until Willow stops her, saying Jeb also tried to shoot Joe twice.

After burying her sons’ bodies, Maude and the rest of the Hoads set to face the Cartwrights.

Maude tells the Cartwrights that she believes what Willow, John, and Paul said about her sons, accepting Joe’s act of self-defense. She subtly asks to see the fixings Willow mentioned, earning an invitation from Ben to visit their place anytime.

Full Script and Dialogue of The Spitfire

[Music]
what are you going to do put out my
fireboard get it started
ain't neither green it's you sash your
paw once more
i'll take a strap to you you get over
the wagon get them wet sacks
i don't want no fire around their wagon
look at it go now wind's just right
dipping them trees in no time
how far it burns on up through the
canyon
up that ridge i spec 500
000 acres make a nice piece of land
a lot of trees are burned can't eat
trees
well the stock can eat grass and rice
will burn too grass will grow back in
thicker and richer than ever fire
purifies the land
always like to burn over my land four
star
somebody's coming here as good as you
can
who are you and what time are you doing
with that fire i'm jeb hodd
it's my daughter willa i'm clearing
myself piece of land
i might settle down here if i like the
look of it bear
are you crazy fool you're gonna burn the
whole range give me that sack some more
of these sacks and help me
get that car alone you get yourself
killed
shoot him shoot him good
now look you you try reloading that
cannon i put a hole right through you
you killed my paw i'm sorry
i gotta get this fire put out
[Music]
[Music]
uh
[Applause]
[Music]
still like to cut my heart out wouldn't
you
i still know what i'm gonna do with you
can you just listen to reason just give
me a chance let me try to explain
your father didn't know what he was
doing there's a lot of people living up
in these hills people with homes people
with families
these woods were as dry as tinder once
the wind got behind that fire he
wouldn't have burned
a thousand acres he'll burn 20 000 maybe
more
all right all right i i know it's not a
reason to kill a man for
i didn't want it to happen i didn't want
it to come to that
look you have to listen to me i i warned
him not to shoot didn't i
didn't i warn him not to try it again
it's not too good a time to explain i
guess
i can't leave you out here alone
i'll take you back to the house see if i
can't help you
come on let's go
i'll kill you i'll kill you then i'll
kill you
come on come on come on
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
just wait on my kin folks get here they
are coming
they'll get you they'll kill your family
they'll
burn your place down too grandma hold
can do it
shall make you wish you never was born
wait and see
tarnation yellowman let me over here
i'll
tell you i'll tell you sure you're born
what happens name what have you got here
her name's willow
i killed her father
you what
clearing the timber of a box creek
canyon they're gonna burn it off
pull it off that's right oh
fire in the canyon would turn it into a
chimney but
half the ponderosa i told him to put it
out he wouldn't do it
i tried to put the fire out myself he
warned me if i went near it he'd kill me
i didn't think he meant it but he did
i had to kill him to stay alive you
can't keep me here
my kin folks are coming they'll kill you
all grab a whole fate in the hogs
what about her
after i killed her father she came at me
i had to tie her up there's nothing else
i could do
us have the body decently laid out
adam i better go and report this to the
sheriff
see if he can get out of here if
possible ask mr shaughnessy to drop up
here we'll need some help
on adam you better have a bring some
things for the girl
shoes and dress maybe a skirt
you better put the girl in the east
bedroom i'll kill y'all
you can't keep me here my kin folks are
coming to kill you all
grab hold of fate in the hogs
[Applause]
[Music]
you boys want to see some first class
stock look you honor
[Applause]
whoa what do you make of it dodie
only see one gun mind what i told you
here i heard you
get up
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
whoa
[Music]
howdy stranger afternoon ma'am
we be the holds traveling west out of
kentucky we want no trouble with man of
east
i'm bart hastings is the lazy k these
are my men
like you i don't want any trouble you're
welcome to travel across my land
now that's real nice of you
know of a place called virginia city not
well
i'll fair be it about a week's travel
with your rig
ever seen the likes of us before
why do you ask son of mine jeb holding
his young and likely passed through here
some time ago
you'd know him for our can if and you've
seen him pass through here about a week
10 days ago
you didn't take to him i did not
don't take to folks like us he camped
here without asking
killed one of my stairs for beef didn't
ask about that either
weens ain't like much hang
tight together got to her get killed
nobody does a hurt to a whole certainly
pays for it
i didn't hurt him what's more i gave him
the beef he and the youngster looked
half-starved
then i ordered him off my land that why
you ain't asking me and mine to light
here and rest ourselves kind of that
steer
that's right we travel a fur peace today
near 20 mile
winds of war thin stock needs feed needs
water
you can't stay here and that's an order
you got to move on
[Music]
i wasn't i wasn't gonna shoot i was just
i was up
[Applause]
he's dead he's dead
we killed another one
[Music]
come on bring him out of there before
that horse tramples him he's dead
ever no dirty to miss come on bring him
out of there
give him a hand
you won't get away with this nothing to
get away from it was murder
that man drawed his gun don't do to draw
on a hold
too many of us have been killed you know
it was murder
i saw you beat the man for it it wasn't
murder i want
him about or what dodie cause his shot
thought i told him to
i warned him when we got here call it
murder or not
he'll hang for it i'll see to that best
think on that real hard you ain't never
seen
killing till you kill one arse
[Music]
is she that dirty
yeah yeah we're gonna have to soak her a
good long while to get her clean bro
well are you gonna manage that horse has
got this contraption rigged up he thinks
it's gonna work
sure hope it does yeah hope it does
[Applause]
hey i think it's all just about doing
[Music]
you take this out of here good mirrors
are hard to come by
[Music]
hey honestly maybe we better just put it
off for a while you know maybe i could
talk to her calm her down a little bit
we've waited long enough now there's no
use in putting it off any longer
all right now look you promise me you're
not gonna hurt her if she starts to
fight a little bit too much we'll just
let her go
i promised and i'll keep my promise and
and don't forget you might be afraid of
water
oh nonsense it's just another excuse to
fight she'd fight if you fed her cherry
pie
now if i had my say i'd take that
snapping bite out of her with a razor
strap
[Music]
well shauna see take it from me it
doesn't do any good to fight with her we
use a little patience and a little
kindness we we can don't worry little
joe i'll do it your way
now i'm here take this
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
there she is she's a good one too stout
i jumped up and down
what is it well it'll work fine if i
need it now you two get out of here go
on yeah
[Music]
oh
i don't think it's going to work don't
you fret yourself sean says run more
critters through that cheap dip and have
the rangers alive
you can't go in there
maybe she did drown
did you hear nothing [ __ ] shaughnessy
shaughnessy all right answer me
[Applause]
we're having a real nice soap
[Music]
oh i can't do this i'm all thumbs you're
the one that says it takes gentleness
and patience
well stay there and be gentle and
patient be careful she doesn't bite a
finger off you
[Music]
here it is charles i moved that buckle
over by the means you don't fit real
fine now
try it and see
me we might need someone strong
[Music]
yes sir
easy girl
real easy though don't you kick me
[Music]
easy now that's the way
it won't hurt
[Music]
hey you know something joe
she is a pretty little gal pretty as a
spotted pony
[Music]
oh what's the matter now she bit me
that's what's the matter
it can't hurt that bad she took the hide
off me trick to hide right off me well
you pulled a hair or something
never was any good hair no hair does all
the platinum of the tails means around
here me
all right better be careful
don't you bite me i'll i'll swatch you
one
hey horse will you hurry up with that
thing
come on hurry she's hard to hold i'm
coming
here what are you going to do with it
where she can see herself a minute i let
her go uh over by the window house for
the light's the best
yes him you know watch her
okay you you watch her now i'm gonna let
her go
easy go easy that's it
hey hey hey joe you know something
you know something i think he's right
yeah
she's a gal ain't she and he gotta
rather look pretty nut i knew she'd
quiet down the minute she saw herself
all females are vain
[Music]
can i show them mister hey you sure can
he's gonna be real surprised too he
didn't know he had such a good looking
gal in the house
[Music]
hey bob hey pie i got a surprise for you
all right i'll check the barn joe yeah
[Music]
[Applause]
[Applause]
[Music]
oh that's good and i i you stay like
that i want pot to see it just like it
okay
[Music]
[Applause]
hey pop what
[Music]
believe what
so help me pawn i'm going to bring her
back and tame her if it's the last thing
i do
hey don't you tell her she could take
pulsars my horse
[Music]
[Music]
wow
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
so
[Music]
[Music]
so
oh boy oh boy
the dead burn a book of poetry
hard to believe ain't it i never figured
a
book of poetry is good for anything yeah
that book of poetry turned the bullet
and saved my life
hmm hey there's some pages here it ain't
torah mind if i read it
who is it it's a sheriff
paul's down there talking to you i
wonder how you found out i was
bushwhacked so fast
i don't know i'm gonna find out
well ben this is the first i heard that
adam had been shot but until what i was
going to talk to you about i
think i know who shot him who adam's
never had any enemies around here
he has now you all have you got a whole
dirn nest of them
what do you mean well that girl adam
said you had here
her kinfolk the hoads they come to town
just like she said they would
now you you don't mean that it was one
of her family that shot at him
well then like you say adam didn't have
any enemies that would do a thing like
that but
the hoax did find out there was a cart
right killed a girl's father
no question about that that talks all
over town so somebody must have pointed
at him out when he went through virginia
city you still got that girl here
yeah yeah she's she's still here roy
she's out with a little joe somewhere
but she's still here
you mean she's roaming around loose what
adam said you just about had to keep her
locked up in a cage
well she's staying down now roy she's uh
wearing a dress and
washing and eating at the table with us
even learning how to embroider
but we still have to keep her locked up
at night yeah the gun's locked up
anything with an edge on it like a
like a knife or an axe or something even
so she sounds a lot tamer in the rest of
her family
that's what i wanted to tell you man the
hoeds killed one of bart hastings best
men in the lazy k when they come through
there
killed him or murdered him well it all
depends on who you're listening to
bart claims it without not murder and
the holds they said was just plain
self-defense
anyway there's got to be a trial i'm on
my way over now to pick up dodie hold
the one that done the shooting
thought you and should come along it's
on your property
what the hoads camp near here just over
the ridge
we'll come along i'll settle up a
horse's paw i'll be right out
they'll come don't you fret yourself
about that
they killed my boy jeb because he wanted
to settle on a piece of land
he'll come to drive winds off too
have we got to kill him graham got to
kill the one that killed my boy jeb
least wise
got to show them we can kill man for man
so next way we can stay alive
i wish it wasn't so
has to be bud folks like them been
handing us
every foot of the way from saint joe
fighting us denying us the simple means
of living
killing us it wasn't for us showing them
we could
kill quicker quicker than they could
we'd be in our grazer for this
that's true graham they do helmets i
never could figure out just why
queens ain't like them that's why they
don't
take the folks are different they
hate them fear them just feel they got
to be rid of them
well i don't see that we're like they
are
no we ain't
our folks settled in kentucky and
tennessee more than a hundred year ago
but we ain't like them
we got two hands two feet we got red
blood in our bodies
we gotta love in our hearts for our
youngins and our odins
and we pray to god almighty but we ain't
like them
we'll be fighting them all the rest of
our lives i expect
our lives may not be long they can kill
us off near any time they take a notion
can't give in to them that's the worst
can't let them fence us out or deny us
our rights to the land or kill us
without punishment
winds will be better dated many times
over if we've done that
well i'd rather be alive and marry the
willow like we as promised
i'd rather have a piece of land than a
place to raise youngs
i'm a fear they're never going to let
you and will marry
they're a gathering of guinness right
now you know that i reckon
they'll come on hard and i reckon they
won't stop till we're all dead
i know we won't if it comforts you
they'll bury
twice as many of theirs as they will of
ours i promise you that
you don't comfort
not none at all
i hear writers
[Applause]
high enough
[Music]
ma'am i'm the law not here you ain't
here i'm the law don't be a fool mrs
hoard
i come out for the one you call dodie
what do you want with him
stand trial for the killing of slim
cotter the lazy k
ranch then drawed his gun
dodie killed him before he could kill
one ass that ain't nothing to stand
trial about
it's up to the jury to decide whether
he's guilty or not my job is just to
take him in as the law requires
where was the law when they killed
dodie's wife
dodie's wife i know nothing about a
woman being killed
i'm telling you near a month ago out in
the prairie some
wild bunch came and shot up our wagon
for no reason
dodie's wife didn't draw a gun but they
killed her
dodie ain't been real right in the head
ever since
did you report that kill into the law i
told a law man
he done nothing just drove us on
there's a law for humans in the law for
williams but it ain't the same law
now look ma'am it is the same
at least we surround here it is who
might you be
ben cartwright i own this land
then you must know who i am i reckon
you're gonna know why i'm here
yeah i know your granddaughter willa
told us all about you
i want her but more than that i want the
man that killed jeb hold
what about that too mama sorry about
what happened
little joe said it was unavoidable i
mean to see he hangs for it
little joe is my son and jeb hold was
mine
the law determined that little joe acted
in self-defense
there's a law for euns and the law for
wins and it's not
the same law well i say it is the same
law for both of us
and don't you defy it now i come out
here to take in dodie hold and i'm going
to take him
you try it and they'll likely bury all
of us
is that right maybe we uh
maybe we better think on this huh yeah
maybe so
come on boys
[Music]
roy yeah
[Music]
you know she like what she said every
word of it we try to pull our way in
there they'll be dead to bury
most of theirs and most of us but i
gotta go in she's defying the law well
she's not defined as she's afraid of it
what's the difference whether she's
afraid of it or not the law is alone
i've sworn to pull it
well maybe you didn't swear it when you
took office but you're bound to uphold
human lives before the law
then you've got to be realistic them
holds her like a pit full of
rattlesnakes and twice as dangerous
you heard her say she wanted to hang
little joe didn't you well she meant
every word of that
she was upset she had every right to be
i know how i feel if one of my sons had
just been killed oh roy
you got to let me go back and reason
with her
all right ben
paul what you gonna do
i'm gonna hold out my hand to it
[Music]
i gotta beat on him ma just say when
[Music]
stand there what tricks are you playing
no tricks i'm a man with sons
tired of killing i've come to talk to a
woman with sons
who must hate killing will you hear me
i'll hear you we can fight each other
and kill each other over a man already
dead
and that'll pile grief on grief and
settle nothing
oh we can call the dead man buried
we can set aside grief and hate
we can live as neighbors
will you look at what i've come to show
you
i'll look
i'm going 20 miles from here a rich
valley
with sweet water and good grass
sheltered land i'll give you 50 head of
beef and 10 horses two broken to the
plow
your neighbors i'll be one of them we'll
help you build before the snow flies
it has the look of a lie a trap
yeah that it does but the truth that
look exactly
the same no
man gives away so much i'm not giving
i'm trading
exchange you won't make me kill some of
yours to protect mine
and i won't make you kill some of mine
to protect yours
what about my boy doody sheriff said he
wanted him
yeah he'll have to stand trial
a fair trial i promise you
show me your face
i ain't seen nothing but a lion cheating
men for a long
long time i'm about decided all the
goodens are dead
[Music]
what did you see
i'll study on it
dodie will come in at sundown tomorrow
or not
that'll be your answer
some down tomorrow if this be a trap
a trick to blind me or some way to kill
dodie
i'll come after you ben cartwright and i
won't rest till you're in your grave or
i'm in mine
and i'm mean to have my granddaughter
back with me
you remember that
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
hmm
you can't keep me now my ken's here i
can go if i want i got no rats
i don't want to keep you here well i
just came out say goodbye that's all
[Music]
this pony and your clothes all the
clothes you got back in your room
are yours to keep
[Music]
make sure you come back and get them
come back and visit us real soon too not
[Music]
[Applause]
here
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
so
[Music]
what happened she run off again
yeah she left
you uh really thought you could tame her
huh i wasn't that
she heard us talking heard her family
was nearby and she wanted to be with him
so i let her go well that's probably the
best thing don't you think
i suppose
[Music]
what you'll miss her huh yeah i guess i
will
it's kind of cute when we got her face
washed you know
cause i kind of got used to having her
around
something else on your mind yeah
yeah i promised willow i'd tell her ken
how i come to kill her father
i still have that to do i think i'll let
ponder sheriff take care of that
oh i'm the one that killed him i'm the
one that should tell them
oh look joe you can't take a chance like
that i wouldn't go near that place
without some help
i wouldn't mean anything if i went in
there with an army could mean you'd stay
alive
adam i don't think the hodes are driver
killers
besides we don't even know it was one of
them that bushwhacked you
and i promised willow i'd tell him face
to face
i killed her father adam i think it's
the least i can do
no now joe you can't no now listen to me
joe come back
[Music]
it's willis just come back you let me
handle this boy
well i see you got away from them girl
they didn't even try and stop me
they just let me go like it's not
because i knew i'd come after them if
they didn't
you all right they didn't hurt you none
did they oh they didn't hurt me none
they gave me these clothes though and a
lot of pretty things graham it was nice
there
the house was big real splendid like and
they got a looking glass most tall as me
i'd like to see something like that not
frost none of that stuff
the shirt you got on a hussy shirt
get [ __ ] of it here well i think it's
real pretty willow
you look so different i ain't different
but not inside i ain't
graham they was good to me well they
even asked me to come back and visit
anytime at all
don't forget these the ones that killed
your paw
and don't you fret girl we're gonna kill
the one that done it
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
now who do you reckon this might be
ain't ever seen before dodie
little fella kind of pretty
heard it was a pretty little fella that
killed jeb
hey but you don't know this one's him
yeah i do
gotta feel in my bones remember what ma
told you
all right here now she's back talking to
willard
feels like it's up to me to figure out
what to do what's that gonna be
you all just wait here and watch you'll
see
gonna have me some fun killing a pretty
little fella to kill my brother
looking for somebody stranger yeah
looking for a family named hode
reckon you found them there a woman here
named grandma hoed
she's busy i'm dodie hod you can talk to
me
i think i'd rather talk to her kane
you got something to say say it to me
hell i don't think i will next to me
like you want trouble and i don't
i know you've come this far i wouldn't
be nably i'll let you go away without
you spoke your piece will it
hell i'll be back when i can talk to the
right person
oh don't be in a hurry neighbor maybe i
can help you
you come here looking for the man that
shot your brother ain't that right
well you found him i shot him
no you like to shoot me huh you shot my
brother jeb
and she got a shooting coming to you
your brother jeb tried to shoot me in
the back
he missed and i want him not to try it
again
he did and i had to kill him there was
nothing else i could have done
yeah i figured it was you i felt it in
my bones
i want to get on my horse and i'm going
to ride out of here
and like i said i don't want any trouble
don't try it you raise that gun i'm
gonna have to kill you
[Music]
it was a trick it was a trick after all
a trick so you could sneak in and kill
dodie
you a fast gun a killer i didn't come
here to kill him
but he was bound to kill me
i warned him but he had to try it
all right now i'm warning all of you
i'm going out of here now i don't want
anybody to make a move i'll come after
you
never fear you can't go far enough away
you'll die for this and your pap he'll
die for the turkey played me
what kind of man are you that man killed
your brother and yonder he goes riding
free
what are you standing there staring for
your water in your veins have you rope
for spines
take your rifles now and go do you hear
i want him dating his father dave
go now go on out here here
what do you mean by that we're done with
killing
done with killing dodie was bound to
murder that boy ma
he would have shot him in the back if
need be the boy could have done no less
than what he'd done and live
you cogs sniveling
that man killed your brother dodie he
killed your brother jeb
he murdered them don't that mean nothing
to you
neither murder graham he's right paul
tried to shoot him in the back he tried
twice
it's like john's telling you we killed
enough
i want that boy dead i want him dead now
i never would have known you that's how
much you changed willa
the only thing is i i keep thinking you
changed toward me
i've been living for the day that we we
catch up to you and we can be married
like was promised
now i'm afraid
there never was another man for me bird
and there never will be not as long as
we live
i told graham hogan i didn't think we'd
ever live long enough to get married
i guess i got no reason to change that
now
we done all we could you and me and john
and paul
we talked ourselves clear time maybe she
heard us
maybe not but if she says we gotta fight
them
we got to we got to do what she says
you know that
make yourselves ready we're going now
we're gonna see the man that killed my
[Music]
sons
[Music]
uh
[Music]
[Music]
reckon you know dodie won't be giving
himself up sundown tomorrow
yes i know boy there killed him
i know jeb killed dodie the same way
he's real fast with a gun my son doesn't
enjoy killing
he had no choice
two of my sons killed the same way
by the same man
willa saw the first killing john and
paul ii
they say it was done the same way it
ain't easy seeing two sons killed
willow says her paw was going to shoot
you in the back
john and paul say dodie tried to do the
same thing
i believe they never lied to me
i believe you've done what any man would
have done
you had to kill me
reckon i can't hold no anger again
well it says yulin's got all kinds of
fixings in your house
mind if not step in the sea
[Music]
my house is your house you're welcome at
all times
[Music]
do
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
you

Behind the Scenes of The Spitfire

The episode’s title in German is “Der Widerspenstigen Zähmung,” which translates as “The Taming Of The Shrew.”

This episode appears to be the first out of two, directed by William D. Faralla, also known as William Dario Faralla.

Jack Elam (Dodie Hoad) makes his first out of three appearances in the series through this episode.

Katherine Warren (Maud Hoad) makes her only appearance in the series, credited as Katharine Warren, through this episode.

Anita Sands (Willow Hoad) makes her only appearance in the series through this episode.

The “Kentucky Rifles” used by the Hoads are US Army M1873 Trapdoor Springfield breech-loading rifles. Although altered to look like muzzle-loading frontier rifles, the weapons retain the breech-loading mechanisms.

Looking for More Bonanza Episodes?

Add Bonanza to your list of must-watched series to enjoy alone or with your loved ones! NBC network televised the 14-season program on the channel from September 1959 to January 1973, keeping avid viewers hooked to its storyline through the years. The Spitfire is the 49th episode out of 430 and the seventeenth for Bonanza’s second season.

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