Change Your Image
jjhh1962
Reviews
Bonanza: The Medal (1969)
Very good episode
A very young Dean Stockwell plays Matthew Rush, an ordained minister and Civil War Medal of Honor winner. Rush has fallen on hard times and tries to buy a drink in a saloon by trading his medal. The bartender refuses and Ben Cartwright comes to the rescue, recognizing the significance of the medal. Meanwhile, a family of former southerners and Confederates, who have just moved to Virginia City, become enraged at the thought of Rush living near them. They conclude he must have killed a lot of Confederate soldiers to win "the top Yankee medal". They set out to run him out of town through intimidation. Near the end, they tie Rush to a wagon wheel and are going to pour hot tar on him since he has refused to leave. Ben comes to the rescue again and stops them. He then reads a telegram he received from the War Dept that describes Rush's actions that won him the medal. They find out that Rush won the medal rescuing both Union and Confederate soldiers during an artillery barrage, bringing the threats and intimidation to an end.
A good story and well acted.