Show:
Bonanza
Episode:
"Cutthroat Junction"
Airdate:
March 18, 1961
Synopsis:
The Cartwrights help Jed Trask, a troubleshooter for the Sierra Freight &
Stage Lines, stop a group of bandits that are cutting off Virginia City's supplies. When the company fires
Trask, he takes revenge by starting his own gang and hijacking the freight.
RL's Character:
Jed Trask
Favorite Scene:
The scene where he takes the brush out of Belle's hand and kisses her.
Favorite Lines:
Ben: "Now what gives you the authority to come in here and threaten us
with a gun?"
Jed: "Mister, there are 26 men who questioned my authority. Now they're
all dead."
* * * * *
Jed (to Belle): "There are only two things in my life - my work
and you."
* * * * *
Thorn: "Big Mike set us up. Covered for us. Now you expect
us to turn on him?"
Jed: "You'd turn on your own mother if there was enough money in it for
you."
* * * * *
Belle (about Jed): "Ben, you gotta try to understand. The
Sierra was his life. When they fired him, it was as if they tore out his heart."
Comments:
This is probably my least favorite of the three Bonanza episodes in
which he appeared. He looked better in this one than he did in the other two, but I don't like it when he
is the bad guy.
It was hard watching him slap Belle. I was trying to remember if he ever
hit a woman in anything else he did, but nothing comes to mind.
I liked his cowboy hat in this one.
Pet Peeve:
Shirley Ballard, the actress who played Belle, couldn't cry worth a lick.
RL Factor:
He was 32 when he did this episode and he looks incredibly delicious.
He is really tan and trim, and there are some very nice shots of his hands.
Availability:
The series has not been officially released on DVD by the studio, but from what
I have been able to ascertain the first two seasons are in the public domain. Numerous episodes from those two
seasons have cropped up in both DVD and VHS formats. I haven't been able to find "Cutthroat Junction" on DVD, but there
are simply too many versions out there for me to state unequivocally that it hasn't been released. However, I did see
a VHS copy for sale on Amazon. That version was released by Republic Pictures in 1997, but I don't have a copy
of it myself so I have no idea as to the quality. If anybody has further information about this, please let me know.
