This Well-known Western Collection’ Finale Did a Wild Spoof of the Iconic Present ‘Bonanza’

For fourteen seasons between 1959 and 1973, Bonanza graced tv screens because the second hottest Western of its day, coming in solely behind Gunsmoke. The sequence adopted the Cartwright household — Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene) and his three sons, Adam (Pernell Roberts), Hoss (Dan Blocker), and Little Joe (Michael Landon) — as they function their well-known Ponderosa Ranch.

However there was one common horse opera that spoofed the long-running sequence in apparent (however hilarious) trend. If you happen to’ve been recognized to take pleasure in an episode of Bonanza, then you must undoubtedly revisit the Maverick episode “Three Queens Full,” which takes every little thing you’re keen on concerning the basic Western and flips it for comedic impact.

“Three Queens Full” Poked Loads of Enjoyable at ‘Bonanza’

As longtime followers of the tv horse opera know, there have been only a few professional crossovers between Western productions again within the day, and this Maverick episode isn’t any exception. Across the identical time as Bonanza’s third season, Maverick parodied the NBC Western throughout its personal fifth and last season on ABC. “Three Queens Full” adopted Jack Kelly’s Bart Maverick in what on paper might be thought-about a normal Bonanza plot, solely to take a wierd and hilarious flip. In fact, Lorne Inexperienced, Michael Landon, Pernell Roberts, and Dan Blocker do not seem right here. Relatively, they’re changed by Jim Backus, Joseph Gallison, Larry Likelihood, and Jake Sheffield, respectively. Moreover, as an alternative of deeming the clan the Cartwrights, Maverick scribe William Bruckner renames them the “Wheelwrights,” house owners of the Subrosa Ranch (changing the Ponderosa). Ben Cartwright turns into Joe Wheelwright, Little Joe turns into Small Paul, Adam turns into Henry, and Hoss turns into Moose, which continues to be fairly on-the-nose. Go away it to Maverick to be a bit apparent in its parody.

After blackmailing Maverick into working for him, patriarch Joe Wheelwright tells the sincere gambler that he intends to marry off his three sons, and it is Maverick’s job to observe the would-be brides. Emma Walter (Kasey Rogers) is to marry Moose, Lou Ann Smyth (Allyson Ames) is paired with Small Paul, and Cissie Anderson (Merry Anders) is obtainable to Henry. At first, the women haven’t any intention of marrying the Wheelwrights, as an alternative scheming with Maverick to interrupt off their engagements and run off along with his fee, splitting it 4 methods. Nevertheless, the ladies quickly start to fall for his or her respective suitors. Though they deliberate to double-cross Maverick after being blackmailed themselves by Matthew Braze (Harry Lauter) of the native saloon, El Dorado, they cannot fairly deliver themselves to interrupt the Wheelwrights’ hearts.

So, when the key comes out, and Braze pulls the women into his scheme, the Wheelwright sons develop a pair and battle for the ladies they love. The bar battle is a spectacular riff on basic saloon brawls, with over-the-top punching, tossing, and piano hand slamming. Maverick even tosses a ball newel cap at a goon earlier than he can escalate the battle into gunplay. It is no shock that, in the long run, the ladies follow the Wheelwrights in any case, they usually all stay fortunately ever after — a stark distinction to the Cartwrights’ personal less-than-desirable marital fates on Bonanza.

‘Maverick’ Was a Extra Comedic Tackle the Western Than Most

Maverick’s “Three Queens Full” provides some light-hearted laughs for followers in every single place. The entire thing works fairly nicely and follows the present’s earlier Western spoof “Gun Shy,” which riffed on Gunsmoke. On the whole, Maverick — certainly one of ABC’s all-time finest packages — at all times leaned extra in the direction of comedy than strict drama. Whether or not the present was led by Jack Kelly’s Bart Maverick (as on this episode), his brother Bret Maverick (James Garner, who was the present’s unique star), cousin Beau Maverick (Roger Moore), or the customarily forgotten brother Brent Maverick (Robert Colbert), you could possibly at all times guess {that a} playing hero with a coronary heart of gold would discover himself combined up in some off-brand state of affairs on the wild frontier. Over that point, the present was recognized for its parody of reveals like Gunsmoke, Dragnet, and others, in addition to the characters’ occasional crossovers with different Warner Bros. Westerns like Cheyenne, Sugarfoot, Lawman, and Bronco.

However in response to Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh of their e-book, The Full Listing to Prime Time Community and Cable TV Reveals, 1946-Current, “Three Queens Full” is arguably the “finest” of Maverick’s parody episodes as a result of wacky nature of this system. Not solely does it make fools out of the three Cartwrights, solely to pressure them to turn out to be males, nevertheless it expertly makes enjoyable of the classical Bonanza formulation. However as enjoyable as parodies like this episode are, even this fantastic hour could not save Maverick from cancellation. After biking via numerous main males (and the very public departure of James Garner), Jack Kelly led the sequence in its last string of 13 episodes. Based on Everett Aaker in his e-book, Tv Western Gamers, 1960-1975, Kelly was by no means knowledgeable by the studio that Maverick had been cancelled. As an alternative, he examine it within the paper. Regardless of the premature ending (although Kelly would return to the position later in his profession), Maverick’s Bonanza parody stays among the many finest Western spoofs on the market.