A HOME FOR JAMIE

'Jamie's teacher shows Ben a paper that Jamie scribbled in school. It reads: Jamie Hunter, Jamie Hunter-Cartwright, Jamie H. Cartwright, Jamie Cartwright. Ben had been considering adopting Jamie for awhile. Nevada law requires that there be no traceable blood relatives. Ben has written letters to people all over the country, and no relatives came forward. But just before everything is finalised, Jamie's maternal grandfather, Ferris Callahan, comes to take Jamie to Boston.'.

Guest Stars: Will Geer as Ferris Callahan, Ford Rainey as Judge Taylor, Robert Carradine as Phinney McLean, Robert Karnes as Jess McLean, Phyllis Love as Miss Griggs.

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At school Jamie is preoccupied with writing his name as "Cartwright" until another pupil steals the piece of paper, resulting in a fight. When Ben visits Jamie's teacher he discovers why and decides to proceed, with Hoss and Joe's full agreement, with adoption proceedings.

With teenage insecurity Jamie is convinced that the Cartwrights feel obliged to adopt him until Ben takes him to the judge in Virginia City to have the papers legally drawn up. Ben had written numerous letters to try to locate any possible relatives with no replies so his application as an adoptive parent looks promising. On the way home he explains to Jamie that Hoss and Joe were given to him but he chose Jamie, leaving Jamie very touched and very pleased with this explanation.

However one of Ben's letters has been intercepted by Jamie's maternal grandfather, Paris Callahan, brilliantly played by Will Geer. He obstructs Ben's proposed adoption and insists on taking Jamie back to Boston, mostly to have an heir to continue his own shipping empire. There is a very sad scene where Ben, Hoss and Joe stand miserably by as a distraught Jamie bolts onto the buckboard to leave with Callahan.

Callahan's bad driving results in an accident where he suffers a broken leg. Jamie does wonders by setting the broken leg in a splint, catching game for food and making a fire. Jamie also catches the horses and repairs the buckboard. During this time he and Callahan get to know each other better and Jamie bravely stands by his love
for his parents and insists how happy he is with the Cartwrights.

The next day Jamie makes a type of block and tackle using a tree and board and the horses to hoist Callahan up to the buckboard and return to the Ponderosa. Callahan, impressed with Jamie and all that the Cartwrights have taught him, recognises that Jamie will be most loved and happiest on the Ponderosa. Callahan, as Jamie says, is not as
mean as he wants people to think he is.

Callahan eventually leaves for Boston with a promise from Jamie to visit and Jamie is home for good as the youngest Cartwright.

This is a good episode with very good insights into Jamie's emotions. I was disappointed that there was so little of Joe and Hoss as it would have been much better to have witnessed family discussions about the adoption of Jamie. I also thought that the Callahan/Jamie scenes were rather too long. A few cuts in the latter would have given time for the former.

Something unusual that I did enjoy was a greater inclusion of Hop Sing who is very kind to Jamie. He talks to Jamie and tries to persuade him to eat when Jamie is confined to his room after the school fight. He also tries to persuade Jamie to take a picnic basket as he leaves for Boston. These scenes showed how much Hop Sing loved the Cartwrights and how devoted he was to them. I wish we had had more Hop Sing scenes like this throughout Bonanza as it shows Hop Sing's kind nature which Victor portrays extremely well.

Overall well worth a view.