The Ponderosa Birdman

This is, without a doubt, one of the most funniest bonanza episodes ever! Hoss agrees to help an inventor and his granddaughter test their new "Flying Machine". The pair ask Hoss not to tell anyone about the flying machine. But, Little Joe starts to figure out that something is up; Hoss finally tells Little Joe, but Little Joe starts laughing and making up jokes such as "My brother's a giant bird" and "How's ya do'in three hundred pound robin"! Hoss, angered with Little Joe, decides to take him to see the test flight, in which they use a bag of grain as the bird's body. After the machine flies, but than crashes, the pair decided Hoss is ready for take off!

This is truly an hilarious episode you'll want to watch over and over and over again!!

Well this is without a doubt, the silliest, stupidest, and worst episode of Bonanza ever filmed. Strictly for very young viewers. A 35 year old man thinking he could fly with bird wings. Really !! I was 14 at the time of it's premier and even then, my young mind thought it was preposterous and not funny at all. My 12 year old sister thought the same thing so this episode was really for the very very young. This episode belonged on a 3 Stooges episode and really brought down a mostly well written and beloved series. This was probably about the time I stopped watching Bonanza and after this I don't blame Pernell Roberts for leaving. He left after this season and was barely in only 14 more episodes. They really need a negative rating score for episodes like this one.

The Ponderosa Birdman in this episode of Bonanza is none other than eccentric scientist Ed Wynn with his young granddaughter Marlyn Mason who interests none other than Dan Blocker in aerodynamics.

A running thread in Bonanza episodes was Dan Blocker or Michael Landon's gullibility in getting involved in some harebrained scheme, sometimes it was both of them. In this case Ed Wynn is a scientist doing research in flight and he has designed a pair of wings along the lines of what Leonardo DaVinci was trying to do.

The question is will Hoss make it or will he crash and burn like that other famous wing man Icarus?

For that you have to watch this very funny Bonanza episode.