Bonanza (1960) "The Avenger" Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker, Michael Landon, Pernell Roberts Ben and Adam Cartwright are in jail, about to be hanged for a murder they didn't commit. Hoss and Little Joe are getting worried as time's a-wastin' and no one seems to want to sign their petition to overturn the convictions. Along comes a handsome, mysterious stranger, known only as 'Lassiter' (Vic). His quest to avenge his father's murder brings Lassiter to town to check out the Cartwrights as potential suspects but instead, he finds himself drawn into their plight. Lassiter also manages to find himself what seems to be the only attractive single woman in town but darn, she's got vengeance on her mind, too, as it was her father the Cartwrights murdered. So much for romance. Can Lassiter save the Cartwrights before it's too late or is NBC finally fed up with those contract disputes? I love Vic in this! He's good, brave, compassionate, quick on the draw, kind, (love the scenes with the kid) and looks good in a cowboy hat - now that's my idea of a hero! Originally, 'The Avenger' was going to be a series but it ended up on 'Bonanza' and 'Outlaws' instead. Wish it would've made it, I really like this character, but who knows, success as The Avenger might've kept Vic from playing Sgt. Saunders (my all-time favorite Vic role). This is a must-see, must-have show. You can wait for it to turn up on Pax TV and tape it or if you don't want to wait, (I didn't) it's available commercially.