by Hal Erickson
synopsis
Another deft Bonanza combination of humor and tears, Frank Cleaver's teleplay for "Love Me Not" is more than a little beholden to Shaw's Candida. Antoinette Bower guest-stars as Joan, a white girl captured in childhood by the Paiutes. The tribal chief (Jack Bighead) presents Ben Cartwright with Joan, but she doesn't want to leave "her people." She soon changes her mind when she falls in love with Ben, despite the fact that he's nearly three times her age and regards her as a child. Written by frequent Bonanza scrivener Frank Cleaver, "Love Me Not" first aired March 1, 1964.
