by Hal Erickson
synopsis
Once more, Lorne Greene essays the dual role of Ben Cartwright and Ben's lookalike, confidence trickster Bradley Meredith. This time out, Meredith takes advantage of Ben's trip to Carson City to auction off the Ponderosa, piece by piece. Kate Jackson makes an early TV appearance as Ellen, while others in the cast include Greg Mullavey as Jordan, William Mims as Williams, Jack Collins as Mayor Harlow, Bill Zuckert as Matt Fowler, and Richard X. Slattery as Henderson. Written by Stanley Roberts, "One Ace Too Many" was originally shown on April 2, 1972 as the last installment of Bonanza's thirteenth season. The episode also represented the final series appearances of Ray Teal as Sheriff Coffee, and, tragically, Dan Blocker as Hoss Cartwright.
