Marie, My Love: In the middle of Bonanza's fourth season the circle is completed with the story of Marie (Felicia Farr), the mother of Little Joe. Of the three episodes devoted to Ben Cartwright's wives, this last one has the most potential for greatness and intrigue, and is arguably the most interesting. But it doesn't quite fulfill that potential, mainly, I suspect, due to the confines imposed by its sixty minute time slot. Still, the intricacies of the story line provide evidence of how Bonanza separated itself from the typical TV western.
This tale opens in New Orleans, roughly fifty years following the Louisiana Purchase. The French atmosphere still pervades the city's culture. Ben has arrived there by ship from the Ponderosa on a twofold mission. He is hoping to connect with a merchant, Monsieur Clermont, to facilitate the sale of "raw furs" he's brought from Nevada. More importantly, Ben is in the Crescent City to fulfill a promise made to a Ponderosa employee, Jean de Marigny, right before the young man died. Jean, a former New Orleans resident, asked Ben to visit three people there: Marius Angerville, a family friend and fencing instructor; Jean's mother Madame de Marigny; and Jean's wife Marie de Marigny, nee del Valle. Ben's encounters with all three are offbeat.
He first calls on Marius, a man in his seventies who owns a fencing academy. He may have lost a step but he still practices his art and enjoys his red wine. Marius tells Ben he looked upon Jean as his own son. When Ben mentions Jean's mother, Marius does not try to hide his distaste for the woman. Ben's meeting with the mother is very odd. She doesn't seem saddened by news of her son's death. She says he "ran from his disgrace" but offers no explanation. She also does not wish to discuss her daughter-in-law who she says "was never meant to be the wife of a de Marigny." When Ben tells Madame he is staying at Marius' residence, she states Marius was no friend of her son's. Clearly Madame is not easy to please, and holds a negative opinion of her son and those close to him.
Ben's does not fare much better in his first attempt to speak to the widowed Marie. Marius takes Ben to a fancy gambling parlor, quickly introduces Ben to Marie and just as quickly heads to the bar where he and the proprietor, D'Arcy, trade insults. When Ben asks Marie if they could move to a quieter spot so he could deliver news of her husband Jean, Marie surprises Ben by insisting she has no desire to hear it. As he is leaving, Ben is approached by D'Arcy who observes that Ben "lacks a certain polish." Ben's quick reply is that his polish "is dulled by hard work." Touche!
Later, Ben learns from Marius that right after Jean's marriage to Marie, he left her because he believed rumors that she was unfaithful. Marie's pleas of innocence could not sway Jean to trust his wife. Marius unsuccessfully attempted to talk Jean out of leaving. Marius tells Ben, "Marie was the innocent victim of deceit."
On the following day Ben makes a second attempt to talk to Marie, this time at her residence. She is about to shut the door in his face when he delivers the news that Jean is dead. Ben tells Marie Jean saved his life. Ben offers no details except to say that as Jean lay dying he asked Ben to convey to Marie that he loved her. Marie says her husband didn't know what it means to love, but Ben points out that "a man on his deathbed doesn't lie." When Ben states that Jean wanted her to know he forgave her, Marie goes on a rant. Jean could not have loved her and believed the lies he heard. "Instead of trusting me he ran off, leaving me humiliated and disgraced." Before she sends Ben away she reveals more sad news. She and Jean had a baby who was taken away at birth by Jean's mother, Madame. The baby later died of a fever. Ben indicates that Jean never spoke of fathering a child.
Ben remains in the city to conduct his fur sale. He runs into Marie as she is leaving Marius' fencing studio. Marie apologizes to Ben for her previous inhospitality. In the doorway they make small talk, including Ben's admiration of New Orleans. He invites Marie to dinner but she declines and leaves. Marius bluntly suggests to Ben that because Jean saved Ben's life, Ben owes it to Marie to clear her reputation by finding out the truth regarding the alleged "other man." Ben retorts that it isn't his concern, but Marius has planted the seed.
Dark secrets are revealed in a short scene between the two villains, Madame and D'Arcy. We find out Marius' suspicions regarding D'Arcy's involvement in Marie's alleged affair are correct. The sketchy details are fleshed out later, but it appears D'Arcy paid a man to assist in the defamation of Marie. That man is now in Haiti. Even more dastardly, the child Madame took from Marie is not dead, contrary to what Madame told Marie. Madame is now worried that if Ben sticks around New Orleans long enough, he may find out the truth. She instructs D'Arcy to make sure that doesn't happen. Murder is not out of the question.
We know from the episode's prelude that Marie becomes Little Joe's mother. But so far, the story only has Ben and Marie conversing very briefly, hardly an indication that a chemistry might develop. This shortcoming is remedied by another short scene in which Ben, while strolling through the city streets to take in the sights before he returns home to Nevada, serendipitously spots Marie praying in the courtyard of a convent. She permits Ben to join her and the two exchange their life stories. They have both experienced ill-fated marriages. Marie philosophizes, "To love is to place one's happiness in someone else's hands." She relates to Ben the true story of how she was duped by an unknown man who was setting her up for accusations of adultery. Ben believes her and says, "Something should have been done about that lie a long time ago."
Ben returns to D'Arcy's gambling parlor where he expects to find Monsieur Clermont to discuss the final details of their fur business arrangements. Clermont insists on first finishing his poker game and invites Ben to join. Soon D'Arcy also sits in. By this time there are stacks of currency on the table. Unbeknownst to Ben, D'Arcy is able to manipulate the deck. He accuses Ben of cheating. Ben, an accomplished pugilist, knocks D'Arcy to the floor, whereupon the indignant D'Arcy challenges Ben to a sword duel at dawn. (By French custom, the alleged aggrieved party is entitled to choose the type of weapons.) Marius warns Ben that D'Arcy is a professional duelist; he has already killed four opponents and wounded Marius in a duel long ago. Ben will have no chance against D'Arcy. Marius insists on taking Ben's place, not only to save him from what will be sure death, but to restore the honor of Marie. Of course Ben rejects Marius' offer; he will fight his own fight. Just then Marie walks in. She reveals to Ben that her concern "is not just for Marius."
Spoiler Alert: Early the next morning Ben and Marie are stunned to learn that Marius has already left his residence to face D'Arcy in a duel at the edge of town. In the prime years of Marius the duel might have been a fair fight, but not now; Marius is an old man while D'Arcy is a master swordsman. Ben and Marie pull up in a wagon at the field just in time to see Marius mortally wounded by the heartless D'Arcy. As Marius lies dying in Marie's arms, Ben confronts D'Arcy and calls him "a cowardly disgrace without honor." Enraged D'Arcy slaps Ben across the face. Big mistake! Ben claims that D'Arcy's act "supercedes" Ben's knockout blow from the day before, so now Ben has the right to choose weapons for the unavoidable duel. He selects pistols and D'Arcy accepts the challenge.
This does not end like the historic Alexander Hamilton-Aaron Burr duel. Ben and D'Arcy start with their backs to each other, then step ten paces in opposite directions to the count of the civilian referee. As they turn toward each other at a distance of twenty paces, D'Arcy fires, striking Ben in the right shoulder. Ben, an expert marksman, could kill D'Arcy right then and there, as would be his right under established dueling rules. Instead, he intentionally fires his gun into the air, then proceeds to beat D'Arcy to a pulp, refusing to stop until D'Arcy confesses to arranging the whole scandal involving the innocent Marie. He further admits doing so at the request of Madame. Marius then passes away, satisfied that he died with honor and that the truth regarding Marie has been uncovered.
Marie is relieved, but saddened at the same time. Looking at the body of Marius and probably also remembering her husband and child, she laments that death follows her. Ben talks her out of this mood, mostly by telling her about the West, a topic he had covered before when they conversed in the convent's garden. When Ben suggests she could make a new life with him on the Ponderosa, she questions if Ben isn't occupied enough raising his two sons, Adam and Eric. Ben's response: "Until I came here I thought my life was quite full. My sons were all I needed. But now I know, without you it could never be complete. Come back with me. Be my wife."
FINAL NOTES:
Before I close out my two-part post on Bonanza, there are a few things I must include to make the picture complete. Much of what follows could fall into the "spoiler category," so you are hereby warned.
* Each of the three episodes I've described is told in the form of a flashback. In the story of Elizabeth, an adult Adam lies sick in bed at the Ponderosa. The doctor tells Ben it will be touch and go during the night. Adam may not pull through. While Ben sits bedside, he looks at a picture of Adam's mother and his thoughts turn to her.
The story of Inger begins while Ben is waiting for Hoss to return home. The family cook, Hop Sing, has baked a birthday cake for Hoss. While Ben waits he recalls how he first met the gentle giant's mother in Illinois.
The cleverest introduction takes place in Marie's story. The pre-credits scene has Ben working at a table in front of the Ponderosa house. As Little Joe gallops into the front yard his horse, Cochise, stumbles and Joe crashes to the ground. An alarmed Ben rushes to his injured son and manages to get him into bed. He speaks to Joe, even though realizing Joe is only semi-conscious. "When I saw you fall, Joe, for a moment it was just like your mother... the same way that afternoon, she came right up to the house." The story immediately goes to flashback. Ben is walking across a New Orleans street when he is almost run over by a very pretty blonde woman on horseback. The horse momentarily stops, rises on its two hind legs, and continues at a fast clip with its rider still in the saddle. Although the startled Ben did not know it at the time, that woman was Marie. But we are puzzled by the scene because there is no house in front of which this all happened. What was Ben talking about?
We don't get the answer until the episode's end. We learn that the house to which Ben referred was, in fact, the Ponderosa homestead. Marie was thrown to the ground by her horse in the exact same spot where Joe fell. Joe was battered and bruised, yet recovered; Marie did not.
* After watching the stories of Elizabeth (Season 2, Episode 33) and Marie (Season 4, Episode 20), Bonanza fans knew what happened in the final hours of Ben's first and third wives. But what happened to Inger? The final scene of her story (Season 3, Episode 29) shows her heading west in a small wagon with her new husband, Ben, and five year old Adam. She was very much alive. Was Ben a bigamist when he married Marie? Hardly. This is Ben Cartwright we're talking about, a man of unquestioned principles.
We are kept in suspense until Season 5, Episode 8, when the story called Journey Remembered closes the book on Inger. The episode is worthy of a full-blown discussion, but in the interest of space and time (yours and mine) I will give you a much-abbreviated rendition, what we old timers sometimes refer to as "the Reader’s Digest version." After leaving Illinois Inger, Ben and Adam join a wagon train to take them to the wild West, the land of promise Ben had been dreaming of for years. Inger has given birth to Eric, who will later be called Hoss in honor of Inger's brother. Somewhere on the high plains the wagon train is attacked by Indians, one of whom puts an arrow in poor Inger's back. The sweet young woman dies in Ben's arms. Ben is thus widowed with two little boys, still determined to make his way to a new land.
* One of my favorite Bonanza stories, The First Born, led off its fourth season (Season 4, Episode 1). Once again, I present the Reader's Digest version. Remember the child of Jean and Marie de Marigny who was taken away by Madame de Marigny shortly after he was born? As Marie told Ben, her mother-in-law had informed her that the child died from a fever. Marie accepted that as the truth to her dying day.
But as is revealed in The First Born, that child, whose name is Clay, did not die. One day twenty-five (or so) years later, Clay shows up in town and is hired by the Cartwrights to do seasonal work on the ranch. Clay strikes up a friendship with Little Joe and takes a particular interest in a picture of Joe's mother. Although Joe doesn't know Clay is his half-brother, they discuss the coincidence that they were both born in New Orleans.
Unfortunately, shortly thereafter Clay kills a miner in self defense and is asked by the sheriff to leave town. Joe comes to Clay's defense but Ben (who is always right) thinks it would be better and safer for all concerned if Clay adhered to the sheriff's request. As Clay is gathering his things to head out, he reveals to Joe that the reason he wanted to see Joe's picture is that the woman is his mother too. Obviously this drastically changes the dynamics and direction of how the story proceeds. The denouement is compelling as is the fine acting by regular cast member Michael Landon as Little Joe, and Barry Coe who plays Clay. This episode is one of the most memorable of any I've watched on television, whether western or otherwise. Kudos to the script writers of The First Born, Judy and George W. George. [A nit: The picture which Joe keeps in his locket does not at all resemble Felicia Farr, the actress who played Marie.] [I also tip my cap to Anthony Lawrence who wrote Elizabeth, My Love, Inger, My Love, Journey Remembered, and (with co-writer Anne Howard Bailey) Marie, My Love.]
* Finally, an oddity. As noted above, Marie, My Love and The First Born were both included in Season 4. Would it not have made more sense to show Marie, My Love before The First Born? Instead, it aired nineteen weeks later. Along the same lines, it would have been preferable to show Journey Remembered before Marie, My Love, but the former was not presented until Season 5. As a linear guy, I like to see "chapters" chronologically, but the strange order of presentment did not detract from my fondness for Bonanza. It was a made-for-television western series, not an attempt to become the equal of a John Ford epic.
