Although novelist Charles Dickens did tour America, he never did get as far west as Virginia City so was not in a position to visit the fabled if fictional Ponderosa that Lorne Greene and his sons owned.
Jonathan Harris who was the son of Russian immigrants in the Bronx learned his speech pattern and acting style by imitating the best of the British colony in Hollywood. It certainly worked for many swore he was a native of the UK.
The astringent Dickens is honed to perfection by Harris who gets into a big brouhaha with the townspeople of Virginia City particularly its newspaper editor. Later on he's framed for the trashing of the newspaper office and spends some time in Ray Teal's jail.
What brought all this about was the lack of copyright protection among the nations allowing American publishers to republish Dickens's work without a red cent going to the author. It was an issue that concerned Dickens deeply in his real life as well.
Harris brings off Dickens to perfection in a scene with Dan Blocker where he compares Hoss's love of the Ponderosa to Harris's love and sweat over every printed word. He also talks about his own childhood where much of his story material comes from.
A really fine Bonanza episode with a perfect performance by Jonathan Harris as Charles Dickens.
