thanks, John, that's a good one. the old Ponderosa! those were the days! it brings to mind the old family favorite from the 90s: TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL. I'm pretty much a shameless romantic, so I easily endured many of those episodes, some of which were quite redemptive in a Dickensian sort of way. On the other hand, they once aired a Christmas episode featuring MT -- which I believe many of you will recall, with John Collum as a somewhat more reasonable interpretation of Sam than the beloved Howard Duff. Check it out at: www.touched.com/episodeguide/seasonfour/413.html I'm all for spiritual interpretations of old Sam, as many on here certainly know; however even I find this rendition of MT's final years pretty sincerely off. -hb Harold K. Bush, Ph.D Saint Louis University