Hoss is conned by fortune-teller Madame Morova (Zsa Zsa Gabor) into believing he is a musical genius. She gives (sells) him an old fiddle which she claims is a Stradivarius. There is only one problem. He is APPALLING.
His "music" is the equivalent of fingernails scraping down a blackboard. It makes the hens stop laying, coyotes howl, horses neigh, shy and tremble their lips and small woodland creatures disappear down their holes. In one of the funniest scenes in. All Bonanza history Joe and Ben discover Hoss practising in a woodland glade. Their disbelief turns to rib-busting hilarity at the dreadful sounds he's producing. Joe is speechless with laughter and almost slips to the ground in paralysis.
However, the humour soon fades. Robbed of their sleep and deprived of their peace of mind in the day by Hoss's relentless sawing, Ben and Joe decide they must take action. The only person who enjoys it is Hop Sing, who is reminded of the music of "old China".
Perhaps it is a one-joke episode, but it does not get stale. The sounds produced by Hoss are beyond description. His determination and self-deception are matched only by the agonies of his long-suffering family.
Worth seeing for the woodland scene alone.