Bonanza is an American
westernThe Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
television series that both ran on and was a production of
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series (behind
GunsmokeGunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
) and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the Cartwright family, which lived in the area around
Lake TahoeLake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
,
NevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. The show stars
Lorne GreeneLorne Greene , was the stage name of Lyon Himan Green, OC, a Canadian actor.His television roles include Ben Cartwright on the western Bonanza, and Commander Adama in the science fiction movie and subsequent TV Series Battlestar Galactica...
,
Pernell RobertsPernell Elvin Roberts, Jr. was an American stage, movie and television actor, as well as a singer. In addition to guest starring in over 60 television series, he was widely known for his roles as Ben Cartwright's eldest son, Adam Cartwright, on the western series Bonanza, a role he played from...
,
Dan BlockerDan Blocker was an American actor best remembered for his role as Eric "Hoss" Cartwright in the NBC western television series Bonanza.-Early life:...
,
Michael LandonMichael Landon was an American actor, writer, director, and producer. He is widely known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza , Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie , and Jonathan Smith in Highway to Heaven...
, and
David CanaryDavid Hoyt Canary is an American actor, who starred in both soap operas and prime time television. He is best known for his roles as the ranch foreman, Candy Canaday on Bonanza and identical twins Adam Chandler from 1983 to 2010 and Stuart Chandler from 1984 to 2009 on the daytime serial, All My...
. The show's title "Bonanza" is a term used by miners in regards to a large vein or deposit of ore, and commonly refers to
The Comstock LodeThe Comstock Lode was the first major U.S. discovery of silver ore, located under what is now Virginia City, Nevada, on the eastern slope of Mount Davidson, a peak in the Virginia Range. After the discovery was made public in 1859, prospectors rushed to the area and scrambled to stake their claims...
. In 2002, Bonanza was ranked #43 on
TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All TimeTV Guides 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time is TV Guides list of the 50 most entertaining and influential television series in American pop culture...
.
Premise
The show chronicled the weekly adventures of the Cartwright family, headed by the thrice-widowed patriarch Ben Cartwright (
Lorne GreeneLorne Greene , was the stage name of Lyon Himan Green, OC, a Canadian actor.His television roles include Ben Cartwright on the western Bonanza, and Commander Adama in the science fiction movie and subsequent TV Series Battlestar Galactica...
). He had three sons, each by a different wife: the eldest was the urbane architect Adam Cartwright (
Pernell RobertsPernell Elvin Roberts, Jr. was an American stage, movie and television actor, as well as a singer. In addition to guest starring in over 60 television series, he was widely known for his roles as Ben Cartwright's eldest son, Adam Cartwright, on the western series Bonanza, a role he played from...
) who built the ranch house; the second was the warm and lovable giant Eric, "Hoss" (
Dan BlockerDan Blocker was an American actor best remembered for his role as Eric "Hoss" Cartwright in the NBC western television series Bonanza.-Early life:...
); and the youngest was the hotheaded and impetuous Joseph or "Little Joe" (
Michael LandonMichael Landon was an American actor, writer, director, and producer. He is widely known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza , Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie , and Jonathan Smith in Highway to Heaven...
). Each wife was given a different ethnicity: English, Swedish and French Creole respectively. The family's cook was the Chinese immigrant Hop Sing (
Victor Sen YungVictor Sen Yung was an American character actor. He was given billing under a variety of names, including Sen Yung, Sen Young, Victor Sen Young, and Victor Young.- Career :...
). Greene, Roberts, Blocker, and Landon were billed equally. The opening credits would alternate the order among the four stars. As the series advanced, writers began to showcase one or two Cartwrights in each episode, while the others would be seen briefly in the prologue and epilogue. Not only did this provide for more thorough character development, it also gave all four actors more free time.
The family lived on a thousand-square-mile ranch called
PonderosaThe Ponderosa Ranch was a theme park based on the popular 1960s television western Bonanza which housed the affluent land, timber and livestock-rich Cartwright family. The amusement park operated in Incline Village, Nevada, near Lake Tahoe, from 1967 until 2004...
on the shore of
Lake TahoeLake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
in
NevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. The vast size of the Cartwrights' land was quietly revised to "half a million acres" on Lorne Greene's 1964 song, "Saga of the Ponderosa" ("Bonanza" set liner notes, Bear Family Records, disk 1), which if taken literally is still enormous, being slightly more than 781 square miles (2023 km²). The ranch name refers to the
Ponderosa PinePinus ponderosa, commonly known as the Ponderosa Pine, Bull Pine, Blackjack Pine, or Western Yellow Pine, is a widespread and variable pine native to western North America. It was first described by David Douglas in 1826, from eastern Washington near present-day Spokane...
, common in the West. The nearest town to the Ponderosa was
Virginia CityVirginia City is a census-designated place that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada. It is part of the Reno–Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 855 at the 2010 Census.- History :...
, where the Cartwrights would go to converse with
SheriffA sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
Roy Coffee (played by veteran actor
Ray TealRay Teal was an actor who appeared in more than 250 movies and some 90 television programs in his 37-year career. His longest running role was as Sheriff Roy Coffee on NBC's most successful western, Bonanza...
), or his deputy Clem Foster (
Bing RussellBing Russell was an American actor and baseball club owner, and was the father of Golden Globe-nominated actor Kurt Russell.-Personal life:...
).
Bonanza was considered an atypical western for its time, as the core of the storylines dealt less about the range but more with Ben and his three dissimilar sons, how they cared for one another, their neighbors, and just causes. "You always saw stories about family on comedies or on an anthology, but Bonanza was the first series that was week-to-week about a family and the troubles it went through. Another thing about Bonanza that is interesting is that it is a period drama, but it attempted to confront contemporary social issues. That was very difficult to do on television. Most shows that tried to do it failed because the sponsors didn't like it, and the networks were nervous about getting letters," explains Stephen Battaglio, a senior editor for TV Guide magazine (Paulette Cohn, "Bonanza: TV Trailblazer", American Profile Magazine, p. 12, June 5, 2009).
Episodes ranged from high drama ("Bushwached", 1971; "Shanklin", 1972) to broad comedy ("Hoss and the Leprechauns", 1964; "Caution, Bunny Crossing", 1969) and addressed such meaty issues as the environment ("Different Pines, Same Wind", 1968), substance abuse ("The Hidden Enemy", 1972), domestic violence ("First Love", 1972), anti-war sentiment ("The Weary Willies", 1970), out-of-wedlock births ("Love Child", 1970; "Rock-A-Bye Hoss", 1971), and bigotry against- Asians ("The Fear Merchants", 1960; "The Lonely Man", 1969), blacks ("Enter Thomas Bowers", 1964; "The Wish", 1968; "Child", 1969), Native Americans ("To Kill A Buffalo", 1966; "The Survivors", 1968), the handicapped ("Tommy", 1966) and "little people" ("It's A Small World", 1968).
Originally, the Cartwrights tended to be depicted as put-off by outsiders. Lorne Greene, however, objected to this, pointing out that as the area's largest timber and livestock producer, the family should be less clannish. The producers agreed with this observation and changed the Cartwrights to be more amiable.
The cast
Though not familiar stars in 1959, the cast quickly became favorites of the first television generation.
Lorne Greene – Ben Cartwright
Canadian-born Lorne Greene began his career as the chief radio announcer for CBC radio from 1939 to 1942, becoming known as the "Voice of Doom" for his deep, stentorian vocal readings of the names of the current war dead each week. Although his distinctive voice had propelled him into newscasting, he had earlier shown an interest in acting during his education at Queen's University in
Kingston, OntarioKingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
. After serving briefly in the military in 1945, Lorne co-founded the Academy of Radio Arts in Canada as well as the Jupiter Theatre.
In 1953 he moved to the United States to pursue an acting career, making numerous appearances on various telecasts before landing the role of Ben Cartwright on Bonanza in 1959, a role he would continue to play for the next 14 years. Early in the show's history, Ben Cartwright recalls each of his late wives in flashback episodes. A standard practice with most westerns was to introduce some romance but avoid matrimony. Few media cowboys (save
Roy RogersRoy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
and
Fess ParkerFess Elisha Parker, Jr. was an American film and television actor best known for his portrayals of Davy Crockett in the Walt Disney 1955-56 TV mini-series and as TV's Daniel Boone from 1964-70...
's
Daniel BooneDaniel Boone is an American action/adventure television series starring Fess Parker as Daniel Boone that aired from September 24, 1964 to September 10, 1970 on NBC for 165 episodes, and was made by 20th Century Fox Television. Ed Ames co-starred as Mingo, Boone's Native American friend, for the...
) had on-screen wives. Any time one of the Cartwrights seriously courted a woman, she died from a malady, was slain, or left with someone else.
In 1974, shortly after Bonanza's cancellation, Greene costarred with Ben Murphy in the police-drama "Griff". In 1978 he played the role of Commander Adama in the original "
Battlestar GalacticaBattlestar Galactica is an American science fiction television series, created by Glen A. Larson. It starred Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict and ran for one season in 1978–79. After cancellation, its story was continued in 1980 as Galactica 1980 with Adama, Lieutenant Boomer and...
" series, and later a drama, "Code Red". In the 1980s, the actor hosted the documentary series, "Lorne Greene's New Wilderness". Greene died in 1987 at age 72. In TV Guide's Book Of Lists (Running Press, Philadelphia, 2007, p. 198), Ben Cartwright was listed as the #2 television father in 50 years of television history - just behind
Cliff HuxtableThe Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
.
Pernell Roberts - Adam Cartwright
Georgia-born
Pernell RobertsPernell Elvin Roberts, Jr. was an American stage, movie and television actor, as well as a singer. In addition to guest starring in over 60 television series, he was widely known for his roles as Ben Cartwright's eldest son, Adam Cartwright, on the western series Bonanza, a role he played from...
played the black-clad, eldest son Adam, an architectural engineer with a university education. Adam built the impressive ranch house ("The Philip Diedesheimer Story", Oct. 31, 1959 and "Bonanza: The Return", NBC TV, 1993). Roberts was widely known for his life-long activism, which included participation in the Selma-to-Montgomery marches in 1965, and pressuring NBC to refrain from hiring whites to portray minority characters. The actor disdained the assembly-line mindset of serial television, and fought with series writers regarding Adam's lack of independence. Bonanza's creator/ executive producer David Dortort described Roberts as, "Aloof, rebellious and outspoken," and as one who "could make any scene he was in better." Despite the show’s success, Roberts departed the series following the 1964-65 season (after 202 episodes) because he wanted to return to theater. The series continued for another eight years (228 episodes) without him.
Roberts was the only accomplished singer of the original cast, though David Canary who joined Bonanza in 1967, had a background in voice and performed on Broadway (David Canary: New Boy On Bonanza", TV Guide, March 3, 1968). During Roberts's Bonanza years, he recorded numerous folk and western songs (Bonanza Boxed Disc Set, Bear Family Records, Disc #4). Attempts to fill Adam's void were made with Ben's stepson and nephew. Maverick Clay Stafford (Barry Coe) was introduced as Ben's stepson and Little Joe's wayward, maternal half-brother ("First Born", September 1962). Nephew Will Cartwright (Guy Williams), son of Ben's late brother John, was welcomed into the household with open arms. Neither character survived, as two of the remaining stars, (especially Landon) felt that grafting-in new Cartwrights could threaten their own future contract negotiations (Bonanza Gold, July 2006; "Bonanza: Scenery Of The Ponderosa, Cast Biographies: Guy Williams").
Roberts would gain renewed celebrity in the lead role of the CBS drama
Trapper John, M.D.Trapper John, M.D. is an American television medical drama and spin-off of the film MASH, concerning a lovable surgeon who became a mentor and father figure in San Francisco, California. The show ran on CBS from September 23, 1979, to September 4, 1986....
, from 1979-86. Roberts died of pancreatic cancer on Jan 24, 2010 at age 81.
Dan Blocker – Eric "Hoss" Cartwright
Born in Texas as Bobby Don Blocker, and weighed over 14 pounds,
Dan BlockerDan Blocker was an American actor best remembered for his role as Eric "Hoss" Cartwright in the NBC western television series Bonanza.-Early life:...
was six foot four, and over three hundred pounds when chosen to play the gentle middle son Eric, also known as Hoss. The nick name "Hoss", derived from his Swedish mother, means "friendly" (Bonanza: Journey Remembered, NBC TV, February 9, 1963; Inger My Love, NBC TV, April 15, 1962). Blocker had intended on an academic career and was a teacher before Hollywood. The Hoss character had a penchant for lost causes, and was originally conceived as "lovable but slow-witted." Blocker, however, was the only cast member with an advanced degree, a Masters in Dramatic Arts (Sul Ross State Teachers' College, Alpine, Texas).
Before starring in Bonanza, Blocker had a recurring role as Tiny Budinger in the 1958–1959 television western series
Cimarron CityCimarron City is an American Western television series starring George Montgomery and John Smith that aired on NBC from October 11, 1958 until April 4, 1959...
starring George Montgomery, also on NBC. That series' cancellation after only one season freed him to be cast as Hoss Cartwright, his most famous role.
By late 1971, the actor grew to over 365 pounds ("Bonanza Scenery of the Ponderosa", Scene Guide, Season 14). In May 1972, Blocker died suddenly from a pulmonary embolism (a post-operative blood clot of the lungs), following surgery to remove a diseased gall bladder. The show's producers chose to simply mention the character's death in passing (television producer
Sheldon LeonardSheldon Leonard was a pioneering American film and television producer, director, writer, and actor.-Biography:...
was the first to "kill off" major characters, starting in 1956 with Make Room For Daddy and in 1963 with
The Real McCoysThe Real McCoys is an American situation comedy co-produced by Danny Thomas' "Marterto Productions", in association with Walter Brennan and Irving Pincus's "Westgate" company...
, wherein the female leads of each show chose not to renew their contracts). It was not until the movie, "Bonanza: The Next Generation" (Syndicated, 1988) that it was revealed that Hoss had drowned attempting to save another's life. Hoss's horse was Chub, a Thoroughbred/Quarter horse standing 15.3 hands high and weighing 1250 lb (567 kg). Chub had a stripe face marking.
Michael Landon – "Little" Joe - Joseph Cartwright
Michael LandonMichael Landon was an American actor, writer, director, and producer. He is widely known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza , Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie , and Jonathan Smith in Highway to Heaven...
was born in New York as Eugene Orowitz on October 31, 1936, Landon was raised in New Jersey, coming to California to attend U.S.C. on an athletic scholarship (track and field/javelin). Injury forced him to pursue another career, which led to acting. In addition to acting, Landon began to develop his skills in writing and directing Bonanza episodes, starting with "The Gamble." Several of the shows Landon wrote and directed are among the most powerful emotionally, including "The Wish", "He Was Only Seven", and "Forever". According to David Dortort, Landon grew difficult during the last five seasons the show ran. "Nearly every line, every scene, every set up… everything would halt for endless story conferences on the set… it got increasingly bitter toward the end" ("Bonanza" Box Set liner notes, Bear Family Records/CD collection). In a 1992 memorial retrospective directed by the star's son Michael Jr., "Michael Landon: Memories with Laughter and Love," cast member David Canary said that the one word that most described Landon to him was "fearless." Landon appeared in all but fourteen Bonanza episodes for its 14 year run, a total of 416/430 episodes. Little Joe's horse was Cochise, a black and white pinto. Cochise was the inspiration for a Breyer Animal Creations model in 2009.
In the episodes "First Born" (1962) and "Marie, My Love" (1963), viewers learn of Little Joe's older, half-brother Clay Stafford, born to his French Creole mother Marie. In Lorne Greene's 1964 song "Saga of the Ponderosa" ("Bonanza" Box Set, Bear Family Records/ CD Collection, disc 1), Marie's first husband was "Big Joe" Collins who dies saving Ben's life. After Ben marries Marie, they chose to call their son "Little Joe". Whether to Stafford or Collins, Marie Cartwight was previously married.
After Bonanza, Landon produced, wrote and starred in two other successful NBC series, the first being the pioneer adventure,
Little House on the PrairieLittle House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series, starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s. The show was an adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's best-selling series of Little House books...
, which aired for roughly nine and a half seasons between 1974 and 1983. Landon's character was absent the ninth season with the final half season being a series of movies. The second series was
Highway to HeavenHighway to Heaven is an American television drama series which ran on NBC from 1984 to 1989.- Season 1 :- Season 2 :- Season 3 :- Season 4 :- Season 5 :...
which ran from 1984-1989. Landon died of pancreatic cancer in July 1991, remembered for his courage and humor during his three-month battle with the disease, including a highly rated episode of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson shortly before his death.
David Canary – "Candy" Canaday
In 1967,
David CanaryDavid Hoyt Canary is an American actor, who starred in both soap operas and prime time television. He is best known for his roles as the ranch foreman, Candy Canaday on Bonanza and identical twins Adam Chandler from 1983 to 2010 and Stuart Chandler from 1984 to 2009 on the daytime serial, All My...
joined the cast as "Candy" Canaday, a plucky army-brat turned cowboy ("Sense of Duty", episode 271, September 24, 1967), who became the Cartwrights' confidant, ranch foreman, and timber vessel captain. Dortort was impressed by Canary's talent and overall aura, and "made use of Canary's rugged looks to contrast hearthrob Michael Landon's heavenly face" (Ponderosasceneryhomestead.com; Bonanza: Scenery of the Ponderosa- Bonanza Casting). The character vanished in 1970 after Canary had a contract dispute with Dortort. He would later return after co-star Dan Blocker's May 1972 death, reportedly having been approached by Michael Landon. He gained acclaim, and multiple Emmys, on the ABC daytime drama, "
All My ChildrenAll My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
", from 1983–2010, by portraying the dual roles of cunning millionaire Adam Chandler, and his kind but timid twin brother Stuart. He last appeared, in costume as Candy, in a 2002 PAX Bonanza special. "I think what made 'Bonanza' such a successful show was that it was a family show, it was well done, and it had a sense of drama to it," states Canary. "The characters were real. You had a sense of the family members fighting for the good of their family and the community. Michael, Dan, Pernell, and Lorne were very fine actors, and you always knew who to root for -the Cartwrights." (Paulette Cohn, "Bonanza: TV Trailblazer", American Profile Magazine, p. 12, June 5, 2009). Canary is a descendant of Jane Canary also called "Calamity Jane" ("Bonanza Gold", April 2006).
Stefanie PowersStefanie Powers is an American actress best known for her role as Jennifer Hart in the 1980s television series Hart to Hart.-Early life:...
played the folk-heroine on episode 141, "Calamity Over the Comstock" in 1963.
Victor Sen Yung - Hop Sing
Born Sen Yew Cheung on October 18, 1915, Chinese-American actor
Victor Sen YungVictor Sen Yung was an American character actor. He was given billing under a variety of names, including Sen Yung, Sen Young, Victor Sen Young, and Victor Young.- Career :...
played the Cartwrights' happy-go-lucky cook, whose blood pressure rose when the family came late for dinner. Sen Yung gained fame as two of Charlie Chan's crime-solving sons (Jimmy and Tommy, under two Charlie Chan actors) from 1938-1949. Cast here as the faithful domestic Hop Sing, the comedic character had little to do beyond chores. Though often referenced, he appeared in an average of eight shows each season. As a semi-regular, the actor was only paid per episode. After 14 years he was widely known, but financially struggling. The character was central in only two episodes: "Mark Of Guilt" (#316), in which he uses fingerprints to absolve Joe of a murder charge, and "The Lonely Man" (#404), in which he unlawfully becomes engaged to a white woman.
In 1972, a Pacific Southwest Airlines plane on which Sen Yung was a passenger was hijacked. The FBI attacked the hijackers, and in the ensuing gunfire the actor was shot in the back. He and another wounded passenger survived, but a third passenger and the two hijackers died. In 1975, Sen Yung appeared on
Garry MooreGarry Moore was an American entertainer, game show host and comedian best known for his work in television...
's "To Tell The Truth" show and related the events of the hijack. Dressed in a sport coat and flanked by two dissimilar impostors, none of the four panelists were able to choose him as the character actor. Sen Yung occasionally found work on other series, such as "Man From Uncle", and "Kung Fu". He died from a gas leak emanating from his home-based pottery business in 1980.
Mitch Vogel – Jamie Hunter/Cartwright
Absent Canary in mid 1970, the writers sought a fresh outlet for Ben's fatherly advice, and so a teen boy was introduced. Fourteen-year-old
Mitch VogelMitch Vogel is a United States former child actor who left show business as at the age of 20. He was best known for his 1970-73 Bonanza role, where he played the teen orphan Jamie Hunter Cartwright...
joined the series as
Jamie HunterJamie Hunter was the adopted son of Ben Cartwright in latter-day episodes of the television western series Bonanza. He was played by Mitch Vogel....
, the orphan son of a roving rainmaker. Jamie is introduced in the 363rd episode of Bonanza, "A Matter of Faith", which aired September 20, 1970. Ben adopted Jamie in a 1971 episode. Vogel had appeared in numerous 1960s television shows, and was even cast in an earlier 1968 Bonanza episode as a ten-year-old in a besieged ghost town, ("The Real People of Muddy Creek"). Vogel returned to Bonanza's homestead in 2002 for the Travel Channel's "TV Road Trip", in which he narrated a tour of the Ponderosa Ranch at Incline Village, near Lake Tahoe, Nevada. In 2004, Vogel was interviewed for Bonanza Gold magazine. The affable actor attended all Bonanza Conventions held since 1999, including the May 2010 British Bonanza 50th Anniversary Convention. On the 2010 PBS documentary, "Pioneers of Television: Westerns", Vogel spoke to the series' appeal and his fondness of his fellow cast members, especially Dan Blocker.
Ratings
generated with :de:Wikipedia:Helferlein/VBA-Macro for EXCEL tableconversion V1.7<\hiddentext>>
| Year |
Timeslot |
Ranking |
Rating |
| 1959–1960 |
Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. |
N/A |
| 1960–1961 |
#17 |
24.8 |
| 1961–1962 |
Sundays at 9:00 p.m. |
#2 |
30 |
| 1962–1963 |
#4 |
29.8 |
| 1963–1964 |
#2 |
36.9 |
| 1964–1965 |
#1 |
36.3 |
| 1965–1966 |
31.8 |
| 1966–1967 |
29.1 |
| 1967–1968 |
#4 |
25.5 |
| 1968–1969 |
#3 |
26.6 |
| 1969–1970 |
24.8 |
| 1970–1971 |
#8 |
23.9 |
| 1971–1972 |
#20 |
21.9 |
| 1972-1973 |
Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. |
N/A |
As a Top 30 series, Bonanza has an average rating of 28.5.
Initially, the series aired on Saturday evenings opposite
Perry MasonPerry Mason is an American legal drama produced by Paisano Productions that ran from September 1957 to May 1966 on CBS. The title character, portrayed by Raymond Burr, is a fictional Los Angeles defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner...
. The Saturday night ratings were dismal and Bonanza was soon targeted for cancellation. It was kept on the air as it was one of the first series to be filmed and broadcast in color, including scenes of picturesque Lake Tahoe Nevada. NBC's corporate parent
RCARCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
, used the show to spur sales of RCA-manufactured color television sets (RCA was also the primary sponsor of the series during its first two seasons). Given one last chance, it was moved to Sundays at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, for new sponsor
ChevroletChevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
(replacing
The Dinah Shore Chevy ShowThe Dinah Shore Chevy Show is an American variety series hosted by Dinah Shore, and broadcast on NBC from October 1956 to June 1963. The series was sponsored by the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors and its theme song, sung by Shore, was "See the U.S.A...
). The new time slot caused the series to soar, and it eventually reached number one by 1964, an honor it would keep until 1967. By 1970, it had become the first series ever to wind up in the Top Five for nine consecutive seasons (a record that would stand for decades) and thus established itself as the single biggest hit television series of the 1960s. It remained high on the
Nielsen ratingsNielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
until 1971, when it finally fell out of the top ten.
Gender portrayal discrepancy
According to New York Times columnist
Gail CollinsGail Gleason Collins is an American journalist, op-ed columnist and author, most recognized for her work with the New York Times. Joining the Times in 1995 as a member of the editorial board, from 2001 to 2007 she served as the paper's Editorial Page Editor – the first woman to attain that position...
, 1960's television westerns, including the Bonanza series, gave a message that women's duties were to stay home and take care of children. In the original Bonanza series, particularly, there were no leading women, as Ben Cartwright's wives had all died. Collins stated that during the 1960's as
televisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
became popular, women as primary characters decreased, compared to the 1950's, while men came to dominate leading roles.
Social issues addressed
Bonanza is uniquely known for having addressed
racismRacism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
; not popularly covered on American television during the time period. In the The Wish episode, directed by
Michael LandonMichael Landon was an American actor, writer, director, and producer. He is widely known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza , Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie , and Jonathan Smith in Highway to Heaven...
, Hoss protects an
African AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
former slave's family when confronted with racism after the
American Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. In The Fear Merchants episode, discrimination against Chinese immigrants who attempt to assimilate in American society is addressed.
Costumes
From the third season on, the Cartwrights and nearly every other recurring character on the show wore the same clothing in almost every episode. The reason for this is twofold: it made duplication of wardrobe easier for stunt doubles (Hal Burton, Bob Miles, Bill Clark, Lyle Heisler) and it cut the cost of refilming action shots (such as riding clips in-between scenes), as previously shot stock footage could be reused. Below is a survey of costumes employed:
- Ben Cartwright: Sandy shirt, tawny leather vest, gray pants, cream-colored hat, occasional green scarf.
- Adam Cartwright: Black Shirt, black or midnight blue pants, black hat. Elegant city wear. Cream-colored trail coat.
- Hoss Cartwright: White shirt, brown suede vest, brown pants, large beige flat-brimmed, ten-gallon hat.
- Little Joe Cartwright: Beige, light gray shirt, kelly-green corduroy jacket, tan pants, beige hat. Black leather gloves from 10th season on. In season 14, he wore occasional blue-jean slacks, as the footage of him and the late Dan Blocker together (or of him, Blocker, and Greene) could no longer be reused.
- Candy Canaday: Crimson shirt, black pants, black leather vest, black hat, green/grey scarf.
Hair styles
In 1968, Blocker began wearing a toupee on the series, as he was approaching 40 and losing hair. He joined the ranks of his fellow co-stars Roberts and Greene, both of whom began the series with hairpieces (Greene wore his modest frontal piece in private life too, whereas Roberts preferred not wearing his, even to rehearsals/
blockingBlocking is a theatre term which refers to the precise movement and positioning of actors on a stage in order to facilitate the performance of a play, ballet, film or opera. The term derives from the practice of 19th century theatre directors such as Sir W. S...
). Landon was the only original cast member who was wig-free throughout the series, as even Sen Yung wore an attached
queueThe queue or cue is a hairstyle in which the hair is worn long and gathered up into a ponytail. It was worn traditionally by certain Native American groups and the Manchu of Manchuria.-Manchu Queue:...
.
Theme song
Bonanza also featured a memorable
theme songTheme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
by
Jay LivingstonJay Livingston was an American composer and singer best known as half of a songwriting duo with Ray Evans that specialized in songs composed for films. Livingston wrote the music and Evans the lyrics....
and
Ray EvansRaymond Bernard Evans was an American songwriter. He was a partner in a composing and songwriting duo with Jay Livingston, known for the songs they composed for films...
that was orchestrated by
David RoseDavid Rose was a British-born American songwriter, composer, arranger, pianist, and orchestra leader. His most famous compositions were "The Stripper", "Holiday for Strings", and "Calypso Melody"...
and arranged by
Billy MayWilliam E. "Billy" May was an American composer, arranger and trumpeter. He composed film and television music, for The Green Hornet , Batman , and Naked City and collaborated on films, such as Pennies from Heaven , and orchestrated Cocoon, and Cocoon: The Return among...
for the television series.
The Bonanza theme, emulating galloping horses, is one of the best known pieces of made-for-television music, and variations of it were used for twelve seasons of the series. Three of the cast members sang the original lyrics, sans music, on the pilot (Pernell Roberts, the sole professional singer of the quartet, abstained and untethered the horse reins). Before the pilot aired (on September 12, 1959), the song sequence was edited out of the scene and the Cartwrights headed back to the Ponderosa whooping. Five years later, a rendition more reflective of the show was introduced in Lorne Greene's song, "Bonanza", (Bear Box set, 1964). In 1968, a new percussion-heavy arrangement of the original theme music was introduced; the new version was used until 1970. A new theme song, called "The Big Bonanza" was written in 1970 by episode scorer David Rose, and was used from 1970–1972. A faster rendition of the original theme returned for the 14th and final season.
The theme song has been recorded by numerous artists in a diverse variety of styles. The first recorded and released version was an instrumental by
Marty GoldMartin Gold was a composer, pianist, and bandleader born in New York City, New York. He was the pianist and arranger for the Korn Kobblers, a popular 1940s novelty group billed as "America's most nonsensical dance band", but was probably best known as the composer of the song "Tell Me Why", which...
, on his 1960 album Swingin' West. This was followed by the February, 1960 single by
Buddy MorrowBuddy Morrow was an American trombonist and bandleader. He is known for his mastery of the upper range which is evident on records such as "The Golden Trombone," as well as his ballad playing.- His life :Morrow was once a member of The Tonight Show Band...
and his Orchestra, which included vocals. Morrow's version also appeared on his 1960 album
Double ImpactThe score by Kempel was released as the Double Impact Original Soundtrack Recordings on 1993 by Silva America. The soundtrack was released on CD contained twelve tracks with a runtime of 40 minutes....
which featured several other then-recent television themes. In December, 1960, another vocal version was issued only in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by
Johnny GregoryJohnny Gregory was an Australian rules footballer who played with North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League .Gregory, who played his football as a half-back flanker, was a North Melbourne junior...
and his Orchestra and Chorus released on the Fontana label. All aforementioned vocal versions, including the television pilot, used lyrics written by Livingston and Evans contained in the first published sheet music for the song, though not all the lyrics were sung. A Bonanza soundtrack album released in late 1961 included a version by
David RoseDavid Rose was a British-born American songwriter, composer, arranger, pianist, and orchestra leader. His most famous compositions were "The Stripper", "Holiday for Strings", and "Calypso Melody"...
; Rose also had a 1960 single and included the theme on his 1961 album Exodus in a different mix. The biggest hit version is a guitar instrumental by
Al CaiolaAl Caiola is a guitarist who plays jazz, country, rock, western, and pop music. He has been both a studio musician and stage performer...
, which reached number 19 on Billboard in 1961. Other versions were released by
Billy VaughnRichard "Billy" Vaughn was an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, orchestra leader, and A&R man for Dot Records....
,
ValjeanValjean Johns , who typically recorded under his first name only, was an American pianist best known for his recording of the theme song from the TV show Ben Casey....
, Lorne Green, and
Nelson RiddleNelson Smock Riddle, Jr. was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid 1980s...
.
Country singer
Johnny CashJohn R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
was first to record a full length vocal version of the theme song. He and
Johnny WesternJohnny Western is an American country singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and radio show host. He is a member of the Western Music Association Hall of Fame and the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame.-Early life:...
discarded the original Livingston and Evans lyrics, and wrote new ones. The song first saw release by September, 1962 as a single. Sometime after June, 1963, it was released as a track on his sixteenth album:
Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny CashRing of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash is a compilations album by country singer Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in 1963 . This album collects tracks from singles and an EP released between 1959 and 1963, Cash's first years on the Columbia label. "Ring of Fire", one of Cash's most famous...
. This version was later covered by
Faron YoungFaron Young was an American country music singer and songwriter from the early 1950s into the mid-1980s and one of its most successful and colorful stars...
for his 1963 album Aims at the West. Singer Ralf Paulsen recorded a German-language version of the song in 1963, released in mid-June, 1963 on Capitol Records in the United States. His German version (lyrics attributed to "Nicolas") was sung in the same style and mood in which Cash had recorded it, and was fairly close in translation.
Bad MannersBad Manners are an English 2 Tone ska band. They quickly became the novelty favourites of the UK pop scene through their bald outsized frontman's on-stage antics, earning early exposure through their Top of The Pops exploits and an appearance in the live film documentary, Dance Craze.They were at...
did a
skaSka |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
version of the song, as did the Hurtin' Buckaroos.
Michael RichardsMichael Anthony Richards is an American actor, comedian, writer and television producer, best known for his portrayal of the eccentric Cosmo Kramer on the television sitcom Seinfeld....
, as Stanley Spadowski, sang a bit of the theme song while being held hostage by Channel 8's news goons in
UHFUHF is a 1989 American comedy film starring "Weird Al" Yankovic, David Bowe, Fran Drescher, Victoria Jackson, Kevin McCarthy, Michael Richards, Gedde Watanabe, Billy Barty, Anthony Geary, Emo Philips and Trinidad Silva, in whose memory the film is dedicated.The title refers to Ultra High Frequency...
(he did not know the words to the song he was originally supposed to sing, "Helter Skelter").
Michael FeinsteinMichael Jay Feinstein is an American singer, pianist, and music revivalist. He is an interpreter of, and an anthropologist and archivist for, the repertoire known as the Great American Songbook. In 1988 he won a Drama Desk Special Award for celebrating American musical theatre songs...
was the last to record the song in 2002 on his Songs of Evans and Livingston tribute CD. The
Little House on the PrairieLittle House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series, starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s. The show was an adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's best-selling series of Little House books...
theme (also by Rose), was heard first in a 1971 episode of Bonanza. The overture for
The High ChaparralThe High Chaparral is a Western-themed television series starring Leif Erickson and Cameron Mitchell which aired on NBC from 1967 to 1971. The show was created by David Dortort, who had previously created the hit Bonanza for the network...
composed by Harry Sukman can be heard briefly at the start of the 1966 episode "Four Sisters from Boston".
Set
The opening scene for the first season was shot at Lake Hemet in the San Jacinto Mountains, Riverside County, California, and later moved to Lake Tahoe. Extra horses were rented from the Idyllwild Stables in Idyllwild also in the San Jacinto Mountains during the first season. The first Virginia City set was used on the show until 1970 and was located on a backlot at Paramount and featured in episodes of Have Gun – Will Travel,
MannixMannix is an American television detective series that ran from 1967 through 1975 on CBS. Created by Richard Levinson and William Link and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller, the title character, Joe Mannix, is a private investigator. He is played by Mike Connors...
, and
The Brady BunchThe Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
. In the 1970 premiere episode of the twelfth season entitled "The Night Virginia City Died," Deputy Clem Foster's pyromaniac fiancée levels the town in a series of fires. (Chosen, in part, as a real 1875 fire destroyed three-quarters of Virginia City.) This allowed for a switch to the less expensive Warner studios from September 1970 through January 1973. The script was initially written for the departing David Canary's Candy. It is rare, in that both actors Ray Teal (Sheriff Roy Coffee) and Bing Russell (Deputy Clem Foster) appear together.
The program's Nevada set, the
Ponderosa RanchThe Ponderosa Ranch was a theme park based on the popular 1960s television western Bonanza which housed the affluent land, timber and livestock-rich Cartwright family. The amusement park operated in Incline Village, Nevada, near Lake Tahoe, from 1967 until 2004...
house, was recreated in Incline Village, Nevada, in 1967, and remained a tourist attraction until its sale in September 2004.
Merchandising Bonanza
Bonanza has had a highly profitable merchandising history. Currently, Bonanza Ventures, Inc. grants merchandising and licensing rights worldwide. The original series has spawned: several successful novelty western/folk albums from 1962–1965; three dozen
DellDell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium...
and
Gold KeyGold Key Comics was an imprint of Western Publishing created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated from 1962 to 1984.-History:...
comic books from 1962 through 1970; Jim Beam Whiskey Ponderosa Ranch decanters 1964-1966; a series of "Big-Little" books from 1966–1969; Revel Bonanza model character sets from 1966-1968; a chain of Bonanza and Ponderosa steakhouses from 1963–present; the
Lake TahoeLake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
-based "Ponderosa" theme park from 1967–2004; a line of American Character
action figureAn action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...
s in 1966-1967;
AladdinAladdin Industries is a vendor of lunchboxes, kerosene lamps, stoves and thermal food storage containers. It evolved from the Western Lighting Company, founded in 1907 by Victor S. Johnson, Sr. and incorporated in 1908 as the Mantle Lamp Company. Aladdin Industries was created as a subsidiary of...
lunch buckets and thermos bottles in 1966-1968; View Master slide sets from 1965–1973; Ponderosa tin cups from 1967–2004; a series of Hamilton collector plates in 1989–1990; and most recently,
BreyerBreyer Animal Creations , is a division of Reeves International, Inc. The first Breyer horse was created in 1950 and is commonly known as the Western Horse. This horse was created as an adornment for a clock created by the Mastercrafters company. The horse was approximately 1:9 scale and the model...
Fiftieth Anniversary Ponderosa Stable sets, with horses and Cartwright figures in 2009-2011. Six Bonanza novels have been published: Bonanza: One Man With Courage by Thomas Thompson (1966); The Ponderosa Spirit by Stephen Calder (1988); The Ponderosa Empire by Stephen Calder (1991); Bonanza: High Steel Hazard by Stephen Calder (1993); Bonanza: Felling of the Sons by Monette B. Reinhold (2005), and Bonanza: Mystic Fire by Monette B. Reinhard (2009). Bonanza Gold (2003–2009), a quarterly magazine, featured detailed information about the show, including interviews with guest actors and other production personnel, articles about historical events and people depicted in the series, fan club information, and fan fiction. The first two seasons are available on DVD, as well as several non-successive public-domain episodes (sans original theme music). The prequel series, The Ponderosa (see above), is also available on DVD.
Cancellation and later interest
In the fall of 1972, Bonanza was moved to Tuesday nights opposite the
All In The FamilyAll in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
spinoff,
MaudeMaude was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS network from September 12, 1972 until April 22, 1978.Maude starred Beatrice Arthur as Maude Findlay, an outspoken, middle-aged, politically liberal woman living in suburban Tuckahoe, Westchester County, New York with...
. The scheduling change, as well as Dan Blocker's death several months earlier, resulted in plunging ratings for the show. David Canary returned to his former role of Candy (to offset Hoss's absence), and a new character named Griff King (played by
Tim MathesonTim Matheson is an American actor, director and producer. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of the smooth-talking Eric 'Otter' Stratton in the 1978 comedy National Lampoon's Animal House and has had a variety of other well-known roles, including providing the voice of the lead character...
) was added to lure younger viewers. Griff, in prison for nearly killing his abusive stepfather, was paroled into Ben's custody and got a job as a ranch hand. Several episodes were built around his character, one that Matheson never had a chance to fully develop before the show's abrupt cancellation in November 1972 (with last episode airing January 16, 1973). Many fans felt that the Hoss character was essential, as he was a nurturing, empathetic soul who rounded out the all-male cast.
For 14 years, the Cartwrights were the premier western family on American television and have been immensely popular on cable networks such as
TV LandTV Land is an American cable television network launched on April 29, 1996. It is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, which also owns Paramount Pictures, and networks such as MTV and Nickelodeon...
, ION (formerly PAX), Family Channel, and the
Hallmark ChannelThe Hallmark Channel is a cable television network that broadcasts across the United States. Their programming includes a mix of television movies/miniseries, syndicated series, and lifestyle shows that are appropriate for the whole family...
. The series currently airs on Me-TV
TV LandTV Land is an American cable television network launched on April 29, 1996. It is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, which also owns Paramount Pictures, and networks such as MTV and Nickelodeon...
and
My Family TVMy Family TV is a United States general entertainment television network jointly owned by ValCom and Luken Communications, and based in Chattanooga, Tennessee.-History:...
.
Television movies
Bonanza was brought back for three made-for-television movies featuring the Cartwrights' offspring:
Bonanza: The Next GenerationBonanza: The Next Generation is a 1988 TV-movie sequel to the television series Bonanza which presents none of the original characters . Lorne Greene had signed-on to reprise patriarch Ben, but died shortly before production began...
(1988),
Bonanza: The ReturnBonanza: The Return is a 1993 TV-movie sequel to both the 1959-1973 television series Bonanza and the 1988 made-for-television film Bonanza: The Next Generation...
(1993), and
Bonanza: Under AttackBonanza: Under Attack is a 1995 TV-movie sequel to the 1959-1973 television series Bonanza and television films Bonanza: The Next Generation and Bonanza: The Return...
(1995). Michael Landon, Jr., played Little Joe's son Benji while Gillian Greene, Lorne's daughter, played a love interest. In the second movie, airing on NBC, a one-hour retrospective was done to introduce the drama. It was hosted by both Michael Landon, Jr., and
Dirk BlockerDennis Dirk Blocker is an American actor and the son of late actor Dan Blocker, of the popular TV series, Bonanza.Dirk Blocker began appearing in American television in 1974, acting in an episode of Marcus Welby, M.D. at the age of sixteen...
. According to
TV GuideTV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
, NBC told Blocker he was too old to play the Hoss scion, but was given the role of an unrelated newspaper reporter. Clips of his appearance were heavily used in advertisements promoting the "second generation" theme, perhaps misleading audiences to believe that he was playing Hoss's heir. Hoss's son Josh was born out of wedlock, as it is explained that Hoss drowned without knowing his fiancėe was pregnant. Such a storyline might have been problematic in the original series. (
The Big ValleyThe Big Valley is an American television Western which ran on ABC from September 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969, which starred Barbara Stanwyck, as a California widowed mother. It was created by A.I. Bezzerides and Louis F. Edelman...
, however, had a major character in Heath, who was presented as illegitimate. The
GunsmokeGunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
movies of the early 1990s employed a similar theme when Matt Dillon learned he had sired Michael Learned's daughter in a short-lived romance. The initial story was first introduced in 1973, when depiction of fornication courted protests, so CBS insisted their hero Matt have the encounter when he had amnesia.)
Prequel
In 2001, there was an attempt to revive the series' concept with a
prequelA prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
,
PonderosaThe Ponderosa is a television series developed by Bonanza creator David Dortort for PAX-TV that ran for the 2001–2002 television season. Envisioned as a prequel to the long-running NBC series Bonanza, it had less gunfire, brawling and other traditional western elements than the original...
, with a pilot directed by Simon Wincer and filmed in Australia. Covering the time when the Cartwrights first arrived at the Ponderosa, when Adam was a teenager and Joe a little boy, the series lasted 20 episodes and featured less gunfire and brawling than the original. Bonanza creator
David Dortort-Further reading:*"David Dortort." The Complete Marquis Who's Who. Marquis Who's Who, 2010. Gale Biography In Context. Web. Retrieved 22 Sept. 2010. Fee, via Fairfax County Public Library...
approved PAX TV's decision to hire
Beth SullivanBeth Sullivan is an American film and television writer and producer, best known as the creator of the long-running CBS series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman....
, a producer from
Dr. Quinn, Medicine WomanDr. Quinn, Medicine Woman is an American post-Civil War western/drama series created by Beth Sullivan. Dr. Michaela "Mike" Quinn, played by Jane Seymour, left Boston in search of adventure. She goes to Colorado Springs, Colorado where she establishes herself as doctor/adviser.The show ran on CBS...
, which some believe gave the series more depth as well as a softer edge.
Home video and DVD releases
The last few episodes of Season One and the first episodes of Season Two have fallen into the public domain. These episodes have been released by many different companies in different configurations and usually with substandard picture and sound quality, and by legal necessity with the copyright protected Evans-Livingston theme song replaced with generic western music.
In 1973, NBC sold the rights to the series, along with the rest of its pre-1973 library, to
National Telefilm AssociatesNational Telefilm Associates was an independent distribution company that handled reissues of American film libraries, including much of Paramount Pictures' animated and short-subjects library.-History:...
, which changed its name to Republic Pictures in 1986. Republic would become part of the
Spelling EntertainmentSpelling Television Inc. was a television production company that produced popular shows such as Charmed, Beverly Hills, 90210, 7th Heaven, Dynasty and Melrose Place. The company was founded by television producer Aaron Spelling in 1969...
organization in 1994 through Worldvision Enterprises. Select episodes ("The Best of Bonanza") were officially released in North America in 2003 on DVD through then-Republic video licensee
Artisan EntertainmentArtisan Entertainment Inc. was a privately held independent American movie studio until it was purchased by a Canadian studio, Lionsgate, in 2003. At the time of its acquisition, Artisan had a library of thousands of films developed through acquisition, original production, and production and...
(which was later purchased by
Lionsgate Home EntertainmentLions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...
). Republic (through
CBS Television DistributionCBS Television Distribution is a global television distribution company, formed from the merger of CBS Corporation's two domestic television distribution arms CBS Paramount Domestic Television and King World Productions, including its home entertainment arm CBS Home Entertainment...
, which holds the television side of Republic's holdings) still retains the syndication distribution rights to the series. Incidentally, the
TV LandTV Land is an American cable television network launched on April 29, 1996. It is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, which also owns Paramount Pictures, and networks such as MTV and Nickelodeon...
repeats still end with the 1995 logos of both Republic and
Paramount Domestic TelevisionParamount Domestic Television was the television distribution arm of American television production company Paramount Television, once the TV arm of Paramount Pictures...
, while the Me-TV repeats vary between ending with the logos for Republic, Worldvision or CBS Television Distribution. A few 1959-60 episodes even aired on Me-TV with the original "NBC Color Presentation" logo coming before the CBS Television Distribution logo. CBS Home Entertainment (under
Paramount Home VideoParamount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
) is the official home video rights distributor at present.
CBS Home Entertainment announced on June 1, 2009 that the first season of Bonanza would be released to DVD in North America on September 15 of the same year. The first season was issued in two, half-season volumes available separately or bundled together. This is the first pre-1973 NBC show (part of the NTA package) to be distributed on DVD by CBS and Paramount, as the first such show to get any sort of release. The first 7 seasons have been released in Germany on DVD with English audio and German audio. Episodes of the series have also been released officially on DVD in France and the United Kingdom. The Official 2nd season, Volume 1 was released in North America on December 7, 2010. Season 2, volume 2 was released in North America on October 11, 2011.
Bonanza "the official first season" were released in Scandinavia during 2010. The first season will be released in 4 volumes. The first two volumes were released on October 20, 2010, and the last two volumes on April 27, 2011. More seasons are scheduled to be released during 2012 and 2013.
| DVD Name |
Ep # |
Release Date |
| The Official 1st Season, Vol. 1 |
16 |
September 15, 2009 |
| The Official 1st Season, Vol. 2 |
16 |
September 15, 2009 |
| The Official 2nd Season, Vol. 1 |
15 |
December 7, 2010 |
| The Official 2nd Season, Vol. 2 |
16 |
October 11, 2011 |
Legacy
- The film Twin Town
Twin Town is a 1997 revenge comedy film made and set in South West Wales. It was directed by Kevin Allen and had a working title of Hot Dog; a hot dog van features in a number of scenes in the film. It stars real-life brothers Rhys Ifans and Llŷr Ifans and also features Dougray Scott...
alludes to, or even parodies Bonanza. Some of the central characters are members of a Cartwright family, and live in home called Ponderosa.
External links