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Bonanza was an American western/cowboy television series which aired on NBC from September 12, 1959 until January 16, 1973. Bonanza was the first network television series to film all of its episodes in color. The main sponsor of Bonanza was Chevrolet and the stars appeared endorsing their vehicles. All four of the series stars had appeared in film before joining the cast of Bonanza, and have stage credits to their names. From 1961 to 1972 it aired on Sunday nights. This timeslot was crucial to the success of the show: from 1964 until 1967, the show was #1 in the yearly Nielsen ratings. In terms of longevity, the show was NBC's longest-running western, and the second-most popular western in the history of television, behind Gunsmoke.
The "Bonanza" name
PremiseThe show chronicled the weekly adventures of the Cartwright family, headed by wise widowed patriarch Ben Cartwright (played by Lorne Greene). He had three biological sons, each by a different wife: the oldest was the urbane architect Adam Cartwright (Pernell Roberts) who built the ranch house; the second was the warm and lovable Eric, better known by his nickname: "Hoss" (Dan Blocker); and the youngest was the hotheaded and impetuous Joseph or "Little Joe" (Michael Landon). The family's cook was the Chinese immigrant Hop Sing (Victor Sen Yung). The family lived on a thousand-square-mile ranch called "The Ponderosa", on the shore of Lake Tahoe in Nevada; the name refers to the Ponderosa Pine, common in the West. The nearest town to the Ponderosa was Virginia City, where the Cartwrights would go to converse with Sheriff Roy Coffee (played by veteran actor Ray Teal), or his deputy Clem Foster (Bing Russell). Greene, Roberts, Blocker, and Landon were equal stars. The opening credits rotated among four versions, with each of the four being shown first in one version (in the order above). An accidental running gag (which also occurs in the TV western The Big Valley), was that every time one of the Cartwright sons became seriously involved with a woman, she was killed off or died gruesomely in the same episode. This also occurred in the case of the patriarch, Ben Cartwright, whose sons were each born to a different wife, and when shown in flashback episodes, each wife died in the same episode, except for the wife who gave birth to Hoss who lasted two episodes. As with other shows of the time the male characters had love interests but usually the storylines lasted only for one episode then the girl was never seen again.
The CastImage:Bonanza.jpg The Cast of Bonanza Pernell Roberts, was a familiar face in 1959 Hollywood, but preferred the legitimate stage. He left the series in 1965 after a long running dispute with series writers (Roberts argued that a 33 year old Eastern educated Adam would not call his dad, "Pa") and creator David Dortort. Attempts to replace him were made by introducing Ben's stepson, Clay, (played in one episode by Barry Coe) and a nephew Will (played by Zorro star Guy Williams), but neither lasted. In 1967, David Canary joined the cast as "Candy" Canaday, a confident army-brat turned cowboy, who became the Cartwrights' foreman. The character vanished in 1970 after Canary himself had a contract dispute with Dortort. In 1970, 14-year-old Mitch Vogel joined the series as Jamie Hunter, the orphaned son of a rainmaker. Ben adopted Jamie in a 1971 episode. In 1972, after the sudden death of Dan Blocker from a post-op blood-clot, the show was moved to Tuesday nights against a new CBS sitcom, Maude. Both events signaled the end of the program. Canary returned to his former role of Candy (to make up for Blocker's absence), and a new character named Griff King (played by Tim Matheson) was added. Griff, accused of killing his heavy-handed step-father, was paroled into Ben's custody and got a job as a ranch hand; several episodes were built around his character, one Matheson never had a chance to fully develop before the show's sudden demise in January 1973. Many fans felt that the Hoss character was essential, as he was a nurturing, empathetic soul that brought some balance to the all male cast. During the later years of the series, Michael Landon began writing and directing episodes of Bonanza. From the third season on, the Cartwrights and nearly every other recurring character on the show wore the same clothing in almost every episode! This was done to cut the cost of refilming action shots (such as riding clips in-between scenes), as previously-shot stock footage could be reused.
Image:Daviddortortcard.jpg Bonanza's credits were names superimposed over charcoal drawings. This card was a rendition of creator/producer David Dortort, portrayed here as an overseer in mines.
After cancellationFor 14 years, the Cartwrights were the premier western family on American television and have been immensely popular on cable networks such as TV Land, i (formerly PAX), and the Hallmark Channel. In the UK the show is aired on the Bonanza channel on skyTV. Following the program's cancellation:
TV MoviesBonanza was brought back as several made-for-television movies featuring Cartwright offspring. These include Bonanza: The Movie (1988), Back to Bonanza (1993), Bonanza: The Return (1993), Bonanza: Under Attack (1995), and Bonanza: The Next Generation (1995). The PrequelIn 2001, there was an attempt to revive the series' ideas with a prequel, Ponderosa, with a pilot directed by Kevin James Dobson and filmed in Australia. Covering the time when the Cartwrights first arrived at the Ponderosa, it lasted 20 episodes. The prequel had less gunfire and brawling than the original. Bonanza creator David Dortort approved PAX TV's decision to hire Beth Sullivan, a producer from Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman, which some believe gave the series a softer edge. Theme SongBonanza also featured a memorable theme song by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans that is often parodied. Lorne Greene and the cast recorded versions of the song with lyrics. Although the Bonanza theme is one of the best known pieces of made-for-television music, it was not used for the entire run of the series. In 1968, a new arrangement of the original theme was introduced, having a bright, marching band-type feel; 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 new arrangement of the original theme returned for the 14th and final season. The Little House on the Prairie theme (also by Rose), can be heard first in a 1971 episode of "Bonanza". The overture for The High Chaparral composed by Harry Suckman can be heard briefly at the start of the 1966 episode "Four Sisters from Boston". SetThe program's Nevada set, the Ponderosa Ranch house, was recreated in Incline Village, Nevada, in 1967, and remained a popular attraction world-wide until its sale in September 2004. Bonanza on VHS and DVDA handful of episodes of the series are in the public domain, and some TV showings of these episodes on low-budget stations and networks (and also on low-budget public domain DVDs and VHS tapes) substitute the familiar theme music for generic music. In the 1970s, NBC licensed the syndication rights to the series to National Telefilm Associates, which changed its name to Republic Pictures in the 1980s (by then part of the Spelling Entertainment organization). Select episodes ("The Best of Bonanza") were officially released in North America in 2003 on DVD via then-Republic video licensee Artisan Entertainment (which was later purchased by Lionsgate Home Entertainment). Today CBS Paramount Television handles television distribution, while Paramount Home Video (whose parent company Viacom purchased Republic in 1998) now has home video rights via CBS DVD, though an official DVD reissue has yet to be announced. Bonanza Ventures, Inc. grants merchandising and licensing rights worldwide. One of its licensees is the magazine, Bonanza Gold, which features detailed information about the show, including interviews with actors and other production personnel, articles about historical events and people depicted in the series, fan clubs and fan fiction. Trivia
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