Bonanza 

The Wild West adventures of Ben Cartwright and his sons as they run and defend their Nevada ranch while helping the surrounding community.

Creator:

David Dortort

Stars:

Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, Dan Blocker

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 9 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Lorne Greene	...	Ben Cartwright / ... 430 episodes, 1959-1973
Michael Landon	...	Joseph 'Little Joe' Cartwright / ... 430 episodes, 1959-1973
Dan Blocker	...	Eric 'Hoss' Cartwright / ... 415 episodes, 1959-1972
Pernell Roberts	...	Adam Cartwright 202 episodes, 1959-1965

Storyline

The Cartwright's one-thousand square mile Ponderosa Ranch is located near Virginia City, Nevada, site of the Comstock Silver Lode, during and after the Civil War. Each of the sons was born to a different wife of Ben's; none of the mothers are still alive. Adventures are typical western ones, with lots of personal relationships/problems thrown in as well.

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Plot Keywords:

apache territory | apache | apache indian | arizona territory | horse | 

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michael Landon was 22 when the series aired for the first time on American television and was 36 when the finale was broadcast.

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Goofs

In many of the scenes where guns are used, if you look at the muzzles of the revolvers, most do not have holes for barrel. The muzzles are solid, indicative of a prop pistol.

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Quotes

Adam Cartwright: Let's go back to the Ponderosa, Pa. This isn't any of our affair.
Ben Cartwright: We can't ignore the rest of the world. We're the only stabilizing influence in the country.

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Crazy Credits

In the opening sequence, when the actors ride on their horses towards the camera and are introduced, the order in which they are introduced is never consistent - this was most likely done to prevent a single actor from becoming the "main" star of the show.

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Alternate Versions

Many television broadcasts and DVDs of public domain episodes currently in circulation replace the famous title theme music with generic music. Only official videos and DVDs from Artisan/Republic are uncut and contain the music as intended.

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Connections

Referenced in The Directors: The Films of William Friedkin

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Soundtracks

Bonanza
Written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans

User Reviews

The Great Western

"Bonanza" aired on NBC in September of 1959. Filmed in color, it was put in the 7:30 PM slot on Saturday nights so that people in the appliance stores could see it on the television sets and be convinced to buy an RCA color television. The ploy worked.

In 1961 it was moved to Sunday nights after NBC realized they had a hit on their hands. It lasted another 13 or so years before being canceled. But it is a landmark in television history.

One suggestion - if you ever find a DVD of "Bonanza" and an episode titled "To Die in Darkness" is listed, don't hesitate to buy the DVD. The episode guest-starred James Whitmore and was filmed in about the mid-1960s. All I will say is that the episode was probably the best of the series.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 September 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ponderosa

Filming Locations:

Virginia City Western Street backlot, Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$105,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

49 min (430 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3