Hoss takes two months of leave. He sees a little black boy steal a candle. He learns the boy wants the candle to make a wish. As he gets to know the boy and his family, he decides to try to help the ...
Little Joe falls in love with Alice Harper played by a young Bonnie Bedelia who he meets while rescuing her gambler brother John from a poker game gone bad. The two eventually marry and are expecting...
Hoss scares a bear that has treed a green-clad little man, subsequently finds a buried strongbox filled with bags of gold dust and, when both the treasure and its owner disappear, unsuccessfully ...
Bret and Bart Maverick (and in later seasons, their English cousin, Beau) are well dressed gamblers who migrate from town to town always looking for a good game. Poker (five-card draw) is ... See full summary »
Frontier hero Daniel Boone conducts surveys and expeditions around Boonesborough, running into both friendly and hostile Indians, just before and during the Revolutionary War.
Stories of the journeys of a wagon train as it leaves post-Civil War Missouri on its way to California through the plains, deserts, and Rocky Mountains. The first treks were led by gruff, ... See full summary »
The Cannon family runs the High Chaparral Ranch in the Arizona Territory in 1870s. Big John wants to establish his cattle empire despite Indian hostility. He's aided by brother Buck and son... See full summary »
Stars:
Leif Erickson,
Cameron Mitchell,
Henry Darrow
The Shiloh Ranch in Wyoming Territory of the 1890s is owned in sequence by Judge Garth, the Grainger brothers, and Colonel MacKenzie. It is the setting for a variety of stories, many more ... See full summary »
After the Civil War, nomadic adventurer Cheyenne Bodie roamed the west looking for fights, women, and bad guys to beat up. His job changed from episode to episode.
Dressed-up dandy (derby and cane), gambler and lawman roams the West charming women and defending the unjustly accused. His primary weapon was his wit (and cane) rather than his gun.
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 is still alive. Adventures are typical western ones, with lots of personal relationships/problems thrown in as well.Written by
Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu>
During the first season, the guest stars were paid far more than the regulars. The producers didn't think the stars were well-known enough to pull in viewers. See more »
Goofs
The trips to Virginia City and back would take 8-12 hours as both it and the Ponderosa are located in the mountains south of Reno, NV. Given the heavy snows experienced at Lake Tahoe, such trips would be nearly impossible in the wintertime.
There wouldn't be any quick trips into town. See more »
Quotes
Ben Cartwright:
You and your education.
Adam Cartwright:
Education is progress! Now what have you got against it?
Ben Cartwright:
I don't have anything against education - as long as it doesn't interfere with your thinking!
See more »
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. See more »
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. See more »
1. The series produced an astounding 431 episodes-all filmed in full color. "Bonanza" became the second longest-running western in television history right next to "Gunsmoke" which lasted more than 20 years on the air.
2. Ran for 14 years on NBC-TV from September 12,1959 until the final episode on January 16,1973. Executive Producer and Creator of this series was David Dortort. Episode 1:"A Rose For Lotta"(Airdate:9-12-59). Episode 431:"The Hunter"(Airdate:1-16-1973,the final episode of the series).
3. It was schedule during seasons 1-2 on Saturday nights from September 12,1959 until June 3,1961.
The show moved to Sunday nights during seasons 3-13 from September 24,1961 until April 11,1971. It was here between 1961-1967,that the show was within the top ten of the Nielsens.
The show moved to Wednesday nights for its last two seasons 13-14 from September 19,1971 until the final episode of the series on January 16,1973.
4. Only actors Lorne Greene,Michael Landon,Dan Blocker,Ray Teal and Victor Sen-Yung remained throughout the show's astounding 14-year run. Pernell Roberts remained with the show during seasons 1-6 with Roberts' last episode of the series "Patchwork Man"(Episode No. 202)which aired May 23,1965.
*David Canary played "Candy Canaday"(Seasons 9-11 and 14)[1967-1973],
*Mitch Vogel played Jamie Hunter Cartwright(Seasons 12-14)[1970-1973],
*Tim Matheson played hired hand Griff King(Seasons 13-14)[1971-1973],
*Lou Frizzell played hired hand Dusty Rhodes (Seasons 12-13)[1970-1972],
The original episodes:Seasons 1-6 from 1959-1965. The lost episodes Seasons 7-14 from 1965-1973.
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1. The series produced an astounding 431 episodes-all filmed in full color. "Bonanza" became the second longest-running western in television history right next to "Gunsmoke" which lasted more than 20 years on the air.
2. Ran for 14 years on NBC-TV from September 12,1959 until the final episode on January 16,1973. Executive Producer and Creator of this series was David Dortort. Episode 1:"A Rose For Lotta"(Airdate:9-12-59). Episode 431:"The Hunter"(Airdate:1-16-1973,the final episode of the series).
3. It was schedule during seasons 1-2 on Saturday nights from September 12,1959 until June 3,1961.
The show moved to Sunday nights during seasons 3-13 from September 24,1961 until April 11,1971. It was here between 1961-1967,that the show was within the top ten of the Nielsens.
The show moved to Wednesday nights for its last two seasons 13-14 from September 19,1971 until the final episode of the series on January 16,1973.
4. Only actors Lorne Greene,Michael Landon,Dan Blocker,Ray Teal and Victor Sen-Yung remained throughout the show's astounding 14-year run. Pernell Roberts remained with the show during seasons 1-6 with Roberts' last episode of the series "Patchwork Man"(Episode No. 202)which aired May 23,1965.
*David Canary played "Candy Canaday"(Seasons 9-11 and 14)[1967-1973],
*Mitch Vogel played Jamie Hunter Cartwright(Seasons 12-14)[1970-1973],
*Tim Matheson played hired hand Griff King(Seasons 13-14)[1971-1973],
*Lou Frizzell played hired hand Dusty Rhodes (Seasons 12-13)[1970-1972],
The original episodes:Seasons 1-6 from 1959-1965. The lost episodes Seasons 7-14 from 1965-1973.