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Bonanza

  • TV Series
  • 1959–1973
  • TV-PG
  • 49m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
12K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
921
141
Bonanza (1959)
Clip: Original episodic promo
Play clip1:39
Watch Bonanza: The Official First Season
2 Videos
99+ Photos
Classical WesternWestern EpicWestern

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

  • Creators
    • David Dortort
    • Fred Hamilton
  • Stars
    • Lorne Greene
    • Michael Landon
    • Dan Blocker
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    12K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    921
    141
    • Creators
      • David Dortort
      • Fred Hamilton
    • Stars
      • Lorne Greene
      • Michael Landon
      • Dan Blocker
    • 60User reviews
    • 21Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 3 Primetime Emmys
      • 9 wins & 16 nominations total

    Episodes430

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    TopTop-rated

    Videos2

    Bonanza: The Official First Season
    Clip 1:39
    Bonanza: The Official First Season
    Bonanza: The Official First Season
    Clip 0:37
    Bonanza: The Official First Season
    Bonanza: The Official First Season
    Clip 0:37
    Bonanza: The Official First Season

    Photos2333

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    Top cast99+

    Edit
    Lorne Greene
    Lorne Greene
    • Ben Cartwright…
    • 1959–1973
    Michael Landon
    Michael Landon
    • Joseph 'Little Joe' Cartwright…
    • 1959–1973
    Dan Blocker
    Dan Blocker
    • Eric 'Hoss' Cartwright…
    • 1959–1972
    Pernell Roberts
    Pernell Roberts
    • Adam Cartwright
    • 1959–1965
    Bill Clark
    Bill Clark
    • Townsman…
    • 1959–1973
    Victor Sen Yung
    Victor Sen Yung
    • Hop Sing
    • 1959–1973
    Ray Teal
    Ray Teal
    • Sheriff Roy Coffee
    • 1960–1972
    Martha Manor
    • Townswoman…
    • 1960–1972
    David Canary
    David Canary
    • Candy Canaday
    • 1967–1973
    Bob Miles
    • Townsman…
    • 1959–1968
    Bing Russell
    Bing Russell
    • Deputy Clem Foster…
    • 1961–1972
    Mitch Vogel
    Mitch Vogel
    • Jamie Hunter Cartwright…
    • 1968–1973
    Grandon Rhodes
    Grandon Rhodes
    • Dr. J.P. Martin…
    • 1960–1967
    Hal Burton
    Hal Burton
    • Townsman…
    • 1965–1973
    Troy Melton
    Troy Melton
    • Gunman…
    • 1959–1972
    Bruno VeSota
    Bruno VeSota
    • Bartender…
    • 1961–1968
    Roy Engel
    Roy Engel
    • Dr. Paul Martin…
    • 1959–1970
    Harry Holcombe
    Harry Holcombe
    • Dr. J. P. Martin…
    • 1969–1972
    • Creators
      • David Dortort
      • Fred Hamilton
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews60

    7.311.8K
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    Featured reviews

    8AlsExGal

    A great long-running western series that rode out the troubled 1960's

    Bonanza explores the adventures of the Cartwright family consisting of three-time widower Ben Cartwright and his three sons Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe. Ben is a self-made man who has carved out a piece of Nevada - a large piece - as a prosperous ranch. Each of Ben's sons has a different mother and a very different background. Adam's mother is from New England, Hoss' mother had Scandinavian roots and met Ben out on the Great plains when Ben and Adam were on the way west after Ben's first wife died. Little Joe's mother was a southerner from New Orleans. This difference in roots is explored even in the first season when Little Joe almost joins the Confederate army after having someone come into town and stir up his feelings for his southern roots. However, the full story doesn't come out until later. There is one episode each in seasons two, three, and four that are dedicated to telling the story of each of Ben's wives.

    This first season follows the successful road map that all of the seasons did. Many have a guest star that is recognized even today. For example, Yvonne De Carlo is the guest star in the very first episode. Alan Hale Jr. (The Skipper of Gilligan's Island) also makes the first of several guest appearances he will make over the years during the first season.

    Most episodes involve heavy-hitting drama often involving some injustice which the Cartwrights, with their prominent place in the community, are in a place to right. The show often used the fact that it was set in the old west to explore some of the social issues of the 1960's without stirring present-day controversy. However, there are a few almost completely comedic episodes here and there. The odd thing is, nobody did comedy as well as Bonanza did when Bonanza decided to do comedy, and usually Hoss is at the center of it all.

    The show never really produces a long story arc. Each episode pretty much stands alone. The show really had only two disruptions. The first, which didn't prove fatal to the show, was when Pernell Roberts left in the late 1960's. His "place" was taken by Candy. Candy was not another son - he was a hired hand, but he was also a trusted friend of the Cartwrights.

    The second disruption probably was fatal by most accounts. Dan Blocker, who played Hoss, died suddenly of a heart attack in 1972. The show only lasted one more season before it was canceled. Blocker's character of Hoss wasn't the most handsome of the Cartwrights in the conventional sense, but he was the heart and very much the sense of humor of the show. His loss was irreplaceable.
    vaudreyvil

    Look at it, Adam!

    Forty-four years later, I still recall the first line of the first episode of Bonanza. The 14-season debut opened with Ben Cartwright and Adam--just the two of them--riding up to a ridge overlooking the vast expansive glory of the Ponderosa. Horses stopped, Ben turns to his eldest son, stretches forth his hand, and issues "Pa's" first command ... "Look at it, Adam!"

    Adam looked. For about 14 seconds.

    And so did this young viewer.

    It would require, however, another 14 years of "looking" before a 14-year-old boy would come to fully comprehend the treasure Adam beheld in the single moment he, and we, first laid eyes on that majestic, resplendent land of the Cartwright Bonanza.
    mbuchwal

    Learn from one of the best TV Westerns!

    Feature film makers have many lessons to learn from this classic western serial. Although each episode was made on a small budget when compared to the Hollywood "A" features of today, all of the production values of great classic movies of the golden age -- painterly composition and design, emotionally effective acting, lyrical music, suspenseful storytelling, beautiful timing, strong dramatic dialogue, elegantly choreographed action, powerful themes, colorful period costumes, folksy comic relief -- all of these values were at a consistently high level from show to show, with never an awkward effect or a misfit scene. Each of the featured characters was drawn in a unique and stylish way, suggesting the storybook characterization that distinguishes the best of the Hollywood golden age. Every one of the episodes stands well as a feature length movie in its own right and would look as good on the big screen as on TV. There's plenty of feeling, no padding or softness, and no mindless experimentation with technique or vulgarity such as has ruined so many westerns made since 1970.

    It's difficult to understand why an approach which succeeded for so long was abandoned in the 1970's by both television and feature film makers. Many producers turned instead in the direction indicated by spaghetti westerns. Compared to classic westerns like "Bonanza," spaghetti westerns were much less lyrical and took more of a gutter eye view of the old west, stripping it of its romantic appeal and substituting what to a misguided new generation seemed a dirtier and therefore more authentic realism. In retrospect, Hollywood gave up way too much for the little that it got in return. The success of a vast body of works similar in appeal to "Bonanza" (including many of the other action adventure TV serials made from the '40s to the '60s) is proof that there is a widespread taste that is radically different from the one which has predominated in Hollywood since the '70s. Let's hope that one day we'll see the return of Bonanza's classic values to the screen.
    sonny_1963

    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.
    7silverscreen888

    Quality Production, Character Stories; A Memorable Family Western

    "Bonanza" was the first hour-long TV show in any genre produced in full-color. The continuing cast for the first 6 years featured essentially five persons--Benjamin Cartwright, his three sons and their Chinese cook, along with the local sheriff. Cartwright had been a seaman, who went west and married three times; each time he produced a son and lost his wife. Reaching the ponderosa pine country near Virginia City, Nevada and Lake Tahoe, he built up a large landholding, with cattle, timber, and mines, becoming an important man in the territory. Ben Cartwright was played by Canadian announcer-actor Lorne Greene, who was much younger than the part he played but had Shakespearean training and a powerful speaking voice. Pernell Roberts played his eldest son, Adam, a thoughtful but restless man, 1959-65. Eric "Hoss" Cartwright was portrayed huge Dan Blocker as a man of gentle ways and grit but ordinary intelligence. Attractive Michael Landon played "Little Joe", fast with a gun and learning to be a man; he also write and directed episodes for the series. Victor Sen-Young was Hop Sing, and veteran Ray Teal played Sheriff Roy Coffee. Later, others were added to the series for various stretches, once Adam's part was written out; these included David Canaray as Candy, Bing Russell, Harry Holcombe, Guy Williams, Kathie Browne, and Remo Pisani. Each week guest stars were hired, and a few actors were used in dozens of shows. Among the most memorable guest stars were John Larkin, Ruta Lee, Joan Hackett, Frank Overton, Bruce Yarnall, Inga Swenson as Inger, Ben's second wife, Felicia Farr as his third wife, Grandon Rhodes, Patricia Donahue, Robert Lansing, Lisa Lu and Steve Forrest. Titles such as "The Honor of Cochise", "The Eden Train", "Inger, My Love I,II", "Right is the Fourth "R"", and "The Mountain Girl" among many others bring fond memories. Many directors toiled on "Bonanza", whose title referred to the rich ore found in the Virginia City area during the nineteenth century. The list included Lewis Allen, Leon Benson, William F. Claxton, Herschel Daugherty, Don McDougall, Christian Nyby, Leo Penn and William Witney. Principal writers for the series, with 5 or more credits, included Robert V. Barron, Frank Chase, Suzanne Clauser, Frank Cleaver, the producer David Dortort, Warren Douglas, John Hawkins, Ward Hawkins, Arther Heinemann, Michael Landon, Jo Pagano, Stanley Roberts, Robert Sabaroff, Jack B. Sowards, Thomas Thompson and Al C. Ward. It is difficult to characterize the show except that it was a consistently second-rank attempt to do stories about first-rate ethical people living in an interesting era in a frontier setting. It was the first of the family-oriented westerns, and at the same time a show capable of detaching its principals for dual or independent adventures. If few of its episodes risk to great dramatic heights, many are far-above-average film-making efforts, even by feature-film standards. The production featured clean, straightforward cinematography, Nellie Manley's hairstyles, Wally Westmore's makeup, enjoyable costumes and expert sets, art direction and action scenes. If the family spent too much time at home, seldom were shown with cattle and had virtually no employees, the writers made up for such derelictions by involving the sons and the father in the affairs of town and territory. Innovatve and perhaps inimitable, this was quality dramatic western making from start to finish.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Lorne Greene was only 13 years older than his on-screen sons, Pernell Roberts and Dan Blocker.
    • Goofs
      During the first season opening credits, the Cartwrights can be seen galloping on horses on a dirt road that contains an unmistakable set of tire tracks from the truck carrying the camera in front of them.
    • 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!

    • Crazy credits
      The opening and closing credits show a picture on the screen that corresponds with whatever credit is being given ("Music by" is accompanied by a man playing a violin, "Written by" has a Mark Twain-inspired writer type holding a book with "Bonanza" written on its cover, etc.)
    • 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.
    • Connections
      Featured in Zenith Presents: A Salute to Television's 25th Anniversary (1972)

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    FAQ23

    • How many seasons does Bonanza have?Powered by Alexa
    • How did the characters Adam and Hoss leave the series?
    • Little Joe's middle name
    • What were the reasons for Pernell Roberts abrupt departure from the series?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 12, 1959 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Ponderosa
    • Filming locations
      • Spahn Ranch, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • National Broadcasting Company (NBC)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      49 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

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