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Bonanza 

TV-PG | | Western | TV Series (1959–1973)
Episode Guide
430 episodes
Bonanza Poster
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1:38 | Clip

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

Creator:

David Dortort

Stars:

Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, Dan Blocker | See full cast & crew »
Reviews
Popularity
707 ( 96)

Episodes

Seasons

Years


14   13   12   11   10   9   8   7   6   … See all »
1973   1972   1971   1970   1969   1968   … See all »
Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 9 wins & 14 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

See all 2 videos  »

Photos

See all 882 photos »
Learn more

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Edit

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Lorne Greene ...  Ben Cartwright / ... 430 episodes, 1959-1973
Michael Landon ...  Joseph 'Little Joe' Cartwright / ... 427 episodes, 1959-1973
Dan Blocker ...  Eric 'Hoss' Cartwright / ... 415 episodes, 1959-1972
Pernell Roberts ...  Adam Cartwright 200 episodes, 1959-1965
See full cast »
Edit

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 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>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

apache territory | apache | apache indian | arizona territory | arizona | See All (89) »

Genres:

Western

Certificate:

TV-PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 September 1959 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Ponderosa See more »

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

National Broadcasting Company (NBC) See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

(430 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3
See full technical specs »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

The last 14 episodes of season one, and the first 17 episodes of season two, have fallen into the public domain. They have been released by many different companies in many different configurations, usually with the familiar theme music replaced with generic music. See more »

Goofs

The majority of male characters were clean shaven. Not only was this unlikely due to a lack of running water, it was also not the style for that era. See more »

Quotes

[running gag]
Ben Cartwright: Hey, Joe, do you know the difference between a table and an ottoman?
Joseph 'Little Joe' Cartwright: Sure I do.
Ben Cartwright: Then take your feet off the table!
[Hoss rolls his eyes]
Eric 'Hoss' Cartwright: He'll never learn to do that.
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 »

Connections

Referenced in Scrubs: My Hero (2002) See more »

Soundtracks

Bonanza
Written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Did Bonanza have a proper series finale to end the show?
Q: How did the characters Adam and Hoss leave the series?
Q: What were the reasons for Pernell Roberts abrupt departure from the series?
See more »

User Reviews

great western
20 August 1999 | by the_oak – See all my reviews

This series is great for many things. The Cartwrights are righteous, hard working and well respected. They work from early in the morning until they sit down for dinner, eating meat and potatoes. Dan Blocker was Texas heaviest baby when he was born, and Little Joe (Michael Landon) always comments on how much he eats for dinner. Pernell Roberts is very cool as Adam, and Lorne Greene, playing Ben Cartwright depicts a very noble and respectable man. Under the scorching sun they meet problems like racism, indians and every other problem you could expect those days. Great entertainment. A TV-series like this will never be made again.
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