Bonanza 

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

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 / ... 428 episodes, 1959-1973
Dan Blocker	...	Eric 'Hoss' Cartwright / ... 415 episodes, 1959-1972
Pernell Roberts	...	Adam Cartwright 201 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 is 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 | yuma territorial prison | 

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

TV-PG

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

49 min (430 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

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.

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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.

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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!

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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.)

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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 Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows (2001)

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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.