"Bonanza" (1959) TV series 1959-1973

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Creators:

David Dortort
Fred Hamilton

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14

Release Date:

12 September 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Drama | Romance | War | Western

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Ranch | Nevada | Lost Love | Responsibility | Loss Of Brother

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 6 wins & 12 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sun. Nov. 8	11:00 AM	TVLAND	The Prime of Life	#5.13
Sun. Nov. 8	12:00 PM	TVLAND	Return to Honor	#5.25

Cast

Lorne Greene	...	Ben Cartwright / ... (430 episodes, 1959-1973)
Michael Landon	...	Joseph 'Little Joe' Cartwright / ... (429 episodes, 1959-1973)
Dan Blocker	...	Eric 'Hoss' Cartwright / ... (415 episodes, 1959-1972)
Pernell Roberts	...	Adam Cartwright (202 episodes, 1959-1965)

Also Known As:

Ponderosa (USA) (rerun title)

Runtime:

50 min (430 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-11 (DVD) (2006) | Australia:PG (some episodes) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G (some episodes)

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Trivia:

In 1968, Dan Blocker began wearing a toupee on the series as he was approaching forty and losing hair. He joined the ranks of his fellow co-stars Pernell Roberts and Lorne Greene, both of whom began the series with hairpieces (Greene wore his modest frontal piece in private life too, whereas Roberts preferred not wearing his, even to rehearsals/blocking). 'Michael Landon' was the only original cast member who was wig-free throughout the series, as even Victor Sen Yung's Hop Sing wore an attached queue (pony tail).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: 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!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Semper Fidelis (#6.24)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Bonanza

Magnificent classic western features noble, close knit family

I grew up on this classic western series, and as a child always considered it a treat being allowed to stay up late on Sunday evenings to watch it. Bonanza is still infinitely re watchable in re runs.

The series chronicles the adventures of the Cartwright family, who live on a ranch near Virginia City, Nevada around the Civil War era. Their ranch (called the Ponderosa) is run and defended by the widowed father, Ben, and his unmarried three sons, Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe. These three brothers have different mothers, all of whom have passed away years earlier.

The Cartwrights are a hard working, prosperous, and honourable family, highly respected in those parts. The Ponderosa is large so reaching its extremities requires a lot of horseback riding. Also, trips away are often necessary in order to buy or sell cattle and so forth. Needless to say, few of these excursions pass uneventfully. Although hospitable, much of the Cartwrights' energy must be spent defending their ranch from interlopers, or protecting themselves from townsfolk jealous of their prosperity and stellar reputation. The Cartwrights do a fair bit of firing their guns up in the air and such, but only shoot to kill when deemed absolutely necessary. They are involved in various town affairs, even the political life of the Nevada territory.

One of the main assets of the series is the underlying warmth that is always present (despite occasional disagreements) between Ben and his three sons, and (despite frequent disagreements) between the three brothers. Now, one brother might beat up another every now and then, but generally has a good reason for it at the time and his anger never lasts long! The characters are all very well drawn. Ben is portrayed as a successful and noble man of great integrity. The oldest son, Adam, the most rational and suave of the brothers, left midway through the series. The middle brother, Hoss, is a gentle giant of a teddy bear, who has an insatiable appetite for food and is a little shy around the ladies. The youngest, Little Joe, is a hot headed, handsome charmer who, by contrast, has quite a way with women. This trio of brothers enjoy various romances but their love interests are typically killed off by the end of the episode or else marriage proves impossible, for whatever reason.

The actors are all stellar in their roles, including Pernell Roberts (Adam), Dan Blocker (Hoss), Michael Landon (Little Joe), and of course Lorne Greene as the principled family patriarch, Ben. I also love the ranch cook, Hop Sing, played by Victor Sen Yung.

This is a wonderful action packed western with great values. The Cartwrights are always the noble heroes and most of the bad guys quite villainous. If only there were more programs like this vintage western on TV these days!