Main Cast: Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker, Michael Landon
Release Year: 1971
Run Time: 60 minutes
Plot
Had the long-running Bonanza been on CBS instead of NBC, it might have been canceled during the 1970-1971 season as part of CBS' campaign to "de-ruralize" its core audience. Instead, Bonanza was still on the air as of the 1971-1972 season, marking the program's 13th year on NBC. In addition to longtime regulars Lorne Greene (Ben Cartwright), Dan Blocker (Hoss Cartwright), and Michael Landon (Joe Cartwright), relative newcomers Lou Frizzell and Mitch Vogel are back in harness in the recurring roles of ranch hand Dusty Rhodes and Dusty's teenaged foster son Jamie Hunter. The season's first episode, in fact, focuses on Jamie, as Ben Cartwright takes the boy on a guided tour of the 600,000 acre Ponderosa spread -- an exquisitely photographed idyll, filmed on location in Arizona and Northern California. Despite its venerability, Bonanza offered some of its best episodes during its 13th season. Particularly commendable are "Warbonnet," guest starring Native American actor Chief Dan George (Little Big Man); "A Home for Jamie," distinguished by an early guest star turn from a young Robert Carradine; "The Saddle Stiff," marking Buddy Ebsen's first dramatic TV role after his nine-year stint on The Beverly Hillbillies; and the hilarious "The Younger Brothers' Younger Brother, written and directed by series star Michael Landon. For any other series, 20th place in the ratings would be perfectly acceptable. For Bonanza, however, this ranking marked a significant slip, prompting NBC to move the series from its familiar Sunday night slot to a less advantageous Tuesday evening berth for its 14th season. This change would be the first of two deadly blows from which Bonanza would never recover. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
