Bonanza was an American western/cowboy television series
which aired on the NBC television network from September 12,
1959 until January 16, 1973. From
1964 through 1967, the show was #1 in the yearly Nielsen ratings. In terms of longevity,
the show remains NBC's second longest-running series, after Law & Order.
Bonanza was also the first hour-long network television series filmed in
color.
Origins
Bonanza got its name from the Comstock Lode which was "an exceptionally large
and rich mineral deposit" of silver. Virginia City
was founded directly over the lode and was mined for 19 years. Ponderosa was an
alternative title of the series, often used for the broadcast of syndicated
reruns in the 1970s and 1980s.
The pilot episode was written by David Dortort, who also produced the series. Dortort's
other creations include The Restless Gun, The High Chaparral, The Cowboys, and the
Bonanza prequel, Ponderosa. For most of its 430 episode run, the
main sponsor of Bonanza was Chevrolet and the stars occasionally appeared in
commercials endorsing Chevrolet automobiles. All of the regular cast members had appeared in numerous stage, television and film
productions before Bonanza, but none was particularly well-known.
In 1959, the series was aired on Saturday evenings. Bonanaza was one of the first series to be filmed and broadcast in
color. RCA owned NBC (and the series) and wanted to use it to spur sales of color receivers. Many
department stores stayed open early Saturday evenings and RCA believed the Lake Tahoe exterior shots would show off color
television to best advantage. However, Saturday night ratings were disappointing and Bonanza" was soon targeted for
cancellation, but given one last chance. A move to Sunday nights at 9:00 PM, caused the series to soar, and it remained high on
the Nielsen ratings until Autumn 1972.
Premise
The show chronicled the weekly adventures of the Cartwright family, headed by wise, widowed patriarch Ben Cartwright (played by Lorne Greene). He had three
sons, each by a different wife: the oldest was the urbane architect Adam Cartwright
played by (Pernell Roberts) who built the ranch house; the second was the warm and
lovable giant Eric, better known by his nickname: "Hoss" (Dan Blocker); and the youngest was the hotheaded and impetuous Joseph or "Little Joe" (Michael Landon). The family's cook was the
Chinese immigrant Hop Sing
(Victor Sen Yung). "Bonanza" was considered an atypical western for its time, as the
core of the storylines dealt with Ben and his three dissimilar sons, how they cared for one another, their neighbors and their
land.
The family lived on a thousand-square-mile ranch called "The Ponderosa", on the shore
of Lake Tahoe in Nevada; the name refers to the
Ponderosa Pine, common in the West. The nearest town to the Ponderosa was Virginia City,
where the Cartwrights would go to converse with Sheriff Roy Coffee (played by veteran
actor Ray Teal), or his deputy Clem Foster (Bing Russell). Greene, Roberts, Blocker, and Landon were equal stars. The opening credits rotated among
four versions, with each of the four being shown first in one version (in the order above). As the series advanced, writers began
to showcase one or two Cartwrights in each episode. The others would be seen briefly in the prologue and epilogue. Not only did
this provide for more thorough character development, it also gave all four actors more free time.
Originally, the Cartwright family tended to be depicted as hostile to visitors. However, Greene pointed out to the producers
that given the immense size of the Ponderosa ranch, the Cartwrights were actually one of the most wealthy families in the region
and a major business interest. Therefore, they would be of interest to numerous people for economic and political reasons and the
Cartwrights should treat them sociably, well aware of their importance. The producers agreed with this observation and changed
the series premise accordingly.
Early in the show's history, the thrice widowed Ben Cartwright, recalls each wife in flashback episodes. A running gag (which also occurs in the TV western The Big
Valley), was that every time one of the Cartwrights became seriously involved with a woman, she died from a malady,
was slain, or left with someone else. As with all hit programs, disturbing a successful formula could be a major blunder.
The Cast
The cast became very popular with viewers. Lorne Greene, known as the "Voice of Canada,"
was a fairly successful announcer, actor and drama coach in his native land. Ben Cartwright, as Greene once described him, was
"suede leather," as he was both a strong and soft patriarch. Greene recorded several
