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Bonanza (TV Series)
From the optimistic Eisenhower era through the turbulence of the 1960's and beyond, Bonanza provided a brief respite to a simpler and more wholesome America. Debuting September 13, 1959, the Cartwrights entertained us for 14 seasons until the show's finale in the spring of 1973. The characters, Pa, Adam, Hoss and Little Joe became comfortable friends every Sunday for an hour, and have earned a place in American TV history.
335 Questions
What show aired first bonanza or gunsmoke?
Gunsmoke aired first. Originally, on radio as from April 26th 1952, and then on television from September 10th 1955.
Bonanza first aired on NBC on September 12th 1959.
Where are the children of Dan Blocker of Bonanza today?
His son David is a TV producer and other son Dirk is an actor (looks just like his father) and I could find nothing on his twin daughters.
What episode was Michael to be married on Bonanza?
That was episode #416, called Forever, original air date September 12, 1972 . Written and directed by Michael Landon but he originally wrote the script for the character Hoss. Actor Dan Blocker died in the spring of 1972 before season 14 began filming. Landon took on the role instead.
The clothing the Cartwrights wore every week were pretty authentic for the time period and status of the family. Although it was understood that the Cartwrights were wealthy, they ran a working ranch where every member worked very hard just as their hired men did.
Did Hoss Cartwright ever marry on Bonanza?
I believe he was engaged but never took that long trip down the isle.
Was Emory Parnell related to Pernel Roberts of Bonanza?
If you notice, the above people have different surnames, so it's safe to assume they are not related.
Actor Pernell Roberts was unhappy with the way the characters were developed from one season to the next, and felt it was not consistant with what he was told when he signed up for the show. So after season 6, Roberts' character Adam was sent to Australia with the opening that if he wanted to return he could. He never did.
"The Cartwright family lived on the Ponderosa." (original answer)
My answer: While the Cartwright family did live on their ranch, the Ponderosa on the television show, "Bonanza", the show actually had nothing in common with the actual Bonanza Farms of the late 1800's. Bonanza is a Spanish term meaning "good weather" and refers to a source/time of sudden great wealth.
Bonanza Farms were large farms that actually came about as a result of the failed financial investments of the Northern Pacific Railroad. In the 1860's a group of entrepreneurs from the East Coast were given the largest government land grand in history to build a railroad reaching to the west coast of the United States. Those entrepreneurs engaged Jay Cooke, a wealthy financier, to help support the project. The project was successful and the Northern Pacific reached Fargo ND in 1872. Shortly thereafter, Jay Cooke's financial institutions - and the railroad project - went bankrupt - leaving the original investors "holding the bag" so to speak. The Northern Pacific Railroad now had no assets other than the great amounts of land obtained from the government land grand. This land was sold in large parcels to wealthy investors to raise funds for the railroad to pay its debts and to continue the construction of the railroad to the west coast. These wealthy investors became the absentee owners of thousands of acres of land, mainly in the Red River Valley of Minnesota and the Dakota Territory. Hired managers and foremen operated the farms, hiring a permanent crew of workers who lived on the farm. During the busy seasons of planting and harvest, they also hired a large number of migrant workers. These farms were very successful and profitable and quickly made the Red River Valley the largest wheat-producing area in the United States. With time, over-farming exhausted the land, crop production in drought years was poor, and the cheap migrant labor became harder to acquire. These large farms that produced only one crop were not able to weather the booms and busts of grain markets and were no longer profitable enterprises. The land was sold off to smaller farmers and the era of the Bonanza farm ended in the 1920's. A restored Bonanza farm still exists near Mooreton ND, where tourists can explore the various buildings on the Bagg Bonanza Farm and see many of the household and farm items used when the farm was in its prime.
He was an actor (screen name) on A 60s western TV show. I think Bonanza? The big sensitive lovable, but hard to knock around brother of Adam (Pernell Roberts) and Little Joe (Michael Landon) in the hit TV show Bonanza. He ate three times as much as everyone, and was the easiest to pull a prank on, but they always respected him because of his size and his respect for others.
