Bonanza (TV Series)

It was dangerous business to be a female interested in a Cartwright man. Ben (Pa) Cartwright had three wives which all died. Little Joe married once, she died. Hoss almost married, bad luck again. It was felt that a woman would have upset the male ambiance of the show so any female love interests were quickly killed off or sent away.

The Cartwrights employed a Chinese cook named Hop Sing.

The original cast members have all passed on now. Lorne Greene in 1987, Dan Blocker in 1972, Michael Landon in 1991 and the last to go was Pernell Roberts in 2010. Even Hop Sing has passed on to his reward.

The show's creators were smart enough to realize that you can't replace a Cartwright. After Roberts departed the series in 1965 the Ponderosa was short a hand until 1967 when David Canary joined the cast as Candy.

The Ponderosa was on the shores of Lake Tahoe in Nevada. The nearest town was Virginia City, Nevada.

Adam actually had two sorrel geldings. The first was Beauty, but he was too highstrung to work in front of the cameras. You will notice him in the early episodes always tossing his head. He was replaced with Sport.

I believe he was engaged but never took that long trip down the isle.

Bonanza lasted from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973 .

EVERY episode of Bonanza was filmed and aired in color. Color TV was brand-new, and Bonanza's big draw to advertisers was that it, unlike Gunsmoke, was going to be in full color from the start.

On May 13, 1972, in Los Angeles, California, Dan Blocker died of a pulmonary embolism following gall bladder surgery. The writers of Bonanza took the then-unusual step of referencing a major character's death in the show's storyline that autumn. So what that means is that when he died, on the show instead of recasting him, they said he also died on the show. It was later told to his long lost son Josh, that he died in an accident trying to ford a river.

The Ponderosa was in Nevada Territory in the TV show Bonanza.

Pernell Roberts finished the 6th season, so last episode of that season.

David Canary is the actor who played "Candy" Canaday.

San Francisco, Virginia City and even Sacramento.

He is one of the original characters in the television show, "Bonanza". The part was played by Pernell Roberts. Roberts is the only surviving member of the original cast of Cartwright family members.

Dead and Gone, aired April 4, 1965 with guest Hoyt Axton

Wife #1 (Elizabeth) was from New England and died shortly after son Adam was born. Wife #2 (Inger Borgstrom) was the mother of Hoss. I couldn't find out exactly where Inger and Ben met, but Inger met her end with an arrow in her back. Wife #3 (Marie de Marigny) and Little Joe's mother, was from Crescent City, a small town in Northern California, close to the Oregon State line. Poor Marie took a tumble off a horse and so joined Elizabeth and Inger in the Cartwright family cemetery.

Bonanza ran for 14 seasons, September 1959 to January 1974. Story of the Cartwright family on their ranch, the Ponderosa, near Lake Tahoe, NV, mid-19th century. Patriarch Ben Cartwright played by Lorne Greene, Adam, oldest son, played by Pernell Roberts, middle brother Hoss 'Eric' played by Dan Blocker and youngest brother Little Joe played by Michael Landon.

Bonanza was the first TV western filmed entirely in color and the 2nd longest running TV series, second only to Gunsmoke.

The character Ben Cartwright was married three times prior to the timeline of the show, which is where his three sons came from. They all had a different mother. But he never married again after Little Joe's mother.

The final episode was entitled "The Hunter." Joe is pursued by an insane guy who is determined to kill him. I later read that when this final epidode was filmed, the cast and crew were not yet aware that NBC would pull the plug. As a result, they never had the opportunity to produce a final episode that was worthy of a series that ran for so many years. If you get a chance to view this episode, you'll note that there is not so much as a hint that it's over for Bonanza.

In a Tonight Show appearance, Michael Landon said that if he had been given the chance, he would have written and directed a final episode in which the Cartwrights defend the Ponderosa one last time. I believe he also said that he would have asked Pernell Roberts to return for that episode. (Dan Blocker had died before the final season went into production). However, I cannot believe that Mr. Roberts would have agreed to return.

Thats not how I remember the last episode. In the last episode Little Joe gets married and moves into a cabin with his new bride. One day he returns home to find the cabin burned to the ground and his wife dead. The rest of the show is about Joe hunting down the three men who burned the cabin and killed his wife. He finds them all and kills each one while still maintaining that Cartwright integrity. Thats how I remember the last episode. Bonanza was one of my favorite childhood shows. Saw every episode many times over.

Not what we think of as a pilot but the first episode aired September 12, 1959 and established the premise of the series. Episode #1 was titled A Rose For Lotta.

Lorne Greene born Feb. 12, 1915 died on Sept. 11, 1987.

Pernell Roberts born May 18, 1928 died on January 24, 2010.

Dan Blocker born Dec. 10, 1928 died on May 13, 1972.

Michael Landon born Oct. 31, 1936 died on July 1, 1991.

Bonanza - 1959 Desert Justice - 1.23 was released on:

USA: 20 February 1960

The late (May 18, 1928 - January 24, 2010) Pernell Roberts played in the role of Adam Cartwright .

There was only one Adam Cartwright. He was portrayed by actor Perness Roberts. Unhappy with character development Roberts left the series after the sixth season. A new character was developed, Candy who worked with the Cartwrights.