This thematic depth was ahead of its time and inspired later series like The Wire and The Good Fight, proving that entertainment could also inspire change. Creator David Dortort introduced a storyline that would keep the character of Adam in the mix, but with a lighter schedule. During season five Adam falls for a widow with a young daughter, while making Will Cartwright a central figure. Early in the show’s history, he recalls each of his late wives in flashback episodes. A standard practice with most westerns was to introduce some romance but avoid matrimony. The time period for the television series is roughly between 1861 (Season 1) to 1867 (Season 13) during and shortly after the American Civil War.

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• Starting in September 2009, CBS Home Entertainment (distributed by Paramount) has to date released the first eleven seasons on DVD in Region 1.

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• “The Lonely Man” presents the controversial interracial marriage between the Cartwrights’ longtime Chinese chef (Hop Sing) and a white woman (Missy).

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• Creator David Dortort introduced a storyline that would keep the character of Adam in the mix, but with a lighter schedule.
• Despite the show’s success, Roberts departed the series after the 1964–65 season (202 episodes) and returned to stage productions.

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• In the ninth season, David Canary was added to the cast as ranch hand/foreman Candy Canady.

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• Vogel played the red-haired orphan of a roving rainmaker, whom Ben takes in and adopts later in a 1971 episode, called “A Home For Jamie”.

Michael Landon – Joseph “Little Joe” Cartwright

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• The melodic intro, emulating galloping horses, is one of the most recognized television scores.

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• A coda to the episode reveals that Michelson went on to win the Nobel Prize for Physics.

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• The family lived on a thousand-square-mile (2,600 km2) ranch called the Ponderosa on the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe in Nevada opposite California on the edge of the Sierra Nevada range.

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• In the twelfth season, Mitch Vogel joined the cast as Jamie Hunter, a teenage orphan who is adopted by Ben Cartwright.

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• The show set the bar for character development and explored themes that resonate to this day.

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• Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.

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Bonanza is an NBC-produced television series that ran on the NBC network from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Bonanza creator David Dortort approved PAX TV (now Ion TV)’s decision to hire Beth Sullivan, formerly of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, which some believe gave the series more depth as well as a softer edge. The Hop Sing character is depicted not only as a cook but also a family counselor and herbal healer. Bonanza Bonanza City is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973.

Bonanza merchandise

For nearly 14 seasons and 431 episodes, “Bonanza” was more than just a cowboy show; it became a cultural juggernaut that changed the TV landscape forever. He appeared in more than 200 movies and some 90 television programs during his 37-year career. Landon began to develop his skills in writing and directing Bonanza episodes, starting with “The Gamble”.

Will Cartwright

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• The first Virginia City set was used on the show until 1970 and was located on a backlot at Paramount and featured in episodes of Have Gun – Will Travel, Mannix and The Brady Bunch.

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• The character departed in that same episode, but left an opportunity for a return if needed.
• His first wife was Abel’s daughter Elizabeth, and they had one son, Adam.

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• Teal was a bit-part player in western films for several years before landing a substantial role in Northwest Passage (1940) starring Spencer Tracy.

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• Little Joe had a son named Benjamin ‘Benj’ Cartwright who was played by Landon’s real-life son and seen in all three Bonanza TV movies.

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• Ben and his sons then continued west, reaching Nevada, and through much hard work established the Ponderosa Ranch.

The series sought to illustrate the cruelty of bigotry against Asians, African Americans, Native Americans, Jews, Mormons, the disabled, and little people. In 1968, Blocker began wearing a toupee on the series, as he was approaching age 40 and his hair loss was becoming more evident. He joined the ranks of his fellow co-stars Roberts and Greene, both of whom had begun the series with hairpieces.

Broadcast history and ratings

Before the pilot aired (on September 12, 1959), the song sequence, deemed too campy, was edited out of the scene and instead the Cartwrights headed back to the ranch whooping and howling. David Canary returned to his former role of Candy (to offset Hoss’ absence), and a new character named Griff King (played by Tim Matheson) was added in an attempt to lure younger viewers. Griff, in prison for nearly killing his abusive stepfather, was paroled into Ben’s custody and given a job as a ranch hand. Several episodes were built around his character, one that Matheson never had a chance to fully develop before the show was abruptly cancelled in November 1972 (with the final episode airing January 16, 1973).