The show is set in the 1860s and centers on the wealthy Cartwright family, who live in the vicinity of Virginia City, Nevada, bordering Lake Tahoe. The series initially starred Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker and Michael Landon and later featured (at various times) Guy Williams, David Canary, Mitch Vogel and Tim Matheson. However, Roberts was persuaded to complete his contract, and remained through season six. In the ninth season, David Canary was added to the cast as ranch hand/foreman Candy Canady. After four years with the series, Canary left due to a contract dispute.
Season 10 (1968–
Starting in September 2009, CBS Home Entertainment (distributed by Paramount) has to date released the first eleven seasons on DVD in Region 1. All episodes have Bonanza City been digitally remastered from original 35 mm film elements to yield the best picture and sound quality possible with current technology. At the beginning of the episode, Adam is shown to be outraged at the Supreme Court’s Dred Scott v. Sandford decision (placing the time as 1857), which he discusses with his father.
Bonanza The Legendary Show That Shaped Tv History
Despite the show’s success, Roberts departed the series after the 1964–65 season (202 episodes) and returned to stage productions. The Bonanza theme song opens with a blazing Ponderosa map and saddlebound Cartwrights. The melodic intro, emulating galloping horses, is one of the most recognized television scores. Although there were two official sets of lyrics (some country-western singers, avoiding royalties, substituted the copyright renditions with their own words), the series simply used an instrumental theme. Three of the cast members bellowed out the original lyrics, unaccompanied, at the close of the pilot (Pernell Roberts, the sole professional singer of the quartet, abstained and untethered the horse reins).
Season 6 (1964–
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- At the beginning of the episode, Adam is shown to be outraged at the Supreme Court’s Dred Scott v. Sandford decision (placing the time as 1857), which he discusses with his father.
- Little Joe appears in all but fourteen Bonanza episodes, a total of 416 episodes.
- Shows like Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit or HBO’s Succession owe a huge debt of gratitude to “Bonanza” for establishing foundational storytelling principles that resonate with audiences.
- In one memorable episode, a character even questioned whether do illegal Immigrants get medicaid.
- The interactions between Ben and his sons highlighted real-life family struggles and made every episode relatable.
- Beginning in 1962, a foundation was being laid to include another “son”, as Pernell Roberts was displeased with his character.
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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. Dortort was impressed by Canary’s talent, but the character vanished in September 1970, after Canary had a contract dispute. He returned two seasons later after co-star Dan Blocker’s death, reportedly having been approached by Landon.
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- This was revolutionary at the time and led the way for shows like Game of Thrones and Lost.
- During the first season extra horses were rented from the Idyllwild Stables in Idyllwild, also in the San Jacinto Mountains.
- Fourteen-year-old Mitch Vogel was introduced as Jamie Hunter Cartwright in “A Matter of Faith” (season 12, episode 363).
- However, Roberts was persuaded to complete his contract, and remained through season six.
- Three of the cast members bellowed out the original lyrics, unaccompanied, at the close of the pilot (Pernell Roberts, the sole professional singer of the quartet, abstained and untethered the horse reins).
- In the 1963 flashback episode “Marie, My Love”, his father was Jean De’Marigny.
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Set and filming
Ben and his sons then continued west, reaching Nevada, and through much hard work established the Ponderosa Ranch. Sheriff Coffee was occasionally the focus of a plot as in the episode “No Less a Man” (broadcast March 15, 1964). Teal was a bit-part player in western films for several years before landing a substantial role in Northwest Passage (1940) starring Spencer Tracy. However, the unexpected death of Blocker in 1972 left a bigger hole, and Bonanza ended one season later.
According to David Dortort, sponsor General Motors was anxious about the episode. As producer, Dortort ensured that the episode re-aired during the summer rerun seasons, though two TV stations in the South refused to air it. In 1968, a slightly revamped horn and percussion-heavy arrangement of the original score introduced the series, which was used until 1970. Finally, a faster rendition of the original music returned for the 14th and final season, along with action shots of the cast (sans Dan Blocker, who had died by this point).
Sure, we loved our lone cowboy hero, but “Bonanza” gave us a family to root for. The interactions between Ben and his sons highlighted real-life family struggles and made every episode relatable. Jamie Hunter was introduced in “A Matter of Faith” (season 12, episode 2). Beginning in 1962, a foundation was being laid to include another “son” as Pernell Roberts was displeased with his character.
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- The show is set in the 1860s and centers on the wealthy Cartwright family, who live in the vicinity of Virginia City, Nevada, bordering Lake Tahoe.
- 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.
- Bonanza wasn’t just about cowboys and ranch life; it tackled social issues that were often deemed taboo.
- Although there were two official sets of lyrics (some country-western singers, avoiding royalties, substituted the copyright renditions with their own words), the series simply used an instrumental theme.
- The series sought to illustrate the cruelty of bigotry against Asians, African Americans, Native Americans, Jews, Mormons, the disabled, and little people.
- The Bonanza theme song opens with a blazing Ponderosa map and saddlebound Cartwrights.
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Recurring characters
The opening scene for the first season was shot at Lake Hemet, a reservoir in the San Jacinto Mountains, Riverside County, California, and later moved to Lake Tahoe. During the first season extra horses were rented from the Idyllwild Stables in Idyllwild, also in the San Jacinto Mountains. 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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S1.E32 ∙ Death at Dawn
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Early in the show’s history, Ben recalls each of his late wives in flashback episodes. Any time one of the Cartwrights seriously courted a woman, she died from a malady, was abruptly slain, or left with someone else. Fourteen-year-old Mitch Vogel was introduced as Jamie Hunter Cartwright in “A Matter of Faith” (season 12, episode 363). 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”. Beginning in 1962, a foundation was being laid to include another “son”, as Pernell Roberts was displeased with his character.
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Bonanza – watch online: stream, buy or rent
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Only instrumental renditions, without Ray Evans’s lyrics, were used during the series’s long run. Did you know that Bonanza was one of the first television series to be shot in color? Shows like Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit or HBO’s Succession owe a huge debt of gratitude to “Bonanza” for establishing foundational storytelling principles that resonate with audiences. The Cartwrights are not just characters; they’ve left an indelible mark on our screens and our hearts. This was revolutionary at the time and led the way for shows like Game of Thrones and Lost.
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