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.
S1.E2 ∙ Death on Sun Mountain
- 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).
- In the twelfth season, Mitch Vogel joined the cast as Jamie Hunter, a teenage orphan who is adopted by Ben Cartwright.
- His first wife was Abel’s daughter Elizabeth, and they had one son, Adam.
- The series sought to illustrate the cruelty of bigotry against Asians, African Americans, Native Americans, Jews, Mormons, the disabled, and little people.
- 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.
- 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).
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After his wife’s death, he and his son traveled to Illinois, where he married his second wife, Inger Borgstrom, and continued west. Ben and his sons then continued west, reaching Nevada, and through much hard work established the Ponderosa Ranch. 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.
S1.E8 ∙ The Philip Diedesheimer Story
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- Beginning in 1962, a foundation was being laid to include another “son”, as Pernell Roberts was displeased with his character.
- Despite the show’s success, Roberts departed the series after the 1964–65 season (202 episodes) and returned to stage productions.
- However, Roberts was persuaded to complete his contract, and remained through season six.
- During season five Adam falls for a widow with a young daughter, while making Will Cartwright a central figure.
- Teal was a bit-part player in western films for several years before landing a substantial role in Northwest Passage (1940) starring Spencer Tracy.
- In the 1963 flashback episode “Marie, My Love”, his father was Jean De’Marigny.
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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. The vast size of the Cartwrights’ land was quietly revised to “half a million acres” (2,000 km2) in Lorne Greene’s 1964 song, “Saga of the Ponderosa”. Only instrumental renditions, without Ray Evans’s lyrics, were used during the series’s long run. 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. In the episode “First Born” (1962), viewers learn of Little Joe’s older, maternal half-brother Clay Stafford.
David Canary – “Candy” Canaday
The character departed in that same episode, but left an opportunity for a return if needed. In the 1963 flashback episode “Marie, My Love”, his father was Jean De’Marigny. 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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- Landon began to develop his skills in writing and directing Bonanza episodes, starting with “The Gamble”.
- In the episode “First Born” (1962), viewers learn of Little Joe’s older, maternal half-brother Clay Stafford.
- 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.
- After four years with the series, Canary left due to a contract dispute.
- Creator David Dortort introduced a storyline that would keep the character of Adam in the mix, but with a lighter schedule.
- Bonanza is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973.
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Top Cast99+
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. In 1968, a slightly revamped horn and percussion-heavy arrangement of the original score introduced the series, which Bonanza City casino 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). Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.
Lorne Greene – Ben Cartwright
Little Joe appears in all but fourteen Bonanza episodes, a total of 416 episodes. 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.
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Bonanza (
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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. Covering the time when the Cartwrights first arrived at the Ponderosa, when Adam and Hoss were teenagers and Joe a little boy, the series lasted 20 episodes and featured less gunfire and brawling than the original. 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.