Bonanza episodes

Bonanza

The episodes

The Cartwright Family

The Cartwrights of "Bonanza"
Few people will ever attain the status of "legend" in their lifetime, regardless of what their endeavor. And to accomplish such a feat by being someone else... well, that's almost unheard of. But that's what the four principals of "Bonanza" did as the "Cartwrights". Lorne Greene (Ben), Pernell Roberts (Adam), Dan Blocker (Hoss) and Michael landon (Little Joe) collectively, and individually, captured the hearts of TV viewers around the world as they portrayed a special breed of early American West settlers who were able to overcome all of the harrowing trials conceived on a weekly basis by some of Hollywood's best script writers. The "Cartwrights" became household idols wherever the series was shown... from Anchorage, Alaska to Zipangu, Japan.
In addition to the spectacular scenery of the Ponderosa Ranch and the high Sierra woven into each of the "Bonanza" episodes, much of the popularity of the series can be attributed directly to Greene, Roberts, Blocker and Landon.Each was an exceptional actor in his own right, handpicked by the show's creator, David Dortort to play their specific roles.

Lights..... Camera..... Ponderosa Action!
Filming "Bonanza" at Ponderosa Ranch! It was an exciting time, those early days on the Ponderosa. Film crews were frequently on hand, and on any given day, a visitor could catch a glimpse of the stars and stood a good chance of getting an autograph.

Ben Cartwright in action for the cameras

The episodes of "Bonanza" are a routine event for millions of families in all parts of the world. For the cast and crew each program was a new challenge... anything but routine! Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker and Michael Landon, all master craftsmen of the actor's art, bring new diminesions to "Bonanza" through the wizardry of make-up and wardrobe, production and script requirements.
The formula for a successful show requires patience, talent and a technical know-how which exist both behind and in front of the all-seeing lens of the color camera. The spectacular scenery at Ponderosa Ranch and around Lake Tahoe has been captured on thousands of feet of film.
This classic television western "Bonanza" made a calamitous debut on September 12, 1959. The critics were vicious. One damned the show as a "terrible waste of cash and color," and another thought it was kudicrously full of the, "interpersonal dramas dear to the hearts of soap opera fans." In the following years "Bonanza" became one of the top ten rated programs, and from 1964 to 1967 it was the single most watched televison program in America. The death of Dan Blocker (Hoss Cartwright) was the beginning of the end. Ratings slipped precipitously, and midway through its fourteenth season (January 1973) "Bonanza" was cancelled.

14 years and 430 episodes of "Bonanza"
"Bonanza" was more than just another western in an age that had an abundance of them - it was a clever marketing idea.

The Cartwrights

It was especially developed to be filmed and viewed in color, and was supposed to make Americans buy colour televisions. It apparently worked, as the colour TV became rather popular and the series lasted for fourteen years.
The Cartwright's thousand-square-mile Ponderosa Ranch is located near Virginia City, Nevada, site of the Comstock Silver Lode, during and after the Civil War. Each of the sons of father Ben Cartwright was born to a different wife of Ben's. None of the mothers is still alive. Adventures are typical western ones, with lots of personal relationships/problems thrown in as well. These all is seen in 430 episodes and 4 (?) lost episodes. They are all listed in Melany Shapiro's Book "Bonanza, the unofficial story of the Ponderosa". For you, who like to know all the titles of the 430 episodes of "Bonanza" click on Shapiro's book.

The four lost episodes of "Bonanza" are:: A Poor Man's Treasure; Barnaby; The Giant Killer; Bandits, Thieves and Kidnappers

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