Bonanza
Pernell Roberts: The Dark Cartwright
"I feel like I'm an aristocrat in my field of endeavor," Pernell Roberts said in a 1965 interview, just after his last season. "My being part of Bonanza was like Isaac Stern sitting in with Lawrence Welk."
Behind the scenes, there were soon problems on the set. Pernell Roberts was
concerned that the show was sexist, racist and violent. Producer David Dortort and
others were equally worried about making changes to a show that was proving
so successful. Robert's defiant attitude on the set earned him the nickname "the bad boy of the Ponderosa". He called the closeness of the Cartwright family a fraud and complained that he was playing only "one-fourth of a character". The antagonism between he and his costars was no secret, especially his problems with Michael Landon. "You can imagine how it is for an actor to be delivering his lines and get nothing but a blank stare from the person he is talking to, Landon said. "...Pernell said he only gave 10 percent of his creative effort to the show. Well, maybe 20 percent would have helped us a little more. Six years into the show Roberts' contract was up, and Pernell refused to sign another. Adam Cartwright was written out of the show, his fate left uncertain in case Roberts ever decided to return. He didn't. In an interview immediately after leaving "Bonanza, Roberts gave Landon an extremely backhanded apology. "When he asked why I wanted to leave the show, I told him, Pernell said. "I pointed out that there was not an equality of competence among the actors, that he himself was untrained, that he was perpetuating bad acting habits. I meant all this constructively. I was trying to convey that he was not getting the fullest potential from his talent. I was attempting to say that he wasn't developing himself. Somehow he took it as a personal attack. He never forgot. I'm sorry." Robert's fans adored his dark, brooding presence, so much that he usually got more fan mail than any of this three costars. |
Pernell Roberts left Bonanza at the end of the 1965 season without a farewell episode; occasionally it was mentioned later that Adam had gone to California, back east, Europe or the sea. His departure from the show is considered among the worst mistakes in television history, comparable only to McLean Stevenson's departure from M*A*S*H.
Lorne Greene urged him to stay, take his fortune (in 1965 he was earning $10,000 per episode, plus residuals) and buy his own studio where he could produce more "worthwhile" programs. But immediately after his departure Roberts told reporters he wouldn't go back for a million dollars. "I have only one life to waste, he said.
He incorrectly assumed his Bonanza fame would put him in demand for more significant roles. Instead, he was forced to take any role available, including dinner theater, summer stock, and guest appearances on Marcus Welby, Perry mason and, ironically Gunsmoke.
In the fifteen years that followed Pernell Roberts would make a number of movies, make
guest appearances in a variety of television shows, work on the stage and even do a
television version of the musical "Carousel". He stopped wearing the toupe he had
used on "Bonanza" and grew a moustache, then a beard. To the viewing public,
however, he was still Adam Cartwright.
Somewhat ironically, it was another television series that introduced a new generation of viewers to Roberts in a very different way. In the title role of "Trapper John, M.D" Roberts played an older version of the "M.A.S.H." character, now head of a major American hospital. The show was primarily a drama, but included some great comedy and romance. The middle-aged, bearded doctor bore little resemblence to Adam Cartwright, and allowed Roberts to be accepted by the public in different parts.
Although "Trapper John, M.D." did not have the long run of "Bonanza", it was an international hit. The show dropped in ratings and was finally cancelled, however, after the loss of actor Gregory Harrison, who played Dr. "Gonzo" Gates.
In the early 1990's Pernell Roberts starred in his third, and so far his last, television series. He was the host of the short-lived "FBI: The Untold Stories". The show had a controversial beginning, featuring in its first episode the story of Woody Harrelson's imprisoned father. It never really caught on, though, and was soon replaced.
Today Roberts continues to work on stage, screen and television. His most recent television appearance was in February, 1997, in an episode of "Diagnosis: Murder". He is recently divorced from his third wife, and has one son, Christopher. He expresses no regrets at leaving the fame and money of "Bonanza" behind, and continues his long and varied career.
The background music on this page is an old English folk song called "Early One
Morning". Pernell Roberts sang this song in a "Bonanza" episode called "The
Wooing of Abigail Jones" (episode 90)
and also on the "Ponderosa Party Time" album.
Pernell also put out one solo album in 1963, a collection of folk songs entitled
"Come All Ye Fair And Tender Ladies".
Back to the Pernell Roberts page or to the homepage