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Bonanza

  • TV Series
  • 1959–1973
  • TV-PG
  • 49m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
10K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
823
46
Bonanza (1959)
Clip: Original episodic promo
Play clip1:39
Watch Bonanza: The Official First Season
2 Videos
99+ Photos
Western

The Wild West adventures of Ben Cartwright and his sons as they run and defend their Nevada ranch while helping the surrounding community.The Wild West adventures of Ben Cartwright and his sons as they run and defend their Nevada ranch while helping the surrounding community.The Wild West adventures of Ben Cartwright and his sons as they run and defend their Nevada ranch while helping the surrounding community.

  • Creators
    • David Dortort
    • Fred Hamilton
  • Stars
    • Lorne Greene
    • Michael Landon
    • Dan Blocker
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    10K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    823
    46
    • Creators
      • David Dortort
      • Fred Hamilton
    • Stars
      • Lorne Greene
      • Michael Landon
      • Dan Blocker
    • 57User reviews
    • 18Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 3 Primetime Emmys
      • 9 wins & 16 nominations total

    Episodes430

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated

    Videos2

    Bonanza: The Official First Season
    Clip 1:39
    Watch Bonanza: The Official First Season
    Bonanza: The Official First Season
    Clip 0:37
    Watch Bonanza: The Official First Season

    Photos2369

    Michael Landon in Bonanza (1959)
    Bonanza (1959)
    Michael Landon in Bonanza (1959)
    Lorne Greene, Jan Sterling, and David Macklin in Bonanza (1959)
    Dan Blocker and Pernell Roberts in Bonanza (1959)
    Anna-Lisa in Bonanza (1959)
    Michael Landon, Stella Stevens, and Kenneth MacKenna in Bonanza (1959)
    Nancy Deale and Pernell Roberts in Bonanza (1959)
    Michael Landon and Patricia Medina in Bonanza (1959)
    Lorne Greene in Bonanza (1959)
    Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, and Dan Blocker in Bonanza (1959)
    Michael Landon in Bonanza (1959)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Lorne Greene
    Lorne Greene
    • Ben Cartwright…
    Michael Landon
    Michael Landon
    • Joseph 'Little Joe' Cartwright…
    Dan Blocker
    Dan Blocker
    • Eric 'Hoss' Cartwright…
    Pernell Roberts
    Pernell Roberts
    • Adam Cartwright
    Bill Clark
    Bill Clark
    • Townsman…
    Victor Sen Yung
    Victor Sen Yung
    • Hop Sing
    Ray Teal
    Ray Teal
    • Sheriff Roy Coffee
    Martha Manor
    • Townswoman…
    David Canary
    David Canary
    • Candy Canaday
    Bob Miles
    • Townsman…
    Bing Russell
    Bing Russell
    • Deputy Clem Foster…
    Mitch Vogel
    Mitch Vogel
    • Jamie Hunter Cartwright…
    Grandon Rhodes
    Grandon Rhodes
    • Dr. J.P. Martin…
    Hal Burton
    Hal Burton
    • Townsman…
    Troy Melton
    Troy Melton
    • Gunman…
    Bruno VeSota
    Bruno VeSota
    • Bartender…
    Roy Engel
    Roy Engel
    • Dr. Paul Martin…
    Harry Holcombe
    Harry Holcombe
    • Dr. J. P. Martin…
    • Creators
      • David Dortort
      • Fred Hamilton(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Michael Landon wore four-inch lifts in the series.
    • Goofs
      During the first season opening credits, the Cartwrights can be seen galloping on horses on a dirt road that contains an unmistakable set of tire tracks from the truck carrying the camera in front of them.
    • Quotes

      Ben Cartwright: You and your education.

      Adam Cartwright: Education is progress! Now what have you got against it?

      Ben Cartwright: I don't have anything against education - as long as it doesn't interfere with your thinking!

    • Crazy credits
      In the opening sequence, when the actors ride on their horses towards the camera and are introduced, the order in which they are introduced is never consistent - this was most likely done to prevent a single actor from becoming the "main" star of the show.
    • Alternate versions
      Many television broadcasts and DVDs of public domain episodes currently in circulation replace the famous title theme music with generic music. Only official videos and DVDs from Artisan/Republic are uncut and contain the music as intended.
    • Connections
      Featured in Zenith Presents: A Salute to Television's 25th Anniversary (1972)

    User reviews57

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    The Cartwrights Of The Ponderosa
    It got to be a running joke around Bonanza about how fatal it was for any women to get involved with any Cartwright men. After all Ben Cartwright was three times a widower with a son by each marriage. And any woman who got involved with Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe were going to end up dying because we couldn't get rid of the formula of the widower and the three sons that started this classic TV western.

    Perhaps if Bonanza were being done today the writers would have had revolving women characters who came in and out of the lives of the Cartwrights. People have relationships, some go good, some not so good, it's just life. And we're less demanding of our heroes today so if a relationship with one of them goes south we don't have to kill the character off to keep the survivor's nobility intact. But that's if Bonanza were done today.

    But we were still expecting a lot from our western heroes and Bonanza though it took a while to take hold and a change of viewing time from NBC certainly helped, the secret of Bonanza's success was the noble patriarch Ben Cartwright and his stalwart sons. Ben Cartwright was THE ideal TV Dad in any genre you want to name. His whole life was spent in the hard work of building that immense Ponderosa spread for his three children. The kids were all different in personality, but all came together in a pinch.

    The Cartwrights became and still are an American institution. I daresay more people cared about this family than the Kennedys. Just the popularity that Bonanza has in syndication testifies to that.

    Pernell Roberts as oldest son Adam was written out of the show. Rumor has it he didn't care for the noble Cartwright characters which he felt bordered on sanctimonious. Perhaps if it were done now, he'd have liked it better in the way I describe.

    This was just the beginning for Michael Landon, how many people get three hit TV shows to their credit. Landon also has Highway to Heaven and Little House On the Prarie where he had creative control. Little Joe was the youngest, most hot headed, but the most romantic of the Cartwrights.

    When Roberts left. the show kept going with the two younger sons, but when big Dan Blocker left, the heart went out of Bonanza. Other characters had been added on by that time, David Canary, Tim Matheson, and Ben Cartwright adopted young Mitch Vogel. But big, loyal, but a little thick Hoss was easily the most lovable of the Cartwrights. His sudden demise after surgery left too big a hole in that family.

    So the Cartwrights of the Ponderosa have passed into history. I got a real taste of how America took the Cartwrights to heart when I visited the real Virginia City. It doesn't look anything like what you see in Bonanza. But near Lake Tahoe, just about where you see the Ponderosa on the map at the opening credits, is the Cartwright home, the set maintained and open as a tourist attraction. Like 21 Baker Street for Sherlock Holmes fans, the ranchhouse and the Cartwrights are real.

    And if they weren't real, they should have been.
    helpful•23
    3
    • bkoganbing
    • Sep 4, 2009

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    FAQ5

    • How did the characters Adam and Hoss leave the series?
    • Little Joe's middle name
    • What were the reasons for Pernell Roberts abrupt departure from the series?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 12, 1959 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Ponderosa
    • Filming locations
      • Spahn Ranch, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • National Broadcasting Company (NBC)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      49 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

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