Bonanza Cast, Characters, & Facts

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.
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  • Little Joe appears in all but fourteen Bonanza episodes, a total of 416 episodes.

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  • Dortort was impressed by Canary’s talent, but the character vanished in September 1970, after Canary had a contract dispute.

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  • 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.
  • Beginning in 1962, a foundation was being laid to include another “son” as Pernell Roberts was displeased with his character.

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  • Griff, in prison for nearly killing his abusive stepfather, was paroled into Ben’s custody and given a job as a ranch hand.

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  • His first wife was Abel’s daughter Elizabeth, and they had one son, Adam.

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Recurring cast

  • Teal was a bit-part player in western films for several years before landing a substantial role in Northwest Passage (1940) starring Spencer Tracy.
  • All episodes have been digitally remastered from original 35 mm film elements to yield the best picture and sound quality possible with current technology.
  • 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.

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  • 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”.

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  • 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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  • In 1968, a slightly revamped horn and percussion-heavy arrangement of the original score introduced the series, which was used until 1970.

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Bigotry, including antisemitism, was the subject of the episode “Look to the Stars”. A coda to the episode reveals that Michelson went Bonanza City casino on to win the Nobel Prize for Physics. The series sought to illustrate the cruelty of bigotry against Asians, African Americans, Native Americans, Jews, Mormons, the disabled, and little people. Though not familiar stars in 1959, the cast quickly became favorites of the first television generation.

S1.E32 ∙ Death at Dawn

His first wife was Abel’s daughter Elizabeth, and they had one son, Adam. 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. Bonanza “the official first season” was released in Scandinavia during 2010.

Love To Glove You, Baby

  • Bigotry, including antisemitism, was the subject of the episode “Look to the Stars”.

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  • Ben and his sons then continued west, reaching Nevada, and through much hard work established the Ponderosa Ranch.

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  • Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.

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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.

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  • Fourteen-year-old Mitch Vogel was introduced as Jamie Hunter Cartwright in “A Matter of Faith” (season 12, episode 363).

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  • Early in the show’s history, he recalls each of his late wives in flashback episodes.

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. The Hop Sing character is depicted not only as a cook but also a family counselor and herbal healer.

S1.E8 ∙ The Philip Diedesheimer Story

Bonanza is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. 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. 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.

The Family Breaker

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 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. 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.
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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 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.
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In the episode “First Born” (1962), viewers learn of Little Joe’s older, maternal half-brother Clay Stafford. 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.
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. 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. The Bonanza theme song opens with a blazing Ponderosa map and saddlebound Cartwrights.

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