Bonanza

As you know, I’m staying with my brother and sister-in-law in Ohio (still haven’t left yet). We’ve been talking a lot about Bonanza, the old t.v. show. My brother watches it every day, and I reminded him that our Papa used to love that show. Here’s some fun trivia about the show and some pics to go along with it. Also want to wish my dad a happy 57th birthday today. I love you dad!

–In the show’s early episodes, the writers would typically have the Cartwrights being hostile to visitors to their property. Lorne Greene objected to this pointing out that with the Ponderosa being as large as it is, the Cartwrights would be an important business interest in the community. Thus visitors would naturally come for economic and political reasons as well as social ones and the Cartwrights would logically welcome them as such. The producers agreed and altered the premise of the characters accordingly.

–During the first season of the show, the guest stars were paid far more than the stars of the show because the producers didn’t think that the stars were well-known enough to pull in viewers.

–When Dan Blocker died unexpectedly shortly before filming began for the final season, it was decided to have Hoss die too by having him killed in an accident. The opening episode, a two-hour special in which Little Joe marries only to see his bride die, was originally scripted to feature Hoss.

–When Pernell Roberts left the show, his character Adam was written off by having him move to Australia.

–The three sons are half brothers. Adam’s mother was from Boston, Hoss’ was from Sweden and Little Joe’s was from New Orleans.

–Most viewers have only heard the famous theme song by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans played as an instrumental. The theme song actually had lyrics and there is footage of the lead actors singing those lyrics.

–The character Ben Cartwright is a New Englander who had been a seaman. Before setting out West with his young son Adam, the widower Ben had been a ship’s chandler, running a shop supplying gear to merchant vessels. (This past is referred to in several episodes, but most significantly, “Elizabeth, My Love” broadcast during the second season on May 27, 1961, when an older Ben is remembering Adam’s late mother, his first wife.)

–This was the first US Western television show to have all its episodes filmed in color.

–During the filming of one episode, Lorne Greene was required to jump off a small ledge into a lake five feet below. Michael Landon later recalled that when Greene did the stunt, he jumped into the water feet first and went completely under, but his hair piece came off and floated on the surface of the lake. Landon and the rest of the crew watched to see what would happen. After a short while, Greene’s hand shot up out of the water, grabbed the hairpiece, and pulled it down. Greene emerged from the lake, wearing his hairpiece slightly askew. He walked nonchalantly past the snickering crew, and went into his trailer without saying a word.

–Lasting 14 seasons, it is among the longest running Western television series (second behind “Gunsmoke” (1955)) and continues to air in syndication.

–A recurring situation (which also occurs in the TV western The Big Valley), was that every time one of the Cartwrights became seriously involved with a woman, she died from a malady, was slain, or left with someone else.

–In the real Virginia City, Nevada, the actual ranch used for the Ponderosa on location shoots is now a tourist attraction.