Bonanza

Lorne Greene was only 13 years older than his on-screen sons Pernell Roberts and Dan Blocker.

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Michael Landon wore four-inch lifts in the series.

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During the filming of an episode at Paramount Studios, Lorne Greene had to jump from a ship into a water tank known as the "B Tank." Michael Landon recalled that when Greene did the stunt, he hit the water first and sank completely, but his hairpiece came off and floated to the surface. Landon and co-star Dan Blocker watched to see what would happen next. A minute later, Greene's hand shot out of the water, grabbed the toupee and pulled it under. Greene emerged from the tank with the hairpiece slightly askew, walked indifferently past the laughing crew and entered his trailer without saying a word.

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According to David Dortort, Michael Landon became difficult during the last five seasons of the series: "Almost every line, every scene, every edit, everything would stop for endless story conferences on the set, and toward the end it grew increasingly harsh."

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When Dan Blocker died unexpectedly just before filming on the final season began, the writers decided that Hoss would die in an accident. A special two-hour season opener had originally been written to include Hoss.

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Before becoming a rancher, Ben Cartwright was the captain of a ship. The port he reached was New Orleans, Louisiana.

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Dan Blocker owned a restaurant chain called "Bonanza." They were steak restaurants similar to the "Golden Corral" chain. When ownership later changed, all the restaurants were renamed "Ponderosa."

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In its second season the series ranked 17th in the ratings. In 1961, at the start of the third season, it moved to Sunday nights at 9:00 p.m. The new time slot caused the series to rise rapidly, and it eventually reached number one in 1964. Bonanza was the first prime-time series to remain in the top 10 for 10 consecutive years.

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Over the course of the series, Joe was shot 18 times, Ben 14 times, Hoss 11 times and Adam 6 times.

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According to the 1973 book "Marilyn Beck's Hollywood," when Pernell Roberts told Lorne Greene that he was leaving the series because he wanted to challenge himself as an actor, Greene told him to stay loyal to the show because at the end of the run he would be so rich that he could hire Tennessee Williams to write him a play. Co-star Michael Landon later said they took a leaf from the dinner table and split the money three ways instead of four. Roberts performed many stage roles and later starred in the television series Trapper John, M.D. (1979). Greene, Landon and Dan Blocker became very wealthy from the income they earned from the series.

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Pernell Roberts was not very popular among his co-stars or the crew. He complained constantly about the series, believing it was low quality and unworthy of him as an actor. According to Michael Landon, Roberts spoke with him very rarely. Creator/producer David Dortort confirmed this in his interview with Television Archives.

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Whenever one of the Cartwrights entered into a serious relationship with a woman, the woman would die of illness, be killed or be left for someone else.

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In the series' early episodes the Cartwrights were hostile to visitors. Lorne Greene pointed out that because the Ponderosa was so large, the Cartwrights would be a significant commercial interest in the community. People would visit for economic, political and social reasons, and the Cartwrights would logically welcome them. The producers agreed and changed the characters accordingly.

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Most viewers have only heard the famous theme song played instrumentally. The song had lyrics, and footage exists of the lead actors singing them. Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker and Michael Landon recorded a lyrical version of the theme for the pilot, but it was never aired. Johnny Cash recorded his own version of the theme song.

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From the third season on, the Cartwrights and almost all of the series' recurring characters wore nearly the same clothes in almost every episode. This was done to reduce the cost of reshooting action sequences (such as cutting between clips of scenes), since previously filmed footage could be reused.

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Despite a difficult start, in 1961 it became the number two show, behind The Beverly Hillbillies (1962).

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Michael Landon was the only original cast member who never wore a hairpiece during filming. Pernell Roberts and Lorne Greene began the series with hairpieces. Greene wore his modest front piece in his private life as well, while Roberts preferred not to wear his even during rehearsals. Dan Blocker began wearing a wig when he started losing his hair in 1968. Even Victor Sen Yung's Hop Sing wore a ponytail. Landon dyed his hair throughout the series because he had begun going gray at twenty.

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In the first season, guest actors were paid much more than the regular cast. The producers did not think the stars were well known enough to draw viewers.

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In a Television Archives interview, Ray Evans and Jay Livingston said that when Desi Arnaz asked them to write a theme song for a Western series, Arnaz told them he could not pay them much for a weekly salary because the series would only last one year. The men made a deal with Arnaz to retain the rights to the song. When the series became an unexpected success, they earned millions.

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Bonanza is the second-longest-running Western television series after Gunsmoke (1955). It continues to air in syndication.

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Dan Blocker, who played Eric "Hoss" Cartwright, founded the Bonanza steakhouse chain in 1963 and named it after the series. It was eventually sold in 1989 to a company called Metromedia. Metromedia had also bought the Ponderosa steakhouse chain a year earlier (it had started two years after Bonanza with no connection to the series), and marketed both restaurants under the same concept. Ponderosa was also the name of the series, which was the title it first carried when it entered syndication, at a time when it was common to give a syndicated version a different name (or a variation of the name) to distinguish it from the original if the original was still in production.

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Michael Landon had to make several attempts at writing a script before producer David Dortort considered one good enough to use. After that he became a regular writer and director on the series. He would later rewrite many Bonanza scripts for new episodes of Little House on the Prairie (1974).

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Chevrolet was the series' main sponsor for most of its 430 episodes. The stars occasionally appeared in commercials promoting Chevrolet automobiles.

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When Pernell Roberts decided to leave the series, newcomer and former Zorro (1957) star Guy Williams was brought in as his replacement, playing the very attractive new character cousin Will Cartwright, who was to become a permanent member of the cast. However, he lasted only 5 episodes because of Michael Landon's insecurity. Landon was notoriously unwilling to work with any actor he considered better looking and more charismatic than himself, and so he had Williams fired. (In fact, before making Highway to Heaven (1984), Landon told the producers he would refuse to do the series unless his friend Victor French, who looked much older than him, was brought in to play Mark. The producers had wanted a much younger and better-looking actor for the role.) Roberts later decided not to leave the series.

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The Virginia City setting is not very different from the settings used in other Western television series. In reality, the real Virginia City was built on the slope of a steep hill.

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Pernell Roberts objected to the racist portrayal of minorities on the series.

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It is mentioned/implied that Hoss is several years younger than Adam. Off screen, however, Dan Blocker was born the same year (1928) and is only seven months younger than Pernell Roberts. The characters' birth years are Ben Cartwright in 1810, Adam in 1830, Hoss in 1836 and Little Joe in 1842. The series was set in 1859 when it began, which would have made Little Joe 17 years old. In real life, Michael Landon was 22 when he started on the series.

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Bonanza was not the first Western series shot entirely in color. It was, however, the first Western television network series broadcast entirely in color.

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Robert Blake and Robert Fuller were considered for the role of Little Joe Cartwright. Producer David Dortort had mixed feelings about Michael Landon, a new and unknown actor who auditioned for the role, and thought he was too young. Dortort changed his mind after encouragement from his wife, who promoted Landon, and gave him the role.

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The burning map of the Ponderosa Ranch shown in the opening credits was displayed without compass points, which made the map look misoriented (Reno appeared west of Carson City). David Dortort, who chose not to remake the map, added the compass points. Many have suggested that the compass points indicate the wrong direction (slightly north-northwest). However, the compass points are aligned with Magnetic North rather than True North.

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After eleven seasons, the series' theme music was replaced by an original melody composed by David Rose. After production on this series ended, Rose continued to work with Michael Landon as the regular composer on Little House on the Prairie (1974) and Highway to Heaven (1984).

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The last 14 episodes of the first season and the first 17 episodes of the second season fell into the public domain. They were released by many different companies in many different configurations, usually with the familiar theme music replaced by generic music.

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With 14 years, 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it is one of the longest-running television series in television history.

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Adam, Hoss and Little Joe were half-brothers with the same father and different mothers.

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In an interview, David Canary and Mitch Vogel revealed that the scene in "Forever" in which both Ben (Lorne Greene) and Little Joe (Michael Landon) cry over Alice's tragic death drew on real emotions from their devastation over the death of Dan Blocker (Hoss).

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Hoss's real name is Eric. His mother was Inger, Ben's second wife.

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Footage of the main street in Virginia City was frequently reused. In the lower left were travelers with a surveyor, with a Chinese man and an Indian talking over a pitcher, and in the lower right were two old prospectors with their mules.

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"Riding the Wind: Part 1" (1966) and "Riding the Wind: Part 2" (1966) were released as a theatrical film outside the United States.

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Ben's third wife was Marie DeMarigny. He met her in Louisiana while doing a favor for a dying friend. She was apparently his widow, and Ben fell in love with her. She died in a riding accident after giving birth to Joe. Her story is told in "Marie, My Love."

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Michael Landon did not grow up with a very good parent, and for that reason he came to look on Lorne Greene as his real father.

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Pernell Roberts and Michael Landon both died of pancreatic cancer. By the time Landon's cancer was diagnosed, it had already spread to his liver.

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David Canary was cast as Candy after producer David Dortort saw him in the film Hombre (1967) and in a two-part Gunsmoke (1955) episode at the end of the 12th season in 1967.

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Ben's first wife was Elizabeth Stoddard. Ben met her while working as second mate on a sailing ship. She died giving birth to Adam. Her story is told in the episode "Elizabeth, My Love."

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Michael Landon was so devastated by Dan Blocker's sudden death that years later, whenever a role required Landon to cry, he thought of Blocker's death.

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Ben's second wife was Inger Borgstrom. Ben met her while traveling west with Adam. She was killed while fighting Indians. Her story is told in "Inger, My Love."

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It was parodied as "Bananaz" in Mad Magazine.

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The burning map in the opening sequence is actually the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe, not the northern shore. This can be proven by rotating the image 90 degrees clockwise and comparing it with a map. The burning is a symbol of cattle branding irons.

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Paramount Studios, where most of the series was filmed, acquired the rights to the series in 1999.

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Dan Blocker was the producers' only choice for the role of the prostitute. Claude Akins was initially offered the role of Adam but turned it down. Robert Fuller and Robert Blake were the other two choices for Little Joe. Lee J. Cobb was initially offered the role of Ben Cartwright but declined because he did not want to join a weekly television series. Three years later he joined The Virginian (1962) and played Judge Garth for four years.

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David Canary left the series at the end of the 11th season in 1970 over a money dispute. His character was at least as popular as the three principles, and he felt he deserved to be paid at the same level as his co-stars. David Dortort refused to compromise and raise his salary. Two years later, before the start of the 14th season, Landon and Dortort approached him personally to return, promising him the same money the three principles would receive that year. Canary would have returned even before Dan Blocker's death.

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The wealthy Cartwright family at the center of the series owns the large Ponderosa Ranch on the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe. The ranch's name refers to Pinus ponderosa (the ponderosa pine), a pine species native to the mountainous regions of western North America. It grows in various upright forms in 16 western U.S. states and in British Columbia. It is a dominant tree species in the Black Hills, the Rocky Mountains, the Cascade Range, the Sierra Nevada and the Chisos, Davis and Guadalupe ranges of Texas.

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The relationship between Michael Landon and Tim Matheson (who played Griff King in 1972-73) was tense behind the scenes. During a 1972 TV Guide interview, Matheson suggested that Bonanza was an old series and that it was time for new series to have their chance. This did not sit well with Landon, and after that their relationship was cordial and nothing more.

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Dan Blocker and Jack Elam appeared in The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County (1970).

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Guest stars Ricardo Montalban and Madlyn Rhue, who played Matsou and Hatoya in the season 2 episode "Day of Reckoning," later appeared together in the Star Trek (1966) episode "Space Seed" (1967). Ricardo Montalban played Khan and Madlyn Rhue played Marla.

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Barry Coe was cast as Clay Tanner, who is revealed to be Little Joe's half-brother on his mother's side; she had him with another man before marrying Ben. He was ready to join the series, but Landon vetoed it because he saw Coe as a threat to his popularity, like Guy Williams. He was also to be used as a means of controlling Pernell Roberts's temper tantrums on set.

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Michael Landon and Louis Gossett Jr. appeared in Little House on the Prairie (1974).

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Michael Landon was known as "Socks" because he smoked so much that even his socks smelled of cigarette smoke. In 1961 Landon smoked four packs a day.

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On Sunday, August 15, 1971, President Nixon interrupted the broadcast of Bonanza to announce that the U.S. dollar could no longer be converted into gold. Nixon was reportedly reluctant to break into the programming, but his advisers warned him to announce his decision before the markets opened the next morning.

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