Bonanza TV Series 1959 1973 Episode list - Your Image Editing Partner

David Canary returned to his former role of Candy (to offset Hoss’ absence), and a new character named Griff King (played by Tim Matheson) was added in an attempt to lure younger viewers. Griff, in prison for nearly killing his abusive stepfather, was paroled into Ben’s custody and given a job as a ranch hand. Several episodes were built around his character, one that Matheson never had a chance to fully develop before the show was abruptly cancelled in November 1972 (with the final episode airing January 16, 1973). Many fans, as well as both Landon and Greene, felt that the character of Hoss was essential, as he was a nurturing, empathetic soul who rounded out the all-male cast.

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• In the 1963 flashback episode “Marie, My Love”, his father was Jean De’Marigny.

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• The opening scene for the first season was shot at Lake Hemet, a reservoir in the San Jacinto Mountains, Riverside County, California, and later moved to Lake Tahoe.
• 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”.

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• VE AG released the first seven seasons on DVD in Germany between 2008 and 2010.

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

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• Only instrumental renditions, without Ray Evans’s lyrics, were used during the series’s long run.

S1.E2 ∙ Death on Sun Mountain

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.

Season 4 (1962–

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• According to David Dortort, sponsor General Motors was anxious about the episode.

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• 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.
• David Canary returned to his former role of Candy (to offset Hoss’ absence), and a new character named Griff King (played by Tim Matheson) was added in an attempt to lure younger viewers.

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• He returned two seasons later after co-star Dan Blocker’s death, reportedly having been approached by Landon.

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• Many fans, as well as both Landon and Greene, felt that the character of Hoss was essential, as he was a nurturing, empathetic soul who rounded out the all-male cast.

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• 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.

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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.
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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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• Early in the show’s history, he recalls each of his late wives in flashback episodes.
• Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.

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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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• 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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• 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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COFFEE TIME (or “what size cup are you”)

Bigotry, including antisemitism, was the subject of the episode “Look to the Stars”. A coda to the episode reveals that Michelson went 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.E8 ∙ The Philip Diedesheimer Story

The melodic intro, emulating galloping horses, is one of the most recognized television scores. 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. Before the pilot aired (on September 12, 1959), the song sequence, deemed too campy, was edited out of the scene and instead the Cartwrights headed back to the ranch whooping and howling. He appeared in more than 200 movies and some 90 television programs during his 37-year career. Landon began to develop his skills in writing and directing Bonanza episodes, starting with “The Gamble”.

Season 8 (1966–

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.
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Episodes

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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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Hate Breeding My Wife’s Best Friend

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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, Bonanza City casino 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.