"Bonanza" (1959) TV series 1959-1973

Creators:

David Dortort
Fred Hamilton
(more)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14

Release Date:

12 September 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Drama | Romance | War | Western

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Ranch | Nevada | Loss Of Brother | Herd | Execution

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 6 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Lorne Greene	...	Ben Cartwright / ... (430 episodes, 1959-1973)
Michael Landon	...	Joseph 'Little Joe' Cartwright / ... (429 episodes, 1959-1973)
Dan Blocker	...	Eric 'Hoss' Cartwright / ... (415 episodes, 1959-1972)
Pernell Roberts	...	Adam Cartwright (202 episodes, 1959-1965)

Series Directed by
William F. Claxton		(56 episodes, 1962-1973)
Lewis Allen		(42 episodes, 1960-1973)
Leon Benson		(35 episodes, 1967-1970)
Don McDougall		(31 episodes, 1961-1965)
William Witney		(27 episodes, 1961-1967)
Christian Nyby		(26 episodes, 1959-1967)
Michael Landon		(14 episodes, 1968-1973)
John Florea		(12 episodes, 1960-1965)
Leo Penn		(11 episodes, 1968-1972)
Herschel Daugherty		(11 episodes, 1969-1972)
Gerd Oswald		(10 episodes, 1965-1967)
Don Richardson		(9 episodes, 1968-1971)
Robert Altman		(8 episodes, 1960-1961)
William Wiard		(8 episodes, 1969-1972)
Tay Garnett		(7 episodes, 1963-1965)
Murray Golden		(6 episodes, 1963-1964)
R.G. Springsteen		(6 episodes, 1965-1966)
Don Daves		(6 episodes, 1966-1967)
Joseph Pevney		(6 episodes, 1968-1972)
Ralph E. Black		(5 episodes, 1964-1966)
James Neilson		(4 episodes, 1960-1970)
John Rich		(4 episodes, 1960-1968)
Virgil W. Vogel		(4 episodes, 1965)
Joseph Kane		(3 episodes, 1959)
Paul Landres		(3 episodes, 1959)
Charles F. Haas		(3 episodes, 1960)
Arthur Lubin		(3 episodes, 1960)
Dick Moder		(3 episodes, 1961)
Robert L. Friend		(3 episodes, 1968-1969)
Marc Daniels		(3 episodes, 1968)
Philip Leacock		(3 episodes, 1971)
James P. Yarbrough		(2 episodes, 1960-1961)
Thomas Carr		(2 episodes, 1961)
William D. Faralla		(2 episodes, 1961)
Arthur H. Nadel		(2 episodes, 1963-1971)
Bernard McEveety		(2 episodes, 1963-1965)
Robert Totten		(2 episodes, 1965)
Gerald Mayer		(2 episodes, 1967)
Nicholas Webster		(2 episodes, 1970-1972)
Nicholas Colasanto		(2 episodes, 1972)
Alf Kjellin		(2 episodes, 1972)

Series Writing credits
David Dortort		(254 episodes, 1959-1970)
Michael Landon		(20 episodes, 1962-1973)
Preston Wood		(19 episodes, 1962-1972)
Ward Hawkins		(17 episodes, 1961-1973)
John Hawkins		(17 episodes, 1965-1972)
Thomas Thompson		(16 episodes, 1959-1969)
Frank Chase		(14 episodes, 1961-1969)
Frank Cleaver		(12 episodes, 1962-1965)
John Hawkins		(11 episodes, 1961-1972)
Jack B. Sowards		(11 episodes, 1968-1972)
Robert Vincent Wright		(10 episodes, 1961-1971)
B.W. Sandefur		(9 episodes, 1968-1971)
Anthony Lawrence		(8 episodes, 1960-1963)
Ken Pettus		(8 episodes, 1964-1971)
Joel Murcott		(8 episodes, 1967-1973)
Stanley Roberts		(8 episodes, 1969-1972)
Alex Sharp		(7 episodes, 1963-1968)
Suzanne Clauser		(7 episodes, 1965-1972)
Carey Wilber		(5 episodes, 1959-1969)
Walter Black		(5 episodes, 1966-1968)
Gene L. Coon		(4 episodes, 1959-1961)
Robert E. Thompson		(4 episodes, 1959-1960)
John Furia		(4 episodes, 1960-1962)
Don Ingalls		(4 episodes, 1961-1972)
William R. Cox		(4 episodes, 1961-1966)
Denne Bart Petitclerc		(4 episodes, 1961-1964)
Norman Lessing		(4 episodes, 1961-1963)
Warren Douglas		(4 episodes, 1963-1965)
Lois Hire		(4 episodes, 1963-1965)
Peter Packer		(4 episodes, 1963-1964)
Arthur Heinemann		(4 episodes, 1970-1973)
Robert Pirosh		(4 episodes, 1970-1972)
Donald S. Sanford		(3 episodes, 1959-1960)
David Lang		(3 episodes, 1960-1968)
Steve McNeil		(3 episodes, 1960-1967)
Leonard Heideman		(3 episodes, 1960)
Arnold Belgard		(3 episodes, 1961-1963)
Lewis Reed		(3 episodes, 1961-1963)
Elliott Arnold		(3 episodes, 1961-1962)
N.B. Stone Jr.		(3 episodes, 1961-1962)
Robert V. Barron		(3 episodes, 1963-1967)
Ed Adamson		(3 episodes, 1963-1965)
William L. Stuart		(3 episodes, 1963-1964)
Robert Sabaroff		(3 episodes, 1964-1967)
Jerry Adelman		(3 episodes, 1964-1965)
Paul Schneider		(3 episodes, 1965-1967)
Mort Thaw		(3 episodes, 1966)
Milton S. Gelman		(3 episodes, 1968-1970)
Michael Fessier		(3 episodes, 1968)
Arthur Weingarten		(3 episodes, 1971-1972)
Herman Groves		(2 episodes, 1959-1960)
Al C. Ward		(2 episodes, 1959-1960)
Oliver Crawford		(2 episodes, 1960-1967)
John T. Dugan		(2 episodes, 1961-1962)
Robert M. Fresco		(2 episodes, 1962-1963)
George W. George		(2 episodes, 1962-1963)
Judy George		(2 episodes, 1962-1963)
Charles Lang		(2 episodes, 1962-1963)
E.M. Parsons		(2 episodes, 1962-1963)
Borden Chase		(2 episodes, 1962)
Dick Nelson		(2 episodes, 1962)
Eric Norden		(2 episodes, 1963-1967)
Leo Gordon		(2 episodes, 1963-1965)
Paul Leslie Peil		(2 episodes, 1963-1965)
Robert Barron		(2 episodes, 1963-1964)
Jack Turley		(2 episodes, 1964-1967)
Mort R. Lewis		(2 episodes, 1964-1965)
Jo Pagano		(2 episodes, 1964-1965)
Don Tait		(2 episodes, 1964-1965)
Jessica Benson		(2 episodes, 1964)
William Bruckner		(2 episodes, 1964)
Murray Golden		(2 episodes, 1964)
Donn Mullally		(2 episodes, 1964)
William Koenig		(2 episodes, 1965-1971)
Martha Wilkerson		(2 episodes, 1965-1966)
John M. Chester		(2 episodes, 1966-1968)
Frederick Louis Fox		(2 episodes, 1966-1968)
Marc Michaels		(2 episodes, 1966)
Jack Miller		(2 episodes, 1967-1970)
William F. Leicester		(2 episodes, 1967-1968)
Richard Wendley		(2 episodes, 1967-1968)
James Amesbury		(2 episodes, 1967)
Peter Germano		(2 episodes, 1968-1969)
Alf Harris		(2 episodes, 1968-1969)
S.H. Barnett		(2 episodes, 1968)
Colin MacKenzie		(2 episodes, 1968)
William H. Wright		(2 episodes, 1968)
D.C. Fontana		(2 episodes, 1969-1970)
Larry Markes		(2 episodes, 1969-1970)
Jess Carneol		(2 episodes, 1969)
Kay Lenard		(2 episodes, 1969)
Joseph Bonaduce		(2 episodes, 1972)
Fred Hamilton		(1 episode, 1959)

Series Produced by
David Dortort	....	producer / executive producer (258 episodes, 1959-1970)
James W. Lane	....	associate producer / production executive / ... (175 episodes, 1961-1968)
Thomas Thompson	....	associate producer (34 episodes, 1960-1961)
Richard Collins	....	producer (24 episodes, 1968-1970)
Robert Blees	....	producer (12 episodes, 1967-1968)
John Hawkins	....	associate producer (10 episodes, 1969-1970)
Robert Stillman	....	production executive (6 episodes, 1963-1965)

Series Original Music by
David Rose		(248 episodes, 1959-1969)
Harry Sukman		(10 episodes, 1969-1970)
Walter Scharf		(4 episodes, 1961-1963)

Series Cinematography by
Haskell B. Boggs		(97 episodes, 1960-1972)
William P. Whitley		(60 episodes, 1962-1968)
Lester Shorr		(31 episodes, 1959-1960)
Walter Castle		(28 episodes, 1961-1962)
William E. Snyder		(17 episodes, 1960-1961)
Ted Voigtlander		(13 episodes, 1968-1969)
Harkness Smith		(2 episodes, 1968)

Series Film Editing by
Marvin Coil		(81 episodes, 1959-1969)
Ellsworth Hoagland		(73 episodes, 1959-1968)
Everett Douglas		(64 episodes, 1959-1967)
Danny B. Landres		(11 episodes, 1968-1970)
Jack Harnish		(6 episodes, 1967-1968)
Richard L. Van Enger		(4 episodes, 1969)
Archie Marshek		(3 episodes, 1967)
Otho Lovering		(2 episodes, 1962)
Edward Haire		(2 episodes, 1969)
Daniel A. Nathan		(2 episodes, 1970)

Series Casting by
William Maybery		(3 episodes, 1960-1963)

Series Art Direction by
A. Earl Hedrick		(257 episodes, 1959-1970)
Hal Pereira		(217 episodes, 1959-1967)

Series Set Decoration by
Grace Gregory		(246 episodes, 1959-1970)
Sam Comer		(200 episodes, 1959-1967)
Robert R. Benton		(25 episodes, 1959-1967)

Series Makeup Department
Nellie Manley	....	hair style supervisor / hair styles supervisor / ... (223 episodes, 1959-1967)
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor / makeup artist (223 episodes, 1959-1967)
Jeanette Marvin	....	hair style supervisor / hair styles supervisor (32 episodes, 1968-1970)
Marvin C. Thompson	....	makeup supervisor (32 episodes, 1968-1970)
Abe Haberman	....	makeup supervisor (10 episodes, 1969-1970)

Series Production Management
Kent McCray	....	production supervisor / production manager / ... (137 episodes, 1962-1970)
Andrew J. Durkus	....	unit production manager (48 episodes, 1960-1961)
John Banse	....	production supervisor / production manager (34 episodes, 1961-1962)
James W. Lane	....	production supervisor (30 episodes, 1959-1960)
Donald R. Daves	....	unit production manager (23 episodes, 1968-1970)
Shiu Look	....	unit production manager (20 episodes, 1967-1968)
Dick Mang	....	unit production manager / unit manager (20 episodes, 1967-1968)
Don Robb	....	unit production manager / unit manager (8 episodes, 1959-1960)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ralph E. Black	....	assistant director (66 episodes, 1961-1965)
Don Daves	....	assistant director (39 episodes, 1963-1967)
John Burch	....	assistant director (34 episodes, 1960-1962)
Miles Middough	....	assistant director (19 episodes, 1966-1969)
Bill D'Arcy	....	assistant director (18 episodes, 1968-1969)
Walter Daniels	....	assistant director (15 episodes, 1962-1963)
Henry E. Brill	....	assistant director (10 episodes, 1959-1960)
Daniel McCauley	....	assistant director (10 episodes, 1959-1960)
Jack Voglin	....	assistant director (8 episodes, 1960-1961)
Clancy Herne	....	assistant director (7 episodes, 1966-1967)
Bud Brill	....	assistant director (5 episodes, 1960)
Charles R. Scott Jr.	....	assistant director (5 episodes, 1969-1970)
John Barnwell	....	assistant director (4 episodes, 1967)
Ned Dobson	....	assistant director (3 episodes, 1959-1960)
Donald Roberts	....	assistant director (3 episodes, 1960)
Dale Hutchinson	....	assistant director (3 episodes, 1961)

Series Sound Department
Bill Wistrom	....	supervising sound editor (430 episodes, 1959-1973)
Joel Moss	....	sound recordist (194 episodes, 1961-1970)
Lyle Figland	....	sound recordist (180 episodes, 1959-1968)
Winston H. Leverett	....	sound recordist (32 episodes, 1959-1960)
John Wilkinson	....	sound recordist (30 episodes, 1960-1961)
Harold Lewis	....	sound recordist (26 episodes, 1959-1960)
Harry Lindgren	....	sound recordist (26 episodes, 1960-1961)
Jack F. Lilly	....	sound recordist (13 episodes, 1968-1969)
Harley Ramsey	....	sound recordist (10 episodes, 1969-1970)

Series Special Effects by
Farciot Edouart	....	special photographic effects (1 episode, 1959)

Series Visual Effects by
Irmin Roberts	....	process photography (1 episode, 1964)

Series Stunts
Bob Miles	....	stunts / stunt double: Michael Landon / ... (95 episodes, 1959-1969)
Bill Clark	....	stunts / stunt double: Dan Blocker / ... (62 episodes, 1959-1969)
Hal Burton	....	stunts / stunt double / ... (16 episodes, 1966-1969)
Henry Wills	....	stunt double: Pernell Roberts / stunts / ... (14 episodes, 1961-1972)
Alex Sharp	....	stunts / stunt double: George Kennedy / ... (13 episodes, 1961-1968)
Troy Melton	....	stunts / stunt double: 'James Beck (IV / ... (9 episodes, 1959-1969)
Bobby Somers	....	stunts (8 episodes, 1972-1973)
Diamond Farnsworth	....	stunts (7 episodes, 1972-1973)
Robert F. Hoy	....	stunts (6 episodes, 1961-1965)
Fred Carson	....	stunts / stunt double: Michael Ross (3 episodes, 1961-1967)
Clint Sharp	....	stunts / stunt double (3 episodes, 1963-1967)
Jack N. Young	....	stunts (2 episodes, 1959)
Buddy Van Horn	....	stunt double: 'Carl Reindel' (qv / stunt double: Guy Williams (2 episodes, 1962-1964)
Carol Daniels	....	stunts (2 episodes, 1962)
Jerry Summers	....	stunts (2 episodes, 1965-1969)
Jesse Wayne	....	stunts (2 episodes, 1967-1968)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Richard Debolt	....	camera & mechanical design (415 episodes, 1959-1973)
Earl C. Williman	....	lamp operator (33 episodes, 1965-1966)
James V. King	....	camera operator (13 episodes, 1959)
Farciot Edouart	....	process photographer (8 episodes, 1960-1964)

Series Casting Department
William Maybery	....	casting supervisor (228 episodes, 1959-1968)
Milt Hamerman	....	casting supervisor (23 episodes, 1968-1970)
Frank Kennedy	....	extras casting: locations (4 episodes, 1972)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Dario Piazza	....	costumer (57 episodes, 1966-1970)

Series Editorial Department
Edward P. Ancona Jr.	....	color consultant (226 episodes, 1960-1970)
Bill Wistrom	....	post-production coordinator (161 episodes, 1967-1973)
Alex Quiroga	....	color consultant (31 episodes, 1959-1960)
Marvin Coil	....	supervising editor (23 episodes, 1968-1970)

Series Music Department
Ray Evans	....	composer: theme music (257 episodes, 1959-1970)
Jay Livingston	....	composer: theme music (255 episodes, 1959-1970)
William Lava	....	music supervisor / composer: theme music (67 episodes, 1960-1965)
Bob Bain	....	musician: guitar (32 episodes, 1959-1960)
Tommy Tedesco	....	musician: guitar soloist (32 episodes, 1959-1960)

Series Transportation Department
Frank Khoury	....	driver (1 episode, 1971)

Series Other crew
Frank Cleaver	....	story consultant (134 episodes, 1961-1965)
Robert Stillman	....	production executive (94 episodes, 1962-1965)
May Wale Brown	....	script supervisor (83 episodes, 1964-1970)
John Hawkins	....	story consultant / executive story consultant (41 episodes, 1967-1969)
John S. Peters	....	technical advisor (32 episodes, 1959-1960)
James W. Lane	....	production executive (27 episodes, 1960-1961)
Richard P. McDonagh	....	story consultant (25 episodes, 1962-1963)
Thomas Thompson	....	executive consultant / story editor (17 episodes, 1960-1967)
Ward Hawkins	....	story editor (14 episodes, 1968-1971)
Patricia Falken Smith	....	story editor (13 episodes, 1959-1960)
Leonard Heideman	....	story consultant (12 episodes, 1960)
Edward W. Walsh	....	story editor (8 episodes, 1960-1961)
Brian McKay	....	story editor (6 episodes, 1969)
Anthony Wilson	....	story consultant (2 episodes, 1963)

Production Companies

• National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Distributors

• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1959-1973) (USA) (TV)
• Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (ARD) (1962-1965) (West Germany) (TV)
• Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) (1967-1977) (West Germany) (TV)
• Sat.1 (1989-1990) (West Germany) (TV)
• Sat.1 (1990-1994) (Germany) (TV)
• Kabel 1 (1997) (Germany) (TV)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (all media) (31 episodes)
• Al!ve AG (2005-) (Germany) (DVD)
• Future Film (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• Liberty Channel / LBN / WTLU (2006) (USA) (TV)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Belgische Radio en Televisie (BRT) (19??) (Belgium) (TV)
• Katholieke Radio Omroep (KRO) (19??) (Netherlands) (TV)
• Madacy Entertainment (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Madacy Entertainment (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Weton Wesgram (200?) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Chevrolet Motor Company-GMC Division  original sponsor
• Paramount Studios  filmed at
• Warner Bros. Studios  Filmed at

Also Known As:

Ponderosa (USA) (rerun title)

Runtime:

50 min (430 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-11 (DVD) (2006) | Australia:PG (some episodes) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G (some episodes)

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Trivia:

Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker and Michael Landon sang a lyric version of this famous instrumental theme for the pilot, but it never aired.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In every episode each character who wore a gun had a pistol belt with no loops for bullets, which meant that when the Cartwrights went out chasing bad guys they each had only six shots apiece, necessitating frequent returns to the Ponderosa to re-load.

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!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Dancing with the Stars: (#8.4)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Bonanza

great western

This series is great for many things. The Cartwrights are righteous, hard working and well respected. They work from early in the morning until they sit down for dinner, eating meat and potatoes. Dan Blocker was Texas heaviest baby when he was born, and Little Joe (Michael Landon) always comments on how much he eats for dinner. Pernell Roberts is very cool as Adam, and Lorne Greene, playing Ben Cartwright depicts a very noble and respectable man. Under the scorching sun they meet problems like racism, indians and every other problem you could expect those days. Great entertainment. A TV-series like this will never be made again.