Bonanza

This article is about the television program. For other uses, see Bonanza (disambiguation).

Bonanza
Also known as	Ponderosa
Genre	Western
Created by	David Dortort Comic book: John Broome Gil Kane
Starring	Lorne Greene Michael Landon Pernell Roberts Dan Blocker Victor Sen Yung Guy Williams David Canary Mitch Vogel Ray Teal Bing Russell Tim Matheson
Theme music composer	Ray Evans Jay Livingston
Opening theme	"Bonanza"
Composer(s)	David Rose Walter Scharf Harry Sukman Fred Steiner (12.21) William Lava
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	14
No. of episodes	430 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	David Dortort Mark Roberts
Producer(s)	Fred Hamilton
Running time	49 minutes
Production company(s)	NBC
Distributor	CBS Television Distribution
Broadcast
Original channel	NBC
Picture format	NTSC
Audio format	Mono
Original run	September 12, 1959 (1959-09-12) – January 16, 1973 (1973-01-16)

Bonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series (behind Gunsmoke) and still continues to air in syndication, The show centers on the Cartwright family, which lived in the area around Lake Tahoe, Nevada. The show stars Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker, Michael Landon, and David Canary. The show's title "Bonanza" is a term used by miners in regards to a large vein or deposit of ore, and commonly refers to The Comstock Lode. In 2002, Bonanza was ranked #43 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.

Premise

The show chronicles the weekly adventures of the Cartwright family, headed by the thrice-widowed patriarch Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene). He had three sons, each by a different wife: the eldest was the urbane architect Adam Cartwright (Pernell Roberts) who built the ranch house; the second was the warm and lovable giant Eric, "Hoss" (Dan Blocker); and the youngest was the hotheaded and impetuous Joseph or "Little Joe" (Michael Landon). Via exposition ("Rose For Lotta", Bonanza, episode #1, 9/12/59) and flashback episodes, each wife was accorded a different ethnicity: English, Swedish and French Creole respectively. The family's cook was the Chinese immigrant Hop Sing (Victor Sen Yung). Greene, Roberts, Blocker, and Landon were billed equally. The opening credits would alternate the order among the four stars.

The family lived on a 600,000+ acre ranch (over one thousand-square-miles) called the Ponderosa on the northern shore of Lake Tahoe in Nevada. The vast size of the Cartwrights' land was quietly revised to "half a million acres" on Lorne Greene's 1964 song, "Saga of the Ponderosa." The ranch name refers to the Ponderosa Pine, common in the West. The nearest town to the Ponderosa was Virginia City, where the Cartwrights would go to converse with Sheriff Roy Coffee (played by veteran actor Ray Teal), or his deputy Clem Foster (Bing Russell).

Bonanza was considered an atypical western for its time, as the core of the storylines dealt less about the range but more with Ben and his three dissimilar sons, how they cared for one another, their neighbors, and just causes. "You always saw stories about family on comedies or on an anthology, but Bonanza was the first series that was week-to-week about a family and the troubles it went through. Another thing about Bonanza that is interesting is that it is a period drama, but it attempted to confront contemporary social issues. That was very difficult to do on television. Most shows that tried to do it failed because the sponsors didn't like it, and the networks were nervous about getting letters," explains Stephen Battaglio, a senior editor for TV Guide magazine (Paulette Cohn, "Bonanza: TV Trailblazer", American Profile Magazine, p. 12, June 5, 2009).

Episodes ranged from high drama ("Bushwached", 1971; "Shanklin", 1972) to broad comedy ("Hoss and the Leprechauns", 1964; "Caution, Bunny Crossing", 1969) and addressed such meaty issues as the environment ("Different Pines, Same Wind", 1968), substance abuse ("The Hidden Enemy", 1972), domestic violence ("First Love", 1972), anti-war sentiment ("The Weary Willies", 1970), out-of-wedlock births ("Love Child", 1970; "Rock-A-Bye Hoss", 1971), and bigotry against- Asians ("The Fear Merchants", 1960; "The Lonely Man", 1969), blacks ("Enter Thomas Bowers", 1964; "The Wish", 1968; "Child", 1969), Native Americans ("To Kill A Buffalo", 1966; "The Survivors", 1968), the handicapped ("Tommy", 1966) and "little people" ("It's A Small World", 1968).

Originally, the Cartwrights tended to be depicted as put-off by outsiders. Lorne Greene, however, objected to this, pointing out that as the area's largest timber and livestock producer, the family should be less clannish. The producers agreed with this observation and changed the Cartwrights to be more amiable.

The cast

Though not familiar stars in 1959, the cast quickly became favorites of the first television generation.

Lorne Greene – Ben Cartwright

Lorne Greene as Ben Cartwright

Canadian-born Lorne Greene starred as family patriarch Ben Cartwright. Early in the show's history, Ben Cartwright recalls each of his late wives in flashback episodes. A standard practice with most westerns was to introduce some romance but avoid matrimony. Few media cowboys (save Roy Rogers and Fess Parker's Daniel Boone) had on-screen wives. Any time one of the Cartwrights seriously courted a woman, she died from a malady, was slain, or left with someone else.

Pernell Roberts - Adam Cartwright

Pernell Roberts as Adam Cartwright

Georgia-born Pernell Roberts played eldest son Adam, an architectural engineer with a university education. Adam built the impressive ranch house ("The Philip Diedesheimer Story", Oct. 31, 1959; "Bonanza: The Return", NBC TV, 1993). Roberts disdained the assembly-line mindset of serial television, and fought with series writers regarding Adam's lack of independence. Despite the show’s success, Roberts departed the series following the 1964-65 season (after 202 episodes) to return to theater.

Dan Blocker – Eric "Hoss" Cartwright

Dan Blocker as 'Hoss' Cartwright

Dan Blocker was six foot four and over three hundred pounds when chosen to play the gentle middle son Eric, also known as Hoss. The nickname was used as a nod to the character's ample girth, an endearing term for "big and friendly", used by his Swedish mother (& uncle, Gunnar), or a rib to his humiliating, failed attempt to break a horse ("Ponderosa", episode #1, PAX TV 2001). In the Bonanza flashback (Bonanza, "Journey Remembered"; episode #142, NBC-TV, 1964), his mother Inger names him Eric after her father. To satisfy young Adam, Inger and Ben agree to try the nickname Hoss and "see which one sticks". " Inger says of "hoss", "In the mountain country, that is the name for a big, friendly man."

In May 1972, Blocker died suddenly from a post-operative pulmonary embolism following surgery to remove a diseased gall bladder. The producers felt nobody else could continue the role. It was the first time a TV show's producers chose to kill off a major male character (though it was done twice previously with female leads- in 1956 on "Make Room For Daddy", and again in 1963 with "The Real McCoys"). It was not until the movie, "Bonanza: The Next Generation" (Syndicated, 1988), was it explained Hoss had drowned attempting to save another's life.

Michael Landon – Joseph "Little Joe" Cartwright

Michael Landon as 'Little Joe' Cartwright; this shot was taken before the cast's clothing was standardized for continuity purposes and Landon is seen in the outfit worn in later seasons by Pernell Roberts

Michael Landon began to develop his skills in writing and directing Bonanza episodes, starting with "The Gamble." Several of the shows Landon wrote and directed are among the most powerful emotionally,^{[citation needed]} including "The Wish", "He Was Only Seven", and "Forever". According to David Dortort, Landon grew difficult during the last five seasons the show ran. Landon appeared in all but fourteen Bonanza episodes for its run, a total of 416 episodes.

In the episodes "First Born" (1962) and "Marie, My Love" (1963), viewers learn of Little Joe's older half-brother Clay Stafford, born to his French Creole mother Marie. Marie's first husband was "Big Joe" Collins who died saving Ben's life. After Ben married Marie, they chose to honor him by calling their son "Little Joe". Whether to Stafford or Collins, Marie Cartwight was previously married.

David Canary – "Candy" Canaday

In 1967, David Canary joined the cast as "Candy" Canaday, a plucky Army brat turned cowboy ("Sense of Duty", episode 271, September 24, 1967), who became the Cartwrights' confidant, ranch foreman, and timber vessel captain. Dortort was impressed by Canary's talent, but the character vanished in 1970 after Canary a contract dispute. He would return after co-star Dan Blocker's death, reportedly having been approached by Landon.

Victor Sen Yung - Hop Sing

Chinese-American actor Victor Sen Yung played the Cartwrights' happy-go-lucky cook, whose blood pressure rose when the family came late for dinner. Cast here as the faithful domestic, the comedy relief character had little to do beyond chores. Though often referenced, he only appeared in an average of seven to eight shows each season. As a semi-regular, the actor was only paid per episode. After 14 years he was widely known, but financially struggling. The character was central in only two episodes: "Mark Of Guilt" (#316) and "The Lonely Man" (#404).

Mitch Vogel – Jamie Hunter/Cartwright

Absent Canary in mid 1970, the writers sought a fresh outlet for Ben's fatherly advice, and so a teen boy was introduced. Fourteen-year-old Mitch Vogel joined the series as Jamie Hunter, the orphan son of a roving rainmaker, in the 363rd episode, "A Matter of Faith" (aired September 20, 1970). Ben adopted Jamie in a 1971 episode.

Episodes

Further information: List of Bonanza episodes

Broadcasting History

• September 12, 1959—June 3, 1961: Saturday at 7:30 pm on NBC
• September 24, 1961—April 2, 1972: Sunday at 9:00 pm on NBC
• September 12, 1972—January 16, 1973: Tuesday at 8:00 pm on NBC

Ratings

• October 1959-April 1960: Not in the Top 30
• October 1960-April 1961: #17/24.8
• October 1961-April 1962: #2/30.0
• October 1962-April 1963: #4/29.8 (tied with The Lucy Show)
• October 1963-April 1964: #2/36.9
• October 1964-April 1965: #1/36.3
• October 1965-April 1966: #1/31.8
• October 1966-April 1967: #1/29.1
• October 1967-April 1968: #4/25.5 (tied with Gunsmoke and Family Affair)
• October 1968-April 1969: #3/26.6
• October 1969-April 1970: #3/24.8
• October 1970-April 1971: #9/23.9
• October 1971-April 1972: #20/21.9
• October 1972-April 1973: Not in the Top 30

Initially, the series aired on Saturday evenings opposite Perry Mason. The Saturday night ratings were dismal and Bonanza was soon targeted for cancellation. It was kept on the air as it was one of the first series to be filmed and broadcast in color, including scenes of picturesque Lake Tahoe Nevada. NBC's corporate parent RCA, used the show to spur sales of RCA-manufactured color television sets (RCA was also the primary sponsor of the series during its first two seasons). Given one last chance, it was moved to Sundays at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, for new sponsor Chevrolet (replacing The Dinah Shore Chevy Show). The new time slot caused the series to soar, and it eventually reached number one by 1964, an honor it would keep until 1967. By 1970, it had become the first series ever to wind up in the Top Five for nine consecutive seasons (a record that would stand for decades) and thus established itself as the single biggest hit television series of the 1960s. It remained high on the Nielsen ratings until 1971, when it finally fell out of the top ten.

Social issues addressed

Bonanza is uniquely known for having addressed racism, not typically covered on American television during the time period, from a liberal, humanistic point-of-view.

Bigotry, and specifically anti-semitism, was the subject of the episode "Look to the Stars" (Season 3, Episode 26; original air date 18/3/62). A bigoted school teacher (oblivious to his prejudice) routinely expels minority students. When he expels the brilliant Jewish student Albert Michaelson, a scientific genius whose experiments on the streets of Virginia City often cause commotion, Ben Cartwright steps in and confronts Norton on his bigotry. Ashamed, the school teacher vows to reform. A coda to the episode reveals that Michaelson went on to win the Nobel Prize for Physics.

In the episode "Enter Thomas Bowers" (Season 5, Episode 30; original air date 26/4/64), the Cartwright family helps the opera singer Bowers, an African American freeman, after he encounters prejudice while in Virginia City to perform. Bowers winds up arrested as a fugitive slave. At the beginning of the episode, Adam is shown to be outraged at the Supreme Court's Dredd 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.

In the The Wish episode, directed by Michael Landon, Hoss protects an African American former slave's family when confronted with racism after the American Civil War. In The Fear Merchants episode, discrimination against Chinese immigrants who attempt to assimilate in American society is addressed.

Production

Costumes

From the third season on, the Cartwrights and nearly every other recurring character on the show wore the same clothing in almost every episode. The reason for this is twofold: it made duplication of wardrobe easier for stunt doubles (Hal Burton, Bob Miles, Bill Clark, Lyle Heisler) and it cut the cost of refilming action shots (such as riding clips in-between scenes), as previously shot stock footage could be reused. Below is a survey of costumes employed:

• Ben Cartwright: Sandy shirt, tawny leather vest, gray pants, cream-colored hat, occasional green scarf.
• Adam Cartwright: Black Shirt, black or midnight blue pants, black hat. Elegant city wear. Cream-colored trail coat.
• Hoss Cartwright: White shirt, brown suede vest, brown pants, large beige flat-brimmed, ten-gallon hat.
• Little Joe Cartwright: Beige, light gray shirt, kelly-green corduroy jacket, tan pants, beige hat. Black leather gloves from 10th season on. In season 14, he wore occasional blue-jean slacks, as the footage of him and the late Dan Blocker together (or of him, Blocker, and Greene) could no longer be reused.
• Candy Canaday: Crimson shirt, black pants, black leather vest, black hat, green/grey scarf.

Hair styles

In 1968, Blocker began wearing a toupee on the series, as he was approaching 40 and losing hair. He joined the ranks of his fellow co-stars Roberts and Greene, both of whom began the series with hairpieces (Greene wore his modest frontal piece in private life too, whereas Roberts preferred not wearing his, even to rehearsals/blocking). Landon was the only original cast member who was wig-free throughout the series, as even Sen Yung wore an attached queue.

Theme song

Bonanza also featured a memorable theme song by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans that was orchestrated by David Rose and arranged by Billy May for the television series.

The Bonanza theme, emulating galloping horses, is one of the best known pieces of made-for-television music, and variations of it were used for twelve seasons of the series. Three of the cast members sang the original lyrics, sans music, on the pilot (Pernell Roberts, the sole professional singer of the quartet, abstained and untethered the horse reins). Before the pilot aired (on September 12, 1959), the song sequence was edited out of the scene and the Cartwrights headed back to the Ponderosa whooping. Five years later, a rendition more reflective of the show was introduced in Lorne Greene's song, "Bonanza", (Bear Box set, 1964). In 1968, a new percussion-heavy arrangement of the original theme music was introduced; the new version was used until 1970. A new theme song, called "The Big Bonanza" was written in 1970 by episode scorer David Rose, and was used from 1970–1972. A faster rendition of the original theme returned for the 14th and final season.

The theme song has been recorded by numerous artists in a diverse variety of styles. The first recorded and released version was an instrumental by Marty Gold, on his 1960 album Swingin' West. This was followed by the February, 1960 single by Buddy Morrow and his Orchestra, which included vocals. Morrow's version also appeared on his 1960 album Double Impact which featured several other then-recent television themes. In December, 1960, another vocal version was issued only in the United Kingdom by Johnny Gregory and his Orchestra and Chorus released on the Fontana label. All aforementioned vocal versions, including the television pilot, used lyrics written by Livingston and Evans contained in the first published sheet music for the song, though not all the lyrics were sung. A Bonanza soundtrack album released in late 1961 included a version by David Rose; Rose also had a 1960 single and included the theme on his 1961 album Exodus in a different mix. The biggest hit version is a guitar instrumental by Al Caiola, which reached number 19 on Billboard in 1961. Other versions were released by Billy Vaughn, Valjean, Lorne Green, and Nelson Riddle.

Country singer Johnny Cash was first to record a full length vocal version of the theme song. He and Johnny Western discarded the original Livingston and Evans lyrics, and wrote new ones. The song first saw release by September, 1962 as a single. Sometime after June, 1963, it was released as a track on his sixteenth album: Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash. This version was later covered by Faron Young for his 1963 album Aims at the West. Singer Ralf Paulsen recorded a German-language version of the song in 1963, released in mid-June, 1963 on Capitol Records in the United States. His German version (lyrics attributed to "Nicolas") was sung in the same style and mood in which Cash had recorded it, and was fairly close in translation.

Bad Manners did a ska version of the song, as did the Hurtin' Buckaroos. Michael Richards, as Stanley Spadowski, sang a bit of the theme song while being held hostage by Channel 8's news goons in UHF (he did not know the words to the song he was originally supposed to sing, "Helter Skelter"). Michael Feinstein was the last to record the song in 2002 on his Songs of Evans and Livingston tribute CD. The Little House on the Prairie theme (also by Rose), was heard first in a 1971 episode of Bonanza. The overture for The High Chaparral composed by Harry Sukman can be heard briefly at the start of the 1966 episode "Four Sisters from Boston".

Set

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. During the first season extra horses were rented from the Idyllwild Stables in Idyllwild, also in the San Jacinto Mountains. The first Virginia City set was used on the show until 1970 and was located on a backlot at Paramount and featured in episodes of Have Gun – Will Travel, Mannix, and The Brady Bunch. In the 1970 premiere episode of the twelfth season entitled "The Night Virginia City Died," Deputy Clem Foster's pyromaniac fiancée levels the town in a series of fires. (Chosen, in part, as a real 1875 fire destroyed three-quarters of Virginia City.) This allowed for a switch to the less expensive Warner studios from September 1970 through January 1973. The script was initially written for the departing David Canary's Candy. It is rare, in that both actors Ray Teal (Sheriff Roy Coffee) and Bing Russell (Deputy Clem Foster) appear together.

The program's Nevada set, the Ponderosa Ranch house, was recreated in Incline Village, Nevada, in 1967, and remained a tourist attraction until its sale in September 2004.

Merchandising Bonanza

Bonanza has had a highly profitable merchandising history. Currently, Bonanza Ventures, Inc. grants merchandising and licensing rights worldwide. The original series has spawned: several successful novelty western/folk albums from 1962–1965; three dozen Dell and Gold Key comic books from 1962 through 1970; Jim Beam Whiskey Ponderosa Ranch decanters 1964-1966; a series of "Big-Little" books from 1966–1969; Revel Bonanza model character sets from 1966–1968; a chain of Bonanza and Ponderosa steakhouses from 1963–present; the Lake Tahoe-based "Ponderosa" theme park from 1967–2004; a line of American Character action figures in 1966-1967; Aladdin lunch buckets and thermos bottles in 1966-1968; View Master slide sets from 1965–1973; Ponderosa tin cups from 1967–2004; a series of Hamilton collector plates in 1989–1990; and most recently, Breyer Fiftieth Anniversary Ponderosa Stable sets, with horses and Cartwright figures in 2009-2011. Six Bonanza novels have been published: Bonanza: One Man With Courage by Thomas Thompson (1966); The Ponderosa Spirit by Stephen Calder (1988); The Ponderosa Empire by Stephen Calder (1991); Bonanza: High Steel Hazard by Stephen Calder (1993); Bonanza: Felling of the Sons by Monette B. Reinhold (2005), and Bonanza: Mystic Fire by Monette B. Reinhard (2009). Bonanza Gold (2003–2009), a quarterly magazine, featured detailed information about the show, including interviews with guest actors and other production personnel, articles about historical events and people depicted in the series, fan club information, and fan fiction. The first two seasons are available on DVD, as well as several non-successive public-domain episodes (sans original theme music). The prequel series, The Ponderosa (see above), is also available on DVD.

Cancellation and later interest

In the fall of 1972, Bonanza was moved to Tuesday nights opposite the All In The Family spinoff, Maude. The scheduling change, as well as Dan Blocker's death several months earlier, resulted in plunging ratings for the show. David Canary returned to his former role of Candy (to offset Hoss's absence), and a new character named Griff King (played by Tim Matheson) was added to lure younger viewers. Griff, in prison for nearly killing his abusive stepfather, was paroled into Ben's custody and got 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's abrupt cancellation in November 1972 (with last episode airing January 16, 1973). Many fans felt that the Hoss character was essential, as he was a nurturing, empathetic soul who rounded out the all-male cast.

For 14 years, the Cartwrights were the premier western family on American television and have been immensely popular on cable networks such as TV Land, ION (formerly PAX), Family Channel, and the Hallmark Channel. The series currently airs on Me-TV, TV Land and My Family TV.

Television movies

Bonanza was brought back for three made-for-television movies featuring the Cartwrights' offspring: Bonanza: The Next Generation (1988), Bonanza: The Return (1993), and Bonanza: Under Attack (1995). Michael Landon, Jr., played Little Joe's son Benji while Gillian Greene, Lorne's daughter, played a love interest. In the second movie, airing on NBC, a one-hour retrospective was done to introduce the drama. It was hosted by both Michael Landon, Jr., and Dirk Blocker. According to TV Guide, NBC told Blocker he was too old to play the Hoss scion, but was given the role of an unrelated newspaper reporter. Clips of his appearance were heavily used in advertisements promoting the "second generation" theme, perhaps misleading audiences to believe that he was playing Hoss's heir. Hoss's son Josh was born out of wedlock, as it is explained that Hoss drowned without knowing his fiancėe was pregnant. Such a storyline might have been problematic in the original series. (The Big Valley, however, had a major character in Heath, who was presented as illegitimate. The Gunsmoke movies of the early 1990s employed a similar theme when Matt Dillon learned he had sired Michael Learned's daughter in a short-lived romance. The initial story was first introduced in 1973, when depiction of fornication courted protests, so CBS insisted their hero Matt have the encounter when he had amnesia.)

Prequel

In 2001, there was an attempt to revive the series' concept with a prequel, Ponderosa, with a pilot directed by Simon Wincer and filmed in Australia. Covering the time when the Cartwrights first arrived at the Ponderosa, when Adam was a teenager 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's decision to hire Beth Sullivan, a producer from 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 as a family counselor and herbal healer.

Home video and DVD releases

The last few episodes of Season One and the first episodes of Season Two have fallen into the public domain. These episodes have been released by many different companies in different configurations and usually with substandard picture and sound quality, and by legal necessity with the copyright protected Evans-Livingston theme song replaced with generic western music.

In 1973, NBC sold the rights to the series, along with the rest of its pre-1973 library, to National Telefilm Associates, which changed its name to Republic Pictures in 1986. Republic would become part of the Spelling Entertainment organization in 1994 through Worldvision Enterprises. Select episodes ("The Best of Bonanza") were officially released in North America in 2003 on DVD through then-Republic video licensee Artisan Entertainment (which was later purchased by Lionsgate Home Entertainment). Republic (through CBS Television Distribution, which holds the television side of Republic's holdings) still retains the syndication distribution rights to the series. Incidentally, the TV Land repeats still end with the 1995 logos of both Republic and Paramount Domestic Television, while the Me-TV repeats vary between ending with the logos for Republic, Worldvision or CBS Television Distribution. A few 1959-60 episodes even aired on Me-TV with the original "NBC Color Presentation" logo coming before the CBS Television Distribution logo. CBS Home Entertainment (under Paramount Home Video) is the official home video rights distributor at present.

CBS Home Entertainment announced on June 1, 2009 that the first season of Bonanza would be released to DVD in North America on September 15 of the same year. The first season was issued in two, half-season volumes available separately or bundled together. This is the first pre-1973 NBC show (part of the NTA package) to be distributed on DVD by CBS and Paramount, as the first such show to get any sort of release. The first 8 seasons have been released in Germany on DVD with English audio and German audio. Episodes of the series have also been released officially on DVD in France and the United Kingdom. The Official 2nd season, Volume 1 was released in North America on December 7, 2010. Season 2, volume 2 was released in North America on October 11, 2011.

Bonanza "the official first season" was released in Scandinavia during 2010. The first season will be released in 4 volumes. The first two volumes was released on October 20, 2010, and the last two volumes on April 27, 2011. More seasons are scheduled to be released during 2012 and 2013.

DVD name	Ep #	Release date
The Official 1st Season, Vol. 1	16	September 15, 2009
The Official 1st Season, Vol. 2	16	September 15, 2009
The Official 2nd Season, Vol. 1	15	December 7, 2010
The Official 2nd Season, Vol. 2	16	October 11, 2011

Legacy

• The film Twin Town alludes to, or even parodies Bonanza. Some of the central characters are members of a Cartwright family, and live in home called Ponderosa.

See also

• Ponderosa Ranch
• 1959 in television

Bibliography

• Bonanza: A Viewers Guide to the TV Legend by David Greenland. 167 pages. Publisher: Crosslines Inc (June 1997). ISBN 978-0964033825.
• A Reference Guide to Television's Bonanza: Episodes, Personnel, and Broadcast History by Bruce R. Leiby and Linda F. Leiby. 384 pages. Publisher: McFarland (March 1, 2005). ISBN 978-0786422685.
• Bonanza: The Definitive Ponderosa Companion by Melany Shapiro. 176 pages. Publisher: Cyclone Books; illustrated edition edition (September 1997). ISBN 978-1890723187.

External links

• Bonanza at the Internet Movie Database
• Bonanza on TVGuide.com
• Bonanza on TVLand.com
• Bonanza at the Encyclopedia of Television
• Bonanza at Fiftiesweb.com
• Bonanza at EpisodeWorld.com
• Bonanza: Scenery of The Ponderosa
• Bonanza Episode Guide' at TV Gems
• Season 1 DVD review and production history