Bonanza season 12
| Bonanza | |
|---|---|
| Season 12 | |
 Cast of Bonanza in 1959 | |
| Starring | |
| No. of episodes | 28 |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | September 13, 1970 – April 11, 1971 |
| Season chronology | |
The twelfth season of the American Western television series Bonanza premiered on NBC on September 13, 1970, with the final episode airing April 11, 1971.[1] The series was developed and produced by David Dortort. Season twelve starred Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon. The season consisted of 28 episodes of a series total 431 hour-long episodes, the entirety of which was produced in color.[2] Season twelve was aired on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. It finished the season at #9 in the Nielsen ratings, behind #5 Gunsmoke.[3]
Synopsis
Bonanza is set around the Ponderosa Ranch near Virginia City, Nevada and chronicles the weekly adventures of the Cartwright family, consisting of Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene) and his three sons (each by a different wife), Adam (Pernell Roberts), Eric "Hoss" (Dan Blocker), and Joseph (Michael Landon). Veteran actor Victor Sen Yung played the ranch cook, Hop Sing. In 1964, Pernell Roberts began expressing a desire to leave the series, and so prospective replacements were introduced via Barry Coe as Little Joe's wayward maternal half-brother Clay, and Guy Williams as Ben's nephew Will Cartwright. However, Roberts was persuaded to complete his contract, and remained through season six. The characters of Clay and Will were discontinued. 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.
Cast and characters
Main cast
- Lorne Greene as Ben Cartwright
- Dan Blocker as Eric "Hoss" Cartwright
- Michael Landon as Joseph "Little Joe" Cartwright
- Mitch Vogel as Jamie Hunter Cartwright
Recurring
- Victor Sen Yung as Hop Sing
- Ray Teal as Sheriff Roy Coffee
- Bing Russell as Deputy Clem Foster
- Lou Frizzell as Dusty Rhodes
Guest cast
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 362 | 1 | "The Night Virginia City Died" | William Wiard | John Hawkins | September 13, 1970 |
| 363 | 2 | "A Matter of Faith" | William Wiard | Jack B. Sowards, John Hawkins | September 20, 1970 |
| 364 | 3 | "The Weary Willies" | Leo Penn | Robert Pirosh | September 27, 1970 |
| 365 | 4 | "The Wagon" | James Neilson | Ken Pettus | October 4, 1970 |
| 366 | 5 | "The Power of Life and Death" | Leo Penn | Joel Murcott | October 11, 1970 |
| 367 | 6 | "Gideon, the Good" | Herschel Daugherty | Ken Pettus | October 18, 1970 |
| 368 | 7 | "The Trouble with Trouble" | Herschel Daugherty | Jack B. Sowards | October 25, 1970 |
| 369 | 8 | "Thornton's Account" | William F. Claxton | Preston Wood | November 1, 1970 |
| 370 | 9 | "The Love Child" | Michael Landon | Michael Landon | November 8, 1970 |
| 371 | 10 | "El Jefe" | William F. Claxton | Ken Pettus | November 15, 1970 |
| 372 | 11 | "The Luck of Pepper Shannon" | Nicholas Webster | John Hawkins | November 22, 1970 |
| 373 | 12 | "The Impostors" | Lewis Allen | Robert Vincent Wright | December 13, 1970 |
| 374 | 13 | "Honest John" | Lewis Allen | Arthur Heinemann | December 20, 1970 |
| 375 | 14 | "For a Young Lady" | Don Richardson | B. W. Sandefur | December 27, 1970 |
| 376 | 15 | "A Single Pilgrim" | William Wiard | Arthur Weingarten, Suzanne Clauser | January 3, 1971 |
| 377 | 16 | "The Gold-Plated Rifle" | Joseph Pevney | Preston Wood | January 10, 1971 |
| 378 | 17 | "Top Hand" | William F. Claxton | Arthur Heinemann, John Hawkins | January 17, 1971 |
| 379 | 18 | "A Deck of Aces" | Lewis Allen | Stanley Roberts | January 31, 1971 |
| 380 | 19 | "The Desperado" | Philip Leacock | George Lovell Hayes | February 7, 1971 |
| 381 | 20 | "The Reluctant American" | Philip Leacock | Stanley Roberts | February 14, 1971 |
| 382 | 21 | "Shadow of a Hero" | Leo Penn | John Hawkins, Mel Goldberg | February 21, 1971 |
| 383 | 22 | "The Silent Killer" | Leo Penn | John Hawkins | February 28, 1971 |
| 384 | 23 | "Terror at 2:00" | Michael Landon | Michael Landon | March 7, 1971 |
| 385 | 24 | "The Stillness Within" | Michael Landon | Suzanne Clauser | March 14, 1971 |
| 386 | 25 | "A Time to Die" | Philip Leacock | Don Ingalls | March 21, 1971 |
| 387 | 26 | "Winter Kill" | William Wiard | Story by : Jack Rummler Teleplay by : John Hawkins and Robert Pirosh | March 28, 1971 |
| 388 | 27 | "Kingdom of Fear" | Joseph Pevney | Michael Landon | April 4, 1971 |
| 389 | 28 | "An Earthquake Called Callahan" | Herschel Daugherty | Preston Wood | April 11, 1971 |
Release
Season twelve aired on Sundays from 9:00 pm–10:00 pm on NBC.[4]
Reception
Season twelve finished the season at #9 in the Nielsen ratings, behind #5 Gunsmoke.[3]
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year[a] | Category | Nominee(s) / Work | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | 1971 | Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition—For a Series or a Single Program of a Series (First Year of Music's Use Only) | David Rose (for "The Love Child") | Won | [5] |
| Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for Entertainment Programming—For a Series or a Single Program of a Series | Ted Voigtlander (for "The Love Child") | Nominated | [5] |
- ^ Indicates the year of ceremony.
References
Footnotes
- ^ Shapiro 1997, pp. 147, 150.
- ^ Shapiro 1997, pp. 5, 65–157.
- ^ a b "TV Ratings: 1970–1971". ClassicTVGuide.com. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ^ Brooks & Marsh 2007, p. 164.
- ^ a b "Television Academy Emmy Awards & Nominations—Bonanza". emmys.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
Bibliography
- Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
- Greenland, David R. (2010). Bonanza: A Viewer's Guide to the TV Legend. BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1-62933-722-7.
- Greenland, David R. (2015). Michael Landon: The Career and Artistry of a Television Genius. BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1-59393-785-0.
- Leiby, Bruce R.; Leiby, Linda F. (2015). A Reference Guide to Television's Bonanza: Episodes, Personnel, and Broadcast History. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 9781476600758.
- McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
- Shapiro, Melany (1997). Bonanza: The Definitive Ponderosa Companion. Cyclone Books. ISBN 978-1-890723-18-7.