Bonanza season 1

Last updated
Bonanza season 1
Bonanza main cast 1959.JPG
Cast of Bonanza in 1959
Starring
No. of episodes32
Release
Original network NBC
Original releaseSeptember 12, 1959 (1959-09-12) –
April 30, 1960 (1960-04-30)
Season chronology
Next →
Bonanza season 2
List of episodes

The first season of the American Western television series Bonanza premiered on NBC on September 12, 1959, with the final episode airing April 30, 1960. [1] The series was developed and produced by David Dortort, and season one starred Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon. The season consisted of 32 episodes of the series's total 431 hour-long episodes, the entirety of which was produced in color. [2] It aired on Saturdays from 7:30 pm–8:30 pm on NBC [3] and placed at number 45 in the Nielsen ratings.

Contents

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 and his three sons (each by a different wife), Adam, Eric ("Hoss"), and Joseph ("Little Joe"). A regular character is their ranch cook, Hop Sing.

Cast and characters

Main cast

Recurring

Guest stars

Production

Development

By 1959, RCA had made progress in producing color television, but American consumers were not adopting the new technology. As the owner of NBC, they sought to produce a pioneer color program. David Dortort created the concept as an hour-long show. [4] It was the first Western to be released in color. [3]

Season one, episode 26, "The Avenger", was the pilot for an unsold spinoff. [5]

Casting

The character of Hoss was the first to be cast, then Little Joe, with Michael Landon being chosen to appeal to the teenage audience. Dortort had worked with both of the actors in The Restless Gun. [6] After seeing Lorne Greene on an episode of Wagon Train, Dortort chose him for the role of Ben Cartwright, having felt Greene had the qualities he was seeking for the family patriarch. [6] Originally, Dortort wanted Guy Williams for the role of Adam, but he was already committed to Disney's Zorro at the time, so Pernell Roberts was cast instead. [6]

NBC originally wanted guest stars, but the costs of filming the show in color cut into the budget significantly. Instead, Dortort would select a guest cast of unknowns. [7]

Writing

Dortort had input on most of the script writing. He was credited with four of the scripts in the first season. [8]

Production design

Sets were designed by Hal Pereira, Earl Hedrick, and David Dortort. Set decoration was handled by Grace Gregory. [7]

Filming

Dortort originally planned to shoot on location, but film costs related to color production also cut into the budget for filming, resulting in the compromise of filming annually in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Most of the filming was done at Paramount Studios. [7]

Other filming locations included: [9]

Music

Jay Livingston and Ray Evans wrote the original theme song. It was originally planned that the leads would sing the lyrics while riding out of Virginia City, but ultimately, the song was used instrumentally. Dortort, not liking the lyrics, agreed to use the song under the provision that it would not be used within the episodes. [7] Dortort selected composer David Rose to write the music for the show, who scored the show's music with a 35 member orchestra. [8]

Themes

The show focused more on relationships than gun fights. It also tackled social issues. [8] "The Fear Merchants" addressed bigotry against Chinese immigrants. [10] [11]

Occasionally, scripts would be based on true events, albeit loosely, as often the historical events would not have taken place in the time period of the show. [8] "The Paiute War" was based on the Paiute War that occurred in May and June 1860. "The Julia Bulette Story" was based on the murder of Julia Bulette, which occurred in 1867 in Virginia City. "The Saga of Annie O'Toole" was based on true events. "The Philip Deidesheimer Story" tells the story of Philip Deidesheimer's work developing square-set mining in the Comstock Lode's Ophir Mine in Virginia City in 1860. [12]

Episodes

Bonanza, season 1 episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"A Rose for Lotta" Edward Ludwig David Dortort September 12, 1959 (1959-09-12)
22"Death on Sun Mountain" Paul Landres Gene L. Coon and David DortortSeptember 19, 1959 (1959-09-19)
33"The Newcomers" Christian Nyby Thomas ThompsonSeptember 26, 1959 (1959-09-26)
44"The Paiute War"Paul LandresGene L. CoonOctober 3, 1959 (1959-10-03)
55"Enter Mark Twain"Paul Landres Harold Shumate October 10, 1959 (1959-10-10)
66"The Julia Bulette Story"Christian NybyAl C. WardOctober 17, 1959 (1959-10-17)
77"The Saga of Annie O'Toole" Joseph Kane Thomas ThompsonOctober 24, 1959 (1959-10-24)
88"The Philip Deidesheimer Story"Joseph KaneThomas ThompsonOctober 31, 1959 (1959-10-31)
99"Mr. Henry Comstock" John Brahm David DortortNovember 7, 1959 (1959-11-07)
1010"The Magnificent Adah"Christian Nyby Donald S. Sanford November 14, 1959 (1959-11-14)
1111"The Truckee Strip"Christian NybyHerman GrovesNovember 21, 1959 (1959-11-21)
1212"The Hanging Posse"Christian Nyby Carey Wilber November 28, 1959 (1959-11-28)
1313"Vendetta"Joseph Kane Robert E. Thompson December 5, 1959 (1959-12-05)
1414"The Sisters"Christian NybyCarey WilberDecember 12, 1959 (1959-12-12)
1515"The Last Hunt"Christian NybyDonald S. SanfordDecember 19, 1959 (1959-12-19)
1616"El Toro Grande"Christian NybyJohn Tucker BattleJanuary 2, 1960 (1960-01-02)
1717"The Outcast" Lewis Allen Thomas ThompsonJanuary 9, 1960 (1960-01-09)
1818"A House Divided"Lewis AllenAl C. WardJanuary 16, 1960 (1960-01-16)
1919"The Gunmen"Christian NybyCarey WilberJanuary 23, 1960 (1960-01-23)
2020"The Fear Merchants"Lewis AllenStory by : Frank Unger
Teleplay by : Frank Unger and Thomas Thompson		January 30, 1960 (1960-01-30)
2121"The Spanish Grant"Christian NybyStory by : Morris Lee Green
Teleplay by : Leonard Heideman and David Dortort		February 6, 1960 (1960-02-06)
2222"Blood on the Land" Felix Feist Robert E. ThompsonFebruary 13, 1960 (1960-02-13)
2323"Desert Justice"Lewis AllenDonald S. SanfordFebruary 20, 1960 (1960-02-20)
2424"The Stranger"Christian NybyStory by : Oliver Crawford
Teleplay by : Leonard Heideman		February 27, 1960 (1960-02-27)
2525"Escape to Ponderosa" Charles F. Haas Story by : Bill Barrett and Malcolm Stuart Boylan
Teleplay by : Robert E. Thompson		March 5, 1960 (1960-03-05)
2626"The Avenger"Christian Nyby Clair Huffaker March 19, 1960 (1960-03-19)
2727"The Last Trophy"Lewis Allen Bill S. Ballinger March 26, 1960 (1960-03-26)
2828"San Francisco" Arthur Lubin Thomas ThompsonApril 2, 1960 (1960-04-02)
2929"Bitter Water" George Blair Harold Jack Bloom April 9, 1960 (1960-04-09)
3030"Feet of Clay"Arthur Lubin John Furia Jr. April 16, 1960 (1960-04-16)
3131"Dark Star"Lewis AllenAnthony LawrenceApril 23, 1960 (1960-04-23)
3232"Death at Dawn" Charles Haas Laurence E. MascottApril 30, 1960 (1960-04-30)

Release

The season aired on Saturdays from 7:30 pm–8:30 pm on NBC. [3] The timeslot was deliberate. It was a time when many people were shopping in department stores, and they could see the show displayed on color televisions at period when color television sets had not yet been widely adopted. [4] However, many people watching at home were still tuning in to Perry Mason in that timeslot. [4]

Reception

The first season lost the Saturday night ratings to Perry Mason. [13] Released at a time when television was saturated with Westerns, the premier episode garnered the following review from Variety :

Another western is just what Saturday night television needs least, and that's what Bonanza appears to be -- just another western. For all its pretensions, with a large cast, name guests, color and an hour's length, proves to be little more than a patch work of stock oater ideas without a fresh twist to distinguish it... [4]

Poor ratings and high production costs led to NBC considering cancellation early in the process, leading to rumors that the show actually was cancelled; but fans wrote in and NBC realized it did have a viable audience. [4]

The first season of the series failed to break the Nielsen ranking top 30. [14]

Related Research Articles

<i>Bonanza</i> American western television series

Bonanza is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, Bonanza is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on U.S. network television, and one of the longest-running, live-action American series. The show continues to air in syndication. The show is set in the 1860s and centers on the wealthy Cartwright family, who live in the vicinity of Virginia City, Nevada, bordering Lake Tahoe. The series initially starred Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker and Michael Landon and later featured Guy Williams, David Canary, Mitch Vogel and Tim Matheson. The show is known for presenting pressing moral dilemmas.

The Ponderosa Ranch was a theme park based on the television western Bonanza, which housed the land, timber and livestock-rich Cartwright family. The amusement park operated in Incline Village, Nevada, near Lake Tahoe, from 1968 until 2004. Portions of the last five seasons of the TV series and three television films were also filmed at that location.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pernell Roberts</span> American actor (1928–2010)

Pernell Elven Roberts Jr. was an American stage, film, and television actor, activist, and singer. In addition to guest-starring in over 60 television series, he was best known for his roles as Ben Cartwright's eldest son Adam Cartwright on the Western television series Bonanza (1959–1965), and as chief surgeon Dr. John McIntyre, the title character on Trapper John, M.D. (1979–1986).

The Ponderosa is a television series developed by Bonanza creator David Dortort for PAX TV that ran for the 2001–2002 television season.

Bonanza: The Next Generation is a 1988 American Western television film and a sequel to the 1959–1973 television series Bonanza starring John Ireland, Robert Fuller, Barbara Anderson, Michael Landon Jr., Brian A. Smith and John Amos.

<i>Bonanza season 2</i> Season of television series

The second season of the American Western television series Bonanza premiered on NBC on September 10, 1960, with the final episode airing June 3, 1961. The series was developed and produced by David Dortort, and season two starred Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon. The season consisted of 34 episodes of the series's total 431 hour-long episodes, the entirety of which was produced in color. It aired on Saturdays from 7:30 pm–8:30 pm on NBC and placed at number 17 in the Nielsen ratings.

<i>Bonanza season 3</i> Season of television series

The third season of the American Western television series Bonanza premiered on NBC on September 24, 1961, with the final episode airing May 20, 1962. The series was developed and produced by David Dortort, and season three starred Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon. The season consisted of 34 episodes of a series total 431 hour-long episodes, the entirety of which was produced in color. At the start of the third season, the show was moved to Sundays at 9:00 p.m. In that time slot, the ratings soared and the series become second only to Wagon Train as the most popular program on American prime time television.

<i>Bonanza season 4</i> Season of television series

The fourth season of the American Western television series Bonanza premiered on NBC on September 23, 1962, with the final episode airing May 26, 1963. The series was developed and produced by David Dortort, and season four starred Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon. The season consisted of 34 episodes of a series total 431 hour-long episodes, the entirety of which was produced in color. Season four was aired on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. It ranked #4 in the Nielsen ratings, the highest rated Western for the 1962–1963 season.

<i>Bonanza season 5</i> Season of television series

The fifth season of the American Western television series Bonanza premiered on NBC on September 22, 1963, with the final episode airing May 24, 1964. The series was developed and produced by David Dortort, and season five starred Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon. The season consisted of 34 episodes of a series total 431 hour-long episodes, the entirety of which was produced in color. Season five was aired on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. It ranked #2 in the Nielsen ratings, the highest rated Western for the 1963-1964 season.

<i>Bonanza season 6</i> Season of television series

The sixth season of the American Western television series Bonanza premiered on NBC on September 20, 1964, with the final episode airing May 23, 1965. The series was developed and produced by David Dortort, and season six starred Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon. The season consisted of 34 episodes of a series total 431 hour-long episodes, the entirety of which was produced in color. Season six was aired on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. It moved up to capture the #1 spot in the Nielsen ratings for the 1964-1965 season, a position it would hold for three straight seasons.

<i>Bonanza season 7</i> Season of television series

The seventh season of the American Western television series Bonanza premiered on NBC on September 12, 1965, with the final episode airing May 15, 1966. The series was developed and produced by David Dortort. Season seven starred Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon. It was the first season without Pernell Roberts. The season consisted of 33 episodes of a series total 431 hour-long episodes, the entirety of which was produced in color. Season seven was aired on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. It ranked #1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1965-1966 season, the second of three straight seasons in the top spot.

<i>Bonanza season 8</i> Season of television series

The eighth season of the American Western television series Bonanza premiered on NBC on September 11, 1966, with the final episode airing May 14, 1967. The series was developed and produced by David Dortort. Season eight starred Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon. The season consisted of 34 episodes of a series total 431 hour-long episodes, the entirety of which was produced in color. Season eight was aired on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. It was the third straight season the show held the #1 position in the Nielsen ratings.

<i>Bonanza season 9</i> Season of television series

The ninth season of the American Western television series Bonanza premiered on NBC on September 17, 1967, with the final episode airing July 28, 1968. The series was developed and produced by David Dortort. Season nine starred Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon. The season consisted of 34 episodes of a series total 431 hour-long episodes, the entirety of which was produced in color. Season nine was aired on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. After three straight seasons at number one, it slipped to #6 in the Nielsen ratings.

<i>Bonanza season 10</i> Season of television series

The tenth season of the American Western television series Bonanza premiered on NBC on September 15, 1968, with the final episode airing May 11, 1969. The series was developed and produced by David Dortort. Season ten starred Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon. The season consisted of 30 episodes of a series total 431 hour-long episodes, the entirety of which was produced in color. Season ten was aired on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. It was #2 in the Nielsen ratings, the highest rated Western for the season.

<i>Bonanza season 11</i> Season of television series

The eleventh season of the American Western television series Bonanza premiered on NBC on September 14, 1969, with the final episode airing April 19, 1970. The series was developed and produced by David Dortort. Season eleven 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. Season eleven was aired on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. It was #3 in the Nielsen ratings, behind #2 Gunsmoke.

<i>Bonanza season 12</i> Season of television series

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. 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. Season twelve was aired on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. It finished the season at #9 in the Nielsen ratings, behind #5 Gunsmoke.

<i>Bonanza season 13</i> Season of television series

The thirteenth season of the American Western television series Bonanza premiered on NBC on September 19, 1971, with the final episode airing April 2, 1972. The series was developed and produced by David Dortort. Season thirteen starred Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon. The season consisted of 26 episodes of a series total 431 hour-long episodes, the entirety of which was produced in color. Season thirteen was aired on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. It fell to #20 in the Nielsen ratings.

<i>Bonanza season 14</i> Season of television series

The fourteenth season of the American Western television series Bonanza premiered on NBC on September 12, 1972, with the final episode airing January 16, 1973. This was the final season for the series. The series was developed and produced by David Dortort. Season fourteen starred Lorne Greene and Michael Landon, the first season following the death of Dan Blocker. The season consisted of 16 episodes of a series total 431 hour-long episodes, the entirety of which was produced in color. Season fourteen moved to a new timeslot of Tuesdays from 8:00 pm–9:00 pm on NBC. The final season fell out of the top 30 in the Nielsen ratings.

References

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Shapiro 1997, pp. 65, 70.
  2. ↑ Shapiro 1997, pp. 5, 65–157.
  3. 1 2 3 Brooks & Marsh 2007, p. 164.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Shapiro 1997, p. 5.
  5. ↑ Leiby & Leiby 2015, p. 38.
  6. 1 2 3 Leiby & Leiby 2015, p. 15.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Leiby & Leiby 2015, p. 16.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Leiby & Leiby 2015, p. 17.
  9. ↑ Leiby & Leiby 2015, p. 28.
  10. ↑ Shapiro 1997, p. 68.
  11. ↑ Leiby & Leiby 2015, p. 35.
  12. ↑ Shapiro 1997, p. 65-66.
  13. ↑ Shapiro 1997, p. 8.
  14. ↑ "1959-1960 TV Ratings". classictvguide.com. Retrieved 2023-09-16.

Bibliography

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