Bonanza season 4 | |
---|---|
Starring | |
No. of episodes | 34 |
Release | |
Original network | NBC |
Original release | September 23, 1962 – May 26, 1963 |
Season chronology | |
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. [1] 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. [2] 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. [3]
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.
Bing Russell was added to the series as recurring character Deputy Clem Foster beginning with episode 18, "Half a Rouge". [4]
On location filming for season four took place at Incline Village for episode 1, "The First Born"; episode 2, "The Quest", and episode 7, "The War Comes to Washoe". [5] Additional locations were Griffith Park for episode 29, "Five into the Wind", [6] and Bronson Canyon for episode 32, "Rich Man, Poor Man" [7]
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
101 | 1 | "The First Born" | Don McDougall | Judy and George W. George | September 23, 1962 |
102 | 2 | "The Quest" | Christian Nyby | John Furia [A] and Thomas Thompson | September 30, 1962 |
103 | 3 | "The Artist" | Don McDougall | Frank Chase | October 7, 1962 |
104 | 4 | "A Hot Day for a Hanging" | William F. Claxton | Preston Wood and Elliott Arnold | October 14, 1962 |
105 | 5 | "The Deserter" | William Witney | Norman Lessing | October 21, 1962 |
106 | 6 | "The Way Station" | Lewis Allen | Frank Cleaver | October 28, 1962 |
107 | 7 | "The War Comes to Washoe" | Don McDougall | Alvin Sapinsley | November 4, 1962 |
108 | 8 | "Knight Errant" | William F. Claxton | Joseph Hoffman | November 18, 1962 |
109 | 9 | "The Beginning" | Christian Nyby | Preston Wood | November 25, 1962 |
110 | 10 | "The Deadly Ones" | William Witney | Story by : N. B. Stone Jr. Teleplay by : Denne Petitclerc | December 2, 1962 |
111 | 11 | "Gallagher's Sons" | Christian Nyby | Dick Nelson | December 9, 1962 |
112 | 12 | "The Decision" | William F. Claxton | Story by : Norman Jacob Teleplay by : Frank Chase | December 16, 1962 |
113 | 13 | "The Good Samaritan" | Don McDougall | Robert Bloomfield | December 23, 1962 |
114 | 14 | "The Jury" | Christian Nyby | Robert Vincent Wright | December 30, 1962 |
115 | 15 | "The Colonel" | Lewis Allen | Preston Wood | January 6, 1963 |
116 | 16 | "Song in the Dark" | Don McDougall | Judy and George W. George | January 13, 1963 |
117 | 17 | "Elegy for a Hangman" | Hollingsworth Morse | Story by : E. M. Parsons Teleplay by : E. M. Parsons and Shirl Hendryx | January 20, 1963 |
118 | 18 | "Half a Rogue" | Don McDougall | Arnold Belgard | January 27, 1963 |
119 | 19 | "The Last Haircut" | William F. Claxton | Charles Lang | February 3, 1963 |
120 | 20 | "Marie, My Love" | Lewis Allen | Story by : Anne Howard Bailey and Anthony Lawrence Teleplay by : Anthony Lawrence | February 10, 1963 |
121 | 21 | "The Hayburner" | William F. Claxton | Alex Sharp | February 17, 1963 |
122 | 22 | "The Actress" | Christian Nyby | Norman Lessing | February 24, 1963 |
123 | 23 | "A Stranger Passed This Way" | Lewis Allen | William L. Stuart | March 3, 1963 |
124 | 24 | "The Way of Aaron" | Murray Golden | Raphael David Blau | March 10, 1963 |
125 | 25 | "A Woman Lost" | Don McDougall | Frank Chase | March 17, 1963 |
126 | 26 | "Any Friend of Walter's" | John Florea | Lois Hire | March 24, 1963 |
127 | 27 | "Mirror of a Man" | Lewis Allen | A. I. Bezzerides | March 31, 1963 |
128 | 28 | "My Brother's Keeper" | Murray Golden | Seeleg Lester | April 7, 1963 |
129 | 29 | "Five into the Wind" | William F. Claxton | Meyer Dolinsky | April 21, 1963 |
130 | 30 | "The Saga of Whizzer McGee" | Don McDougall | Robert L. Welch | April 28, 1963 |
131 | 31 | "Thunder Man" | Lewis Allen | Lewis Reed | May 5, 1963 |
132 | 32 | "Rich Man, Poor Man" | John Florea | Story by : Arnold Belgard and Robert Fresco Teleplay by : Richard P. McDonagh, Barbara and Milton Merlin | May 12, 1963 |
133 | 33 | "The Boss" | Arthur H. Nadel | Leo Gordon and Paul Leslie Peil | May 19, 1963 |
134 | 34 | "Little Man... Ten Feet Tall" | Lewis Allen | Story by : Eric Norden and Frank Arno Teleplay by : Eric Norden | May 26, 1963 |
Season four aired on Sundays from 9:00 pm–10:00 pm on NBC. [8]
Season four ranked #4 in the Nielsen ratings, the highest rated Western for the 1962–1963 season. [3]
Award | Year [lower-alpha 1] | Category | Nominee(s) / Work | Result | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | 1963 | Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction and Scenic Design | Earl Hedrick (scenic designer) and Hal Pereira (art director) | Nominated | [9] |
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.
Michael Landon was an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza (1959–1973), Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie (1974–1983), and Jonathan Smith in Highway to Heaven (1984–1989). Landon appeared on the cover of TV Guide 22 times, second only to Lucille Ball.
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.
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).
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.
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. 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. It aired on Saturdays from 7:30 pm–8:30 pm on NBC and placed at number 45 in the Nielsen ratings.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.