Bonanza is the single most successful television series of the 1960s. It is the second longest running Western series after “Gunsmoke”, and last year it celebrated its 60th anniversary from the first aired episode.
The word bonanza is a term used by miners to describe a large vein or silver ore deposit. It originates from the Spanish word “bonanza”, which means prosperity and good fortune. It commonly refers to the ore mines under the town of Virginia City. However, this name refers to many different activities and industries. For example, a very famous restaurant franchise that has hundreds of restaurants over the US and a lot more worldwide is called Bonanza. Also, this title is an inspiring and leading theme for an online slot Bonanza game at SlotsWise, so the story behind the word definitely served as an inspiration.
The first weekly Western ever to be televised in colour tells the story of the powerful Cartwright family and their fabulous thousand-square mile Nevada ranch. It may not have the concept and design like Gunsmoke or Frontier, but it did continue TV’s late 50s trend towards western dramas with solid and challenging scenarios.
Today when we are talking about the popularity of the series, we need to acknowledge that the newer generations have no idea about its storyline, or that it was so popular. However, they can surely recall from somewhere the classic theme song from the opening credits. Starring Lorne Green, Michael Landon, Dan Blocker and Pernell Robert, there were a total of 431 episodes of this western saga.
Here we provide some fun facts you didn’t know about Bonanza and the Cartwright family.
- This show was not an instant success
Ratings for the first season of this show were not quite positive. After the harsh critics, the show was planned to cancel with incomplete Season 01. In 1961 after moving to the Sunday Night TV term, the show about the Nevada cowboys gained significant popularity and claimed the number one spot.
- A western in colour
This series back in the days represented a colour story avant-garde. It was one of the first television shows that were entirely broadcasted in colour. The show was designed to appeal to a broad audience, crossing age and gender groups. The creative photography presented beautiful scenery, and the interiors resembled western culture more authentically than other contemporary TV shows.
- The TV show inspired a restaurant chain
This popular buffet chain was founded by one of the cast members of the series Dan Blocker, who played Eric Cartwright. It was initially called “Bonanza”, but after the restaurant chain was sold, the name was changed to Ponderosa. You can find this restaurant in 600 different locations. Ponderosa started the business in Canada in the early 70s and expanded to the United States in the 1980s. Today, both chains are owned by the same company under the name Ponderosa Bonanza Steakhouse.
- Michael Landon wore platforms
Even then, image was very important in Hollywood. While Mr. Landon wasn’t short, at 5 foot 9 he felt very insecure standing next to his colleagues who were over 6 feet tall. He did not want his character “Little Joe” to live up to his appearance, so he insisted on wearing special platform boots.
- The cast wore the same outfits
Yes, the character’s clothes weren’t changing during the shooting. From the fourth season onwards, the entire cast wears the same outfits all the time. This move was made in order to reuse stock footage for action sequences and make it easier for replicating the outfit for the stunt doubles.
- The soundtrack actually had lyrics
You wouldn’t know from the opening credits or version shown in the series, but the theme song did have lyrics. Johnny Cash played a version containing words for the pilot episode that had the cast singing the song, but it was cut immediately.
The Bonanza series still remains as one of the most appreciated TV veteran. It was one of the longest primetime dramas and western bastion. The saga of the Cartwright family is remembered through many generations that grew up with the show. Today, the genre may not be as authentic as in those days. However, the story and setup continues with modern versions and plots like the Yellowstone series. In this trend of reboots and film remakes we are witnessing, it wouldn’t be strange and surprising if another version of Bonanza shows up and continues the story.