Generally, this one-hour show tackled topical issues (i.e.: racial discrimination, voting, religion). Conflicts were resolved through dialogue between the main characters and guest stars. Little Joe was the impulsive and romantic type in the family.īonanza differs from other Westerns in its relative use violence and "shoot-outs". Middle son, Hoss was the Buffoon type, big and friendly, naive yet explosive. The oldest son, Adam, was the most serious of the three brothers, the potential patriarch. Other characters would wander into the community causing conflict, leading the members of the family individually or communally as a group to restore the order. By this time, the three sons had worked out most of their differences and the show was about the dealings of a well-integrated all male family as well as their problems with mining and ranch interests. Two years after its debut, Bonanza moved to Sunday night and its popularity soared. In the first few seasons, personality differences between the sons motivated most of the plot conflicts. The patriarch was a three-time widower, with a son from each wife. The Cartwrights were not a traditional nuclear family. The careful photography presented beautiful scenery and interiors resembled movies more than other contemporary television shows.
The action characteristics catered to a more traditional audience for Westerns, while dramatic issues and family values expanded the show's popularity to a more general audience. The show was designed to appeal to a broad audience, crossing age and gender groups.
#The hostage bonanza series
The series related the story of Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene) and his three sons, Adam (Pernell Roberts), Hoss (Dan Blocker) and Little Joe (Michael Landon), prosperous ranchers in the vicinity of Virginia City, Nevada, in the mid 1800s, during the Civil War years and the discovery of the Comstock Silver Lode. After Gunsmoke, Bonanza was the longest-running and most successful Western in U.S. Bonanza, the first Western televised in color, premiered on a Saturday night in the fall of 1959.
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