What are the odds that two ranches outside Carson City, Nevada would become the locations for landmark television shows. Most recently it’s been HBO’s Cathouse featuring the antics of Dennis Hof and his ladies of the night at the Moonlite Bunny Ranch. Fifty years before, America saw Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene) running a tamer ranch called the Ponderosa on Bonanza. The Ponderosa was an all guy thing with Ben and his three sons by different late wives. Adam (Pernell Roberts) was the smooth older son. Hoss (Dan Blocker) was a huge gentle giant. Little Joe (Michael Landon) is the cocky heartthrob. All three sons had their father’s ability to get into a fight without too much of an excuse. They mix it up with each other if there’s nobody around. The only person who acted as a mother was the Chinese cook Hop Sing (Victor Sen Yung). There’s an extreme lack of estrogen on the Cartwright ranch compared to Hof’s ranch. The original 32 episodes are divided in half for Bonanza: The Official First Season – Vol. 1 and 2.
Volume One begins with “A Rose for Lotta.” Turns out the Cartwrights are the least admired men in the area. The rich businessmen in Virginia City are jealous of the Ponderosa’s 1,000 square miles. They want to harvest the Cartwrights’ trees to build support beams for mining operations. Ben won’t do it. He knows what happens when you over harvest trees in Nevada. He also hates the environmental damage done from out of control mining. While most westerns are about rugged men taming the frontier, Bonanza is about maintaining the land. The businessmen think they’ve found the Cartwright’s kryptonite: a woman. Not just any woman but singing sensation Lotta Crabtree (The Munsters‘ Yvonne De Carlo). She does her magic in seducing both Adam and Little Joe. Her performance at the Opera House in Virginia City is too hot to keep Little Joe back on the ranch. The businessmen use Lotta as bait to kidnap Little Joe and demand Ben sign over the trees as ransom. Is this really enough to break the Cartwrights? You can watch the episode with the original NBC Network logo, bumpers and RCA promo. Coincidentally, Piper’s Opera House in Virginia City was the location of Cathouse: The Musical.
“Enter Mark Twain” lets the famous writer work at the local paper. He fakes a story about monster roaming the Ponderosa. The Cartwrights aren’t amused. “Mr. Henry Comstock” gives a semi-fictionalized account of how Virginia City exploded in the mid-1800s. The discovery of the Comstock Lode in the area made the place explode in size. Comstock (Jack Carson) was not a prospector, but a con man who bought into a claim right before the exposure of precious metals. The episode has two regulars from The Untouchables playing Indians in brown body paint. Bruce Gordon (Frank Nitti) is the chief and Abel Fernandez (Agent Youngfellow) is a hot headed brave. Gordon sounds more like he’s a Cleveland Indian. Abel was part Indian so he wasn’t miscast.
Volume 2 keeps up the Cartwrights as rough and tumble family. “The Outcast” has Susan Oliver (Peyton Place) as a good girl who ends up with outlaws. Even though the Cartwrights treat her right, she finds herself getting tight with an ex-con played by Jack Lord (Hawaii Five-O). “The Fear Merchants” addresses racism against the Chinese that had settled in Virginia City. “The Spanish Grant” has Sebastian Cabot (Family Affair‘s Mr. French) claiming part of the Ponderosa belongs to his female employer. “Blood on the Land” has Everett Sloane (the voice of “Fractured Fairytales”) as a blood thirty shepherd. “Desert Justice” gives us Claude Akins (Sheriff Lobo) as a marshall ready to take a Ponderosa ranchhand to jail. “The Avenger” has Ben and Adam ready to hang from the gallows. Their only hope is Vic Morrow (Bad News Bears). This episode can be watched with the original NBC Network logo, bumpers and RCA promo.
The highlight of the season is San Francisco. The star-studded episode brings the Cartwrights to the land of Rice-A-Roni to sell their cattle. Their celebration is cut short when a couple ranchhands get shanghai’d by David White (Bewitched‘s Larry Tate). They’re bound for a boat captained by Richard Deacon (Lumpy Rutherford’s dad on Leave It to Beaver). James Hong (Kung Fu Panda) is Hop Sing’s cousin that helps locate the missing men. That should be enough superstars, but we’re treated to one of the most nightmarish scenes in TV history – Hoss barechest boxes Tor Johnson (Plan 9 From Outer Space). Hide the children. For all the talk about how clean TV was in the past, how did the man boobs of Tor Johnson and Dan Blocker get past the censors? The whole episode is essential viewing for fans of Westerns and cult supporting actors.
Bonanza: The Official First Season – Vol. 1 and 2 bring together 32 episodes that represent a big risk when NBC decided to go color with a Western in 1959. Even Gunsmoke on CBS remained black and white until 1966. The show does sparkle when they go on location versus the times they shoot outdoor scenes inside the studio. It’s ground breaking in the sense that we’re given heroes that aren’t always the good guys. The Cartwrights are a family that stick up for each other and don’t mind getting their fists dirty whether it be working on the ranch or beating up troublemakers. Bonanza was a Western that stuck out on the frontier.
The Episodes
Volume 1
“A Rose for Lotta,” “The Sun Mountain Herd,” “The Newcomers,” “The Paiute War,” “Enter Mark Twain,” “The Julia Bulette Story,” “The Saga of Annie O’Toole,” “The Philip Diedesheimer Story,” “Mr. Henry Comstock,” “The Magnificent Adah,” “The Truckee Strip,” “The Hanging Posse,” “Vendetta,” “The Sisters,” “The Last Hunt” and “El Toro Grande.”
Volume 2
“The Outcast,” “A House Divided,” “The Gunmen,” “The Fear Merchants,” “The Spanish Grant,” “Blood on the Land,” “Desert Justice,” “The Stranger,” “Escape to Ponderosa,” “The Avenger,” “The Last Trophy,” “San Francisco,” “Bitter Water,” “Feet of Clay,” “Dark Star” and “Death at Dawn.”
The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The transfers are much better than the tapes being run on TVLand. This is important since this was the first TV western in color that it needed to reflect the colors of the rugged territory. The audio is Dolby Digital mono. The mix keeps Lorne Greene’s tone pure. The episode are Closed Captioned.
On Volume 1:
Fireside Theater: Man of the Comstock (24:54) aired Nov. 3, 1953. This episode was written by Bonanza creator David Dortort as his first exploration in the Carson City area.
David Dortort Stories: The Ponderosa Map Story (2:18) has the creator explain what’s wrong with the map that burns during the opening titles. This is an interview done with Dortort back in 2002. Remembering Michael Landon (2:39) reminds us how this TV Icon was launched as Little Joe. Remembering Dan Blocker (5:20) are big memories for a huge man.
Rare Alternate Pilot Ending Featuring “The Singing Cartwrights” (0:53) is a video transfer of them singing the words to theme song. The lyrics are almost as painful as Hoss’ voice.
Photo Galleries include NBC Headquarters, Clarence “Fat” Jones Stables, Publicity Stills, Bonanza World Premiere in Reno, Lake Tahoe Collection, credit drawings and production photos for some episodes.
On Volume 2:
David Dortort Stories: How the Ponderosa Got Its Name (2:01) gives away the secret. Pernell Roberts (2:46) gives us the skinny on the suave brother.
Remembering Victor Sen Young and San Francisco (5:05) lets him explain how Hopsing added to the dynamic of the family. Remembering Lorne Greene (5:15) exposes him as a Canadian.
Photo Galleries include Iverson Ranch Location and production photos from selected shows.
Bonanza: The Official First Season – Volume 1 and Volume 2 bring us the first of 14 seasons from the Ponderosa. The Cartwrights were the toughest family in Nevada that weren’t cold blooded killers. The episodes show that they were concerned about the environment and keeping their 1,000 square mile ranch a glorious space instead of a mere moneypot. They were green before rich people thinking about conservation efforts were cool. These two volumes are perfect for your family member that adores the time when the Wild West gained hues.
CBS DVD presents Bonanza: The Official First Season – Volume 1 and Volume 2. Starring: Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker, Michael Landon and Victor Sen Yung. Boxset Contents: 16 Episodes on 4 DVDs each. Released on DVD: September 15, 2009. Available at Amazon.com
