Western fans better build a bigger bunkhouse as Bonanza: The Official Complete Series arrives on DVD on May 23. How big is the boxset containing all 14 seasons of the series? Reportedly there will be 112 DVDs inside. This boxset will be bigger than Hoss’s hat. The series was groundbreaking for many reasons as it explored life on the Nevada Ranch run by the Cartwright family. The biggest is that NBC filmed and broadcast the series in color starting in 1959. The show enticed a lot of families to upgrade from the old black and white TV and not see color as a gimmick. Bonanza: The Official Complete Series is the perfect Father’s Day gift if your dad would spend Saturday afternoon on the sofa taking in life at the Ponderosa. For those who have been buying the DVDs since the start, you will be able to buy boxsets for the final 3 seasons. The Complete Series boxset does include a bonus disc with the Cartwrights showing up on Sesame Street and other memorable moments. Here’s the press release from Paramount Home Entertainment:
Arrives on DVD May 23
Featuring An Exclusive Bonus Disc
with Nearly 2 ½ Hours of Content
Clockwise: Pernell Roberts (“Adam”), Dan Blocker (“Hoss”), Michael Landon (“Little Joe”) and Lorne Greene (“Ben”) star as the indominable Cartwright Family in BONANZA™
LOS ANGELES – March 21, 2023 – The legendary First Family of the West, Ben, Adam, Hoss and Little Joe — the indominable Cartwrights of the Ponderosa — triumphantly ride again when BONANZA™: The Official Complete Series arrives on DVD, May 23. This series collection includes all 14 seasons — 431 full-length episodes — together for the very first time, along with an exclusive bonus disc containing nearly 2 ½ hours of rare content not seen in more than 60 years. Every episode has been restored and remastered from the original 35mm film camera negatives for a superior viewing experience. The results are astonishing, with location scenery and scenic vistas filmed at Lake Tahoe, Nevada and majestic locations in California and Arizona preserving the vanishing American West at its most spectacular.
Generations of viewers world-wide have welcomed the Cartwright family into their homes as BONANZA™ has taken its rightful place among the classics of popular culture storytelling. The iconic series stands alone in creating a world that has stood the test of time in the hearts of fans.
BONANZA™: The Official Complete Series DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $244.99.
BONANZA™: The Official Complete Series Synopsis:
BONANZA™! One of the most beloved and iconic series of all time is presented for the first time in this special edition box set. Every episode in this collection is full-length, with original music, and has been completely remastered and restored from the original 35mm film elements for superior picture and sound. The spectacular Ponderosa Ranch and scenic vistas filmed at Lake Tahoe, Nevada and majestic locations in California and Arizona have never looked better. This multiple award-winning series was created and produced by David Dortort and stars Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker and Michael Landon, plus appearances by Victor Sen Yung, Ray Teal, Bing Russell, David Canary, Mitch Vogel and Tim Matheson. Re-live and cherish all your favorite episodes with BONANZA™: The Official Complete Series.
BONANZA™: The Official Complete Series Content:
Includes an exclusive Bonus Disc containing nearly 2 ½ hours of content, with rare performances, photos, personal appearances and interviews with cast members, and footage from “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,” “The Ed Sullivan Show” and “Sesame Street,” plus a never-before-seen blooper reel!
- Michael Landon Visits Sweden – Interview (1962)
- “Lorne Greene’s Bonanza” — episode of the CBC series, Telescope, chronicling “a day in the life” of the beloved actor, including rare behind-the-scenes BONANZA set footage (1963)
- Lorne Greene Interview — episode of the CBC series, Take 30 (1966)
- All-American Soap Box Derby Featurettes
- “The Long, Happy Race” – Narrated by Lorne Greene (1962)
- “Sideline …? Or Starting Line?” – Narrated by Dan Blocker (1964)
- The Cartwrights Visit Sesame Street (1970)
- The Last Party (“wake” gathering of the BONANZA company days after the series’ abrupt cancellation in November 1972; audio with slide show)
- Bonanza Blooper/Gag Reel
- Michael Landon: Question & Answer session with Vikki Carr and The Tonight Show audience (audio with slide show; 1973)
- Lorne Greene: Comedy Routine (1981)
- New Featurette: Mariette Hartley’s Memories
- Public Service Announcement (P.S.A.): Endangered Wildlife – with Lorne Greene (1975)
- U.S. Savings Bonds P.S.A.s with Lorne Greene and Dan Blocker (1968)
- Salute to BONANZA (Narrated by Orson Welles; 1976)
- Michael Landon: The Last Interview (slide show with audio; March 1991)
- BONANZA Episode Trailers with rare on-camera introductions
- “Mighty Is The Word” (Introduced by Lorne Greene; 1965)
- “The Prince” (Introduced by Dan Blocker; 1967)
- “Dark Enough to See the Stars” (Introduced by Michael Landon; 1967)
- 1959 NBC Fall Preview promo – announcing BONANZA’s premiere
- 1961 NBC on-air promo narrated by Lorne Greene
- 1967 NBC Fall Preview promo – BONANZA (designed by Bill Feigenbaum)
- 1972 Chevrolet Billboard Intro.
- The Ed Sullivan Show — Pernell Roberts Sings (1965)
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson – Lorne Greene Interview (1972)
- Gallery of rare publicity, episodic, “behind-the-scenes” and portrait photos
BONANZA™: The Official Complete Series Cast:
BONANZA™ stars Lorne Greene (“Battlestar Galactica”), Michael Landon (“Little House on the Prairie), Dan Blocker (“Lady In Cement”) and Pernell Roberts (“Trapper John, M.D.”), with recurring performances by Victor Sen Yung, Ray Teal, Bing Russell, David Canary, Mitch Vogel and Tim Matheson. Notable guest appearances include Academy Award® Winner Louis Gossett Jr.* (An Officer and a Gentleman), Academy Award® Winner Jo Van Fleet* (East of Eden), Academy Award® Winner Dean Jagger* (Twelve O’clock High), Academy Award® Winner Ben Johnson* (The Last Picture Show) and so many more!
Also available on DVD:
BONANZA™: The Official Second Season and for the first time, BONANZA™: The Official Twelfth Season, BONANZA™: The Official Thirteenth Season, and BONANZA™: The Official Fourteenth Season. Each season has been beautifully restored and remastered from original 35mm film material for the best viewing experience and will be available on DVD May 23 for the suggested retail price of $50.99.
About the BONANZA™: The Official Complete Series DVD Executive Producer
Andrew J. Klyde, an attorney, historian and archivist, has consulted with CBS and Paramount Home Entertainment for the DVD releases of BONANZA™, starting with BONANZA™: The Official First Season in 2008. Klyde has orchestrated numerous merchandising and licensing deals concerning BONANZA™ intellectual properties and has written numerous articles and lectured at various venues on television and film history.
About Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment (PHE) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. PPC is a unit of Paramount (NASDAQ: PARA, PARAA), a leading global media and entertainment company that creates premium content and experiences for audiences worldwide. The PHE division oversees PPC’s home entertainment and transactional digital distribution activities worldwide. The division is responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment content on behalf of Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television Studios, Paramount Players, MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and CBS and applicable licensing and servicing of certain DreamWorks Animation titles. PHE additionally manages global licensing of studio content and transactional distribution across worldwide digital distribution platforms including online, mobile and portable devices and emerging technologies.
About Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Paramount (NASDAQ: PARA, PARAA), a leading global media and entertainment company that creates premium content and experiences for audiences worldwide. Paramount Pictures controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, and Paramount Players. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.
ACADEMY AWARD® is the registered trademark and service mark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
*Academy Award® Winner Louis Gossett Jr. – An Officer and a Gentleman, Best Supporting Actor, 1983
*Academy Award® Winner Jo Van Fleet – East of Eden, Best Supporting Actress, 1956
*Academy Award® Winner Dean Jagger – Twelve O’clock High, Best Supporting Actor, 1950
*Academy Award® Winner Ben Johnson – The Last Picture Show, Best Supporting Actor, 1972
BONANZA™: The Complete Series
Street Date: May 23, 2023 (DVD)
U.S. Rating: Not Rated
Canada Rating: PG – Violence, Mature Theme
Runtime: 370 hrs.
BONANZA™: Seasons 2, 12, 13, 14
Street Date: May 23, 2023 (DVD)
U.S. Rating: Not Rated
Canada Rating: PG
Runtime: Season 2 – 28hrs. 15mins. (approx.)
Season 12 – 23 hrs. 15mins.
Season 13 – 21 hrs. 53 mins. Season 14 – 13 hrs. 29 mins.
