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Post by snsurone on Jul 2, 2018 16:16:07 GMT
Yes, this show is more '60's and early '70's, but it premiered in 1959.
It was notable as one of the earliest programs shot in color from the first, years before the networks ordered all their shows be in color.
Most of the stories were excellent, especially in the early seasons, and the cast was first-rate.
Truth be told, I believe the quality lowered somewhat after Pernell Roberts (Adam Cartwright) left the series.
I did like Candy, but he didn't seem to have much to do on the show.
I never did--and never will--watch the final season, after the death of Dan Blocker (Hoss).
Losing one Cartwright was bad enough, but losing two was just too much, IMHO.
I've read that in the last season, Little Joe married and move into his own home, only for his bride to be killed in a fire set by a jealous former suitor.
Seems that I've seen many programs with that theme during the '60's and '70's.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2018 17:02:27 GMT
I have seen episodes here and there. I think its an ok show.
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Post by RiP, IMDb on Jul 2, 2018 20:21:54 GMT
I NEVER cared for it NOR 'Gunsmoke', although I LOVE most other Western tv-series. I'll take shows like 'Maverick', 'Have Gun - Will Travel', 'Cheyenne', 'Bat Masterson', 'Yancy Derringer', 'Cimarron Strip', 'The Virginian', '(The) Iron Horse', 'Wanted: Dead or Alive', etc...OVER either and both of those.
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Post by taylorfirst1 on Jul 3, 2018 18:40:52 GMT
One of the greatest TV shows of all time. As with many long running shows, the final couple of seasons were not very good to be polite (Jamie? Really?). But those seasons became "the lost episodes" and they were lost for good reason. But the first 11 seasons are TV gold.
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Post by bravomailer on Jul 3, 2018 21:55:59 GMT
Not a fan of the show but I tuned in to hear the hot guitar licks in the opening.
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Post by RiP, IMDb on Jul 4, 2018 6:05:06 GMT
Not a fan of the show but I tuned in to hear the hot guitar licks in the opening.
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Post by telegonus on Jul 4, 2018 7:36:28 GMT
I've enjoyed Bonanza in reruns occasionally as an adult, and some of the episodes impress me. It could be an excellent show, although I've not found it so consistently good as many other westerns from the same period (The Rifleman, for instance).
When I was growing up it was one of my least favorite westerns, and that's when it was in its first run. The good stuff: Hoss, Adam (who comes off as sometimes arrogant now), the scenery, first rate production values. Stuff I didn't like: the emphasis on romance, (pre-teen boys were romance averse back then), moralizing, and overall goody two shoes approach to life's problems, and overall, not enough action.
Bonanza came to feel increasingly, as the years went by, like basically a "girlie" show, especially with more emphasis on "teen idol" Michael Landon's Little Joe as time went by, and he was my least favorite Cartwright.
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Post by RiP, IMDb on Jul 4, 2018 8:01:20 GMT
I've enjoyed Bonanza in reruns occasionally as an adult, and some of the episodes impress me. It could be an excellent show, although I've not found it so consistently as good as many other westerns from the same period (The Rifleman, for instance).
When I was growing up it was one of my least favorite westerns, and that's when it was in its first run. The good stuff: Hoss, Adam (who comes off as sometimes arrogant now), the scenery, first-rate production values. Stuff I didn't like: the emphasis on romance, (pre-teen boys were romance averse back then), moralizing, and overall goody two shoes approach to life's problems, and overall, not enough action.
Bonanza came to feel increasingly, as the years went by, like basically a "girlie" show, especially with more emphasis on "teen idol" Michael Landon's Little Joe as time went by, and he was my least favorite Cartwright. |
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Post by bravomailer on Jul 4, 2018 12:39:33 GMT
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Post by mikef6 on Jul 4, 2018 16:02:44 GMT
Never watched it much. What I did see was slow-moving with unrealistic dialog (even for TV at the time). Also, I could never watch Bonanza, or think about it, without chuckling at some stand-up comic describing it as "A father with three sons, all the same age, living on a ranch."
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Post by RiP, IMDb on Jul 4, 2018 18:06:06 GMT
Never watched it much. What I did see was slow-moving with unrealistic dialog (even for TV at the time). Also, I could never watch Bonanza, or think about it, without chuckling at some stand-up comic describing it as "A father with three sons, all the same age, living on a ranch." |
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Post by telegonus on Jul 4, 2018 18:17:48 GMT
Never watched it much. What I did see was slow-moving with unrealistic dialog (even for TV at the time). Also, I could never watch Bonanza, or think about it, without chuckling at some stand-up comic describing it as "A father with three sons, all the same age, living on a ranch." Verily, RIP, IMDB guy and MikeF6: I don't think that Lorne Greene was old enough, or if so, just barely, to have been the biological father of Pernell Roberrt and Dan Blocker. Michael Landon, I suppose, yes. |
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Post by BATouttaheck on Jul 4, 2018 18:40:27 GMT
Any woman who had anything "personal" to do with any of these guys was DOOMED !
Wives, sweethearts, casual dates fell by the wayside by the truck cartload.
Unless she was a neighbor who needed to be rescued from an abusive husband and then HE was doomed and she moved back east.
My pita brother - who was not a tv fan - kept pointing out that Mt. Whitney could often be seen in the background but in reality it was too far from the location (near Virginia City) to have been visible.
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Post by snsurone on Jul 5, 2018 0:21:47 GMT
That was an episode called "Enter Thomas Bowers" from 1964, near the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. The story concerned a black opera singer who had been engaged for a concert performance by a ladies' cultural organization which was unaware of his race. The gist of the episode was about the prejudice and discrimination this man suffered in Virginia City, and how the open-minded Cartwrights came to his aid, especially since it was believed that he was a fugitive slave. While I don't remember certain details, it did end with Mr. Bowers performing beautifully at the civic center. Over the years. BONANZA has tackled the subject of bigotry against Jews, Asians, and especially Indians. Quite unusual for any TV show of that period, but especially for a Western! |
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Post by snsurone on Jul 27, 2018 16:37:50 GMT
I really hope the "lost" episodes stay lost!
Mitch Vogel--ugh!
He was an ugly kid and not a good actor at all.
That's especially true of the two episodes of LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE that he appeared in when he was a teen.
Can't believe that Laura Ingalls actually had a crush on that dweeb!
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Post by BATouttaheck on Jul 28, 2018 0:47:26 GMT
Mitch Vogel ... He was an ugly kid and not a good actor at all. Can't believe that Laura Ingalls actually had a crush on that dweeb! Possibly she was not a shallow person and did not judge a person by his outward appearance Perhaps she did not find him ugly or dweeby. Perhaps the script called for "Laura Ingalls" to like the character he was playing. He played the role of Lucius in the film adaptation of the William Faulkner coming-of-age novel. The Reivers (1969) The film won both Mitch and star Steve McQueen Golden Globe nominations. Following this success, Mitch became a popular face on TV and in 1970 joined the by-now classic western series Bonanza (1959), enjoying a two-year stint on the show playing the character of Jamie Hunter (later Cartwright), an orphan taken in by the Cartwright men and later adopted. In casting Mitch as Jamie, producers felt that the western needed a face lift as Michael Landon, at age 34, was a bit long in the tooth to be receiving fatherly guidance by patriarch Ben. The series ended in 1972. Mitch forged a friendship with Landon during that time and went on to appear in a few of Landon's Little House on the Prairie (1974) episodes. Disney also took an interest in the fair, wholesome-looking lad with the vital homespun appeal. Mitch appeared impressively for them in lead roles with Menace on the Mountain (1970) and The Boy from Dead Man's Bayou (1971) [aka Bayou Boy]. He continued to be seen outdoors as well with episodes of Here Come the Brides, Gunsmoke and others. He must have been acting well enough if you followed his career and know how many episodes of a program he was in. |
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Post by jrdmln on Jul 28, 2018 19:56:59 GMT
I like Bonanza ok, but it isn't one of my favorite shows. I agree with you. The earlier seasons were the best. I agree. The show did decline somewhat after Adam left the show.
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Post by taylorfirst1 on Aug 5, 2018 2:09:46 GMT
That was an episode called "Enter Thomas Bowers" from 1964, near the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. The story concerned a black opera singer who had been engaged for a concert performance by a ladies' cultural organization which was unaware of his race. The gist of the episode was about the prejudice and discrimination this man suffered in Virginia City, and how the open-minded Cartwrights came to his aid, especially since it was believed that he was a fugitive slave. While I don't remember certain details, it did end with Mr. Bowers performing beautifully at the civic center. Over the years. BONANZA has tackled the subject of bigotry against Jews, Asians, and especially Indians.
Quite unusual for any TV show of that period, but especially for a Western!I have to disagree. It was not at all unusual. During that period many many shows including many Westerns addressed those issues. It was quite common. Just off the top of my head; Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, The Big Valley, Daniel Boone, Branded, Trackdown, Have Gun Will Travel, even Wild Wild West addressed some of those issues at one time or another. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2018 3:30:47 GMT
Yes, this show is more '60's and early '70's, but it premiered in 1959. It was notable as one of the earliest programs shot in color from the first, years before the networks ordered all their shows be in color. Most of the stories were excellent, especially in the early seasons, and the cast was first-rate. Truth be told, I believe the quality lowered somewhat after Pernell Roberts (Adam Cartwright) left the series. I did like Candy, but he didn't seem to have much to do on the show. I never did--and never will--watch the final season, after the death of Dan Blocker (Hoss). Losing one Cartwright was bad enough, but losing two was just too much, IMHO. I've read that in the last season, Little Joe married and move into his own home, only for his bride to be killed in a fire set by a jealous former suitor. Seems that I've seen many programs with that theme during the '60's and '70's. This was one of my all-time favorite TV shows, and I am not partial to westerns. I watched it every Sunday night. The episode you mentioned with Little Joe's wife killed in a fire is the one I remember most vividly. It was a special episode which was made after the series ended, shown in two parts. I don't remember the actress's name but I will never forget her face. I was most impressed with her. Excellent story. These days, though, I don't care much for sad stories. |
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Post by BATouttaheck on Aug 5, 2018 10:15:06 GMT
It was a special episode which was made after the series ended, shown in two parts. I don't remember the actress's name
First Episode of the 14th and Final Season - a two part episode. FOREVERThe actress was Bonnie BedeliaPlot summary here: Little Joe falls in love with Alice Harper played by a young Bonnie Bedelia who he meets while rescuing her gambler brother John from a poker game gone bad. The two eventually marry and are expecting a baby. However, things go sour for them when John Harper owes a large sum of money to a professional gambler named Damion played by actor Larry Golden. When Damion attempts to collect the debt from John, he and his gang pay his sister Mrs Alice Cartwright a visit. Damion encounters a valuable music box given to her by Joe as a wedding gift and demands that Alice surrenders the box as payment for the gambling debt. When she refuses both she and John are murdered and the house is burned to the ground to conceal the evidence. Joe later finds the music box in the possession of a prostitute. It was given to her by Damion. Joe concludes that his wife's death was no accident. And he and Candy seek to bring the culprits to justice.
This episode is two parts. In Part 1: Little Joe finds true love in newcomer Alice Harper. Following a courtship, the two are engaged. Unlike most of the Cartwrights' previous girlfriends, Alice makes it to the altar. Joe and Alice are starting their new life together, and she soon becomes pregnant. Alas, their life together is doomed. Alice's indolent brother owes money to a ruthless professional gambler named Sloan and has not repaid him. In Part 2: One day while Joe is gone, Sloan and his gang - with John at gunpoint - visit Alice to collect the money. When she refuses to cooperate, Sloan's hired muscle, Mr. Hanley, brutally beats Alice to death. Then, to cover up the murder, they burn the house down. Joe, along with Ben and Jamie, return to find - to his horror - his entire world crashing down in flames. Joe decides he needs "a little time away" to grieve over his wife's death, but then stumbles across a couple who have the music box he gave Alice as a present (and was subsequently taken by Sloan). Joe recruits Candy to help him track down Sloan and his gang and bring them to justice.
Bonnie also appeared on Bonanza in The Unwanted in Season 10 An old friend of Bens a U.S. Marshal recently retired is still trying to fix loose ends at the expense of his relationship with his teenage daughter.  |
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