bojomojo
I am currently 55 and my twin sons are 14 at the time this post was made in July 2015. Bonanza has been a family bonding experience for us. We are fortunate to have 2 cable channels that run Bonanza in episode order! As a child I lived through most of the original Bonanza run - although my Dad was not a fan of Westerns and preferred watching the NY Mets on TV. I discovered Bonanza in syndication when my sons were 6 years old and DVR the show daily for us to watch at night. It has the distinct honor of being Wife approved and she also never misses an episode. We just returned from our vacation at the Rocking Horse Ranch in Highland, NY and they have over 80 horses. We saw one horse named Bonanza and another horse called Lil' Joe. We love Bonanza the TV series and are grateful to view it on a daily basis. I have never seen seasons 1 & 2.
John T. Ryan
AS BIG AND sprawling a series as was the fictional 'Ponderosa', BONANZA managed to live long enough to see itself sort parody itself. Starting with the earlier seasons, the drama was big time, exciting and very much watched and talked about. We saw the sons all find "true loves" only to loose them by death or to other dudes in frontier Nevada.AFTER THIS HAPPENED umpteen times, it became apparent that the production team and cast was strictly,. just "phoning it in" and were able survive into another season by virtue of its own momentum. It was as if the series were in a sort of "Holding Pattern"; or was becoming automatic.NOT THAT WE didn't watch, for we did. The characters and their interplay made them seem to be people who we really know. We had Lorne Greene as Ben, the patriarch of the family with his three adult sons, incidentally all sired by pop with three different wives. Ben had been widower thrice, you know.THE THREE SONS were (as if you didn't know)were Adam (Pernell Roberts), Hoss (Dan Blocker) and Little Joe (Michael Landon_). Others appeared from time to time, but Victor Sen Yung had the most longevity as the family cook, Hop Sing.BUT JUST AS there was trouble on the Ponderosa, so there was on the series. Pernell Roberts did some grumbling about the series and after some time in persisting in this course, he was written out. Adam was said to have gone to live in San Francisco.WITH ALL OF our criticism, we would also like to give credit where it is due. BONANZA managed to reach a sort of plateau inn popular culture which put it on par with Baseball, Hot Dogs, Chevrolet, Bob Hope and Norman Rockwell paintings.
April Twist
I never grew up with Bonanza... in fact I only recently started watching some episodes. For its time it must have been a great show, but for today's standards it's not. However, I'm only watching the episodes with Adam Cartwright (Pernell Roberts) just because my mother liked him and I like him now.I will admit that I haven't watched a whole lot of episodes. TvLand is a channel I no longer get so I'm depended on Youtube for my source. Automatically you can tell it's a slightly corny show and not the mention the scenery but again it's an OK show. Not my favorite and I'm not an obsessed fan but let's say if it happens to come on, I wouldn't change the channel. It's a wholesome show that brings back the memories of cowboy days from when I was a child (even though those days consisted of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans...) I have read reasons as to why Pernell Roberts left the show, and honestly as I look at it, he does have a point, a very good point at that.All in all however it is a decent show. By today's standards there will be a different viewpoint but I'm sure that today's generation can stand to watch it every now and then.
bhopebird
I would love to see Pernell Roberts on Larry King or Oprah, wouldn't you? Maybe this is asking a lot of these two talk show host who only interview the hottest stars, but Roberts is the only living Cartwright and his appearance would be rewarding and very enlightening for all of the fans of Bonanza here in the United States and all over the world. I, for one, would be interested to know his feelings about quitting Bonanza, his acting career after Bonanza, and his role as an activist. He tried to do so much good, which he did not get credit for. He spoke out about Africa just like Angelina Jolie and Bono. Again, he is the only living Cartwright and for all of us who grew to love The Ponderosa and The Cartwrights, his appearance on a talk show would attract millions and millions of Bonanza fans. I read he is very private, but let's get him to come out and talk! Thank you, Hope.This has been written as if I am just a Bonanza fan. Please I am interested in Pernell Roberts the man. I find him so incredible. I love the fact he is so liberal and was far beyond his time. His values was so high. There is so much a person could say about this man. He definitely is his own person. He excels in his hobbies and probably is very content with his own company. I brought out bonanza for the masses. I think of him as someone with stories wit and philosophies. They just do not make men like him today. Let's just say he is not one of the boys. Again I was not really a bonanza or a trapper's audience. However, I think the story of the three boys and their background could have been a saga. Somehow one must remember the audience of the 60's believed what they were told to believe. Ah,the beauty this script could have had. It certainly had the right casting. Anyway I would love to see him on a talk show today. I for one am going to keep driving for an interview. Maybe, the press for once will give him the right break. He was the young bull of the woods!!!... confident yes,cocky maybe?? Stop- Who: Pernell Roberts What: Retirement Where: Malibu today. Observations: Enjoying retirement? Possible. Girlfriend? Maybe. Final comments: Think of this gentleman not as a movie star but an individual. He is sensitive quiet yet thinking and judgmental. With the right approach his intuitive thoughts might be the baritone voice the note needs today. I promise that is my final thoughts. Hope
