Bonanza was one of the most successful western series
The series is one of the most popular western series of all time, and between 1959 and 1973 it was filmed 430 episodes, which were spanned with three television films and history series (Ponderosa). Bonanza, selected for the top 50 TV shows (TV Guide), shows the film box.
Bonanza gives a glimpse into the life of the Cartwright family. We are in the 1860s, and the widow takes care of his farm with his three sons. Ben is a tough guy who, with his own two hands, cut a piece of Nevada, creating a prosperous estate. Until he got here, he buried three wives, who had a son born. The three boys could not differ better. Adam’s mother came from New England, Hoss’s nickname Ericé had Scandinavian roots, while Joseph, the mother of Little Joe, was of southern origin from New Orleans. The difference between the roots and temperament is of great importance, the source of many conflicts and clashes in the stories. The story of the wives is told by an episode of later seasons.
The Cartwrights estate, the famous Ponderosa Ranch, was named after the west American yellow or gesture. It is located near Virginia City in Nevada, next to Lake Tahoe, in the Comstock Silver Lode. The silver ore area is the tip of the Virginia Mountains, under the eastern slope of Mount Davidson, and is noteworthy that there was the first major silver ore discovery in the United States (the countryside was still in the Western Utah). He was named after Henry Comstock Mining. Since the California gold fever in 1849, it has not been as crazy in America as when, after the discovery of 1859, the countryside was flooded by lucky hunters. The initial mining camps developed into a bustling commercial centers in a few years, then grew into cities like Virginia City and Gold Hill. Until the 1920s, silver was mined here, which is also called Nevada a silver state.
For teaser, a detail from the episode Blood and Earth:
Although some episodes evoke this period, typical wild west adventures are actually fluttering on the screen. Typical because it didn’t miss the fist fight and the shooting. At the same time, they were full of dramatic filling, because although they were played in the old West, they often reflected on the social problems of the sixties, exclusion, racism, injustice. What is most striking is that instead of a lonely pistol hero, the family focuses on it, the creators focused on its values, human relationships, loyalty, honor and honor. The Cartwrigth family always faithfully adheres to the law, proclaiming pure morals with all its actions. In this area, he was far beyond the screen, set an example to Hollywood.
The Ranch and its inhabitants
The Kulis Professor in Bonanza is actually called Old Tucson and is in the state of Arizona. It was built in 1939 and filled hundreds of feature films and countless episodes of series. The houses of mostly only facades include sheriff office, a stroke shop, a spicy, a barber and a brothel, and everyone in it comes from revolver heroes to merchants to burial entrepreneurs. And at the end of the city, the farm begins. But that wasn’t enough. There was such a demand among fans of the series to see their pet’s residence that in 1968 the subject park opened roughly the same area where the fictional Ponderosa Ranch was on a burning map. Here they built a copy of the farmhouse in the series and the serving buildings, and the tourists could also meet the series of the series. The theme park survived the series and closed in 2004.
Bonanza proved to be a fatal trap for all actors, as they were so identified with their role. Their movies were pathetic, unable to break out of the box. However, Pernell Roberts, who plays Adam, left the series in 1965. The only exception was Michael Landon, a Little Joe, but he was not released from the screen (the farm where we live, the way to heaven).
