Bonanza

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Bonanza is more than a TV Western about a man and his three sons working as a family in the rough and violent era of the Old West. It’s a show that has become a piece of the fabric of American culture. Ben Cartwright and his sons Adam, Hoss and Little Joe are familiar names to people who weren't even born when the show first aired and the show’s distinctive opening theme is instantly recognized everywhere.

Bonanza stars Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, Pernell Roberts and Dan Blocker and the successful mix of stupendous acting talent and timeless family value-driven themes are central to the shows ongoing appeal.

Ben Cartwright is a strong patriarch, a father who guides his three sons through both wise counsel and model behaviour. Dortort gave each son unique and different characteristics. Adam was the intellectual and somewhat brooding oldest son, a man more likely to use brains than brawn. Hoss was the gentle giant, a man of incredible strength with a heart of gold. Little Joe was the irrepressible youngest son, impulsive and a romantic at heart.

Bonanza is set in Virginia City, Nevada prior to the Civil War. Widowed three times, a wealthy patriarch, Ben Cartwright, raises his three sons (each a half brother to the other two) without the help of a woman on a 600,000 acre ranch known as the Ponderosa. The family is bonded in loyalty. Town folks know that anyone with the name of Cartwright, or anyone who works at the Ponderosa, stands for freedom, equality and respect for people of all creeds and races.