Bonanza (season 3)
The third season of the American Western television series Bonanza premiered on NBC on September 24, 1961, with the final episode airing May 20, 1962.[1] The series was developed and produced by David Dortort, and season three starred Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon. The season consisted of 34 episodes of a series total 431 hour-long episodes, the entirety of which was produced in color.[2] At the start of the third season, the show was moved to Sundays at 9:00 p.m. In that time slot, the ratings soared and the series become second only to Wagon Train as the most popular program on American prime time television.[3]
| Bonanza | |
|---|---|
| Season 3 | |
 Cast of Bonanza in 1959 | |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 34 |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | September 24, 1961 – May 20, 1962 |
| Season chronology | |
Synopsis
Bonanza is set around the Ponderosa Ranch near Virginia City, Nevada and chronicles the weekly adventures of the Cartwright family, consisting of Ben Cartwright and his three sons (each by a different wife), Adam, Eric ("Hoss"), and Joseph ("Little Joe"). A regular character is their ranch cook, Hop Sing.
Cast and characters
Main cast
- Lorne Greene as Ben Cartwright
- Pernell Roberts as Adam Cartwright
- Dan Blocker as Eric "Hoss" Cartwright
- Michael Landon as Joseph "Little Joe" Cartwright
Recurring
- Victor Sen Yung as Hop Sing
- Ray Teal as Sheriff Roy Coffee
Guest stars
- John Archer
- Majel Barrett
- Lee Bergere
- Herschel Bernardi
- Lyle Bettger
- Patricia Breslin
- Robert Brown
- Kathie Browne
- John Carradine
- James Coburn
- Ben Cooper
- Robert Culp
- Royal Dano
- Faith Domergue
- James Doohan
- James Dunn
- Jack Easton Jr
- Arthur Franz
- Steven Geray
- Margaret Hayes
- Brooke Hayward
- Ben Johnson
- Dean Jones
- Beatrice Kay
- DeForest Kelley
- Douglas Lambert
- Sue Ane Langdon
- John Litel
- Richard Loo
- Lisa Lu
- Mercedes McCambridge
- John McGiver
- Charles McGraw
- Lee Marvin
- Charles Maxwell
- Jan Merlin
- Vaughn Monroe
- Jeff Morrow
- Vic Morrow
- Diane Mountford
- Ed Nelson
- Frank Overton
- Luciana Paluzzi
- Andre Philippe
- Ford Rainey
- Paul Richards
- Eileen Ryan
- William Schallert
- Nina Shipman
- Karen Steele
- Inga Swenson
- Harry Swoger
- Irene Tedrow
- Ian Wolfe
- Will Wright
Production
Writing
Season three's writing introduced changes into Lorne Greene's character, Ben Cartwright, after Greene threatened to leave the show.[4] Originally written as a Bible-quoting codger who vowed to shoot anyone who came on his land, Ben Cartwright was a tyrant of a father.[5] Greene wanted a more relatable character with a sense of humor and a healthy relationship with his sons.[4] Dortort revised the character to be a warmer father, and focused more on family and personal justice.[5] The changes contributed to the show's success as the new season moved into the #2 spot in ratings.[3][4]
This season marked the beginning of script writing for Michael Landon. His initial treatment was a handwritten script of about 30 pages. Frank Chase helped him complete the script, which ultimately became the April 2, 1962 episode, "The Gamble".[6]
Filming
While filming episode 31, "The Dowry", on location, Pernell Roberts's horse, Sport, slipped and fell while going downhill on a muddy path. After Sport fell, Blocker's horse, Chub, who was following closely, stumbled over him. Roberts and Blocker jumped off their mounts as they had been trained to do, but both actors were injured. Roberts sprained his neck, while Blocker broke his collarbone and shoulder and would miss one episode then wear a sling for the remainder of the season.
Location shoots for the season included Incline Village for episode 9, "The Countess",[7] and Iverson's Movie Ranch for episode 27, "The Gamble".[8]
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67 | 1 | "The Smiler" | Thomas Carr | Lewis Reed | September 24, 1961 | |
| The brother (Herschel Bernardi) of the drunk Hoss accidentally killed in self-defense secretly plots his revenge. | ||||||
| 68 | 2 | "Springtime" | Christian Nyby | John Furia Jr. | October 1, 1961 | |
| Joe accidentally hurts old businessman Jedediah Milbank (John Carradine) while he and his brothers are enjoying the spring. | ||||||
| 69 | 3 | "The Honor of Cochise" | Don McDougall | Elliott Arnold | October 8, 1961 | |
| Indian war chief Cochise (Jeff Morrow) and his warriors pursue an Army captain (DeForest Kelley) responsible for poisoning Indian women and children. Adam is seriously wounded after he's hit by an Apache bullet. | ||||||
| 70 | 4 | "The Lonely House" | William Witney | Frank Chase | October 15, 1961 | |
| A lonely widow tends to a wounded bank robber whose gang takes her and Joe hostage. Paul Richards and Faith Domergue guest star. | ||||||
| 71 | 5 | "The Burma Rarity" | William Witney | N.B. Stone Jr. | October 21, 1961 | |
| Con men try to sell a worthless gem to a former showgirl, but she's too smart for them. People in town would like Ben to get married with widow Hawkins (Beatrice Kay). | ||||||
| 72 | 6 | "Broken Ballad" | Robert Butler | John T. Kelly | October 29, 1961 | |
| Former gunfighter Ed Payson (Robert Culp) returns to Virginia City and tries to put his past behind him. Adam decides to help him. | ||||||
| 73 | 7 | "The Many Faces of Gideon Flinch" | Robert Altman | Robert Vincent Wright | November 5, 1961 | |
| Joe is mistaken for con man Gideon Flinch (Ian Wolfe), who along with his niece Jennifer (Sue Ane Langdon), has spent all the money of an investment made by Bullet Head Burke (Harry Swoger). | ||||||
| 74 | 8 | "The Friendship" | Don McDougall | Frank Chase | November 12, 1961 | |
| Joe tries to help former chain-gang prisoner Danny Kid (Dean Jones), locked up since he was only thirteen, to adjust to his freedom. | ||||||
| 75 | 9 | "The Countess" | Robert Sparr | William R. Cox and William D. Powell | November 19, 1961 | |
| A countess (Margaret Hayes) returns to Virginia City to resume her romance with Ben, the man she spurned twenty years before in New Orleans. | ||||||
| 76 | 10 | "The Horse Breaker" | Don McDougall | Frank Chase | November 26, 1961 | |
| Ben tries to help bronco-buster Johnny Lightly (Ben Cooper) who's feeling depressed over losing the use of his legs. | ||||||
| 77 | 11 | "Day of the Dragon" | Don McDougall | John T. Dugan | December 3, 1961 | |
| Joe wins Su Ling (Lisa Lu), a Chinese slave girl, in a poker game, but she refuses to allow him to free her. Meanwhile, her groom-to-be General Tsung (Richard Loo) is looking for her. | ||||||
| 78 | 12 | "The Frenchman" | Christian Nyby | Norman Lessing | December 10, 1961 | |
| The Cartwrights deal with a Frenchman who claims to be the reincarnation of medieval and outlaw poet François Villon (Andre Philippe). | ||||||
| 79 | 13 | "The Tin Badge" | Lewis Allen | Don Ingalls | December 17, 1961 | |
| Two citizens of a nearby small town appoint Joe their sheriff as part of their plot to commit a murder. After he takes the job, Joe becomes suspicious. Vic Morrow, Karen Steele and John Litel guest star. | ||||||
| 80 | 14 | "Gabrielle" | Thomas Carr | Anthony Lawrence | December 24, 1961 | |
| The Cartwrights help blind girl Gabrielle Wickman (Diane Mountford) find her reclusive grandfather, who spent 21 years in jail for a crime he didn't commit. | ||||||
| 81 | 15 | "Land Grab" | David Orrick McDearmon | Ward Hawkins | December 31, 1961 | |
| A range war is on the horizon when settlers use deeds to claim ownership of the Ponderosa sold by an unscrupulous friend of Ben's (John McGiver) that the Cartwrights are currently hosting. | ||||||
| 82 | 16 | "The Tall Stranger" | Don McDougall | Ward Hawkins | January 7, 1962 | |
| Hoss courts Margie Owens (Kathie Browne), a wealthy woman who's equally captivated by a fortune hunter's extravagant promises. | ||||||
| 83 | 17 | "The Lady from Baltimore" | John Peyser | Elliott Arnold | January 14, 1962 | |
| Status-seeking mother Deborah Banning (Mercedes McCambridge) is disappointed in her husband's financial failures and forces her daughter to marry Joe. | ||||||
| 84 | 18 | "The Ride" | Don McDougall | Ward Hawkins | January 21, 1962 | |
| Adam sets out to prove one of his business partners Bill Enders (Jan Merlin) is guilty of robbery and murder, but his family and the sheriff are not convinced by his testimony. | ||||||
| 85 | 19 | "The Storm" | Lewis Allen | Denne Petitclerc | January 28, 1962 | |
| Laura White (Brooke Hayward) displays her affections for Joe when she and her father, sea Captain Matthew White (Frank Overton), visit the Ponderosa. | ||||||
| 86 | 20 | "The Auld Sod" | William Witney | Charles Lang | February 4, 1962 | |
| Ranch hand Danny Lynch (James Dunn) convinces the Cartwrights to go along with his charade of their ranch being his ranch for his visiting Irish mother, who thinks her son owns the Ponderosa. | ||||||
| 87 | 21 | "Gift of Water" | Jesse Hibbs | Borden Chase | February 11, 1962 | |
| Tensions rise during a drought and the Cartwrights dig a well in order to bring water to drought-ridden farmers. Royal Dano, Majel Barrett and James Doohan guest star. | ||||||
| 88 | 22 | "The Jackknife" | William Witney | Frank Chase | February 18, 1962 | |
| Adam tries to save the marriage of a couple whose son he befriends. Adam doesn't know that the father, rancher Matt Grant (John Archer), is the member of a gang of rustlers. | ||||||
| 89 | 23 | "The Guilty" | Lewis Allen | Clifford Irving | February 25, 1962 | |
| Retired sheriff Lem Partridge (Lyle Bettger) blames his friend Ben for his son Jimmy's (Jack Easton Jr) death when the boy is shot and killed by vengeful gunman Jack Groat (Charles Maxwell). | ||||||
| 90 | 24 | "The Wooing of Abigail Jones" | Christian Nyby | Norman Lessing | March 4, 1962 | |
| The Cartwrights boys help shy ranch hand Hank Meyers (Vaughn Monroe) court schoolteacher Abigail Jones (Eileen Ryan). | ||||||
| 91 | 25 | "The Lawmaker" | Christian Nyby | Story by : John A. Johns Teleplay by : Dick Nelson | March 11, 1962 | |
| The acting sheriff, rancher Asa Moran (Arthur Franz), of Virginia City abuses his authority while Roy Coffee is out due to injury. | ||||||
| 92 | 26 | "Look to the Stars" | Don McDougall | Robert M. Fresco and Paul Rink | March 18, 1962 | |
| Ben discovers that young genius Albert Michelson (Douglas Lambert) was expelled from school because of a bigoted schoolmaster (William Schallert). | ||||||
| 93 | 27 | "The Gamble" | William Witney | Story by : Michael Landon Teleplay by : Frank Cleaver and Michael Landon | April 1, 1962 | |
| Joe hurries to rescue his father and brothers from being executed on a false murder charge. Charles McGraw and Ben Johnson guest star. | ||||||
| 94 | 28 | "The Crucible" | Paul Nickell | John T. Dugan | April 8, 1962 | |
| Adam ends up stranded in the desert where he is forced to depend on insane miner Peter Kane (Lee Marvin), who forces the Cartwright into slavery to drive Adam to murder. | ||||||
| 95 | 29 | "Inger, My Love" | Lewis Allen | Story by : Anthony Lawrence Teleplay by : Frank Cleaver and David Dortort | April 15, 1962 | |
| Ben remembers his courtship with his second wife and Hoss's mother, Inger (Inga Swenson). | ||||||
| 96 | 30 | "Blessed Are They" | Don McDougall | Story by : Borden Chase Teleplay by : Borden Chase and Frank Cleaver | April 22, 1962 | |
| Ben must settle a bitter feud between the Mahan and Clarke families that threatens to divide the citizens of Virginia City. Robert Brown, Ford Rainey and Irene Tedrow. | ||||||
| 97 | 31 | "The Dowry" | Christian Nyby | Robert Vincent Wright | April 29, 1962 | |
| The Cartwrights take in wounded man Alexander Dubois (Steven Geray), his daughter Michele (Luciana Paluzzi) and her fiancé Don Ricardo Fernandez (Lee Bergere). Michele might have been robbed of her dowry. | ||||||
| 98 | 32 | "The Long Night" | William Witney | George Stackalee and E. M. Parsons | May 6, 1962 | |
| Adam is mistaken for an escaped convict and finds himself caught between the real convict (James Coburn) and a lynch mob. Adam needs to prove his real identity. | ||||||
| 99 | 33 | "The Mountain Girl" | Don McDougall | John Furia | May 13, 1962 | |
| Joe is given the task of changing a mountain girl (Nina Shipman) into a refined young lady, as wished by the girl's late grandfather Seth Coombs (Will Wright). | ||||||
| 100 | 34 | "The Miracle Maker" | Don McDougall | Story by : Lewis Reed Teleplay by : Frank Cleaver and Preston Wood | May 20, 1962 | |
| A so-called faith healer (Ed Nelson) offers to help Susan (Patricia Breslin) with her guilt over her father dying in a wagon crash. | ||||||
Release
The season aired on Sundays from 9:00 pm–10:00 pm on NBC.[9] This was a move from the season one and two timeslot of Saturdays from 7:30 pm–8:30 pm on NBC.[9]
Reception
In its new season three time slot, the ratings soared and the series become second only to Wagon Train as the most popular program on American prime time television.[3]
As the show became more popular, celebrities requested to do the show. A November 11, 1961 episode of Maverick, "Three Queens Full", parodied the show using Jim Backus as Joe Wheelwright, who, along with his sons Henry, Moose, and Small Paul, all lived on their ranch known as the Subrosa.[10]
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year[lower-alpha 1] | Category | Nominee(s) / Work | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | 1962 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for Television | Haskell Boggs and Walter Castle | Nominated | [11] |
- Indicates the year of ceremony.
References
Footnotes
- Shapiro 1997, pp. 77, 81.
- Shapiro 1997, pp. 5, 65–157.
- "TV Ratings: 1961–1962". ClassicTVGuide.com. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- Leiby & Leiby 2015, p. 17.
- Shapiro 1997, p. 8.
- Greenland 2015.
- Leiby & Leiby 2015, p. 54.
- Leiby & Leiby 2015, p. 61.
- Brooks & Marsh 2007, p. 164.
- Leiby & Leiby 2015, p. 19.
- "Television Academy Emmy Awards & Nominations—Bonanza". emmys.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
Bibliography
- Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
- Greenland, David R. (2010). Bonanza: A Viewer's Guide to the TV Legend. BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1-62933-722-7.
- Greenland, David R. (2015). Michael Landon: The Career and Artistry of a Television Genius. BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1-59393-785-0.
- Leiby, Bruce R.; Leiby, Linda F. (2015). A Reference Guide to Television's Bonanza: Episodes, Personnel, and Broadcast History. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 9781476600758.
- McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
- Shapiro, Melany (1997). Bonanza: The Definitive Ponderosa Companion. Cyclone Books. ISBN 978-1-890723-18-7.