Did you know that “Bonanza” was one of the most expensive shows on television? NBC had a budget of $100,000 to $150,000 per episode. This amount made Bonanza the most expensive TV show to produce each week. In order to justify this wild amount, “Bonanza” was also named one of the best-performing television shows.
Even though they had a sky-high budget, the network saved money per episode by using stock footage for extra scenes, as well as having the cast all wear the same clothing throughout the entire series. Yes, all four hundred plus episodes.
David Canary as Candy Canaday
There was a gap in the show that needed to be filled when cast member Pernell Roberts left. It was at this time, that actor David Canary joined the cast, in the role of “candy” Canaday.
Prior to joining the cast of “Bonanza”, David was up for the role of Mr. Spock, in Star Trek. After Bonanza, he went on to have a starring role in All My Children. This really launched his career, and he received 5 Emmy Award wins, as well as 16 nominations! Unfortunately, David died in 2015, leaving behind quite a legacy.
Stock Footage Helped The Show's Budget
“Bonanza” was one of the most expensive television shows of its time. They had to find effective ways to cut corners and save money without compromising the quality of the show.
One little trick they did to save money, was the use of stock footage. This enabled the production team to save thousands of dollars on each episode by not filming extra shots. This little tidbit was quite effective. They were able to avoid extra shoots that would have gone over the show's budget. Another fun fact, the cast all wore the same clothing throughout the series. That way the stock footage would always match the real footage. Who knew?
Adam Cartwright Could Have Been Played By Zorro
When you are an actor, sometimes you are faced with the difficult decision of having to decide between two roles. The role of Adam Cartwright was initially offered to actor Guy Williams. Guy turned down the offer and instead accepted the role of Zorro.
Even though he turned down the role of Adam Cartwright, he did appear on “Bonanza” in five episodes. He came on to play the role of Will Cartwright, who was Adam's cousin. The role was actually created to replace Pernell Roberts, in case he walked off set. They knew that he was volatile, so they had to be safe.
Hoss Was A Nickname
The character of Hoss Cartwright was actually just a nickname! The real character’s name was Eric Haas Cartwright. The other characters on “Bonanza”, including his family, called him by the nickname Hoss. It may have seemed like a strange nickname, but it is actually just a variation of his middle name, Hoss.
Eric “Hoss” Cartwright was played by the actor Dan Blocker. The character was gentle and kind, despite Blocker’s enormous stature. The nickname was also said to refer to Hoss being big, but friendly. The writers explain the nickname in an episode flashback, where the brothers give him a nickname to see what sticks.