“Bonanza” ran for an amazing 14 seasons. They filmed over 400 episodes. There was only one other Western television show that would run longer than “Bonanza”. That show was “Gunsmoke”. “Gunsmoke” was on television for a whopping 20 seasons. Gunsmoke comes in second on the list for longest running scripted TV shows. At 20 seasons, it is tied with “Law and Order”, and only surpassed by “The Simpsons”.
Both of these shows are still popular today. They were not just passing fads. Both of these timeless television programs continue to run in syndication all over the world, even today.
There Were Lyrics In The Theme Song
Did you know that the theme song for “Bonanza” actually had lyrics? Most people only know the instrumental version of the song, but it definitely had lyrics. The theme song was written by songwriters Jay Livingston and Ray Evans.
Video was found of the cast members singing the lyrics. In fact, Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon sang the theme song lyrics which they were using for the pilot episode, but unfortunately, it did not air, and they went with the instrumental version. Everybody loved this song! The world-famous singer Johnny Cash also recorded a version of the theme song to Bonanza!
A Pioneer In Color TV
Along with “The Cisco Kid”, “Bonanza” was among the first Western television programs that was fully produced in color. Because it was one of the first to be produced in color, it was also one of the most expensive shows during this time.
After its first season, which was quite underwhelming, it was going to be canceled. However, they had spent so much money on this new color television show that they just had to keep going. Additionally, RCA wanted to really push the new color television, so they had to have the color shows stay on the air. And thankfully so. Could you imagine the world without “Bonanza”?
The Cartwrights Welcomed Visitors
Throughout season one, the writers portrayed the Cartwright family as hostile to visitors. During Lorne Greene’s character development, he came to a realization that the Cartwright family was very important to the community. The business they had meant that they had to be more personable. Because of this, they could not be hostile to people that came on their land.
He realized that people were going to visit their land, conduct business, and become a place where people would convene. Because of this realization, the writer altered the characters. They made them more approachable and hospitable to the people of the town.
Chevrolet
Did you know that the car company Chevrolet sponsored almost all of the 431 episodes of “Bonanza”? So much of the income from the show was due to the fact that it had this partnership with Chevrolet. This partnership really kept the TV show in production, and kept it running, despite its expensive nature.
Additionally, the cast members starred in Chevrolet commercials. This was also part of the sponsorship deal. The stars had to promote a wide array of Chevrolet vehicles. While this seems crazy, you see this all the time today, when you are watching a show and then during the commercials the same cast members from the show are starring in a commercial or something semi related to what you were watching. Crazy, right?