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?
A Long And Successful Run
“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.
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.
The 'Star Trek' Connection
Along with “Bonanza”, there were numerous other famous television shows all in production during this time. One of them of course, was the TV series, “Star Trek”. This series ran in 1966. Numerous actors from the original television show “Star Trek” also went on to make appearances on “Bonanza”. “Bonanza” ran for 14 seasons, so there was plenty of opportunity and time for actors to get guest-starring roles.
Some notable crossover actors between “Star Trek” and “Bonanza” were the actors James Doohan, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, and Majel Barrett. Can you believe they were all on “Bonanza”?
Landon's Writing Wasn't Well-Received At First
It was pretty common knowledge that Landon loved “Bonanza”. He wanted to have more stake in the show, he wanted to do more than just act in it. He wanted to write for it, too. The producer, David Dortort, did not want him to. Landon attempted a couple of times to write a script, but failed. He did not give up, and finally, he gave the producers a script that they thought would be good to produce.
This amazing opportunity and perseverance landed Landon an amazing job. He went on to be one of the regular writers for “Bonanza”. Additionally, he would occasionally produce an episode as well. His writing did not end here, as he would also later write multiple episodes for the show Little House on the Prairie.