The West Old & New Vol. III Issue IV April 2014 | Page 14

est town to the Ponderosa was Virginia City, where the Cartwrights’ would go to converse with Sheriff Roy Coffee played by veteran actor Ray Teal, or his deputy Clem Foster played by Bing Russell.
Bonanza was considered an atypical western for its time, as the core of the storylines dealt less about the range but more with
Ben and his three dissimilar sons, how they cared for one another, their neighbors, and just causes. "You always saw stories about
family on comedies or on an anthology, but Bonanza was the first series that was week-to-week about a family and the troubles it
went through. Bonanza was a period drama that attempted to confront contemporary social issues. That was very difficult to do on
television. Most shows that tried to do it failed because the sponsors didn't like it, and the networks were nervous about getting
letters", explains Stephen Battaglio, a senior editor for TV Guide magazine (Paulette Cohn, "Bonanza: TV Trailblazer", American
Profile Magazine, p. 12, June 5, 2009).
Episodes ranged from high drama ("Bushwacked", episode #392, 1971; "Shanklin", episode #409, 1972), to broad comedy
("Hoss and the Leprechauns", episode #146, 1964; "Caution, Bunny Crossing", episode #358, 1969), and addressed issues such as
the environment ("Different Pines, Same Wind", episode #304, 1968), substance abuse ("The Hidden Enemy", episode #424,
1972), domestic violence ("First Love", episode #427, 1972), anti-war sentiment ("The Weary Willies", episode #364, 1970), and
illegitimate births ("Love Child", episode #370, 1970; "Rock-A-Bye Hoss", episode #393, 1971). The series sought to illustrate the
cruelty of bigotry against: Asians ("The Fear Merchants", episode #27, 1960; "The Lonely Man", episode #404, 1971), AfricanAmericans ("Enter Thomas Bowers", episode #164, 1964; "The Wish", episode #326, 1968; "Child", episode #305, 1969), Native
Americans ("The Underdog", episode #180, 1964; "Terror at 2:00", episode #384, 1970), Jews, ("Look to the Stars", episode #90,
1962); Mormons ("The Pursued, episodes #239-40, 1966), the disabled ("Tommy", episode #249, 1966) and "little people" ("It's A
Small World", episode #347, 1968).
Originally, the Cartwrights tended to be depicted as put-off by outsiders. Lorne Greene objected to this, pointing out that as the
area's largest timber and livestock producer, the family should be less clannish. The producers agreed with this observation and
changed the Cartwrights to be more amiable.
Despite the show's success, Roberts departed the series after the 1964–65 season (after 202 episodes) and returned to stage
productions. Attempts to replace Adam with Little Joe's maternal half-brother Clay (Barry Coe) and Cartwright cousin Will (Guy
"Zorro" Williams), were unsuccessful. Creator David Dortort introduced a storyline that would keep the character of Adam in the
mix, but with a lighter schedule. During season six Adam falls for a widow with a young daughter, while making Will Cartwright
a central figure. Scripts were quickly revised by having Adam's fiancee, and her daughter, depart the series prematurely, with Guy
Williams' Will. It was Landon, not Roberts, who objected to the infusion of any new Cartwrights. After Roberts did leave the following year, it was eventually mentioned that Adam had gone "to sea", and in the later movies he had emigrated to Australia. In
mid 1972, the series producers considered inviting Roberts back in the wake of Dan Blocker's passing: "One suggestion was to
return Pernell Roberts, who had played another Cartwright son when Bonanza first hit the airwaves fourteen years ago. 'We only
considered that briefly, producer Richard Collins says, Some people felt it was a logical step- the oldest son returning at a time of
family need- but most of us didn't think it would work.'"
Hoss was the nickname used as a nod to the character's ample girth, an endearing term for "big and friendly", used by his
Swedish mother (& Uncle Gunnar), or a rib to his humiliating, failed attempt to break a horse. In the Bonanza flashback. his
mother Inger names him Eric after her father. To satisfy young Adam, Inger and Ben agree to try the nickname Hoss and "see
which one sticks." Inger says of "Hoss", "In the mountain country, that is the name for a big, friendly man." Not until the TVmovie Bonanza: The Next Generation was it explained that Hoss had drowned attempting to save a woman's life.
Beginning in 1962, a foundation was being laid to include another "son", as Pernell Roberts was displeased with his character.
In the episode "First Born" (1962), viewers learn of Little Joe's older, maternal half-brother Clay Stafford. The character departed
in that same episode, but left an opportunity for a return if needed. This character's paternity is open to debate. In the 1963
flashback episode "Marie, My Love", his father was Jean De'Marigny. Then in 1964, Lorne Greene released the song "Saga of the
Ponderosa", wherein Marie's previous husband was "Big Joe" Collins, who dies saving Ben's life. After Ben consoles Marie, the
two bond and marry. They choose to honor "Big Joe" by calling their son "Little Joe". So, whether to Stafford, De'Marigny or
Collins, Marie Cartwright was previously married. In the last of the three Bonanza TV movies, it is revealed that "Little Joe" had
died in the Spanish–American War - a member of the "Rough Riders"
Chinese American actor Victor Sen Yung played the Cartwrights' happy-go-lucky cook, whose blood pressure rose when the
family came late for dinner. Cast here as the faithful domestic, the comedy relief character had little to do beyond chores. He once
used martial arts to assail a towering family foe. Though often referenced, Hop Sing only appeared in an average of eight to nine
shows each season. As a semi-regular cast member, Sen Yung was only paid per episode. Afte