The name “Bonanza” means “prosperity” or “rich ore pocket” in Spanish. It was one of many towns that started after valuable minerals were found. Occasionally, this wasn’t the case, as in the opening sequence or when Bonanza shot two-part 1966 episode “The Pursued” at Anchor Ranch, Lone Pine, California. But for the most part, Bonanza was filmed at Paramount studio backlots in Hollywood, where the “Western street” and interior and exterior settings were created.
Main cast
Location shots from around Nevada were included, however, to add realism and style to the colour TV Western. Though not familiar stars in 1959, the cast quickly became favorites of the first television generation. The order of billing at the beginning of the broadcast appeared to be shuffled randomly each week, with no relation whatsoever to the current episode featured that week.
- Very few of the original Bonanza episodes were shot at the theme park’s Virginia City site, although the town was prominently featured in three Bonanza television movies.
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- When the ranch opened in 1967, Pernell Roberts (Adam Cartwright) had long since departed the series.
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- For over 70 years, Bonanza Creek Ranch has served as a premier movie ranch and film location in New Mexico, featured in more than 150 films, television shows, and commercials.
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In 1968, a slightly revamped horn and percussion-heavy arrangement of the original score introduced the series, which was used until 1970. A new theme song, called “The Big Bonanza” was written in 1970 by episode scorer David Rose, and was used from 1970 to 1972. Action-shot pictorials of the cast replaced the galloping trio with the order of the actors rotating from episode to episode, resulting in Blocker or Landon often getting top billing over Greene. Finally, a faster rendition of the original music returned for the 14th and final season, along with action shots of the cast (sans Dan Blocker, who had died by this point). Only the front of the ranch house was ever shown on television because a highway ran directly to the right of the house.
- Little Joe’s green corduroy jacket and Hoss’s brown suede vest were displayed hanging on a rack.
- The main attraction was the ranch’s version of Virginia City, which was miles from the real Virginia City but immediately adjacent to the rear of the house set (on the show, the ranch was about a two-hour ride on horseback from Virginia City).
- However, Michael Landon, Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker, and David Canary often made appearances at the ranch in costume to mingle with fans and sign autographs.
- They aimed to fix the mistakes of the original town’s people.
- The stairs led nowhere, as the “bedrooms” were actually located on a sound stage in Hollywood.
Information on Bonanza, Sebastian County
For over 70 years, Bonanza Creek Ranch has served as a premier movie ranch and film location in New Mexico, featured in more than 150 films, television shows, and commercials. This privately owned, production-ready location spans thousands of acres of uninterrupted Southwestern landscape, offering eight distinct sets, including an authentic Western Town, a Spanish Fort, and historic homesteads. In 2001, there was an attempt to revive the Bonanza concept with a prequel, Ponderosa—not to be confused with the 1972 summer reruns under the same title6—with a pilot directed by Simon Wincer and filmed in Australia. Covering the time when the Cartwrights first arrived at the Ponderosa, when Adam and Hoss were teenagers and Joe a little boy, the series lasted 20 episodes and featured less gunfire and brawling than the original. Bonanza creator David Dortort approved PAX TV (now Ion TV)’s decision to hire Beth Sullivan, formerly of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, which some believe gave the series more depth as well as a softer edge.
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Parking for visitors was at the highway level; only official vehicles, such as the park’s Conestoga wagons, were allowed at the top of the ridge, where the park was located. Depending on the time of day, a park visit could include breakfast. Lunch, including a “Hoss Burger”, could also be purchased. Estimates are that more than three million of these were sold during the park’s existence. Bonanza’s first opening scene, in season 1, was shot on location at Lake Hemet in Mountain Center, California.
Located just outside Santa Fe, Bonanza Creek Ranch provides cinematic versatility for directors, producers, and location scouts seeking natural light, open skies, and timeless Western architecture. At the 2020 United States census, there were 4,406 people, 1,220 households, and 885 families Bonanza City residing in the CDP. Bonanza “the official first season” was released in Scandinavia during 2010.
It is located about 13 miles (21 km) southwest of Santa Fe. The town was started in 1880 because gold and silver were found nearby. Later, a movie set called The Bonanza Creek Movie Ranch was built near the old town. This set looks like a mining town from the late 1800s.
David Canary returned to his former role of Candy (to offset Hoss’ absence), and a new character named Griff King (played by Tim Matheson) was added in an attempt to lure younger viewers. Griff, in prison for nearly killing his abusive stepfather, was paroled into Ben’s custody and given a job as a ranch hand. Several episodes were built around his character, one that Matheson never had a chance to fully develop before the show was abruptly cancelled in November 1972 (with the final episode airing January 16, 1973). Many fans, as well as both Landon and Greene, felt that the character of Hoss was essential, as he was a nurturing, empathetic soul who rounded out the all-male cast. The ranch name refers to the Pinus ponderosa (ponderosa pine), common in the West. The nearest 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 (Bing Russell).
It featured original cast Pernell Roberts, Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon on horseback in front of the San Jacinto Mountains. VE AG released the first seven seasons on DVD in Germany between 2008 and 2010. In 2011, StudioCanal acquired the rights to the series and have begun re-releasing it on DVD, and all seasons have now been released but have not been remastered. On October 21, 2021, the movie Rust was being filmed at Bonanza. It is scheduled to restart in January 2023, but not in New Mexico.
Bonanza
Graves of the Cartwrights and cook Hop Sing were later added, following the deaths of Dan Blocker (1972), Victor Sen Yung (1980), Lorne Greene (1987), and Michael Landon (1991). The house contained a less-than-realistic carved figure of Ben Cartwright sitting at his desk, and of Hop Sing working in the kitchen. The only parts of the house that actually existed were the living room, dining room, kitchen, and office. The stairs led nowhere, as the “bedrooms” were actually located on a sound stage in Hollywood. These include Silverado and A Million Ways to Die in the West. The TV show Kid Nation was also filmed there in 2007.