BONANZA! at last!!!! - Page 3

I think I read in the closing credits a few times that the series was filmed at Paramount Studios in Hollywood. That may be where the CBS/Paramount connection comes from.

Actually,BONANZA actually has more of an interesting ownership map


In 1971, as a result of the fin-syn rules, the FCC barred the participation of networks in the syndication of their own programs,so in 1973 NBC Sold rights to the series to National Telefilm Associates, which was and later changed its name back to Republic Pictures in the 1980s. Republic would become part of  Spelling Entertainment in 1994. (Which also has aquired WORLDVISION at this time.)
 

Viacom/Paramount would eventually Acquire Spelling Entertainment, and when Viacom split Paramount into two parts - one for Television (CBS,inc) and one for Theatrical (Paramount Pictures)  CBS Television Distribution, got  the television side of Republic's holdings) still retains the syndication distribution rights to the series.
 

So,CBS DVD is the home video rights holder, while the series copyright remains with NBC Universal. Bonanza Ventures (which owns the concepts) is a co-licensee of the Bonanza material with both NBC/Universal and CBS.
 

The ironic part in all of this is That the Spelling Entertainment  owned WORLDVISION was the company that spun-off of ABC Television Syndication arm under the 1971 Ruling, and VIACOM was the company that spun off of CBS’s Television Syndication division at the same time!

What comes around,goes around!




 

After reading this, there's hope for Max Headroom yet!

Hey Bonanza fans, can we expect an announcement on Season 2, parts one and two, soon?
Or is there any evidence that this series hasn't sold well?

Considering how popular it was and how long it ran, and how so many of its actors became TV icons, i'm shocked that I had to travel 8 pages into the past to find this thread!
Oh well, those who want more Bonanza say 'Eye!'

I sure hope we get season 2 this year.  I am almost done with season 1.

Sad news to report, Pernell Roberts has passed away this morning.

Rest in peace Pernell.

Yippee Kayyay! Season 2 is apparently on the way...

 

http://www.classicflix.com/bonanza-season-december-a-826.html

 

Tell Sheriff Coffey we'll be late -- Hop Sing's made a mess of grub and we're putting down stakes!

It is about time.  Began to consider buying the German set at ridiculous prices.

 

BONANZA was filmed at Paramount for the first 11 years. They moved the show to Warner Bros. studios for the 12th Season in 1970.

That's the reason for the season premiere "The Night Virginia City Died", where a firebug burns down much of Virginia City: A good excuse for using new western sets at a different studio. At least the same Ponderosa Ranch house set was kept.

I am not big in shows being released on volumes. At this rate it will take about 12 yrs for this show to be released. I am going to pass on this show for now and focus my attention on other shows that are close to completion.

 

 

Well, some of us have waited years for BONANZA to be properly duplicated and released in DVD season sets as it is,  so what else are you going to do for the next 12 years to get to Season 14?

I'm happy to see that CBS/Paramount hasn't given up on this (and HGWT etc.).  Seems like there's life in archival TV on DVD yet!  I didn't get Season One, since I already had the German version, so I'm pleased that they've loaded this one with extras. 

I'd prefer to have full season releases also, but this is better than having no season or dvd-r at dvd prices.

Unfortunately, we both know that the chances of all the series we want getting released are limited -- and you could be waiting a long time for most series to be completely released. Time-Life seems to have the idea right (altho i'd quibble about their method - but they are releasing full series), and Timeless is doing a great service with truly limited resources (and on some really rare shows -- Soldiers of Fortune just announced today!) and Hawaii 5-0 looks like its going to go the distance; too many of them are start and stop.

 

I'm not going to say that holding off for full-season releases or until the full series is out is guaranteeing that it won't happen, but too often it seems that way. Just as the flood to get those archive dvd-rs has essentially given Warners an easy-out on some great series of noir sets, classic actor/actress sets.

 

Is the second season, the year when Bonanza started having their "comedy" episodes? In my opinion their best episodes were the humorous ones between Adam (and more strongly little Joe, and Hoss)?

 

James

Since Warner is now charging $24.95 for a 64-minute DVD-R of Peter Lorre's Stranger on the Third Floor, the $40 or so that this 5-disc set will end up costing at Amazon doesn't seem so bad anymore.  TV on DVD, even in its reduced state, actually seems less moribund that classic movies on DVD now.
 

 

 My favorite episode of all time is the 5th season episode "Hoss and the Leprecauns".  Very funny

I seem to recall there was one with a Spanish girl, who all three sons tried to impress with a mock bull fight. The encounter with the bovine left Virginia City in a mess,and the three boys worried about being on the receiving end of Ben's wraith.

 

James

I've noticed that Paramount is only marketing season 2 vol 1 as a standalone -- when we had the option of buying season 1 vol 1&2 together at a discount right out of the hopper. Now should i wait for them to bundle season 2 volumes together or ...?

The all-time great BONANZA comedy?  I'd have to call it a draw between "Ponderosa Explosion" (Hoss and Joe raise rabbits.),

and from the 13th season "The Younger Brothers' Younger Brother", in which Hoss teams up with the Younger gang after they escape from prison!

 

How about the one where Hoss has spring fever? And he has to keep taking his medicine until it passes, which makes him half-asleep.

 

Or the one where Little Joe is caught up reading detective novels, and starts telling people that he suspects a person in town is a crook. Great ending scene  where Hoss and Joe start crying, after they realize they've just slugged their Paw, when the lights went off.

 

Or the one where Hoss was dressed up as an Easter Rabbit.

 

Bonanza worked better as a comedy than a drama.

 

James

 

That would be "Caution: Easter Bunny Crossing", which is from early 1970 during the 11th Season.

 

That has the distinction of being the only BONANZA episode to be syndicated both with the original batch of episodes in the early 1970s

and with "The Lost Episodes" in 1988. 

 

Since that time that unnecessary subtitle "The Lost Episodes" was removed from the second group of episodes fortunately.

The downside is that second syndication package is very hard to find now.  It was last seen in the early 2000s with the customary 5 or 6 minutes

edited out for The Hallmark Channel.  At least the defunct CBN Cable had them uncut in the late 1980s / early 90s.

DVD Talk review of Bonanza: The Complete Second Season - Volume 2:

 

 

Bonanza: The Complete Second Season - Volume 2 - DVD Talk review