Press Release Paramount Press Release: Bonanza: The Complete Series (DVD) (1 Viewer)

[Dan McW]

I have a paperback, Bonanza: One Man with Courage, by Thomas Thompson from the '60s. My copy is a second printing from 1967, with the first printing having been in 1966. The publisher is Media Books. I've got scads of old paperbacks but can't remember having any from Media Books.

The first inside page has a letter signed by Lorne Greene. The book has a little over 250 pages, which is about 60-90 pages longer most TV tie-ins I have.

The book is dedicated "to my good friends, the real unsung heroes of Bonanza--the men and women of the TV crew."

One Man with Courage by Thompson - AbeBooks

ONE MAN WITH COURAGE. (Based on the Classic Western NBC-TV Series BONANZA - Ponderosa) Ben, Hoss & Little Joe Cartwright by Thompson, Thomas. and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at AbeBooks.com.

www.abebooks.com

 

[Kevin Antonio (Kev)]

I have found Bonanza to be a really tough watch. Though I enjoy the series overall, as I've progressed further and further into it, there are fewer and fewer really captivating episodes. I'm certain that the cast changes have a great deal to do with this and because I'm currently on Disc 3 of Season Eleven. Seems for every episode that holds my attention then come two or three or more which do not, along with quite a few I just can't even complete viewing. It's taken me many years to progress this far probably because I have so many other series to watch that have greater interest.

I haven't given up and I will watch it all the way through Season Fourteen but for me it fails in comparison to Gunsmoke, Rawhide, Wagon Train and Have Gun Will Travel to name just a few.

I have to agree with this. I don't think the show has aged well at all and was too set bound. So was wanted dead or alive and have gun but I feel they did a better job at reusing sets and being outdoors. Also they wernt in color so the focus on sets wasn't important. Episodes away from the ponderosa are my favorite especially in the Adam cartwright era. A episode entitled the way station took place entirely on a sound stage but the acting between Robert's and Robert Vaughn was worth it. I usually stop my re-watches around the season 5 episode " The Legacy ", because if there was ever a episode the show could have ended on; I would vote that one simply because it showcased all 4 leads at their best and ended with them as a family walking away together. Season 5 also had the extended closing credits that I loved, assuming William Lava was given a hand to do something different with the closing credits.

Those later seasons of bonanza became " Big House on The Ponderosa"

 

[timk1041]

I have to agree with this. I don't think the show has aged well at all and was too set bound. So was wanted dead or alive and have gun but I feel they did a better job at reusing sets and being outdoors. Also they wernt in color so the focus on sets wasn't important. Episodes away from the ponderosa are my favorite especially in the Adam cartwright era. A episode entitled the way station took place entirely on a sound stage but the acting between Robert's and Robert Vaughn was worth it. I usually stop my re-watches around the season 5 episode " The Legacy ", because if there was ever a episode the show could have ended on; I would vote that one simply because it showcased all 4 leads at their best and ended with them as a family walking away together. Season 5 also had the extended closing credits that I loved, assuming William Lava was given a hand to do something different with the closing credits.

Those later seasons of bonanza became " Big House on The Ponderosa"

I think it was and still is a good show.

 

[AlohaTiger]

I have to agree with this. I don't think the show has aged well at all and was too set bound. So was wanted dead or alive and have gun but I feel they did a better job at reusing sets and being outdoors. Also they wernt in color so the focus on sets wasn't important. Episodes away from the ponderosa are my favorite especially in the Adam cartwright era. A episode entitled the way station took place entirely on a sound stage but the acting between Robert's and Robert Vaughn was worth it. I usually stop my re-watches around the season 5 episode " The Legacy ", because if there was ever a episode the show could have ended on; I would vote that one simply because it showcased all 4 leads at their best and ended with them as a family walking away together. Season 5 also had the extended closing credits that I loved, assuming William Lava was given a hand to do something different with the closing credits.

Those later seasons of bonanza became " Big House on The Ponderosa"

I think Bonanza is one of those shows that is more about if you like the characters over how good the episodes are. I think the characters were / are so beloved , especially in the 1960’s, that the stories often came secondary , not that people don’t/ didn’t care about the stories. Hoss and Little Joe were especially popular and the show really ended when Dan Blocker died. Being the #1 tv show of the 1960’s has to say something about its appeal regardless of being setbound a lot of times. It’s family atmosphere is what I think is the main appeal of the show besides being a western when westerns were at an all time high in popularity before they declined in the 1970’s. The fact that it was one of the first color shows and westerns gave it an edge over other westerns when it began and was only rivaled by Gunsmoke and Wagon Train even though those started out B/W. The Virginian was really in another category bc of its length, they like were mini movies @ 90 minutes. I really love the outdoor scenes in Lake Tahoe bc they’re not in the usual desert like a lot westerns like Rawhide. I’m a huge western fan so I have a lot of tv series and each has its strengths and weaknesses. I take setbound scenes as a necessary evil in the early westerns due to costs and the lack of portable filming technology that came later on. Also, most series didn’t have characters as part of a large family so they didn’t necessarily have to have a lot of scenes inside a home like Bonanza did.
Funny that you didn’t mention not liking Saloon scenes, as they were just as setbound.
‘David Dotort really made this show as the producer and I agree with you that the later seasons became Big House On The Ponderosa as Michael Landon started to have more influence. I have no problem with that as I love Michael Landon & Little House also (and the Waltons).
‘If a blu ray set ever came out , I’d pick it up in a heartbeat. The color on the official sets are fantastic but an HD remaster would stunning.

 

[jdee28]

I like the pilot and "The Newcomers" so far! What I've seen is good, not great. The writing doesn't seem to be as strong as on other Western shows. It is fun to see a 1959 tv show, with so many recognizable actors, in color!

 

[ponset]

Gena Rowland passed away yesterday, she appeared in the episode, "She Walks in Beauty".

 

[benbess]

...The Virginian was really in another category bc of its length, they like were mini movies @ 90 minutes...

I still like Bonanza, even though the set-bound nature of the show does make it feel less real to me at times. As Neal says the earlier seasons seem better to me as well.

But anyway, thanks AlohaTiger for mentioning my favorite Western from the 1960s. Have you watched any of The Virginian in high definition on Starz? It looks great.

 

[AlohaTiger]

Hey Ben, yes , i was obsessed with the Virginian when I was collecting the remastered season DVD’s a few years ago. Haven’t seen it in HD on Starz but heard it looks incredible. Still bummed that they didn’t remaster season 9 —The Men From Shiloh so I might try Starz just to see final season. It’s funny that they never gave him a name and everybody only called him The Virginian the whole time. You’d think someone would have asked him what his name was. I don’t believe anyone ever did now that I recall & I watched the whole series and read the book on the show

 

[jdee28]

For some reason, The Men from Shiloh season hasn't been remastered for Starz either.

 

[Kevin Antonio (Kev)]

I like the pilot and "The Newcomers" so far! What I've seen is good, not great. The writing doesn't seem to be as strong as on other Western shows. It is fun to see a 1959 tv show, with so many recognizable actors, in color!

Personally this is how I feel about the show. I grew up watching it and enjoyed it for it's characters and morality. I think once I became a western tv and movie buff I couldn't really enjoy it as much as I did when I was a child. The first 5 seasons are as good as it gets to me. The writing will get better especially when you get to season 2 episodes; Badge without honor, silent thunder, the dark gate, The rival. But one episodes that always stuck with me is from Season 4 called " The Quality of Mercy " which has Richard Rust play a friend of Joe's that kills a man who was trapped in a mining accident. Joe questions whether it was to stop his pain or steal his claim. Later episodes are a mixed bag but seasons 7-9 still have the same aesthetic as seasons 1-6.

 

[ponset]

 

[jimmyjet]

Nothing wrong with a bit of light hearted humor to mix in with the more action packed and dramatic stories and scenes.

i wouldnt mind a little bit of comedy, but i cant stand the comedy on bonanza. it is too dumb. of course, i feel that way about a lot of comedies on tv.

now if they could have made a comedy as good as the dick van dyke shows, that would be quite a different thing !!

 

[LouA]

I like the pilot and "The Newcomers" so far! What I've seen is good, not great. The writing doesn't seem to be as strong as on other Western shows. It is fun to see a 1959 tv show, with so many recognizable actors, in color!

Gets better as the series progresses!
But maybe you have to be a fan of the show. I really like it.
But I recall, when I began watching the first season episodes on DVD, I felt that the main four actors took some time, (most of the first season) to get comfortable in their roles.

 

[LouA]

Anyone think there’s a chance for this gigantic set to make it to Blu-ray?

 

[ScottRE]

Anyone think there’s a chance for this gigantic set to make it to Blu-ray?

No more than Gunsmoke as a shot. It's FAR too many episodes and we're frankly lucky that both shows not only got full releases after so many long years of season and half season sets, we are blessed to have them repackages as complete cinderblock sized sets.

And also for a reasonable price. Thanks to you fans who stayed the course over the years, I was able to get Gunsmoke complete for $170.

Blu Ray releases of classic TV shows tend to fall more into cult favorites. Or shows with a manageable run. Magnum PI and Columbo were almost too long, but they got out there in HD. Mission: Impossible was a surprise also.

But, as I say, never say never. 13 years of Bonanza is still shorter than 20 years of Gunsmoke. I'd be behind it, along with classic Hawaii Five-0, which looks great on Paramount + in HD.

 

[SuperClark]

Gunsmoke seasons 7-20 have been available for a while in HD on Paramount Plus.Bonanza- no where.That series should have been released on blu ray not dvd.Same with Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.But at least with the latter show it was made available in HD as a digital purchase which i did with all 14 seasons.

 

[bmasters9]

No more than Gunsmoke as a shot. It's FAR too many episodes and we're frankly lucky that both shows not only got full releases after so many long years of season and half season sets, we are blessed to have them repackages as complete cinderblock sized sets.

Very true-- it'd be a lot of work converting 635 outings of Gunsmoke (and 432 of Bonanza) to Blu.

 

[SuperClark]

All episodes of Bonanza have already been remastered from the original 35 mm film elements.
This is a very good collection of rare photos on the set mostly in black and white,

 

[LouA]

Very true-- it'd be a lot of work converting 635 outings of Gunsmoke (and 432 of Bonanza) to Blu.

Although, Paramount was able to release the entire Cheers series on BD.
And now we’re getting Bewiitched
I’d be content with a Seasons 1-5,set.

 

[SuperClark]

I have both Cheers and Frasier on blu ray- both lasted 11 seasons.I would have been willing to pay 100 dollars more for a complete series set of Bonanza on blue or HD digital.I probably would wait on a sale tho for the latter.