Bonanza
Bonanza is an American Western television series that aired from 1959 to 1973 on NBC. Set on the thousand-square-mile Ponderosa Ranch near Virginia City, Nevada, it follows the Cartwright family — patriarch Ben and his three sons Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe — as they navigate life, love, and conflict on the frontier. Bonanza was the first hour-length Western filmed in color and was NBC's flagship series for over a decade, running for 431 episodes across 14 seasons. The first two seasons are in the public domain because their copyrights were never renewed, making many early episodes freely available.
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Season 1
A Rose for Lotta
Lotta Crabtree is hired by mining tycoon Alpheus Troy to lure one of the Cartwrights into town and hold him for ransom in exchange for Ponderosa timber rights.
Death on Sun Mountain
Greedy opportunist Mark Burdette and his accomplice Early Thorne stir up trouble between the Paiute tribe and the citizens of Virginia City. Ben discovers Burdette and Thorne are selling antelope beef to the miners and finds the price too high. He offers the miners beef at a more reasonable price. Burdette and Thorne retaliate by framing the Paiute's for attacks, by dressing as them and killing ranchers. Based on a factual accounting. Lorne Greene's first voice-over narration, and no landing constructed yet for the Ponderosa stairway.
The Gunmen
Little Joe and Hoss are mistaken for notorious gunslingers when they arrive in a Texas town, forcing them to play along with the mistaken
The Fear Merchants
A ruthless businessman uses fear and intimidation to drive ranchers off their land, and the Cartwrights stand in his way when he targets the
The Spanish Grant
A Spanish noblewoman arrives at the Ponderosa claiming ownership of the land under an old Spanish grant, forcing the Cartwrights to fight for
Blood on the Land
A sheepherder drives his flock across Ponderosa land, sparking a dangerous feud that threatens to erupt into violence between cattlemen
Desert Justice
A U.S. Marshal known for his brutal methods arrests Adam as a material witness, and Ben must ride to his son's rescue before the lawman's
The Stranger
A mysterious stranger arrives at the Ponderosa with a hidden agenda connected to Ben Cartwright's past, threatening to expose a long-buried
Escape to Ponderosa
An Army deserter fleeing a court-martial seeks refuge at the Ponderosa, and the Cartwrights must decide whether to turn him in or help him
The Avenger
A mysterious vigilante known as the Avenger is hunting down men connected to a lynching years earlier, and Ben Cartwright discovers
The Last Trophy
A British lord and his wife arrive at the Ponderosa on a hunting trip, but the lord's arrogance and disdain for frontier life create tensions
San Francisco
Ben Cartwright travels to San Francisco on business and becomes entangled in a web of political corruption and murder that threatens
Bitter Water
Len Keith, a miner, wants to purchase some land adjacent to the Ponderosa from rancher Andy McKaren. Andy's son, Tod, is anxious to sell. Keith has offered him a partnership,and more importantly, he is in love with Keith's daughter. When Ben warns Andy that a mine on the property would foul up Ponderosa water, Andy agrees not to sell the land. Len Keith, determined to get that land, plants tick infested cattle in a Ponderosa herd to turn Andy against the Cartwrights.
Feet of Clay
Hoss takes Billy Allen, the young son of a convicted felon under his wing, then is forced to kill his father and Billy will not forgive him. The most emotional Hoss story since "The Newcomers" and one of Blocker's best.
Dark Star
Joe falls in love with Tirza, an undeniably strange gypsy girl who says she is cursed and never does seem to "snap out of it". The first episode of the series with a supernatural flavor, directed appropriately enough, by Lewis Allen, who made the classic ghost film "The Uninvited".
Death at Dawn
Virginia City is plagued by organized crime, Sam Bryant and his gang. One of his men, Farmer Perkins, kills a storekeeper, and at his trial, the wife of the store owner is afraid to testify. When Perkins is sentenced to hang, Bryant kidnaps Ben and wants to exchange Ben for Perkins, which leaves Adam with the most difficult decision of his life. A stellar cast.
Season 2
Showdown
A young bank robber hires on at the Ponderosa in order to keep his gang informed of the law's efforts to discover their whereabouts.
The Mission
Filmed almost entirely outdoors, this is more like a feature than a series. Captain Pender is looking for a scout to lead him and his company of men across the desert, along with a currency shipment they are carrying to another army fort. Charlie Trent, a former scout and now a drunk, still blames himself for his troops being led to massacre. Hoss sees that this is Charlie's opportunity to redeem himself and win back his honor. Meantime, Captain Pender is having trouble with Cutter, another scout who is a devious and cunning bear of a man, who agreed to lead him across the desert, but Pender lets him go and with Hoss' suggestion, Captain Pender agress to have Charlie be their scout.
Badge Without Honor
Adam's life is saved by an enigmatic U. S. Marshal who has come to Virginia City to arrest a friend of the Cartwrights.
The Mill
The Cartwrights construct a grist mill to provide income for a crippled rancher who blames Ben for his predicament. Ben has to contend with the man's depraved caretaker, and finds himself attracted to his wife. "Sons can't be everything," Ben tells her.
The Hopefuls
Adam guides a wagon train of Quakers and falls for the leader's daughter, Regina. The force Adam must employ to protect them, conflicts with their passive philosophy of life.
Denver McKee
While celebrating the return of his daughter Connie, former lawman McKee is asked to assist in the capture of an outlaw gang. While Joe is courting Connie, no one realizes that McKee is involved with the outlaws.
Day of Reckoning
Prejudice erupts on both sides when Ben gives an Indian named Matsou and his wife, some of his land, after saving Ben's life from a renegade Indian who almost killed him on the Ponderosa. An intense and magnetic performance by Ricardo Montalban.
The Abduction
Hoss and Joe take their sweethearts to a colorful and strange carnival for the day. Joe's recent girlfriend Jennifer Beale is abducted by the sinister owner, Philip Reed and his accomplice Gerner. Her father is Joshua Beale, the richest man in the Comstock. Gerner convinces Reed to hold her for a $1 million dollar ransom, and her father will gladly pay them to ensure her safe return. Reed's girlfriend Della Thompson is jealous of Jennifer and has second thoughts about the abduction. Hoss and Joe take notice of Jennifer's disappearance and travel deep into the bowels of the carnival, meeting fierce resistance from the carnival people at every avenue. They come up without a trace of finding her.
Breed of Violence
Joe's friend Dolly Kincaid is the daughter of the sheriff and she's always getting caught up with the wrong crowd. When she gets close to Vince Dagen, Joe gets worried and tries to intervene.
The Last Viking
Gunnar Borgstrom is the leader of a vicious band called the Commancheros. They burn houses, kill people and steal anything of value. When the Commancheros get to Nevada, Gunnar decides to visit his relatives, the Cartwrights. Meanwhile the gang capture Little Joe and his girlfriend. When Gunnar returns to the gang, he has no idea who Joe is because he'd never met his nephew before.
The Trail Gang
On a cattle drive back to Nevada from Texas, Ben hires a young man who is both an outlaw and the son of the sheriff whose town the Ponderosa cowhands are entering.
The Savage
Adam's life is saved by a woman known to the Indians as White Buffalo Woman, but who is actually the daughter of Norwegian immigrants.
Silent Thunder
Captivated by the pretty, deaf-mute daughter of a reclusive mountain man, Little Joe teaches the young woman sign language. Thrilled with her newfound ability to communicate, Annie mistakes her gratitude to Little Joe for love, much to the chagrin of Albie, who is determined to have her for his own.
The Ape
Hoss becomes friends with dull-witted Arnie Gurnie, who is a brute of a man with the mentality of a child. His temper scares everybody, including the Cartwrights.
The Blood Line
Ben feels responsible for the son of a man he was forced to kill, but the young man is determined to get even. A professional gunman offers to do the job for him.
The Courtship
Hoss plans to marry the widow of one of Ben's friends, not knowing she is a compulsive gambler and refusing to believe it when the other Cartwrights confront him with the truth.
The Spitfire
Joe becomes the target of a tough and vengeful Kentucky family, after he kills one of them who almost sets the Ponderosa on fire and the Cartwrights take in the dead man's daughter.
Details
- Years
- 1959–1973
- Seasons
- 14
- Episodes
- 33
- Genres
- Western, Drama
- TMDB Rating
- 7.5/10 (499 votes)
- Maturity Rating
- TV-PG
- Quality
- SD
- Audio
- English
- Status
- Public Domain Mark 1.0
- Studio
- NBC
