Bonanza season 3

Bonanza
Season 3
Cast of Bonanza in 1959
Cast of Bonanza in 1959
Starring
No. of episodes34
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseSeptember 24, 1961 (1961-09-24) –
May 20, 1962 (1962-05-20)
Season chronology
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Season 2
Next →
Season 4
List of episodes

The third season of the American Western television series Bonanza premiered on NBC on September 24, 1961, with the final episode airing May 20, 1962.[1] The series was developed and produced by David Dortort, and season three starred Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker, and Michael Landon. The season consisted of 34 episodes of a series total 431 hour-long episodes, the entirety of which was produced in color.[2] At the start of the third season, the show was moved to Sundays at 9:00 p.m. In that time slot, the ratings soared and the series become second only to Wagon Train as the most popular program on American prime time television.[3]

Synopsis

Bonanza is set around the Ponderosa Ranch near Virginia City, Nevada and chronicles the weekly adventures of the Cartwright family, consisting of Ben Cartwright and his three sons (each by a different wife), Adam, Eric ("Hoss"), and Joseph ("Little Joe"). A regular character is their ranch cook, Hop Sing.

Cast and characters

See also: List of Bonanza characters

Main cast

Recurring

Guest stars

Production

Writing

Season three's writing introduced changes into Lorne Greene's character, Ben Cartwright, after Greene threatened to leave the show.[4] Originally written as a Bible-quoting codger who vowed to shoot anyone who came on his land, Ben Cartwright was a tyrant of a father.[5] Greene wanted a more relatable character with a sense of humor and a healthy relationship with his sons.[4] Dortort revised the character to be a warmer father, and focused more on family and personal justice.[5] The changes contributed to the show's success as the new season moved into the #2 spot in ratings.[3][4]

This season marked the beginning of script writing for Michael Landon. His initial treatment was a handwritten script of about 30 pages. Frank Chase helped him complete the script, which ultimately became the April 2, 1962 episode, "The Gamble".[6]

Filming

While filming episode 31, "The Dowry", on location, Pernell Roberts's horse, Sport, slipped and fell while going downhill on a muddy path. After Sport fell, Blocker's horse, Chub, who was following closely, stumbled over him. Roberts and Blocker jumped off their mounts as they had been trained to do, but both actors were injured. Roberts sprained his neck, while Blocker broke his collarbone and shoulder and would miss one episode then wear a sling for the remainder of the season.[citation needed]

Location shoots for the season included Incline Village for episode 9, "The Countess",[7] and Iverson's Movie Ranch for episode 27, "The Gamble".[8]

Episodes

See also: List of Bonanza episodes
Bonanza, season 3 episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
671"The Smiler"Thomas CarrLewis ReedSeptember 24, 1961 (1961-09-24)
The brother (Herschel Bernardi) of the drunk Hoss accidentally killed in self-defense secretly plots his revenge.
682"Springtime"Christian NybyJohn Furia Jr.October 1, 1961 (1961-10-01)
Joe accidentally hurts old businessman Jedediah Milbank (John Carradine) while he and his brothers are enjoying the spring.
693"The Honor of Cochise"Don McDougallElliott ArnoldOctober 8, 1961 (1961-10-08)
Indian war chief Cochise (Jeff Morrow) and his warriors pursue an Army captain (DeForest Kelley) responsible for poisoning Indian women and children. Adam is seriously wounded after he's hit by an Apache bullet.
704"The Lonely House"William WitneyFrank ChaseOctober 15, 1961 (1961-10-15)
A lonely widow tends to a wounded bank robber whose gang takes her and Joe hostage. Paul Richards and Faith Domergue guest star.
715"The Burma Rarity"William WitneyN.B. Stone Jr.October 21, 1961 (1961-10-21)
Con men try to sell a worthless gem to a former showgirl, but she's too smart for them. People in town would like Ben to get married with widow Hawkins (Beatrice Kay).
726"Broken Ballad"Robert ButlerJohn T. KellyOctober 29, 1961 (1961-10-29)
Former gunfighter Ed Payson (Robert Culp) returns to Virginia City and tries to put his past behind him. Adam decides to help him.
737"The Many Faces of Gideon Flinch"Robert AltmanRobert Vincent WrightNovember 5, 1961 (1961-11-05)
Joe is mistaken for con man Gideon Flinch (Ian Wolfe), who along with his niece Jennifer (Sue Ane Langdon), has spent all the money of an investment made by Bullet Head Burke (Harry Swoger).
748"The Friendship"Don McDougallFrank ChaseNovember 12, 1961 (1961-11-12)
Joe tries to help former chain-gang prisoner Danny Kid (Dean Jones), locked up since he was only thirteen, to adjust to his freedom.
759"The Countess"Robert SparrWilliam R. Cox and William D. PowellNovember 19, 1961 (1961-11-19)
A countess (Margaret Hayes) returns to Virginia City to resume her romance with Ben, the man she spurned twenty years before in New Orleans.
7610"The Horse Breaker"Don McDougallFrank ChaseNovember 26, 1961 (1961-11-26)
Ben tries to help bronco-buster Johnny Lightly (Ben Cooper) who's feeling depressed over losing the use of his legs.
7711"Day of the Dragon"Don McDougallJohn T. DuganDecember 3, 1961 (1961-12-03)
Joe wins Su Ling (Lisa Lu), a Chinese slave girl, in a poker game, but she refuses to allow him to free her. Meanwhile, her groom-to-be General Tsung (Richard Loo) is looking for her.
7812"The Frenchman"Christian NybyNorman LessingDecember 10, 1961 (1961-12-10)
The Cartwrights deal with a Frenchman who claims to be the reincarnation of medieval and outlaw poet François Villon (Andre Philippe).
7913"The Tin Badge"Lewis AllenDon IngallsDecember 17, 1961 (1961-12-17)
Two citizens of a nearby small town appoint Joe their sheriff as part of their plot to commit a murder. After he takes the job, Joe becomes suspicious. Vic Morrow, Karen Steele and John Litel guest star.
8014"Gabrielle"Thomas CarrAnthony LawrenceDecember 24, 1961 (1961-12-24)
The Cartwrights help blind girl Gabrielle Wickman (Diane Mountford) find her reclusive grandfather, who spent 21 years in jail for a crime he didn't commit.
8115"Land Grab"David Orrick McDearmonWard HawkinsDecember 31, 1961 (1961-12-31)
A range war is on the horizon when settlers use deeds to claim ownership of the Ponderosa sold by an unscrupulous friend of Ben's (John McGiver) that the Cartwrights are currently hosting.
8216"The Tall Stranger"Don McDougallWard HawkinsJanuary 7, 1962 (1962-01-07)
Hoss courts Margie Owens (Kathie Browne), a wealthy woman who's equally captivated by a fortune hunter's extravagant promises.
8317"The Lady from Baltimore"John PeyserElliott ArnoldJanuary 14, 1962 (1962-01-14)
Status-seeking mother Deborah Banning (Mercedes McCambridge) is disappointed in her husband's financial failures and forces her daughter to marry Joe.
8418"The Ride"Don McDougallWard HawkinsJanuary 21, 1962 (1962-01-21)
Adam sets out to prove one of his business partners Bill Enders (Jan Merlin) is guilty of robbery and murder, but his family and the sheriff are not convinced by his testimony.
8519"The Storm"Lewis AllenDenne PetitclercJanuary 28, 1962 (1962-01-28)
Laura White (Brooke Hayward) displays her affections for Joe when she and her father, sea Captain Matthew White (Frank Overton), visit the Ponderosa.
8620"The Auld Sod"William WitneyCharles LangFebruary 4, 1962 (1962-02-04)
Ranch hand Danny Lynch (James Dunn) convinces the Cartwrights to go along with his charade of their ranch being his ranch for his visiting Irish mother, who thinks her son owns the Ponderosa.
8721"Gift of Water"Jesse HibbsBorden ChaseFebruary 11, 1962 (1962-02-11)
Tensions rise during a drought and the Cartwrights dig a well in order to bring water to drought-ridden farmers. Royal Dano, Majel Barrett and James Doohan guest star.
8822"The Jackknife"William WitneyFrank ChaseFebruary 18, 1962 (1962-02-18)
Adam tries to save the marriage of a couple whose son he befriends. Adam doesn't know that the father, rancher Matt Grant (John Archer), is the member of a gang of rustlers.
8923"The Guilty"Lewis AllenClifford IrvingFebruary 25, 1962 (1962-02-25)
Retired sheriff Lem Partridge (Lyle Bettger) blames his friend Ben for his son Jimmy's (Jack Easton Jr) death when the boy is shot and killed by vengeful gunman Jack Groat (Charles Maxwell).
9024"The Wooing of Abigail Jones"Christian NybyNorman LessingMarch 4, 1962 (1962-03-04)
The Cartwrights boys help shy ranch hand Hank Meyers (Vaughn Monroe) court schoolteacher Abigail Jones (Eileen Ryan).
9125"The Lawmaker"Christian NybyStory by : John A. Johns
Teleplay by : Dick Nelson		March 11, 1962 (1962-03-11)
The acting sheriff, rancher Asa Moran (Arthur Franz), of Virginia City abuses his authority while Roy Coffee is out due to injury.
9226"Look to the Stars"Don McDougallRobert M. Fresco and Paul RinkMarch 18, 1962 (1962-03-18)
Ben discovers that young genius Albert Michelson (Douglas Lambert) was expelled from school because of a bigoted schoolmaster (William Schallert).
9327"The Gamble"William WitneyStory by : Michael Landon
Teleplay by : Frank Cleaver and Michael Landon		April 1, 1962 (1962-04-01)
Joe hurries to rescue his father and brothers from being executed on a false murder charge. Charles McGraw and Ben Johnson guest star.
9428"The Crucible"Paul NickellJohn T. DuganApril 8, 1962 (1962-04-08)
Adam ends up stranded in the desert where he is forced to depend on insane miner Peter Kane (Lee Marvin), who forces the Cartwright into slavery to drive Adam to murder.
9529"Inger, My Love"Lewis AllenStory by : Anthony Lawrence
Teleplay by : Frank Cleaver and David Dortort		April 15, 1962 (1962-04-15)
Ben remembers his courtship with his second wife and Hoss's mother, Inger (Inga Swenson).
9630"Blessed Are They"Don McDougallStory by : Borden Chase
Teleplay by : Borden Chase and Frank Cleaver		April 22, 1962 (1962-04-22)
Ben must settle a bitter feud between the Mahan and Clarke families that threatens to divide the citizens of Virginia City. Robert Brown, Ford Rainey and Irene Tedrow.
9731"The Dowry"Christian NybyRobert Vincent WrightApril 29, 1962 (1962-04-29)
The Cartwrights take in wounded man Alexander Dubois (Steven Geray), his daughter Michele (Luciana Paluzzi) and her fiancé Don Ricardo Fernandez (Lee Bergere). Michele might have been robbed of her dowry.
9832"The Long Night"William WitneyGeorge Stackalee and E. M. ParsonsMay 6, 1962 (1962-05-06)
Adam is mistaken for an escaped convict and finds himself caught between the real convict (James Coburn) and a lynch mob. Adam needs to prove his real identity.
9933"The Mountain Girl"Don McDougallJohn FuriaMay 13, 1962 (1962-05-13)
Joe is given the task of changing a mountain girl (Nina Shipman) into a refined young lady, as wished by the girl's late grandfather Seth Coombs (Will Wright).
10034"The Miracle Maker"Don McDougallStory by : Lewis Reed
Teleplay by : Frank Cleaver and Preston Wood		May 20, 1962 (1962-05-20)
A so-called faith healer (Ed Nelson) offers to help Susan (Patricia Breslin) with her guilt over her father dying in a wagon crash.

Release

The season aired on Sundays from 9:00 pm–10:00 pm on NBC.[9] This was a move from the season one and two timeslot of Saturdays from 7:30 pm–8:30 pm on NBC.[9]

Reception

In its new season three time slot, the ratings soared and the series become second only to Wagon Train as the most popular program on American prime time television.[3]

As the show became more popular, celebrities requested to do the show. A November 11, 1961 episode of Maverick, "Three Queens Full", parodied the show using Jim Backus as Joe Wheelwright, who, along with his sons Henry, Moose, and Small Paul, all lived on their ranch known as the Subrosa.[10]

Awards and nominations

Award Year[a] Category Nominee(s) / Work Result Ref(s)
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards 1962 Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for Television Haskell Boggs and Walter Castle Nominated [11]
  1. ^ Indicates the year of ceremony.

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ Shapiro 1997, pp. 77, 81.
  2. ^ Shapiro 1997, pp. 5, 65–157.
  3. ^ a b c "TV Ratings: 1961–1962". ClassicTVGuide.com. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Leiby & Leiby 2015, p. 17.
  5. ^ a b Shapiro 1997, p. 8.
  6. ^ Greenland 2015.
  7. ^ Leiby & Leiby 2015, p. 54.
  8. ^ Leiby & Leiby 2015, p. 61.
  9. ^ a b Brooks & Marsh 2007, p. 164.
  10. ^ Leiby & Leiby 2015, p. 19.
  11. ^ "Television Academy Emmy Awards & Nominations—Bonanza". emmys.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.

Bibliography