Lorne Greene was a musician and actor hailing out of Canada. He got the role of Ben Cartwright on “Bonanza”, who was the widowed father of the Cartwright family. He was very well-loved by fans and even named one of the most loved fathers on television by TV Guide! This role really launched him to fame and it was after this role that he became a household name.
Sadly, Lorne Greene passed away at the age of 72, in 1987, from pneumonia. His career was impressive, and he appeared in many TV shows and films during his life!
Not a Typical TV Dad
TV shows back then typically had one way of portraying father characters. They were usually controlled by their wives, and stupid or plain silly. The producer of “Bonanza”, David Dortort did not want to follow suit with this generalization and decided to build a character that was bright and respected.
In this era, TV shows were typically 30 minutes. David Dortort wanted to change this - he asked that the show get rid of the 30 minute length and move to one hour. His reasoning was he wanted more time to get in depth with the characters and thought an hour would be better suited for the task.
They Always Wore The Same Clothes
If you are a die-hard “Bonanza” fan, then you may have seen that the people on the show are always wearing the same exact thing. They have never changed clothes! Yes, during all 400 plus episodes the cast wore the same thing!
“Bonanza” was one of the most expensive TV shows during that time period, they had a seemingly massive budget, but they still needed to find ways to cut costs. By having the characters never change their clothes, the production team could lower some of the production costs by subbing in different stock footage when they were able to make it work.
Michael Landon as Little Joe Cartwright
Michael Landon was a man of many talents. He was an actor, a writer, a director and even a producer. On the show “Bonanza”, he played the character Little Joe, who was the youngest of the sons.
He really hit it big with “Bonanza” - prior to landing this role, he had some bit parts in other shows and films, but nothing like his starring role as Little Joe! He was also well known for his role on Little House on the Prairie. Sadly, his career was cut short, as Landon died at the young age of 54, in 1991, after battling cancer.
Michael Landon Wasn't The Actor's Real Name
Many actors, when joining The Screen Actors Guild, also known as the acting union, must choose stage names if their given name is already taken. Michael Landon was actually born Eugene Maurice Orowitz. However, he did not want to use that as his stage name. When he joined the union, he wanted to go by Michael Lane. However, to his dismay, that name was already taken. He had to start thinking of a new name.
He decided to browse through the phone book. He came across a name that he liked, Alf Landon. Shortly after, the name Michael Landon was chosen.