Not only was “Bonanza” a hit TV show, but it also launched the careers of its stars. Since “Bonanza” was the first television show to be filmed and aired in color, the production team did not want to use name actors, they wanted to create a new generation of color TV stars.
Michael Landon’s career was skyrocketed because of his success on “Bonanza”. Not only as an actor, but as a writer and producer as well. Landon also remains the only actor to appear in not one, but three television shows running consecutively. Over the course of five years, Landon was starring in Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie and Highway to Heaven.
What Happened To All The Women?
Michael Landon was quite the jokester. He was constantly cracking jokes about the unspoken Cartwright curse. He thought that it was hilarious that all of the women who came on the show would disappear. They would either die or mysteriously disappear.
It was well known by fans that the Cartwright curse was in full effect anytime a female character appeared on the show. They would introduce a wife or love interest to one of the male characters. Eventually, they would disappear without warning, no female character ever survived more than a couple of episodes on Bonanza.
The Show's Global Success
“Bonanza” was the first TV show to achieve global fame. We all know “Bonanza” was a massive success in the United States. It is undeniable, the 400-plus episodes are a sheer indicator of that. But did you know, “Bonanza” also was on the air in many other countries? Any place that had an available time slot for a show, aired Bonanza. Additionally, “Bonanza” was even shown in the movie theaters in Mexico!
This was really advanced for its time, not even Netflix can come close to touching the reach that “Bonanza” had. Its nationwide success is unmatched.
The Three Spin-off Movies
Since the TV show “Bonanza” was such a massive hit, airing for over 10 years and having over 400 episodes, of course the production team had to figure out more ways to monetize this success.
The show continued to get high ratings even once it began reruns. They started having reruns even when new episodes were still being released. They then started adding TV specials. They continued to add these specials years after Bonanza stopped airing! They had three television specials. In 1988, they aired ‘The Next Generation’. In 1993, they aired ‘Bonanza: The Return’ and finally, the last reunion movie aired in 1995, titled ‘Bonanza: Under Attack’.
The Theme Song Was A Hit
The theme song for “Bonanza” was just as big of a hit as the show itself. The theme song was written by famous Hollywood writers Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. The song was so popular that it made the top 20 on the charts, in 1961. Many people did not realize that the theme song had lyrics, however, versions surfaced including the lead cast members singing the theme song!
If the theme songs success was any indication of the shows success, one would assume only the best shows get noticed for their theme songs, as well! Musicians constantly covered the song and released it on their albums.