Product Details

• Format: Collector's Edition, Limited Edition
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Timeless Video
• Run Time: 214 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: B0006VFKMQ
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #699,976 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

In 1958, producer David Dortot sold NBC a show that would later become a phenomena that would air for an incredible 14 years as a first-run show on US television and would be syndicated to every country around the globe. The story of a man and his three sons known as the Cartwrights was a story of a family working together in the rough and violent era of the Old West. These were men who had a strong moral compass, men who would right the wrongs and men who would bring a sense of justice to the untamed land. The Cartwright's thousand-square-mile Ponderosa Ranch is located near Virginia City, Nevada, site of the Comstock Silver Lode. The name, Ponderosa, comes from the many ponderosa pines growing on the ranch. Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene) was the quintessential father figure. Eldest son Adam (Pernell Roberts) was the smart one. Hoss (Dan Blocker) was the gentle giant. The youngest, Little Joe (Michael Landon) was the firebrand. Adam was born in New England and his mother was Elizabeth, who died in childbirth. Hoss' mother Inger was killed by Indians. She was Scandinavian and Hoss means "good luck" in Norwegian. Little Joe's mother, Marie, was a woman Ben met in New Orleans and she died from a fall from a horse. Over time, Lorne Greene came to have more influence over scripts. He was a serious pacifist, so the show's level of rough action decreased as his power increased. As a consequence, Bonanza was less violent than other Westerns. During the summer hiatus of 1972, Dan Blocker suddenly died. Dan Blocker died in 1972 after a surgery, Ray Teal in 1976, Victor Sun Yeng in 1980 of accidental asphyxiation, Lorne Greene died in 1987 of pneumonia and Michael Landon died in 1991 of pancreatic cancer. This video includes the first four episodes of the show: Death at Dawn, The Gunman, Showdown, and The Stranger.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars mis-informed, December 20, 2004

By 

Abigail Jones (Virginia City, Nevada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bonanza: How It All Started (The Cartwrights, First Four Episodes, 1958) (VHS Tape)

The cover's kinda nice, though that's the only positive thing I have to say about this company's attempt to make money off of the classic series. "Bonanza" began in 1959, not 1958. It's producer was David Dortort, not David Dortot. The episodes on this DVD are nowhere near the first episodes of the series. I suggest waiting until Republic - Artisan - Lions Gate realizes there's a big market for "Bonanza" done the right way on DVD and releases the definitive DVD collection (beyond the "Best of" 8-episode DVD they released a year or so ago).