Customer Reviews

Bonanza: A Viewers Guide to the TV Legend

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I enjoyed the book very much and I go back to it again and again. It is very through and seems to be very accurate. The true personalities of the 4 great men are well presented and one almost feels when reading this book that they knew them personally. I am visiting the Ponderosa again this august and I thirst for more good books and videos of these great legends of tv and all our hearts.

As a lifelong, die-hard Bonanza fan (I was five years old when the show began and it was my parents' favorite show!) I was very excited to see that this book had been re-released after being out of print for so long. All my fellow Bonanza fan friends highly recommended the book to me, and I'm very pleased that I bought it, and very pleased to have it in my collection, but their raves about it led me to believe there was more information in the book than what actually appeared. In spite of that minor disappointment, I am thrilled with the format, the photos, and that I have in my hands the brief rundown of each show without searching through many webpages for the episode description. I wish though that the episode descriptions had been more in depth, and that the guest stars and their roles had been listed with each episode. Also the writers, directors, etc. So once again, I have to turn to the web to get the more complete information. Other than that, I do recommend the book to avid Bonanza fans. You won't regret the purchase.

BearManor Media presents "BONANZA: A VIEWER'S GUIDE TO THE TV LEGEND" (Paperback) - Written by David R. Greenland. Invision the Ponderosa as America's Camelot, the good king and his gallant knights supplanted in our democratic republic by the good father and his steady sons - thus "Bonanza" was born.

In the words of David Dortort (creator & producer of Bonanza) -- "An account of people seeking a new beginning, new land and homes, imbued with the hope for a better life for themselves and their families. This is a story of sinking one's roots in the new land, the plow that broke the plains and the tragic subjugation of the previous inhabitants, the Native Americans, because it was believed that they had to make way for the building of homes and farms, of schools and places of worship".

Very reasonable and a good value for the price --- For product description and editorial review check this out on the Amazon site above my review.

INCLUDED IN THIS BOOK:
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Foreword: by David Dortort (Creator and Producer) -- 4
Introduction --------------------------------------- 9
CHAPTER ONE: The Production ----------------------- 13
CHAPTER TWO: The Cast ------------------------------23
CHAPTER THREE: The Early Classics (1959-67) ------- 49
CHAPTER FOUR: Ranging Wide (1967-70) -------------- 77
CHAPTER FIVE: Back at the Ranch (1970-73) --------- 89
CHAPTER SIX: The Legacy -------------------------- 103
CHAPTER SEVEN: Collectibles ---------------------- 118
CHAPTER EIGHT: Episode Guide --------------------- 126

THE BONANAZA CREDO (Found on Page 114 of this book)
By David Dortort

In the Old West, it meant a lot to be a Cartwright.

Being a family, loving the land, being honest and fair.

Giving every man and woman a second chance.

More than most television shows, "Bonanza" has a heart and soul. To protect that heart and soul and to preserve the integrity of the show, the following are the essential values that must be maintained:

1. The Cartwright family, the good father and the good, loyal sons, are the center of gravity around which the movie revolves. They may disagree on any number of issues, but always, in the end, they are a family again, all for one, and one for all.

2. They stand for tolerance, compassion, and concern for all endangered species, and that includes the stranger in need of sanctuary, the battered mother, the abandoned child, the wounded animal, as well as the forests, the mountain streams, the lakes and ponds. No woman, no child, no animal can be abused without swift and full-bore punishment for the abuser.

3. The Ponderosa, the home of the Cartwright family, should be treated as a special kind of place, a sort of mythical kingdom on the glistening crown of the Sierra. Good people, role models, are in charge here. People slow to anger, but tread lightly or suffer the consequences. Stern, formidable, when faced with injustice, but loose, relaxed, fun-loving, a family that can laugh at itself as easy as it can challenge a swindler, a bounty hunter, a slave master, or a robber baron, no matter how high the odds are against them.
It's a whole new world today, but some things never change. Such as the high standards maintained by America's most loved fictional family, the Cartwrights of the great Ponderosa Ranch.

This is a wonderful complete book on the ins and outs of the Cartwright Family on and off screen -- whole heartedly recommend to all the fans. Big thanks to Ben Ohmart and his staff at BearManor Media, as they are the best at what they do -- bringing good and interesting books to the light of day. All my heroes have been Cowboys!

Total Pages: 170 ~ BearManor Media ~ (May 21, 2010)