i have watched this show since the 60s.did ben ever have any faults? did he ever do ANYTHING questionable? he seems to be even more noble than LINCOLN. closest thing i have seen as a saint on this earth. the man seems to be perfect. EXCEPT he cant seem to keep a wife.
shareI seem to recall that in the first season Ben very aggressively tried to keep people off his land and would take them on without the "law." Is that questionable? He became much more welcoming as time went on. Overall I'd say that Ben was a good man and a good father.
shareyes, i am watching the first season and they start out very protective but they soon turned that around after a few episodes. otherwise i would say that is it.
shareI am glad that someone asked this question! It's been one of my "pet peeves" over the years with this show, which is one of my top 5 favorite series all time.
The first season Ben was the most "uneven" of Ben. He appears to be quite the bore during this season, always willing to take the law in his own hands and getting rather hysterical over the Ponderosa. It was really "over the top" and I have often wondered who was responsible for that depiction. Was it the producers, the directors, I just can't believe Lorne Green was for that side of him and that he was probably the one who toned him down in the future.
As far as a fault, some of you may not agree with me, but he seemed to have been very overindulgent toward Little Joe. He holds Adam and Hoss to a higher standard and spoils Joe. I really think that his favoritism toward Joe would have caused a problem with the relationship with the other 2 boys. There would have been some jealousy, but it doesn't show in the series.
Other than that, he is, with the possible exception of the Dad's in "Father Knows Best" or "Leave It To Beaver" he would probably be Father Of The Century for his role.
As far as a fault, some of you may not agree with me, but he seemed to have been very overindulgent toward Little Joe. He holds Adam and Hoss to a higher standard and spoils Joe.
I really think that his favoritism toward Joe would have caused a problem with the relationship with the other 2 boys. There would have been some jealousy, but it doesn't show in the series.
I believe it has been said on the show that Little Joes mother was the love of Bens life.
sharenow that i think of it i believe herman munster once made reference to lorne greene being a role model from bonanza.
shareBen was greedy and treated his three sons as if they were mere tools in his business enterprises. He also lusted after the widows of Virginia City.
shareYes, his fault was his insufferable self-righteousness.
shareprobably a serial killer, with 3 or 4 missing wives. no one said anything back then.
but yeah, about as noble as a rancher can be. he did take the law into his own hands a few times I suppose.
He could have lost about thirty pounds.
share
Too regal, too handsome, baritone to melodious...