So far, I have watched the the one with leprechauns, Gabrielle, the one with lee marvin, and one where a widow wont tell her daughter that her father is dead.
I know I have hours of good television before me, so which episodes are regarded as best?
I tend to not be very keen on episodes with a lot of action, shooting and prison.
I hope people reply to your post..as I am somewhat new to watching the episodes myself...I find a ot of people thought the show suffered when Pernell Roberts left the show..and a lot of people like episodes with Michael Landon as the featured star..However I just finished watching Lorne Green as Ben as the featured star paired with the great Buddy Epsom as the guest star in Saddle Stiff in season 13 which I thought was terrific...see what you think..
shareThank you for answering.
I must admit, I haven't even concidered watching any episodes where not all four of the main cast appears. But I will give the episode you mentioned a try.
Since this is what I was looking for in my initial post, recomandations.
I have 18 episodes a week to choose from on MeTV and Insp. I mostly choose them from the guest stars so I don't get overwhelmed.
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"Best" is a relative term. In my opinion, there isn't any such thing as a good Bonanza episode.
Any western has to stand up against Gunsmoke, which set a standard for (generally) first-rate story telling. As violent as it often is, it's generally free of overwrought writing and acting.
Which Bonanza is not. It's poorly cast (Dan Blocker being the only decent actor among the principals), not at all subtle in its story telling, and generally Really Cheap-Looking. (The stage set for the outside of the ranch house is frankly embarrassing. * Especially as you can plainly hear the set's acoustic character.) The sons look so unlike their father, that one wonders whether a dim Pa Cartwright was thrice-cuckolded.
All series TV varies in quality, but even such silly programs as The Big Valley occasionally have really good episodes. I have yet to see even one Bonanza episode I would recommend anyone spend their time watching.
On the other hand, you might want to watch The Gift (available on YouTube) just for laughs. Martin Landau delivers what has to be among the very worst performances in the history of American TV. (We're talking first percentile.)
* This was necessary for many TV shows, if only to permit filming regardless of lighting or weather.
Obviously you have an extremely low opinion of the series, which I don't begrudge you, but do you really believe Pernell Roberts wasn't a "decent" actor -- ????
As a fan of both Gunsmoke and Bonanza, I will say that both had their share of "klunker" episodes. But Gunsmoke never attempted all-humor eps like Bonanza did on occasion. There was NOTHING on Gunsmoke and other westerns like "Calamity at the Comstock." Stefanie Powers is just remarkable in that episode.
And at least the Ponderosa men knew enough to go after good-looking women. By contrast, Newly on "Gunsmoke" had the extremely hot Mary Florene (Lane Bradbury) coming on to him like mad, yet he acted as though he were a homosexual!!!
As far as cheapness of the set, acoustics, etc.: Watch Lane Bradbury on her episodes of Gunsmoke. The producers didn't even notice or care that she had her hair partially up or down within the same scene, revealing obvious edits that were done without care or consideration. I've never seen a comparable flub on Bonanza.
Bonanza also went to the trouble of chronicling the backstory, with "Marie My Love" etc. -- something practically all other westerns ignored. Those were fun and interesting eps. And speaking of fun: you would never see a pancake eating contest, a man wearing wings ready to jump off a cliff, or dog washing on Gunsmoke.
It's fun to see Festus calling the squaredances or hear Chester's little tunes, but overall Gunsmoke lacked a sense of humor -- unless you call Doc & Festus' insults comedy.
"No cheesecake [photos]." -- Hazel (Shirley Booth)
...do you really believe Pernell Roberts wasn't a "decent" actor -- ????You're right, that was unkind. He's one of a few actors I simply don't like, on a personal level. The fact that Adam is a fundamentally "grumpy" character doesn't help.
Nearly 10 years earlier Bonanza produced the hilarious "A Good Night's Rest" (1965) featuring Ben going to any means necessary [i.e. riding to Virginia City late @ night & booking a hotel room] to cure his exhaustion. Numerous hijinks and action of course ensue.
If you wish to further investigate the best of Bonanza's comedic episodes, here's some of the lesser known "lost episodes" after Pernell departed that I'd suggest checking out:
1. "Ponderosa Explosion" (1967)
2. "Joe Cartwright, Detective" (co-written by Michael Landon, 1967)
3. "Maestro Hoss" (1967)
4. "Stage Door Johnnies" (1967)
5. "The Last Vote" (1968)
6. "Dead Wrong" (written & directed by Landon, 1969)
7. "Rock-A-Bye Hoss" (1971)
8. "The Younger Brothers' Younger Brother" (also written/directed by Landon, 1972)
I find it really "funny" when people try to compare Gunsmoke and Bonanza and which one is "better". To me, it's "apples and oranges" and I love them both. Gunsmoke is darker and Bonanza much lighter most of the time, and with superb casts.
share"the stillness within," from season 12, is terrific. I am a grown man, and every time I have watched the episode, the ending has me choked up, and if watching with someone else, i have to hide my tears. jo van fleet, as a blind teacher of the blind, is amazing. the episode was directed by Michael landon.
shareOne of my favorites is "Blessed Are They". Did you like "The Crucible" with Lee Marvin? That is one of my favorite Adam episodes. Happy viewing.
shareThe Crucible was one of the best episodes of ANY drama from that time. Lee Marvin and Pernell Roberts should have received some kind of Emmy for their performances in that episode.
It was also a great morality play. What can push a person so far that he would kill a man, even one who had captured and tormented him?? A great episode indeed!
A bonus is to watch Ben and the brothers and the angst that they were feeling, searching for Adam. It shows the closeness of this family, even though they had differences.
The ones you cited are some of the better episodes. Just about any episode from seasons, 1-5 are very good. I am also one of those who think it was better with Pernell Roberts (Adam). The worst seasons are 9-the end. The last season was dreadful, probably why you will very rarely see those seasons.
Look for the three that feature Ben remembering the 3 women that he married. They are named, "Elizabeth, My Love", "Inga, My Love" and "Marie, My Love". They are good flashback episodes and they really do a good job of makeup on Lorne Greene who really looks much younger in them.
favorite Hoss episode:Feet of Clay
favorite Little Joe episode: Day of the Dragon
favorite Ben episode: Love Me Not
favorite Adam episode:The Jacknife and The Crucible (tie)
comedies- 1) Ponderosa Matador 2)Woman of Fire 3)A Knight to Remember 4)Springtime 5)Hoss and the Leprechauns 6)The Wooing of Abigail Jones
Favorite Holiday episode: Gabrielle
Favorite Hoss/ Adam episode: The Hopefuls
Favorite Adam/Joe episode: The hanging posse
If you watch A House Divided from the first season you will see why Pernell Roberts complained about calling Adam's father Pa so much. In a 2 minute segment near the ending, he calls Ben "Pa" 11 times! His complaint was about how many times he had to say it and not the rest of the stuff that has been printed.
Well, what was he supposed to call his father? Ben? Dad? Should he have said "hey you" a few times to mix things up when talking to his father? That just makes it "stupider" to know he was complaining about the number of times he had to address his father and use the term he used to address him. Would he rather of spoken to someone else? It's dumb no matter how you slice it. You call your father what you call him. Why would it be any sort of issue at all?
shareWatch the episode firstnamejane and firstnamejane you will see what I mean. And firstnamejane what they could have done is cut out some of the Pa's. Firstnamejane you do not need to call someone's name every few words. There is a parady of it on You tube and I find it hilarious.
shareI've seen the episode, and nothing stood out as being so ridiculous. I'm sure I would have noticed if it had, and I didn't notice at all.
Actually, because I heard Pernell had an issue with saying "Pa," in general, I've been keeping track of the number of times they all say "Pa," in any episode I watch and Hoss seems to say it the most.
11 times in 2 minutes and that's not the entire episode's total count
shareI seriously do not remember that, which scene was it? I think the most I've noticed is Hoss saying "Pa" around 6-7 times in one scene, but he sounds so natural when he says it.
I read that towards the end of the series Pernell had an agreement with producers that he'd only ever say "Pa" three times in any episode, which seems like a ridiculous thing to me. Who knows if it's even true.
Yea, I don't believe that is true, but once they started the rumor.... If you ever get the DVDs Andrew Klyde discusses it in one of the commentaries.
shareDid Andrew Klyde work on the series? I've read he's a Bonanza "enthusiast, historian, superfan, lawyer" but I haven't found any info about whether he worked on the show in any capacity.
I know that Pernell despised the idea of an educated man in his thirties (for crying out loud) calling his father "Pa." For what it's worth, Hoss is the only son who sounded remotely natural calling Ben "Pa."
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What do you call your father when you're in your 30s, and an educated man, but have referred to him as "Pa" since you could talk? Do you come back from college and start calling him "father?" Do you switch over to "father" from "Pa" when you hit 30?
This is an example of the absurdity of what someone will complain about in a show. I can understand wanting to limit the word because it can become repetitive but not because you think your character is too sophisticated or intelligent and grown up to call his dad what he's always called him.
Dan Blocker was a well educated man who didn't seem to have a problem with his character constantly calling his father "Pa."
But having said that, I do see merit in other complaints Pernell had about the show. It wasn't the "Breaking Bad" of it's time, but it was fun family viewing.
...but have referred to him as "Pa" since you could talk?
Maybe when they started the show they didn't have Ben's backstory set. Of course, their backstories change a bit from season to season, or even episode to episode.
It would have been nice to have Pernell happy in his role and have him continue with Bonanza until it ended.
I'm really enjoying watching Bonanza again, too. I'm sorry to hear that you went through a bad time but I'm glad Bonanza could make you feel better. That's a great legacy for any show to have; the ability to bring happiness to the people who watch.
I find it interesting that you watch Bonanza to feel better. I have done that too along with some other shows from the 60's. Also I have the DvD's and there's commentary on there that tell's you that the "pa" thing was misunderstood and of course took on a life of its own being repeated in many articles. The complaint was saying it so much and this came to a head after filming, " A House Divided". Adam says "Pa" 11 times in under 2 minutes. From his Pa's bedroom til he rides away. There is even a spoof of it on You tube. Also I often think about remarks Little Joe makes to Adam about being from Boston and yet his Pa is from there too! You would expect Ben to come in with a "Hey now, wait a minute". The writers are very inconsistent aren't they. Continuity is not a strong point in this show.
I find it interesting that you watch Bonanza to feel better.I think a lot of people watch TV shows from their childhood for comfort. It's not like I had a happy childhood either. But I think watching something you remember from long ago is like transporting oneself in a time machine. No matter what problems you have in the present day, they all go away when you are watching something you remember from the past.
Great that you had the scene keyed up right to that scene, and it didn't seem strange or too much or forced at all. Every other word wasn't "Pa." Such an exaggeration to claim it was almost like that, or kind of like that. Not at all. Sounded completely natural. Why not get on the writers for having Ben say his son's name 8-9 times in a scene?
The only strange thing in the scene was Adam saying things couldn't be the same between them anymore. That's the nonsense of the scene. Going so far away just because your little brother had a tantrum and left the house for a while - because of politics? So silly.
Frankly, Little Joe going off on a tantrum was not that unusual at all. Adam is another story completely.
I can have complete conversations with my mother and use the term "mom" only once-- let alone multiple times in 2 minutes.
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Never say never...