Running on NBC from 1959 to 1973, Bonanza centered on the Cartwright family—patriarch Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene) and his three sons, Adam (Pernell Roberts), Hoss (Dan Blocker), and Little Joe ...
Bonanza premiered in 1959, and four largely unknown actors became television legends as the Cartwrights. Author David R. Greenland says the show’s appeal came from chemistry that grew into something ...