I most recently posted about my favorite baseball game of all time, the famous Game 163 of 2009 between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins. Since I'm on a "favorites" theme I'm going to keep the ball rolling with a little something about my favorite television western of all time, Bonanza. Bonanza was beloved by a lot of folks as evidenced by its fourteen season run on NBC, beginning in 1959. (The only TV western to survive more seasons was Gunsmoke, which enjoyed twenty years on the tube.) The first thing I remember about Bonanza was my family eagerly awaiting each episode's prelude when NBC proudly announced that the program would be presented "in living color." Then a symbol of the network's peacock would fan out its tail across the screen, with each section of the tail shown in a different color. We would practically gasp in amazement. Imagine a program being shown on our living room TV set in color, just like being at the movies! Back in 1959 almost all other television programming was in black and white.
The other obvious aspect of Bonanza which set it apart is that almost all the other westerns, including Gunsmoke, ran thirty minutes, not the hour long run times of the Bonanza episodes. This afforded the writers the opportunity to develop both the characters and the plot lines with more intricacy.
Bonanza is the story of the Cartwright family who owns thousands of acres of gorgeous wilderness near Lake Tahoe in far western Nevada. Their humongous homestead is named the Ponderosa. The family's abundance of wealth derives from ranching, mining and some farming. They are well respected by the townsfolk of nearby Virginia City. Ben Cartwright, played by Canadian actor Lorne Greene, is the patriarch who never loses a fist fight and seldom makes a mistake. He is the voice of reason and the sounding board to arbitrate all kinds of disputes, including familial ones from time to time. Ben is the epitome of Father Knows Best.
Ben has three adult sons who all live with him at the Ponderosa. "The boys," as they are often called, are as different as can be, except for the fact that they are all honorable people with reputations above reproach. The oldest, Adam, is most like his father: reserved, cerebral, and straight forward. The middle son's name is Eric, but he's hardly ever addressed as such. No, the big guy goes by Hoss. He is the prototypical friendly giant who, like his father, never loses a fight. His brand of humor is more obvious than Adam's. Then there’s Little Joe who brings life and excitement to the Ponderosa. He is the most adventurous brother, willing to take more chances than what prudence might call for. He is no longer a teenager, but sometimes Ben needs to keep a sharper eye out for Joe than he does for his other sons.
The boys are perfectly cast as is their "Pa." Starting with the oldest son they are played by Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker and Michael Landon, who was only 22 years old when the series began. It's interesting to note that in real life Greene, at age 44 when the series began, was not much older than "sons" Roberts 31 and Blocker 30. As was customary in this early age of network television, the first season included 32 episodes. The producers seemed to attempt to balance the distribution of Cartwright protagonists more or less evenly throughout the year. In fact during the famous opening credits showing the four Cartwrights galloping up on horseback from a distance toward the camera, the individual closeups of the stars don't always appear in the same order from week to week. It's quite possible that Ben and Little Joe eventually received more face time than Adam and Hoss, but by the time the first season ended millions of fans felt a strong familiarity with all four of them.
Still, two questions burned in our collective minds. First, isn't it rather odd that three adult sons, all bachelors, live with their father and are almost always willing to do what he says without resistance? That mystery is never resolved. If you're a fan of the show, you have to be willing to accept that arrangement on its face. Secondly, how was it that these three sons, who bore absolutely no resemblance either to their father or to each other, had three different mothers? All we knew was that Ben was a widower by the time the epic begins. But what a back story he must have had!
It isn't until the penultimate episode of the 34 episode second season that our curiosity is partially satisfied.
Elizabeth, My Love: This is the episode in which we find out about Ben's first wife, Elizabeth, who is played by Geraldine Brooks. The actress portrays Elizabeth as a strong young woman with an assuredness about her even as she faces distress over the challenges presented by her stubborn father. Many of the several memorable lines in the story are delivered by Brooks' character.
Young Ben is first mate on a New England clipper ship, the Wanderer, under the command of Captain Stoddard (Torin Thatcher), a forty year veteran of the seas. Ben and Elizabeth, the captain's daughter, are attracted to each other, but things get tense when Captain Stoddard is told by the ship's owner he's being relieved of his duties. When Stoddard finds out the company has pegged Ben as his replacement, he accuses Ben of betrayal. We Bonanza fans know better -- Ben Cartwright is as honest as the day is long -- and thankfully so does Elizabeth when Ben tells her he knew nothing of the company's plans.
There is a brief "boy loses girl moment," as every love story must have, when Ben believes Elizabeth is jeopardizing their relationship by putting her father first. He gently advises Liz, "You can't live your life for someone else." Liz reminds Ben that the "someone else" is her father, saying, "I'm not going to beg you to understand me." By the next morning the dustup is long forgotten. Ben announces that he is done with his naval career. His dream is to go west. For that he'll need money which he plans to raise by opening a ship chandler's store, hopefully with the captain as his business partner. But Stoddard isn't ready to give up sailing, the only life he's ever known. Following an emotional tete-a-tete Elizabeth finally talks him into accepting Ben's offer.
After a lapse of off-camera time (i.e., a commercial break), Ben and Liz are husband and wife with a child on the way. There is a sub plot, a weak link in the otherwise plausible story, about how a competing shop owner named Mandible tries to swindle his way into ownership of Ben and Stoddard's store. The stress this places on the pregnant Elizabeth is unfortunate. After Ben punches out Mandible's goon, rightful ownership of the store is restored.
Spoiler Alert: I'm not sure I actually need a spoiler alert here, because by the time this episode aired late in the second season, it was well established that Ben had been married three times and that none of his exes are around. Still, if you'd prefer not to know how this episode shakes out, stop here.
Before Ben's showdown with Mandible, he reads to his wife whose doctor has ordered bed rest. She tells Ben she is certain their baby will be a boy, and she wants to name him Adam. Immediately after the Mandible fisticuffs, word gets to Ben that the baby's arrival is imminent. Indeed, it is a boy. The baby is healthy but Liz is noticeably weaker. She asks Ben to play the music box he'd brought her from Amsterdam. She might realize she's not going to survive when she makes Ben promise, "No matter what happens, you'll go after your dreams." She expires before the music box has finished its song.
The final scene is a farewell many days later. Ben has employed an elderly nanny to care for Adam as the three of them are to head west in a wagon. Captain Stoddard, now the sole owner of the store, gives sage advice to Ben regarding the deceased Elizabeth. "Don't brood, son. Keep a warm spot in your heart for her. [But] don't carry her on your shoulder for the rest of your life. She wouldn't want that."
Inger, My Love: We waited two full seasons to find out the story of Adam's mother, Elizabeth. We had to wait until the end of the third season for the story of Hoss' mother, Inger, who is played by Inga Swenson.
Ben rides his wagon into a small town in Illinois. He looks worn out and grubby. Adam is now five. It has taken them four years to travel from New England to the midwest. Ben needs to find work in order to finance his dream of traveling to the west where he plans to settle. He walks into a bar called the Illinois House to inquire about employment in the area, only to learn jobs are hard to come by. There are several men gathered around a table playing cards, drinking and singing. One of the younger men, Gunnar (Jeremy Slate), hurls insults at Ben, calling him a shiftless drifter. Ben decks the guy with an efficiency so impressive that he's offered a job by the bar's owner, McWhorter. Both Gunnar and McWhorter will play prominent roles in this episode.
Ben walks across the street to buy bread and milk at Borgstrom's Emporium, a general store where he meets the effervescent, extremely friendly Inger. She is a tall young red head with a thick Scandanavian accent. She is also Gunnar's older sister; they co-own the store. When little Adam walks in a minute later and tells Ben he feels sick, Inger offers a stew of salt pork and onions, an old Swedish remedy. She refuses payment for this "medicine," telling Ben she loves little kids. Her kindness continues, checking in on Adam throughout the week at the boarding house while his father performs odd jobs for McWhorter. Ben uncharacteristically seems curt and sometimes even verbally rude to the well-meaning Inger. Apparently he feels her concern for his son is an indictment of his lack of attention to Adam. Inga brushes it off, even going so far as to invite Ben and Adam to her house for dinner. She is another strong Bonanza woman.
We find out that McWhorter hopes to marry Inger but she keeps putting him off. At first we don't suspect there's anything sinister about McWhorter. He seems like an okay guy. It is Gunnar about whom we're worried for Ben's sake. From time to time Gunnar takes money from the general store's till, telling Inger that, as co-owner, he's entitled to it. But Inger is doing all the work while Gunnar wastes his time in the bar. Gunnar considers store ownership beneath his talents. What he really wants is to go to the Canadian gold mines where he's sure he will strike it rich. But in order to travel there he needs money. He wants to sell the store to McWhorter to finance his expedition, but he can't talk Inger into selling. His drinking buddies ridicule him. “If you were a real man you’d sell the store whether or not you get Inger’s approval.” After all, even though their deceased father’s intention was that his two adult children should be equal owners, only Gunnar’s name appears on the legal documents.
Ben's attitude toward Inger softens. When he was at her house for dinner he regaled her with his life’s story and his dreams of heading west. She was enthralled, but the mood was dampened by the sour disposition of Gunnar, who was also present. Ben and Inger spend more time together, even going on a picnic along the banks of a river. They don't kiss, yet, but Ben is sweet talking his way toward the next step. Suddenly Gunnar appears, insisting that Inger return to town so she can go riding with McWhorter. She tells her brother she had no date with McWhorter, and that Gunnar should stop treating her as if he were her father instead of her brother.
It doesn't take Gunnar long to surprise McWhorter with the news that Inger and Ben are spending a lot of time together. McWhorter abruptly fires Ben, who was in the bar working, calling him a shiftless drifter, the same term used by Gunnar during Ben's introduction to Illinois House hospitality. Ben decides he's overstayed his welcome, what little of it there was to be found, and decides to leave town. Inger tells Ben she is not planning to marry McWhorter, and even offers Ben a job in the general store. She does not want Ben to leave. Ben declines saying, "I don't need any woman's help." His surly mood has returned. Inger stands up to him with a bold retort: "Ben Cartwright, you left your manhood behind with your dead wife!" It is this episode’s first boy loses girl moment.
Inger cries as she abruptly leaves the boarding house. With perfect timing, Adam walks in and asks his father why Inger was crying. Ben claims he doesn't know. Adam, the lad who never knew his mother, sadly says he likes Inger. The light bulb goes off; Ben has a change of heart.
Spoiler Alert: Ben rushes out to catch up with Inger in the middle of the street. He tells her he will accept her offer to work in the general store. Overcome by the moment he bumbles an attempt to propose, but before his utterance becomes coherent, Inger says she will marry him. Now, finally, they kiss. McWhorter sees this exchange from a distance. The wheels of evil begin to churn.
McWhorter knows Inger’s name is missing from the store’s title documents. He talks Gunnar into selling the store to him. Ben enters the bar moments later to pass on to Gunnar Inger's invitation to dinner. Ben is shocked to learn what just transpired. Gunnar takes a poke at him, apparently forgetting that Ben Cartwright never loses a fight. Ben delivers one knockout blow. As Gunnar is decked out on the floor, McWhorter talks Ben into leaving, assuring Ben he will take care of Gunnar.
The next scene, at Inger's house, turns from bliss to bedlam in a hurry. Inger is surprisingly glad Gunnar sold the store; she is now free to travel west with Ben. The happy couple await the arrival of Gunnar for dinner. Instead, a doctor and some townsmen drag the near-comatose Gunnar into the house and put him in bed. He has horrible bruises which the men claim were administered by Ben. Gunnar might not pull through. Inger is distraught. Could her future husband have done this to her brother? Ben pleads innocence but she tells him to leave -- the second boy loses girl moment.
Ben confronts McWhorter in the Illinois House but the ensuing slugfest changes nothing. McWhorter won't budge from his lie that he did not harm Gunnar. Frustrated, Ben goes back to Inger's house to take one more stab at convincing Inger he did nothing more than hit Gunnar once. "Either you love me with all your heart or there's no love at all." Inger laments, "What shall I do? What shall I do?" Magically, Gunnar awakens and tells Inger Ben "did not do this to me." It had to be McWhorter.
Just as in the story of Elizabeth, we have a final farewell scene. Ben, Inger and Adam are in Ben's wagon, about to begin their long trek to the west. Gunnar is there to say goodbye. He hopes the engaged couple will name a son after him. "My friends once called me Hoss which means a good man with friendly ways." Prophetic.
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