{"id":86548,"date":"2022-08-17T16:30:46","date_gmt":"2022-08-17T16:30:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/?p=86548"},"modified":"2023-02-14T20:10:56","modified_gmt":"2023-02-14T20:10:56","slug":"cvs-bonanza-origins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/cvs-bonanza-origins\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cBonanza\u201d Origins"},"content":{"rendered":"

For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on ATVN with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hopefully you have been watching episodes of the legendary show <\/span>Bonanza<\/i><\/a><\/strong> on ATVN, along with reading some of our earlier blog entries focusing on the show\u2019s legacy and a few unique stories on two of its larger than life actors \u2013 Michael Landon<\/a><\/strong> (\u201cLittle Joe\u201d) and Dan Blocker<\/a><\/strong> (\u201cHoss\u201d Cartwright).<\/span><\/p>\n

However, many people don\u2019t know that many of the first-season episodes of this program are rarely seen…but YOU can see these unique shows this month on the Astound TV Network<\/strong>!<\/span><\/p>\n

Bonanza<\/span><\/i>, despite what turned out to be a very long run of successes, did not have the easiest time getting\u2013and then staying\u2013on the air.\u00a0 This seems hard to believe, in retrospect, as it eventually became one of the most successful television programs in the 1960s and arguably the most beloved western show of all time.<\/span><\/p>\n

First of all, the executive producers (Dan Dartort and Mark Roberts) of <\/span>Bonanza<\/span><\/i> faced a crowded field of shows with similar themes to pitch to network television studios.\u00a0 Remember, in 1959, there were only three options.\u00a0 CBS (first in the ratings the previous year with a very strong returning programming lineup), NBC and ABC all had plenty of options for new western shows.\u00a0 Among the new shows with western backgrounds looking for a television home at this time included: <\/span>Rawhide<\/a><\/strong>, Wanted: Dead or Alive<\/a><\/strong>, The Man and the Challenge, Bandwagon, <\/span><\/i>and<\/span> Tales of the Riverbank<\/span><\/i> \u2026 all were produced pilots that spring.<\/span><\/p>\n

There was also pressure for networks to add other new shows like <\/span>The Untouchables<\/i><\/a> <\/strong>(produced by Lucille Ball<\/a><\/strong> and Desi Arnaz<\/a><\/strong>, who CBS wanted to keep happy to have them continue churning out<\/span> I Love Lucy <\/i><\/a><\/strong>hour-long<\/span> \u201cspecials\u201d) along with soon to be favorites <\/span>Dennis The Menace<\/a><\/strong>, Hawaiian Eye <\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/i>and <\/span>Rod Sterling\u2019s <\/span>The Twilight Zone<\/a><\/strong>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Once signed by NBC for the first season, <\/span>Bonanza <\/span><\/i>quickly saw resistance from network executives for its writing style.\u00a0 It was different from other like-westerns for its storylines that focused more on the characters and how they related to each other and relied less on the typical \u201clife on the range\u201d stories and other usual dramatic themes of the old west.\u00a0 Another concern was that\u2013at the time of the show\u2019s debut\u2013none of the four central stars were well-established actors in Hollywood, and the network worried people wouldn\u2019t \u201cfeel\u201d for the characters.<\/span><\/p>\n

Furthermore, <\/span>Bonanza<\/span><\/i> was atypical from other shows in that the early episodes dealt with issues like racism, bigotry and anti-semitism.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other knocks against the new show included financial concerns.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was one of the few shows broadcast in color (which more than tripled its expense compared to its black-and-white counterparts).\u00a0 Plus, adding in the cost of renting horses for the show and the initial decision to choose the shooting locations in the expensive Riverside Country, California helped to make it one of the most expensive westerns of the time period.<\/span><\/p>\n

NBC didn\u2019t help matters with its scheduling.\u00a0 <\/span>Initially, Bonanza aired on Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. opposite popular Dick Clark’s <\/span>Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show<\/span><\/i> on ABC, and, on CBS, a perennial Top-10 Favorite, <\/span>Perry Mason<\/i><\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0 While first year ratings for Bonanza were not poor, it still finished far behind CBS\u2019s Saturday night lineup and NBC seriously considered canceling the show after just that first season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rumor has it that NBC kept the show because its corporate parent, Radio Corporation of America (RCA), used the show to spur sales of RCA-manufactured color television sets (RCA was also the primary sponsor of the series during its first two seasons).<\/span><\/p>\n

After the first season, the shooting location was moved to the more fiscally responsible state of Nevada, which still allowed for grand, lavish landscapes that wowed the early 1960s TV-watchers who had the luxury of colorized viewing.<\/span><\/p>\n

A year later, NBC moved <\/span>Bonanza<\/span><\/i> to a much more popular time slot\u00a0 (replacing <\/span>The Dinah Shore Chevy Show<\/i><\/a><\/strong> on Sundays at 9:00 pm). The new time slot saw <\/span>Bonanza<\/span><\/i> soar in the ratings and eventually reached number one by 1964.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show held on to the honor of being television\u2019s top-rated regular program until 1967 when it was seriously challenged by the socially provocative and, for its time, controversial variety show, <\/span>The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour<\/a><\/strong>,<\/span><\/i> on CBS. \u00a0 But by then, the show was already an established ratings \u201cbonanza\u201d (pardon the pun) and would still have success for several more years\u2026and the rest of the show\u2019s success is history.\u00a0 It ultimately became one of the top 50 television shows of all time (according to a 2002 \u201cTV Guide\u201d special edition).<\/span><\/p>\n

Be sure to tune in or set your DVRs to catch the rarely shown, first season episodes in the <\/span>Bonanza<\/span><\/i> show history \u2013 part of this summer\u2019s<\/span> sizzling <\/span><\/i>ATVN programming lineup.\u00a0 <\/span>Bonanza<\/span><\/i> airs every Sunday morning at 9pm.<\/span><\/p>\n

To view the complete rundown of classic programming on ATVN, check out the weekly listings here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The views expressed in this blog are<\/span><\/i> those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation. Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"Yoast SEO Relevanssi index exclude","inline_featured_image":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[902],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-86548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-classic-video-showplace"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cBonanza\u201d Origins - ATVN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201cBonanza\u201d Origins - ATVN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. 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