Bonanza remains the second-longest-running American western TV series of all time. The show’s unique storylines and characters made it a success, but the memorable theme song also played a part in the series’ popularity. The Bonanza theme song that introduced each episode changed before and during the show’s run, with one version including lyrics written and sung by one of its stars, Lorne Greene.
‘Bonanza’ is a standout show of its era Lorne Greene as Ben Cartwright in ‘Bonanza’ | Fred Sabine/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Bonanza centered on the trials and tribulations of the Cartwright family, led by patriarch Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene), who lived on the Ponderosa ranch with his three sons: the educated engineer Adam (Pernell Roberts), the gentle giant Eric “Hoss” Cartwright (Dan Blocker), and the quick to anger “Little Joe” (Michael Landon). The NBC show’s exploration of their relationships and...
‘Bonanza’ is a standout show of its era Lorne Greene as Ben Cartwright in ‘Bonanza’ | Fred Sabine/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Bonanza centered on the trials and tribulations of the Cartwright family, led by patriarch Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene), who lived on the Ponderosa ranch with his three sons: the educated engineer Adam (Pernell Roberts), the gentle giant Eric “Hoss” Cartwright (Dan Blocker), and the quick to anger “Little Joe” (Michael Landon). The NBC show’s exploration of their relationships and...
- 3/8/2023
- by Sam Hines
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Bonanza and its cast members quickly became a fan favorites when the show aired on September 12, 1959. One of NBC‘s longest-running western TV series went on for 14 seasons and over 430 episodes. Although the stars of the series became popular, the music, specifically the Bonanza theme song, stole the show.
Its twangy rhythm distinctly marked the opening credits. While the tune changed throughout the 14 seasons the show aired, it was always recognizable.
About ‘Bonanza,’ NBC’s beloved Western series Bonanza stars Dan Blocker as Hoss Cartwright, Lorne Greene as Ben Cartwright, and Michael Landon as Little Joe Cartwright | NBCU Photo Bank
Bonanza first aired back in 1959 and lasted through the years until it ended in 1973. The show’s title was a term used by miners to identify a large vein or deposit of silver ore.
The series chronicled the adventures of the Cartwright family, who lived on a ranch on the...
Its twangy rhythm distinctly marked the opening credits. While the tune changed throughout the 14 seasons the show aired, it was always recognizable.
About ‘Bonanza,’ NBC’s beloved Western series Bonanza stars Dan Blocker as Hoss Cartwright, Lorne Greene as Ben Cartwright, and Michael Landon as Little Joe Cartwright | NBCU Photo Bank
Bonanza first aired back in 1959 and lasted through the years until it ended in 1973. The show’s title was a term used by miners to identify a large vein or deposit of silver ore.
The series chronicled the adventures of the Cartwright family, who lived on a ranch on the...
- 3/2/2023
- by Produced by Digital Editors
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez are in the hunt for their third Best Original Song Oscar, for “Into the Unknown” from “Frozen II,” but there would be another noteworthy achievement on top of that potential victory. This marks the husband-and-wife songwriting duo’s third nomination, which means they could have a perfect 3-for-3 record in the category at the end of the season.
The Lopezes won on their first two bids for “Let It Go” from “Frozen” (2013) and “Remember Me” from “Coco” (2017) — wins that made Robert, then 39, the youngest and fastest (in 10 years) to Egot and the first double EGOTer. They share a 2-for-2 record at the moment with Giorgio Moroder, who prevailed for “Flashdance… What a Feeling” from “Flashdance” (1983) and “Take My Breath Away” from “Top Gun” (1986).
No one has been able to remain undefeated at three nominations or more. Should they walk away with the gold again, the Lopezes would join Tim Rice,...
The Lopezes won on their first two bids for “Let It Go” from “Frozen” (2013) and “Remember Me” from “Coco” (2017) — wins that made Robert, then 39, the youngest and fastest (in 10 years) to Egot and the first double EGOTer. They share a 2-for-2 record at the moment with Giorgio Moroder, who prevailed for “Flashdance… What a Feeling” from “Flashdance” (1983) and “Take My Breath Away” from “Top Gun” (1986).
No one has been able to remain undefeated at three nominations or more. Should they walk away with the gold again, the Lopezes would join Tim Rice,...
- 1/25/2020
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
Doris Day may have died with a reputation of being Hollywood’s most scrubbed-clean and wholesome girl-next-door type. But she made it to the big screen courtesy her warmly simmering and easily quavering vocal tones. Before films beckoned, she was a featured vocalist with big band-era kings such as Bob Crosby (Bing’s brother) and Les Brown and His Band of Renown, the latter of which recorded Day sunnily crooning “Sentimental Journey” and “My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time.”
While both ballads made her the toast of radio fans and World War II vets coming home from the battlefront in 1945, Day had so much more to offer during her sadly abbreviated singing career — which included one album released in the 21st century, “My Heart,” and a host of previously unreleased songs she recorded with her composer-producer son, the late Terry Melcher.
Here are some signature smashes and cool surprises from Doris Day.
While both ballads made her the toast of radio fans and World War II vets coming home from the battlefront in 1945, Day had so much more to offer during her sadly abbreviated singing career — which included one album released in the 21st century, “My Heart,” and a host of previously unreleased songs she recorded with her composer-producer son, the late Terry Melcher.
Here are some signature smashes and cool surprises from Doris Day.
- 5/13/2019
- by A.D. Amorosi
- Variety Film + TV
Debbie Reynolds, who died on Wednesday at the age of 84, was one of the last icons of Hollywood’s Golden Age.
Throughout her nearly seven decade career, Reynolds made a name for herself as a triple-threat singer, dancer, and actor — with roles in big-screen MGM musicals and Broadway shows. She was also chart-topping recording artist and dynamic live performer, who toured the country for years as a night club entertainer.
Music was an inescapable part of Reynolds career. Here are 11 of her best musical moments.
“Aba Daba Honeymoon” (1950)
Arthur Fields and Walter Donovan’s “Aba Daba Honeymoon” was first recorded...
Throughout her nearly seven decade career, Reynolds made a name for herself as a triple-threat singer, dancer, and actor — with roles in big-screen MGM musicals and Broadway shows. She was also chart-topping recording artist and dynamic live performer, who toured the country for years as a night club entertainer.
Music was an inescapable part of Reynolds career. Here are 11 of her best musical moments.
“Aba Daba Honeymoon” (1950)
Arthur Fields and Walter Donovan’s “Aba Daba Honeymoon” was first recorded...
- 12/29/2016
- by Dave Quinn
- PEOPLE.com
Shirley Mitchell, the comic actress who played Marion Strong, Lucy Ricardo's friend with the cackling laugh on the TV classic I Love Lucy, has died. She was 94. Mitchell, who was believed to be the last surviving adult castmember from the legendary CBS sitcom, died Nov. 11 of heart failure at her condominium in Westwood, her sister-in-law, the Oscar-nominated Sunset Blvd. actress Nancy Olson, told The Hollywood Reporter. Mitchell was the widow of Jay Livingston, the pop composer and lyricist who collaborated with Ray Evans on the Academy Award-winning songs “Mona Lisa” (performed by Nat King
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- 11/13/2013
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
I’m a sucker for vintage sheet music, but most of my favorite examples are movie-related. I never realized how many songs were written as paeans to the city of Los Angeles and its way of life, or how great a role these songs played in the boosterism that made Southern California a sun-kissed Mecca for thousands of people in the early 20th century. City fathers were still pursuing that public-relations angle as late as 1959, when Oscar-winning tunesmiths Jay Livingston and Ray Evans composed a commissioned city song called “Angeltown.” All of that is documented in an eye-opening, lavishly designed volume called Songs in the Key of Los Angeles: Sheet Music from the Collection of the...
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- 7/9/2013
- by Leonard Maltin
- Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy
Los Angeles -- For a city that has argued for decades over what its official song ought to be, Los Angeles has never lacked for serious contenders.
Anyone who has spent time here knows the city already has at least one unofficial tune: Randy Newman's "I Love La" is played after every home game the Los Angeles Lakers or Dodgers win.
But have you heard Bing Crosby warble about how he once planned to "settle down and nevermore roam, and make the San Fernando Valley my home?" Or songwriter George G.W. Morgan's tuneful boast in 1876 that if you really wanted great wine, forget the fancy European stuff, just open a bottle of La's best and drink up.
Crosby's "San Fernando Valley," a hit in 1943, and Morgan's "The Wines of Los Angeles County" are just two of nearly 200 songs that promote, mystify, glamorize and, let's be honest, often exaggerate...
Anyone who has spent time here knows the city already has at least one unofficial tune: Randy Newman's "I Love La" is played after every home game the Los Angeles Lakers or Dodgers win.
But have you heard Bing Crosby warble about how he once planned to "settle down and nevermore roam, and make the San Fernando Valley my home?" Or songwriter George G.W. Morgan's tuneful boast in 1876 that if you really wanted great wine, forget the fancy European stuff, just open a bottle of La's best and drink up.
Crosby's "San Fernando Valley," a hit in 1943, and Morgan's "The Wines of Los Angeles County" are just two of nearly 200 songs that promote, mystify, glamorize and, let's be honest, often exaggerate...
- 6/22/2013
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Warner Music is being sued over the theme song from TV's Bonanza. According to a new lawsuit from a legendary songwriter, the music publishing giant won't substantiate withheld royalties and refuses to allow an audit. Jay Livingston and Ray Evans were the songwriting duo behind songs like "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)," "Mona Lisa" and "Silver Bells" that sold over 400 million copies. The two also created theme songs for popular TV shows like Bonanza and Mr. Ed. In 2003, Jay Livingston Music granted Warner Music the right to administer the international publishing rights to
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- 2/28/2013
- by Eriq Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Nov. 6, 2012
Price: Blu-ray $24.99
Studio: Paramount
Gloria Swanson is Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard.
Sunset Boulevard starring William Holden (The Bridge on the River Kwai) and Gloria Swanson (Queen Kelly), Billy Wilder’s (Sabrina) classic 1950 film noir drama about the perils and temptations of Hollywood, arrives on Blu-ray for the first time in a newly restored edition.
The film details the dark and dangerous relationship between Joe Gillis (Holden), a hack screenwriter yearning for success, and Norma Desmond (Swanson), a faded silent movie star who draws him into her fantasy world where she dreams of making a triumphant return to the screen.
In preparing the film for its Blu-ray debut, Paramount’s restoration team secured a vintage print made at the time of release from the Library of Congress to view and study in order to present director Wilder’s original vision. Although none of the original nitrate materials survive,...
Price: Blu-ray $24.99
Studio: Paramount
Gloria Swanson is Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard.
Sunset Boulevard starring William Holden (The Bridge on the River Kwai) and Gloria Swanson (Queen Kelly), Billy Wilder’s (Sabrina) classic 1950 film noir drama about the perils and temptations of Hollywood, arrives on Blu-ray for the first time in a newly restored edition.
The film details the dark and dangerous relationship between Joe Gillis (Holden), a hack screenwriter yearning for success, and Norma Desmond (Swanson), a faded silent movie star who draws him into her fantasy world where she dreams of making a triumphant return to the screen.
In preparing the film for its Blu-ray debut, Paramount’s restoration team secured a vintage print made at the time of release from the Library of Congress to view and study in order to present director Wilder’s original vision. Although none of the original nitrate materials survive,...
- 8/20/2012
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Tout est pardonné (eng: All is Forgiven)
Directed by Mia Hansen-Løve
Written by Mia Hansen-Løve
France, 2007
Watching with a critical eye, one will find Mia Hansen-Løve’s debut feature, Tout est pardonné, curiously out of focus; as in, it strongly lacks any. Although well-meaning and decorous, Tout est pardonné has too many points of interest that dull the overall impact of the film, making it less affecting than it should’ve been.
The story opens up in Vienna where Victor (Paul Blain), a shiftless French writer, is married to Annette (Marie-Christine Friedrich), his Austrian wife. Together, they have a six-year-old daughter named Pamela (Victoire Rousseau).
Unable to really communicate with either of them, especially Annette, Victor turns to drugs and is slowly consumed with an addiction, and at first, this seems to be the film’s raison d’être. We’re supposed to witness the spiraling effects of his drug...
Directed by Mia Hansen-Løve
Written by Mia Hansen-Løve
France, 2007
Watching with a critical eye, one will find Mia Hansen-Løve’s debut feature, Tout est pardonné, curiously out of focus; as in, it strongly lacks any. Although well-meaning and decorous, Tout est pardonné has too many points of interest that dull the overall impact of the film, making it less affecting than it should’ve been.
The story opens up in Vienna where Victor (Paul Blain), a shiftless French writer, is married to Annette (Marie-Christine Friedrich), his Austrian wife. Together, they have a six-year-old daughter named Pamela (Victoire Rousseau).
Unable to really communicate with either of them, especially Annette, Victor turns to drugs and is slowly consumed with an addiction, and at first, this seems to be the film’s raison d’être. We’re supposed to witness the spiraling effects of his drug...
- 8/17/2012
- by Justin Li
- SoundOnSight
Last month, we asked EW.com readers to help Paramount select the cover image for the new Sunset Boulevard Blu-ray. Director Billy Wilder’s 1950 classic about a haunting silent-era movie star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) who hungers for a great comeback arrives on Blu-ray for the first time on Nov. 6, and 59 percent of voters opted for the red version of an original movie poster, with Desmond lurking over hack screenwriter Joe Gillis (William Holden) and his new girlfriend (Nancy Olson).
For my money, Sunset Boulevard remains the greatest Hollywood movie about itself ever made, a warped fun-house mirror of the...
For my money, Sunset Boulevard remains the greatest Hollywood movie about itself ever made, a warped fun-house mirror of the...
- 8/13/2012
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
Tony Martin Movies. (See previous post: “Tony Martin Singer Dies.” Photo: Tony Martin and Alice Faye in the 1938 20th Century Fox musical You Can’t Have Everything.) Following his discharge from the military, Tony Martin had a big hit with his rendition of Jay Livingston and Ray Evans’ "To Each His Own," a song that topped the charts (in various versions) in 1946. That was the year Olivia de Havilland starred in the hit melodrama To Each His Own at Paramount. Also in 1946, Martin had a cameo in the MGM musical extravaganza Till the Clouds Roll By. Yet, his next lead in a [...]...
- 7/30/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
When most people think of Leslie Nielsen, they think of spoofs such as Airplane! (1980), The Naked Gun (1988), Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995), and Wrongfully Accused (1998). Perhaps a little strangely, when I think of Leslie Nielsen, who died at the age of 84 from complications of pneumonia at a Ft. Lauderdale hospital on Sunday, the first thing that comes to mind is the older guy Debbie Reynolds pines for in Joseph Pevney's Tammy and the Bachelor (1957). It's while daydreaming of Nielsen that Reynolds sings Ray Evans and Jay Livingston's ballad "Tammy." Don't laugh. It's actually a charming romantic song. Else, I think of the spaceship commander J. J. Adams in Fred M. Wilcox's 1956 sci-fi classic Forbidden Planet, which features Walter Pidgeon as the off-kilter Dr. Edward Morbius, Anne Francis in a skimpy mini-skirt, Robby the Robot, and a still very much relevant message about the seeds [...]...
- 11/29/2010
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
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