Lorne Greene loved being a part of the 'Bonanza' family

"We looked forward to getting up at 5:00 or 5:30 in the morning to go on location, because we knew it would be a fun day."

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It's always heartwarming to hear about shows where the co-stars consider themselves family behind the scenes. It's even better to hear that the actors had the best experiences bringing their roles to life.

Bonanza was one of these legendary shows where you could feel the love through television screens. It starred Lorne Greene as Ben Cartwright, Dan Blocker as Hoss Cartwright, Pernell Roberts as Adam Cartwright and Michael Landon as Little Joe. This close-knit on-screen family was challenged with social issues that identified with ones many faced in real life.

Lorne Greene once talked about how the show focused on love in many different aspects. During an interview on Today with Steve Liebmann and Sue Kellaway, the actor revealed that the show was a lot of fun to be a part of after he was asked if he ever got tired of it.

"No, Bonanza would be, what I would call, a fun show to do," he began. "Uh, the people were great. The guest stars that we had were marvelous. Our crew was tremendous, and we looked forward to getting up at 5:00 or 5:30 in the morning to go on location because we knew it would be a fun day."

Greene added that the crew had many people who helped make the show successful, ultimately improving the experience. "We had a tremendous amount of help from so many people who came along the way. The show couldn't help but become successful, because we had so many people helping us."

Kellaway then asked if it was a challenge to get rid of the Ben Cartwright image since Hollywood is known for typecasting, especially when an actor finds significant success in one role that a new one can't replace.

"Well, yes, of course, when you're on long enough playing a certain character, like 14 years, people begin to recognize you as a 'Hi Ben!' or 'Hi Cartwright,'" Greene said. "They respond to that and have questions about the show."

Greene also told the hosts about what happened to him earlier that day, before he was on the show, where he signed autographs for about 200 fans on a plane.

"The plane was very full, and somebody sent out the request for an autograph. And before I knew it, I was signing about 200 autographs for people."

He revealed that moments like that did not make him unhappy because when the autographs stop, then 'that's when you know it's over.'

Watch Bonanza on MeTV!

Monday - Saturday at 2 PM

*available in most MeTV markets
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16 Comments

scoopr365 5 months ago
Bonanza is my favorite Western ever! The actors chosen for the characters were absolutely perfect! My favorite episodes were the humorous ones.
RichLorn 17 months ago
Let's hear how much fun the Bonanza family crew member had shoveling the horse manure.
MichaelSkaggs 17 months ago
Terrific actor for a terrific show.
segarolow4 17 months ago
One great TV show. On when TV was worth watching.
hendrix5658 18 months ago
I always wanted Ben Cartwright to be my real dad
tootsieg 18 months ago
Always loved Bonanza and the Ponderosa.
Runeshaper 18 months ago
Gotta love a family cast!
Pacificsun Runeshaper 18 months ago




Location:
https://www.metv.com/stories/which-decade-had-the-best-halloween-candy

Location: Answers to Quiz (STOP if you haven't taken it)!
https://www.ultimatequizquestions.com/back-to-the-future-quiz/
Andybandit 18 months ago
Lorne Greene was a good actor. I liked him in Bonanza.
Pacificsun 18 months ago
Sounds like a gracious and well-meaning individual who happened to be an actor. Bravo! Fans have no idea how intrusive they can become during an actor's private time. Of course they've chosen the profession and the territory that comes with it. It's just a matter of offering reciprocal courtesy.


Counted below are 4 instances of "help" in the same paragraph. Not only does the repetition add unnecessary length but other interesting background could be added instead. We love the articles and appreciate all the research and also coming up with good story angles. None of it is easy, and all of it is time consuming. But your hard work is appreciated, thank you for the enjoyment you offer the viewers.

Greene added that the crew had many people who HELPED make the show successful, ultimately improving the experience. "We had a tremendous amount of HELP from so many people who came along the way. The show couldn't HELP but become successful, because we had so many people HELPING us."
harlow1313 18 months ago
"...when the autographs stop, then 'that's when you know it's over.'" I wonder which celebrity's welcomed the decline in public attention. To go back to being themselves.
harlow1313 harlow1313 18 months ago
celebrities, not "celebrity's." yeesh.
Pacificsun harlow1313 18 months ago
Too funny! I thought, who are you correcting so sternly. And then I saw that it was yourself. Honestly it's not that all of us don't know better. It's just writing what we're hearing, because of being so in the moment with our thoughts!

Have a 👻 of a pleasant day! We have fun things coming up. Stay tuned!!
harlow1313 Pacificsun 18 months ago
I like to write. I suppose it's sort of a hobby, and I like to do it well. To me, to try and communicate is fun. I like to exercise my brain.
Pacificsun harlow1313 18 months ago


Location:
https://www.metv.com/stories/which-decade-had-the-best-halloween-candy

Location: Answers to the Quiz (STOP if you haven't take it yet).
https://www.ultimatequizquestions.com/back-to-the-future-quiz/
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