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Lorne Greene played Ben Cartwright as the father he wanted to be
Hundreds of fans wished Ben Cartwright were their father!
Fan mail for your favorite actor is old news. People have been reaching out to their favorite celebrities in hopes of a response for decades. Typically, these letters express admiration.
But in 1965, Bonanza star Lorne Greene was receiving A LOT of fan mail with one unusual request: Fans wanted him to be their father. And while Greene loved children, adopting hundreds of them would have been a tall order — even on a Bonanza-sized budget!
According to a 1965 interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Greene said hundreds of children wrote to him, praising his portrayal of a father on Bonanza.
One letter read: "When I grow up. I want you to know, Mr. Cartwright, that I'm going to become a father exactly like you."
Another letter read: "If you'd been my father, I wouldn't be here today. My father was a drunk who paid us no attention."
The letters weren't just from children seeking a father figure. Other family members also connected with Greene's portrayal of a strong, caring man both at home and beyond.
One wife wrote to Greene: "The trouble with my husband, is that he's got the roar of a lion and the courage of a mouse. If he showed one ounce of the gumption you showed on your program last week, I wouldn't be leaving him."
Writing to Greene gave many fans an outlet. Many of these fans weren't necessarily without fathers; they simply wished their dads were more like Ben Cartwright. To Greene, the letters revealed a deeper problem.
"I've come to the conclusion that the average guy is so busy making a living, providing for his family, that he has little time or energy or love to spend on his children," Greene said.
Greene also explained why his portrayal resonated with so many viewers.
"The reason I get so much mail from women and children is that I play the kind of father they always really wanted, a father who is firm and strong and yet is not ashamed or afraid to love," Greene said. "I think that's the crying need in today's world — men who care, men who love, men who place duty before pleasure, men who accept responsibility with pride."
But Greene didn't invent Ben Cartwright's blend of strength and tenderness out of thin air. When discussing the character with Bonanza creator David Dortort, Greene drew inspiration from a familiar source: his own father.
"My father wasn't a very big man, but he gave the impression of bigness, and that's what I've tried to do, combine authority with kindness," Greene said.
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