Had Bonanza been moved from its familiar Sunday night time slot to a less preferable Tuesday evening berth any earlier than its 14th season on the air, the show might have managed to survive the change and continue to prosper. This, however, proved not to be the case, and the reason was both simple and tragic: Dan Blocker, the series' beloved Hoss Cartwright, had unexpectedly died just before the beginning of season 14. This stunning loss, coupled with Bonanza's ever-eroding ratings opposite CBS's Maude and Hawaii Five-0, tolled the series' death knell -- an ignominious finale for the second longest-running Western series in TV history. Even so, many of Bonanza's final episodes were among the series' best, notably the season 14 opener "Forever," which details the pathetically short-lived marriage between Joe Cartwright (Michael Landon) and his bride Alice Harper (Bonnie Bedelia) (this episode was to have focused on Hoss Cartwright, but Dan Blocker's death forced star/producer/director Landon to hastily -- and regretfully -- rewrite the action). A later episode, "Riot!," introduces Tim Matheson in the recurring role of ex-convict Griff King, who, after saving the life of Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene), is given a chance to turn his life around as a ranch hand on the Ponderosa. "The 26th Grave" guest stars Ken Howard as Mark Twain, the last of the many real-life historical characters who cross paths with the Cartwrights. "The Sound of Loneliness" marks the return of former series regular David Canary in the role of taciturn ranch hand Candy. And the final episode to be telecast, "The Hunter," is basically a two-man show, sans dialogue for the most part, with Joe Cartwright being stalked by an unhinged huntsman named Tanner (Tom Skerritt).
by Hal Erickson
synopsis
