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Pernell Roberts felt he was above TV
Roberts was not a good fit for Bonanza.
In the 21st century, it's clear that television has grown more prestigious. Each year, more award-winning stage and film actors transition over to the tube for wonderful, artistically satisfying productions. Our expectations as viewers have risen with the medium. Viewers now have access to rich content libraries filled with vibrant stories, so the new ones better be good too.
This wasn't always the case, though. For much of its existence, television has been derided as a cheaper form of entertainment. The criticism has come from within the industry and without, and the voices have always been as loud as they are wrong. There has always been worthwhile entertainment, and the criticisms frequently speak more to the critic than to the medium.
One such detractor was actor Pernell Roberts, who was happy to profit off of his time on Bonanza. From 1959-1965, Roberts played the eldest Cartwright son, Adam. However, during that time, Roberts grew disillusioned, not just with Bonanza but with television as a whole.
Rumors during the '64 television season abounded regarding the trajectory of Roberts' character Adam Cartwright. Would he be married off? Was he going to be shot and killed? How would producers write the unhappy actor off of the show? Instead, Roberts fulfilled his contractual obligations but did not extend the agreement any further than the agreed-upon six years. So, Adam Cartwright was explained as having simply "moved away."
In July of 1965, The San Francisco Examiner pressed Pernell Roberts for further details regarding his departure from Bonanza.
"The reason I quit? Essentially, it was a question of human needs. I wasn't happy on Bonanza. A person should be free to choose his own happiness," said Roberts.
This is all fair enough and would've been a reasonable, excusable explanation for his exit. However, Roberts revealed further truths in the same interview that highlighted not just his tribulations with Bonanza, but also with TV as a whole.
At first, Roberts is reserved, refusing to go into further detail regarding the possibility of salacious gossip surrounding Adam Cartwright's "moving away." First, the Examiner probed the actor for the specifics about a rumored conflict with studio executives.
"I really don't want to talk about it," said Roberts, shooting down the line of inquiry. "I could criticize but I won't, it's all in the past now."
Instead, Roberts turned the focus of his ire toward the entire concept of television rather than levying his criticisms at any one particular entity.
"Television isn't doing the job it should," said Roberts. "It could be used so much more for educating and informing. The industry should rid itself of its conformity and dispense with these silly game shows for adults."
"It takes courage to rebel against the money and the power attitude of television and the dictates of advertisers. But television perpetuates the wrong idea of morality that exists, that money is behind everything."
For all of his criticism, Pernell Roberts returned to television to star in Trapper John, M.D.
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Years later, Roberts complained about the quality of Trapper John, M.D.'s scripts. One of his friends said that 'he's just upset because they won't let him bring Chekhov to City Hospital'.
Mayberry. In the epilogue.of the Ed Sawyer episode episode Ed Sawyer was getting ready to get a haircut and Andy Taylor said this :
"WELL ED NOW THAT You are going to live with us then you might as well look like us "which indicates and means that Ed Sawyer DID IN FACT MOVE TO MAYBERRY . HOWEVER AFTSR ED Sawyer appeared in that one episode The TV viewers of The Andy Griffith Show never saw Ed Sawyer again.
Since Ed Sawyer did in fact move to Mayberry then where eas ED
SAWYER HIDING IN MAYBERRY FOR THE ENTIRE 8 SEASONS OF THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW AND 3 HEARS OF MAYBERRY RFD?Lucy
Mathews who already lived in
Mayberry and Ed Sawyer both
Disappeared into thin air with oexplanagion .On My Favorite Martian Mrs. Brown (Pamela Britton )had a daughter Angela Brown (Ann
Marshall) who lived in her mother's apartment and after ONLY 3 episodes only NGEKA BROWN VAVISHED FROM MY FAVORITE MARTIAN WITH NO EXPLANATION.
On Petticoat Junction and Green Acres Hooterville Residents
Herbie Bates ?Don Washbrook)
Junior Hocker (Russell Horton)
Newt Kiley (Kay E. Kuter) and Roy Trendell (Robert Foulk ) all Disappeared from MAYBERRY with no explanation . On Gomer Pyle USMC Cpl Nick Cuccinelli played by Tommy Leonetti and Cpl Boyle played by Roy Stuart ) and Sgt.
Whipple (Buck Young) all vanished from Camp Henderson and Gomer Pyle USMC with no explanation.
Maybe Adam Cartwright moved to
Arizona and became a ranch hand for JR Ewing (Larry Hagman) on
the TV show Dallas.
Addendum: I love MeTV, they get me, I love these old shows, they bring back so many treasured times. Thank you, MeTV.
Or
"Bonanza was not a good fit for Roberts."
Guess it's all perspective, opinion, how one wishes to view it.
As the old saying goes, money talks... and "you-know-what" walks...
I can't say I'd feel the same for the two individuals who had to criticize our posts. 99% of the folks on here love to have some good natured fun. The remaining 1% are sitting with their thumbs stuck in a *very* uncomfortable place, and they like to be "big shots" by ripping what others write.
There *are* always a few rogue posts we've all seen where the person is so obnoxious they MUST be reported to Weigel, but those are the ones with the hateful racist, sexist, or politicized remarks.
The rest of us are (hopefully) old enough and mature enough to understand the kidding, and when they don't, they ask for clarification. I really don't think the majority of the posters get offended by the silly banter...so PLEASE... keep with it!