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Lorne Greene said that this was the moment when Bonanza should have ended for good
The series lasted for 14 years — but did it need to?
Television is often considered a superficial business. But the fact is that on many television shows, actors form bonds that last for years to come. Just as the Cartwright family remained close to Bonanza, so too did their actors in real life.
Actors Dan Blocker, Michael Landon, and Lorne Greene were a tight-knit group of friends, both on and off set. Of course, Bonanza was on television for a whopping fourteen years, and the three men often made appearances together at fan events as well.
But Blocker and Landon looked up to Greene, seeing him as a sort of surrogate father. Much like their characters, the two men would come to Greene with any issues they were struggling with, and Greene would guide them through.
Sadly, Dan Blocker passed away in 1972, just before Bonanza officially ended. In a 1974 interview with The Toronto Star, Greene remembered his old friend fondly.
He also shared his personal opinion that, perhaps Bonanza would have been a better show if it had ended when Blocker had died, instead of attempting to adapt.
"The death of anybody would have had some effect," said Greene. "You know, when you go to a house where there's been a death, you feel a little uncomfortable. I thought they were going to cancel it then, and now I think they should have. It was a different show after that. They didn't change the direction right. But it was never a grind."
The death of a major actor is always difficult, though Greene never regrets the time and energy he spent working on Bonanza.
"I don't consider 14 years in Bonanza a failure," said Greene during an interview with The Toronto Star.
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