Bonanza various times) Guy Williams, David Canary, Mitch Vogel, and Tim Matheson. The show is known for presenting pressing moral dilemmas. The title "Bonanza" is a term used by miners in regard to a large vein or deposit of silver ore, from Spanish "bonanza" (prosperity) and commonly refers to the 1859 revelation of the Comstock Lode of rich silver ore mines under the town of Virginia City, not far from the fictional Ponderosa Ranch that the Cartwright family operated. The show's theme song, also titled "Bonanza", became a hit song. Only instrumental renditions, absent Ray Evans' lyrics, were used during the
Bonanza: The Return Bonanza: The Return Bonanza: The Return is a 1993 made-for-television film sequel to both the 1959–1973 television series "Bonanza" and the 1988 made-for-television film "". The movie was directed by Jerry Jameson and featured noted character actors Ben Johnson, Jack Elam, Dean Stockwell, Linda Gray, and Richard Roundtree. None of the characters from the original series appears since the entire cast, with the exception of Pernell Roberts and David Canary, were dead. Michael Landon Jr. and Dirk Blocker, sons of the original series' stars, do appear. This film was followed two years later with the TV-movie "". David Canary, who