Ponderosa Steakhouse and Bonanza Steakhouse under the Metromedia Restaurant Group. The names of the restaurants were derived from the classic TV series "Bonanza", which was set at a place called Ponderosa Ranch. In 1963, Dan Blocker, who played Eric "Hoss" Cartwright on "Bonanza", started the Bonanza Steakhouse chain. The first Bonanza opened in Westport, Connecticut. Sam Wyly and his brother Charles Wyly bought the small Bonanza restaurant chain three years later. The company grew to approximately 600 restaurants by 1989, when the Wylys sold it to Metromedia. In 1965, Dan Lasater, Norm Wiese and Charles Kleptz founded Ponderosa in Kokomo, Indiana, moving the headquarters to
The Bonanza Buckaroo a better review. They enjoyed the way comedy had been intertwined with the action, saying "it leaves little to be desired for this type of entertainment." They felt it elevated the status of the Buffalo Bill Jr. franchise. The Bonanza Buckaroo The Bonanza Buckaroo is a 1926 American silent film comedy-western. Directed by Richard Thorpe, the film stars Jay Wilsey, Harry Todd, and Judith King. It was released on August 28, 1926. When Buffalo Bill Jr. rescues an older woman trapped in a runaway car, she invites him to dine with her and her wealthy husband. At dinner, Bill becomes