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
Sergeant Preston of the Yukon (TV series) DVD in Region 1. In May 2016, the series resurfaced on U.S. TV, airing weekday mornings on the action/adventure/western oriented GRIT classic TV/movie network. The series currently airs on Family Entertainment TV (FETV) and is available on both Dish & DirecTV. The guest stars on "Sergeant Preston" included: Sergeant Preston of the Yukon (TV series) Sergeant Preston of the Yukon is an American drama adventure television series, broadcast between 1955 and 1958. It was based on the radio drama "Challenge of the Yukon." Richard Simmons starred as Sgt. Preston, and was supported by his dog Yukon King and horse Rex,