Bonanza: The Next Generation Movie

Bonanza: The Next Generation
Rating:
Run Time: 96 min
MPAA Rating:
Released: 1988
Directors: William F. Claxton
Genre/Type: Action
Adventure
Western
Prime-Time Drama [TV]
Producers:
Plot Synopsis by Hal Erickson
Bonanza: The Movie originally went out as Bonanza: The Next Generation. That title accurately reflected the film's content: death and previous commitments prevented the cast of the original Bonanza TV series of 1959-1973, thus the talent roster of The Next Generation was brand-new. John Ireland took over from Lorne Greene (who signed for this movie, but died before production commenced) as the brother of Greene's character Ben Cartwright. Home from the sea, Aaron Cartwright (Ireland) stupidly turns the drilling rights to the Ponderosa over to those perennial 1980s movie villains, the "evil land developers". It's up to the sons of Adam, Little Joe and Hoss Cartwright to save the ranch (One wonders how the Cartwright boys could have had sons, given the mortality rate of their sweethearts on the old series). Michael Landon Jr., son of the original series' Little Joe, is here cast as Benj. This 1988 Bonanza TV movie sequel was supposed to have been spun off into a weekly syndicated series, but for various reasons this project never came to fruition, despite station clearance and sponsorship in virtually every major market.

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Cast

Actors Character Born
Robert Fuller Jul 29, 1934 in Troy, NY
Brian Andrew Smith Josh Cartright
Michael Landon, Jr. Benj Cartwright Jun 20, 1964 in Encino, CA
John Amos Dec 27, 1941 in Newark, NJ
Barbara Anderson
John Ireland Captain Aaron Cartwright Jan 30, 1914 in Vancouver, BC, Canada
Mark Richman

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