I didn't mind the nod to the 'Bonanza' TV series and the inclusion of the sons of the original Cartwright cast members, but the story is tenuous at best with a script that challenges an attentive viewer's knowledge of history. Probably the best that can be said is that the film approaches the passing of the Old West and the changes that occur with successive generations as an inevitable part of living and growing up. The single element though that defied credibility was the idea that the Ponderosa passed into the hands of a non family member with the death of Ben Cartwright. That just didn't resonate very credibly with me.
Now the inclusion of Leonard Nimoy in the story was a nice touch. I don't think many fans picture him as an actor in a Western, but he did appear in a handful of TV shows prior to 'Star Trek' like 'Wagon Train', 'Rawhide', and 'Tales of Wells Fargo', including an appearance in the original Bonanza series in a Season Two episode titled 'The Ape'. There was also that Star Trek episode 'Spectre of the Gun' in which Spock and other members of the Enterprise crew went up against the Earps and Doc Holliday. The Vulcan mind meld came in handy that day.
It was a pretty novel idea casting Nimoy as Frank James in the story. When he began laying out the story of his Civil War days it was done with a fair amount of historical accuracy, but that in turn put some of the other players in sort of a negative light. When it was revealed that Bronc Evans (Ben Johnson), the proprietor of the Ponderosa, and the family cook Buckshot (Jack Elam) were members of Quantrill's Raiders, for anyone with a knowledge of the James Gang this was an admission that both of them operated as cutthroats and marauders, because that's what the Missouri bushwhackers were known for. So the attempt at portraying Siringo (Dennis Farina) as the villain for hunting down Frank James started out on the wrong foot. But yeah, he was a villain anyway, operating as a lone wolf outside the authority of his Pinkerton employers.
That aside, there was a puzzler in the casting that I'm still thinking about. Why wouldn't have Dirk Blocker and Brian Leckner had their roles reversed, since Dirk was the son of Dan Blocker? He certainly resembled his father a lot more than Leckner, so I guess there's an untold story behind that move. Also in passing there was a quick mention by A.C. (Jeff Phillips) regarding how his father spent his life running away from the Ponderosa, an obvious reference to Pernell Roberts leaving the original series after six seasons. I thought that was an interesting touch.
So overall, any connection to the original Bonanza for this viewer was simply an exercise in reviving the memory of the original series. The biggest plus for me was seeing Ben Johnson at the tail end of his career and Jack Elam in his very last film role. One thing you can do to have some fun if you watch the movie is count up the number of times Josh Cartwright says 'Dad burn it' the way Hoss used to. Just about as many times as Gabby Hayes might have said 'Ya durn tootin' in one of his Westerns.
Now the inclusion of Leonard Nimoy in the story was a nice touch. I don't think many fans picture him as an actor in a Western, but he did appear in a handful of TV shows prior to 'Star Trek' like 'Wagon Train', 'Rawhide', and 'Tales of Wells Fargo', including an appearance in the original Bonanza series in a Season Two episode titled 'The Ape'. There was also that Star Trek episode 'Spectre of the Gun' in which Spock and other members of the Enterprise crew went up against the Earps and Doc Holliday. The Vulcan mind meld came in handy that day.
It was a pretty novel idea casting Nimoy as Frank James in the story. When he began laying out the story of his Civil War days it was done with a fair amount of historical accuracy, but that in turn put some of the other players in sort of a negative light. When it was revealed that Bronc Evans (Ben Johnson), the proprietor of the Ponderosa, and the family cook Buckshot (Jack Elam) were members of Quantrill's Raiders, for anyone with a knowledge of the James Gang this was an admission that both of them operated as cutthroats and marauders, because that's what the Missouri bushwhackers were known for. So the attempt at portraying Siringo (Dennis Farina) as the villain for hunting down Frank James started out on the wrong foot. But yeah, he was a villain anyway, operating as a lone wolf outside the authority of his Pinkerton employers.
That aside, there was a puzzler in the casting that I'm still thinking about. Why wouldn't have Dirk Blocker and Brian Leckner had their roles reversed, since Dirk was the son of Dan Blocker? He certainly resembled his father a lot more than Leckner, so I guess there's an untold story behind that move. Also in passing there was a quick mention by A.C. (Jeff Phillips) regarding how his father spent his life running away from the Ponderosa, an obvious reference to Pernell Roberts leaving the original series after six seasons. I thought that was an interesting touch.
So overall, any connection to the original Bonanza for this viewer was simply an exercise in reviving the memory of the original series. The biggest plus for me was seeing Ben Johnson at the tail end of his career and Jack Elam in his very last film role. One thing you can do to have some fun if you watch the movie is count up the number of times Josh Cartwright says 'Dad burn it' the way Hoss used to. Just about as many times as Gabby Hayes might have said 'Ya durn tootin' in one of his Westerns.