Bonanza: Official Eighth Season, Vol. 1 & 2

Yay!! BONANZA Season 8 is finally here! What a treat! I have waited a long time for this one and I hope it won’t be long before the rest are out. If you have younger kids, buy them this DVD set. That’s right! I’m 23 years old. After really getting hooked on BONANZA when I was 16, believe me I know that there are younger folks out there that enjoy the show. BONANZA is a classic and its appeal is timeless! Do not pass up the opportunity to share this show with the younger generation.The people behind the scenes have worked their butts off to give you the best set of classic episodes available on DVD. There are tons of extras. You have a fascinating old interview with a great, yet underappreciated director, William Witney. You get rare photos, and fun Chevrolet commercials not seen since the 1960s. You get to see the special short film that only visitors of the touring Ponderosa Caravan got to see. Nobody’s seen it since the Caravan ceased touring in 1970! What a treat for this youngster who was born in 1991! (The Ponderosa Caravan was a replica of the ranch house, on wheels. It toured the U.S and Canada, appearing at fairs and rodeos.)You can choose the option of not watching the commercials with an episode, but I wouldn’t recommend that. (It’s just one commercial, featuring a BONANZA cast member, and the commercial follows the end of the story.) What a treat! I feel like I’m back in the 1960s watching it air each week on TV! At the start of every episode, you get to see the original NBC Peacock logo. Way cool! That’s a nice touch and I love seeing it every time I start an episode.You also get audio commentaries on some episodes from guest stars, DVD executive producer Andrew J. Klyde, or historians. It’s wonderful to watch and listen to the commentaries because you learn many facts about that episode, things that happened on the set, and other fun, random items. For example, I learned an NBC executive wrote “The Pursued” initially as a present for his actress wife. Wayne Newton, “Mr. Las Vegas” himself, took the time to reminisce about his episodes and some of his other work. Did you know that Wayne was offered his own series, but he took Lucille Ball’s advice and turned it down? Wait until you hear Ted Quinn’s memories of Michael Landon!What really makes these DVD box sets a real treasure? They are digitally restored and re-mastered from original 35mm film. The quality is superb! The picture is so crisp and clear and you see so many details. It feels like I’m there in the scene! It looks like it was filmed yesterday and not almost 50 years ago! As each season is released, the images do look better and better. That is likely because of the improved quality of color film stock the camera crew used over the years. I’ve read that Eastman Kodak was so impressed with the quality of BONANZA that it sent producer David Dortort new, improved color film stock to use every year. He boasted in an interview, “We have the best color in the business,” and decades later, we can still see that!Another reason to buy: episodes in Season 8 and from past releases of BONANZA are all UNCUT! You will be watching the complete episode with nothing removed. Also, Season 8 had the number 1 spot in Nielson ratings that season! That’s an honor!These are truly the best collections of TV shows on DVD you can buy. I have many DVD box sets of old, classic TV shows and none of them can beat the hard work and care that goes into these Official BONANZA sets. It shows that CBSHE actually cares about the fans and want to put the best stuff out there.Finally let’s not leave out that there are some really excellent episodes this season! Yes, you might be able to watch reruns on TV, but they will not be uncut and/or digitally restored. (And they will be interrupted numerous times with commercials.) Or yes, it may be convenient to be able to “stream,” but you will appreciate being able to possess the DVDs instead. You’ve got versatility. You could download the DVD to your computer, even pop the DVD into your computer’s disc drive (as well as hook up your DVD player to your big screen TV). So why pass up the chance to have Official Season 8 episodes UNCUT that you can watch anytime? Plus they come with TONS of extras you can’t get anywhere else!Want CBS Home Entertainment to release all 14 seasons? (It’s 8 out so far, 6 more to go.) Your sale WILL make a difference. It has been rumored that this could be the last season on DVD because previous sales have not been as good as expected. So it’s really “do or die” time for everyone to purchase this season. Buy extra copies and give as gifts! Pass the word around – the Official BONANZA Season 8 is great! ORDER TODAY!Here are the special features for vol. 1:photo gallery (cast poses)audio commentary on “The Pursued” by DVD Executive Producer Andrew J. Klyde and Historian Allan Ashermanvintage interview with director William Witney by historian Francis M. Nevins (1978)photo gallery featuring Lorne Greenephoto gallery featuring Dan Blocker and his racecarscommentary on “Tommy” by guest star Ted Quinncommentary on “A Christmas Story” by Wayne NewtonChevrolet Featurette, “Giant Step,” featuring Lorne GreeneHere are the special features for vol. 2:commentary on “Joe Cartwright, Detective” by Andrew J. Klydephoto gallery: “Chevrolet’s BONANZA sale”photo gallery: “Michael Landon works out”Lost short film: “Ponderosa Caravan” (1967)Most episodes have accompanying photo galleries (which include many publicity shots and “behind-the-scenes” photos). Many shows contain vintage Chevrolet commercials, and all start with the fantastic “psychedelic” 60s NBC Peacock logo.

Boy is this such an excellent show in everyway. You can truly relate to the characters, the plot lines & the story lines of these shows. Along with that, the photography is in, GUESS WHAT???? "COLOR"!! Has anyone one noticed lately, all our shows today are in a very dark SEPIA washed out color? The way the producers are making the shows & movies today is DARK & DISMAL just the way the plot lines are in ALL these Movies & Shows we have today. If you want a show that best resembles the GOOD QUALITIES of MAN, which by the way are not too many, I definitely feel you will thoroughly enjoy the BONANZA Series. Thank You again AMAZON for having this Series for your customers to purchase!

The character Ben Cartwright of Bonanza is a single parent who has raised his sons, the significance of this is that each season pinpoints how he passed along valuable lessons of life onto his sons, this eighth season has several thought provoking issues that are dealt with. My favorite episode is The Pursued Part1&2 the ugly specter of religious prejudice and intolerance is showcased here. Now a days you hear a lot of negative gobbledygook about single parents, this makes Bonanza even more relevant today than it was in the 1960s. The color quality and texture of every episode is superb and flawless, I strongly urge you to buy and watch each and every episode.

I am so enjoying Season 8 of Bonanza!! I only hope the powers that be continue to release these delightful, remastered DVD sets!! Candy comes next season and I want to see him in beautifully restored quality! I'm in my 20s and Bonanza is one of my very favorite shows. My generation needs to be watching more of this kind of TV rather than what airs these days. Please release seasons 9-14 on DVD! :)

Very impressed with the quality of this series release, The picture, sound & extras is A-1. I have seasons 1-8, I sure hope the rest of the series will be released soon. It would be a shame if they were not. In fact its these last few seasons I would really like to be able to buy and see again."Thanks for the previous releases, Hope to see the rest."

I wasn't a Bonanza fan until I purchased seasons 1-8. What a wonderful set these are, great picture and sound along with the extras makes this the best of all the old tv shows put out on DVD. Can't wait for the remaining seasons to be available. A big Thanks to CBS Home Entertainment and Dvd Executive Producer Andrew J. Klyde.

one discs side3 was scratched and it stilled/paused for a minute. all other sided were good.

Great show. Just wish they would release the rest of the series. It's been a few years now and I'm still waiting on season 9. If anyone knows when or if it will be released, please let all of us know.