Those poor Cartwright men. It seems like every time one of them gets close to settling down, something happens to ruin their chance at love.
However, it turns out that one opportunity for love on Bonanza was actually thwarted by fans, rather than the series creators.
According to the Arizona Republic, the character of Laura Dayton, played by Kathie Browne, was introduced to the series with ulterior motives. The series had been having difficulties with one of its leads, Pernell Roberts, whose tumultuous history on Bonanza is the stuff of television legend.
Roberts left the show after six seasons, and in an interview with The Orlando Sentinel, he said, “I’m just sorry I wasn’t able to get out of my contract and leave sooner.”
He continued, “My problems with Bonanza were problems of communication. What we discussed would be, never was. I thought it would be a sophisticated show. Instead, it never went beyond the comic strip level.”
But even while Roberts was still a member of the series main cast, there was still fear that he might depart the series suddenly, leaving producers struggling to explain the absence.
In an effort to remedy this, an NBC spokesman revealed to the Arizona Republic that Laura Dayton was included in the series to give Adam Cartwright a way out: Down the aisle. Provided that Pernell wanted to quit the series immediately, the series had ensured that Adam would be able to plausibly marry Laura, prompting his exit from the show.
The spokesman stated that the measure was “protection in depth.” What they weren’t anticipating, however, was the negative fan response begging the creators not to marry Adam off and separate him from the family. Ultimately, the failsafe wasn’t necessary, and Browne’s character ended up leaving Adam for the Cartwright’s cousin, Will.
The fan mail also revealed that Bonanza had a previously unseen audience. The NBC spokesman said, “We even got letters from behind the Iron Curtain.”