The Curse of Bonanza

Yesterday, I wrote about the so-called "Superman Curse" which supposedly dooms anyone foolish enough to agree to appear in a Superman movie or TV show. This, however, isn't the only "Hollywood Curse": I have heard that the cast of Bewitched (the TV series) was cursed, and a few years ago Access Hollywood, or maybe it was Entertainment Tonight, devoted an entire episode of their expanded weekend edition to the curse of the Little Rascals. (A bunch of 80+ year old former child actors were "mysteriously" dying--must be a "curse")

But what about the curse of Bonanza? Never heard of it? Of course not, I just made it up. However, there must be a "Bonanza curse." After all, of the original four actors who played Ben Cartwright and his sons, only Pernell Roberts is still alive, and probably only because he had the good sense to bolt after six seasons, presumably before the "curse" kicked in.

And what about poor Michael Landon? Boy, if ever anyone was cursed it was that guy. I mean, he was only the most successful TV star in the history of the medium, with only a handful of TV seasons going by between Bonanza's 1959 debut and his death in 1991 that he didn't have a hit show on NBC, all of which ran a minimum of five years.

Yeah, man, if that's a "curse," where do I sign up?

Y'know, it just occured to me--what if someone reads this and takes me seriously? Suddenly, the Bonanza curse becomes part of entertainment folklore and Leonard Nimoy is narrating a special about it on E!

Actually, that would be kind of cool.