|
|
Ah, the life of a cowboy...In 1959, NBC began airing the western series Bonanza. The show starred Lorne Greene as family patriarch Ben Cartwright; Pernell Roberts as oldest son Adam; Dan Blocker as the easy going middle son, Hoss; and Michael Landon as youngest son Little Joe. |
|
During the middle of the fifth season Pernell Roberts was making one of his oft-repeated threats to leave the series. In the past, the producers had always appeased the disgruntled actor with money or more challenging storylines. However, this time the producers decided to show Roberts how easily he could be replaced and in early 1964, Guy Williams was hired to play the role of Ben's nephew, Will Cartwright.
At the time Guy signed his contract, he knew nothing about the producers plans to use him to get one of their stars to toe-the-line. He merely thought he was being hired to breathe new life into the western. He quickly learned otherwise. On a set already rife with actors' inflated egos, Guy found little to enjoy about filming the show. Pernell Roberts saw him as the enemy, the other actors felt his presence diminished their roles, and Michael Landon - an extremely insecure heart-throb among young women, felt his popularity was threatened by the handsome, 6'3", Williams who had been wildly popular only a few years earlier as Disney's Zorro. The stress and unfriendly environment made the experience a thoroughly unpleasant one for Guy. In an interview years later, Guy stated that, "I realized I was being used and I didn't get any help from the other actors, because if Roberts left, they would take up the slack. The whole session was very negative." Refusing to be a pawn of the producers or to subject himself to the hostility of the other actors, Guy asked to be released from the show after only five episodes. His decision coincided closely with Pernell Roberts' decision to remain on the show. |
|
The writers scrambled to revise scripts. They had already developed a plot involving Adam falling in love with the lovely widow, Laura Dayton. As an explanation for what was perceived to be the impending departure of Roberts, the writers had planned a storyline that had Adam and Laura marrying and moving away from the Ponderosa. When Roberts decided to stay and Guy was the one opting to leave, the writers changed the storyline, creating a love triangle in which Adam and Will both fall in love with Laura. After his fifth appearance on the show, Guy and his character Will Cartwright rode off into the sunset. His departure was a loss for Guy and the show, as well as Guy's fans. The writers had provided Guy with a meaty role and the complex character of Will challenged his creative side. He came through with what is considered by many to be his finest performances as an actor. Bonanza Episodes
Click on the thumbnail to open the episode in new window. Guy TriviaThe character of Will Cartwright was originally intended to be Ben's younger brother. But producer David Dorwart decided that in appearance, there was too great an age difference between Guy & Lorne Greene. So, the character of Will became Ben's nephew instead. Prior to his appearances on Bonanza, Guy had acted on screen with both Dan Blocker (Hoss Cartwright) and Michael Landon (Little Joe Cartwright) earlier in his career. In 1957, Michael Landon played the title role in the movie I Was a Teenage Werewolf and Guy was one of the police officers who hunted the creature down and killed it. In 1958, Dan Blocker appeared on Zorro, as a menacing heavy in a second season episode entitled The Señorita Makes a Choice. Of the thousands of publicity photos taken to promote the show & stars of Bonanza, there are only a handful of Guy in his role of Will Cartwright. Below are a few of them used to promote the triangle love story between Will, Laura & Adam.
|
