‘Bonanza’: Michael Landon Roasted the Theme Song, Said it Sounded ‘Like a Car Commercial’
NBC’s Western series, Bonanza, helped put Michael Landon on the map. The star later attained great fame through Little House on the Prairie, but his stint on Bonanza certainly helped him establish his career. Landon talked extensively about his time on the Western and told Johnny Carson how he really felt about the theme song.
Michael Landon made fun of the ‘Bonanza’ theme song
Michael Landon guest-starred on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson throughout the ’70s, and while there, he talked extensively about his time filming Bonanza. Landon enjoyed the time he spent on the set with his co-stars and frequently provided tidbits of info to Carson and the audience. During a segment in 1976, Landon roasted the Bonanza theme song.
“I didn’t sing the Bonanza theme,” Landon told Carson. “I didn’t sing that.” Then, Carson mentioned there weren’t words to the theme — and Landon strongly corrected him.
“Oh, there are so words to it!” Landon said before diving into the jingle. “You ever hear the words to it? ‘We got a right to pick a little fight, Bonanza!'” he started. “‘Any one of us who starts a little fuss knows he can count on me. One for four, four for one’ — that was before Pernell left — ‘that’s our guarantee!’ It was like a car commercial.”
Michael Landon used ‘Bonanza’ to help him make the ‘Little House on the Prairie’ theme song
Michael Landon made fun of the Bonanza theme, but the show helped him develop the theme for Little House on the Prairie.
MeTV reports there’s a song that plays in the 1971 episode of Bonanza titled “Top Hand.” Landon later used the same song as the theme for Little House. David Rose composed the famous song first heard in season 12 of the Western series.
The publication notes Rose also used other songs from Bonanza in Little House. The composer won Emmys for his work on both shows. As for Landon, he carried over more than just this song from Bonanza to Little House. He also used character actors first seen in the Western and brought them over.
Warner Bros. faced a lawsuit for the infamous theme song
Fans who watched Bonanza likely remember the theme song well despite Michael Landon roasting it. But it seems there was trouble with the theme. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jay Livingston Music sued Warner Bros. for not substantiating withheld royalties and refusing an audit.
Jay Livingston and Ray Evans created the theme songs for Bonanza and Big Ed. They also wrote famous songs such as “Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera),” “Mona Lisa,” and “Silver Bells.” Jay Livingston Music gave Warner Bros. “the right to administer the international publishing rights” to its music catalog. But, in 2013, Jay Livingston Music sued after alleging that one of Warner Bros. European affiliates overpaid royalties by $137,000, which went way beyond a contract both companies signed in 2003.
Jay Livingston Music sued over “breach of contract, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, negligence, accounting, and more.” The artist also requested $150,000 and “full, complete, and accurate accounting.”
For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.
