Hoss Cartwright
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Eric 'Hoss' Cartwright is a fictional character, the middle brother on the classic 1960s TV show Bonanza. He was played by actor Dan Blocker.
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[edit] Mini-biography
- Eric "Hoss" Cartwright was born in 1836, somewhere between California and Nevada. He is the son of Ben Cartwright and his second wife, Inger Borgstrom, a Swedish immigrant.
- The origin of the nickname had two explainations on "Bonanza". "Hoss" was a Swedish word for "big in stature and big in spirit". The word also became a southern rendition of "horse" and played on the character's girth.
- In 1968, Hoss' hair got much thicker as a result of Blocker following the leads of Lorne Greene and Pernell Roberts in wearing a toupe.
- The first episode of the 1972-73 Bonanza season provided exposition referring to the character in past tense. The TV death of Hoss was necessitated by the actual death of actor Dan Blocker due to complications from gall bladder surgery. In a 1988 TV movie, it was explained to Hoss's illegitimate son Josh, that he had drowned while attempting to save a woman.
[edit] 2001 Prequel Series
Drew Powell played Hoss Cartwright in the 2001 prequel television series Ponderosa, set in time when Adam was a teenager and Little Joe a small child. The series was produced by Beth Sullivan (producer of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman) and ran for twenty episodes.
[edit] See also
[edit] In Media
"Hoss" is the name of a Lagwagon (a pop-punk band)1995 album. Hoss also appeared on the cover and is considered by some to be the band's best album.
[edit] External links
- Hoss at PonderosaScenery.Homestead.com
