20 of the Hottest Bombshells That Guest Starred on ‘Bonanza’
The classic Western series Bonanza ran on NBC from 1959-73, ranking as the second-longest-running Western series on U.S. television (behind the legendarily long-running Gunsmoke, of course). Over 14 seasons, a show can rack up a lot of guest stars in support of its main cast. After all, Lorne Greene as Ben Cartwright and Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker and Michael Landon as Ben’s sons Adam, “Hoss” and “Little Joe,” as talented as they were, couldn’t handle everything in terms of propelling the stories forward. And it might have gotten dull if they did. Some of the actresses who guest-starred on Bonanza were already established actors and well-known bombshells at the time; others had not yet made a name for themselves, and it’s fun to look back at their early roles.
Here, in alphabetical order, is a look back at 20 of the loveliest actresses to have guest-starred on Bonanza:
Julie Adams
(Season 2 episode “The Courtship,” 1961)
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Whitney Blake
(Season 1 episode “Vendetta,” 1959)
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Geraldine Brooks
(Season 2, “Elizabeth, My Love,” 1961 )
NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty
Yvonne De Carlo
(Series’ first episode “A Rose for Lotta,” 1959)
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Sandy Duncan
(Season 12, “An Earthquake Called Callahn,” 1971)
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Zsa Zsa Gabor
(Season 8 episode “Maestro Hoss,” 1967)
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Jane Greer
(Season 1 episode “The Julia Bulette Story,” 1959)
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Mariette Hartley
(Season 13 “The Iron Butterfly”, 1971)
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Susan Howard
(Season 11, ‘The Medal’, 1969)
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Kate Jackson
(Season 13, ‘One Ace Too Many,’ aired April 2, 1972),
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Patricia Medina
(Season Episode 21 “The Spanish Grant,” 1960)
NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Ruta Lee
(Season 4, episode 25, ‘A Woman Lost,’ 1963)
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Tina Louise
(Season 9 episode “Desperate Passage,” 1967)
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Ida Lupino
(Season 1 episode “The Saga of Annie O’Toole,” 1959)
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Susan Oliver
(Season 2, “The Outcast,” 1960)
NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Stefanie Powers
(Season 5 episode “Calamity Over the Comstock,” 1963)
Everett Collection
Inger Stevens
(Season 1 episode “The Newcomers,” 1959)
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Stella Stevens
(Season 2 episode “Silent Thunder,” 1960)
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Marlo Thomas
(season 5, “A Pink Cloud Comes from Old Cathay,” 1964)
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Dawn Wells
(Season 4, episode 6, “The Way Station,” 1962)
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Remind 
TV Westerns of the 50's & 60's
September 2021
’50s and ’60s TV Westerns roundup, celebrating the shows and stars of their golden age.
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