The shows Bonanza and Little House on the Prairie have some interesting similarities. For one, Michael Landon appeared on both shows. He played Little Joe Cartwright on Bonanza and later Charles Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie. In addition to acting on the show, Michael was the producer and a director on Little House on the Prairie.
Several Bonanza stars made guest appearances on Little House on the Prairie and composer David Rose worked on both shows as well! David composed the theme song for Little House on the Prairie and used some music from Bonanza to do so. If you’ve ever seen the episode “Top Hand” of Bonanza, you might recognize similar music.
The composer of the ‘Little House’ theme song also worked on ‘Bonanza’
The theme song is played while Caroline and Charles Ingalls are riding in their carriage while their daughters run down a hill. The music goes perfectly with the intro! So perfectly that David won two Emmys for his work on Little House on the Prairie. He also won an Emmy for his work on Bonanza.
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I had no idea the music on Little House and Bonanza had such similarities! Listen to the theme song of Little House on the Prairie below: