David Dortort (born David Solomon Katz; October 23, 1916 – September 5, 2010) was a

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

screenwriter and producer, widely known for his role as producer in two successful

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

television series: ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on U ...

'' (1959–73) and ''

The High Chaparral ''The High Chaparral'' television series, which was broadcast on NBC from 1967 to 1971, is an American Western action adventure drama set in the 1870s. It stars Leif Erickson and Cameron Mitchell. The series was made by Xanadu Productions in ...

'' (1967–71). Dortort's focus shifted in the late 1960s to the newer series, leaving the production of ''Bonanza'' largely to his associates during its last five and a half years (1967–1973). From 1954–55, Dortort was involved in directing and writing for ''

The Public Defender ''The Public Defender'' is a 1931 American pre-Code crime film directed by J. Walter Ruben, starring Richard Dix and featuring Boris Karloff. Rich playboy Pike Winslow dons the mantle of 'The Reckoner', a mysterious avenger, when he learns that ...

''. He produced ''

The Restless Gun ''The Restless Gun'' is an American Western television series that appeared on NBC between 1957 and 1959, with John Payne in the role of Vint Bonner, a wandering cowboy in the era after the American Civil War. A skilled gunfighter, Bonner is an ...

'' (1957–59), ''The Cowboys'' television version (1974), and a

prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term " ...

series featuring younger versions of the ''Bonanza'' characters called '' Ponderosa'' (2001), which was produced with

Beth Sullivan Beth Sullivan (born August 29, 1949, in Burbank, California) is an American film and television writer and producer, best known as the creator and executive producer of the CBS series ''Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman''. Career Sullivan created ...

. In 1979–1980, he created the 13-week

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miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

, ''

The Chisholms ''The Chisholms'' is a CBS western miniseries starring Robert Preston, which aired from March 29, 1979, to April 19, 1979; and continued as a television series from January 19, 1980, to March 15, 1980.Alex McNeil, ''Total Television'', New York: ...

''.

Michael Landon Michael Landon (born Eugene Maurice Orowitz; October 31, 1936 – July 1, 1991) was an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in ''Bonanza'' (1959–1973), Charles Ingalls in ''Little House on the Pr ...

appeared in a supporting role in the pilot for ''The Restless Gun'', starring John Payne, aired on March 19, 1957, as an episode of ''The

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars ''Schlitz Playhouse of Stars'' is an anthology series that was telecast from 1951 until 1959 on CBS. Offering both comedies and drama, the series was sponsored by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. The title was shortened to ''Schlitz Playhouse ...

'' and

Dan Blocker Bobby Dan Davis Blocker (December 10, 1928 – May 13, 1972) was an American television actor and Korean War veteran, who played Hoss Cartwright in the long-running NBC Western television series ''Bonanza''. Biography Early life Blocker was born ...

played multiple roles in five episodes of ''The Restless Gun''.

Alan W. Livingston Alan Wendell Livingston (born Alan Wendell Levison; October 15, 1917 – March 13, 2009) was an American businessman best known for his tenures at Capitol Records, first as a writer/producer best known for creating Bozo the Clown for a series ...

of NBC hired Dortort to write the screenplay for the pilot episode of ''Bonanza''. He did it at night, while producing ''The Restless Gun'' by day. In 2001, the alumni association of

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

, where he had studied

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, honored him with its John H. Finley award.

Personal life

A native of

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, Dortort was married for 67 years to the former Rose Seldin, who died September 30, 2007, at age 92. They had two children, Wendy (Mrs. Czarnecki) and Fred. Loved riding horses.

Death

David Dortort died in his sleep at his home in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

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, on September 5, 2010, a month and a half before his 94th birthday, following a history of heart disease.

Writings

Dortort published two books, ''Burial of the Fruit'' in 1947 and ''The Post of Honor'' in 1949.

Filmography

Films

Television

References

External links

* * 1916 births 2010 deaths American television writers American male television writers Bonanza Television producers from California Writers from New York City Writers from Los Angeles City College of New York alumni NBCUniversal people Screenwriters from California Screenwriters from New York (state) Television producers from New York City {{US-tv-producer-stub