See Pernell Roberts Drive a Corvette

The new DVD release of 'Bonanza' Season 3 is a real treat. The picture and sound quality are top-notch.

But the best part is the extras. They have the famous NBC peacock opening each episodes and bumpers, e.g., 'Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion of tonight's episode of Bonanza!'. There are some great audio commentaries, including my favorite episode, 'The Crucible', co-starring Lee Marvin. Sue Ane Langdon (yes, she's still with us) does one for a comedy episode, 'The Many faces of Gideon Finch'. The most interesting commentary is probably by the little girl (now grown up) who played the title character in the Christmas episode, 'Gabrielle'.

The greatest extras are the Chevrolet commercials in which the actors appear as themselves. I haven't plowed through the entire set, but most seem to be in black-and-white, but at least one (a Christmas theme with the Cartwrights throwing packages into a Chevy) is in color. Not sure why they don't have color for all of them. They may be lost or were in black-and-white originally.

In one of them, all four actors pull up in the 'new' 1962 models. And of course, the coolest Cartwright, Pernell Roberts, gets to drive the coolest car, the Corvette 'String Ray'.

Poor Michael Landon has to settle for the dorky Corvair.