Pernell Roberts was one of my favorite actors. I was saddened when I heard that he had passed away. I have met many celebrities in the fields of sports, politics & acting. I would have loved to have met Mr. Roberts, but unfortunately it didn't happen. In 1973, he did play a role in the theatrical play "Welcome Home", in my hometown of Chicago. I should get my Time Machine out of the basement & get it running again.

He was a person that I would have liked in real life. I also loved his character and the fight the character (and the actor) had trying to place more "intelligence" into the lives of the people of Virginia City, Nevada, of the late 1800's.

One of the reasons that he chose to leave Bonanza was that he couldn't grow as an actor. He had an interview with the New York Times, in 1965, in which he made this quote, "“I feel I am an aristocrat in my field of endeavor, My being part of ‘Bonanza’ was like Isaac Stern sitting in with Lawrence Welk.” I'm sure the role of Adam Cartwright was a love/hate relationship for him.

On many occasions, after he left the show, I remember thinking about how I thought he was foolish for having left a popular role & TV program. But like I said, there was probably a love/hate turmoil going on in his mind.

I was very happy when he chose to come back to TV, on the show "Trapper John M.D." The scripts were average but his performances were great. I also felt that he perfectly fit into the older & wiser version of, a beloved TV character, Trapper John.

The younger version of that character was played by Wayne Rogers, on the classic television show M*A*S*H. I personally felt that he "WAS" the older version of that fictional character.

The New York Times has a very nice obituary http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/26/arts/television/26roberts.html?em





Tweet