Posted on 06/23/2018 2:41:28 PM PDT by eastforker
Dan Blocker, aka”Hoss,” was drafted into the United States Army during the Korean War. He had basic training at Fort Polk, Louisiana. Dan Davis Blocker (December 10, 1928 – May 13, 1972) was an American television actor and Korean War veteran. He is best remembered for his role as Hoss Cartwright in the NBC western television series Bonanza.
Hoss served as an infantry sergeant in F Company, 2nd Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division in Korea, December 1951 to August 1952
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Since it is the weekend I figured I would post a little earlier in the day.
He also started the Bonanza Steak House chain.
Not according to article, he obtained partial ownership through his endorsement of the franchise.
Are they still around? How about Ponderosa and Sizzler?
I particularly liked the episodes where he and Little Joe got into trouble. Sort of comic relief.
I never knew this. Was Dan from Oklahoma, or was he just drafted like everyone else and got assigned to the 45th?
He died too young, btw. Everybody loved Hoss.
My favorite one was where he fought the English bad guy who was a boxer.
http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/ponderosa-steakhouse-history/
excerpt/ The first Ponderosa Steak House was established in 1968 in Kokomo, Indiana, by Dan Lasater and Norm Wiese. Barely out of his teens, Lasater had a high school education and a couple of years’ experience managing McDonald’s restaurants. Wiese was an auto dealer who held a key piece of real estate near a highway interchange. The two had joined forces to launch their own hamburger chain, Scotty’s, but were inspired to enter the budget steak arena after learning of Bonanza’s success in the South.
Bonanza International had been founded in Dallas by the Wyly brothers, Sam and Charles, in 1963 and was beginning to develop a national presence. But instead of buying a Bonanza franchise, Wiese and Lasater worked with their own, albeit similar, concept, which they called Ponderosa. Both Ponderosa and Bonanza menus featured a limited selection of steaks served with baked potato,
Based on the dates of service in the article, I’d say he was drafted because the 45th was activated fairly early & sent to Ft. Polk to train up for deployment. My stepfather was in this group & was left at Polk as training cadre when the division deployed. He never mentioned Blocker in anything he ever said to me about his time @ Polk.
Hollywood stars now display their absolute hatred for America and the military as a way to hide their cowardice. So many of the old time actors were veterans regardless of which political beliefs they held.
He was born in De Kalb, Texas and yes he was drafted.
Well, we did have the draft back then, they didn’t care about politics either.
Famous veteran bump.
According to my mother, who was friends with one of Dan’s distant relatives, he was also a very nice and kind person. Her friend told her that when Dan found out his TV broke, he bought him a new TV and then drove several hundred miles to his house to give it to him.
Of course he was nice and kind, he was from Texas.
Wow. Always liked him. His son was also an actor. Looked just like him.
Bonanza/Ponderosa restaurants are still going after filing for Chapter 11 in 2008. Sizzler is still around, too.
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