Little House On The Prairie - General Discussion

[Mr. Sparkle]

16 minutes ago, Zella said:

I thought it was going to go in a very different direction (some sort of bizarre excuse for why she was a virgin when she married Jonathan despite having been married before), and I was glad it didn't. 

The show never gets too deep into S-E-X, except to talk about babies. 

[Tamiele]

Greetings!  My first post after discovering this board.  So many times I watch a show and want to see what everyone else is thinking.  I think I will enjoy this site very much.  One point I'd like to make about Laura/Melissa.  In the early shows she really was quite the little actress.  Very believable and did well carrying the show with Michael Landon.  It seemed like, in the later teen years, she was pretty dull.  It felt like she phoned it in each week.  Her crying was ridiculous.  She'd segway into this baby whine, scrunched up face and no tears.  It surprises me now because I am older and rewatching the reruns.  She was simultaneously doing made-for-tv movies and getting work as an actress.  She definitely has the ability to act.  It just annoys me the lack of effort put into such a main role in LHTP.  Did anyone else wonder about this? 

Edited February 1, 2021 by Tamiele
Double post

[Cara]

3 hours ago, debraran said:

. All 3 women who came out with books did it pretty close together, Melissa Sue, then Melissa G and then Allison. Each one was better in the sense they added more but I didn't like the picking on Melissa Sue for some drama when she was respectful of them. Kind of Jr High like but I did find Alison's funny.

 

Yes, I do wonder what the deal really was with Melissa Sue. I have a feeling the way Melissa Gilbert and Alison describe her is not completely accurate. And there is another side to the story. Miss Stewart does mention briefly that she went out to dinner a couple of times with Melissa Sue and her mother and she liked her very much.

[jird]

19 minutes ago, Tamiele said:

Greetings!  My first post after discovering this board.  So many times I watch a show and want to see what everyone else is thinking.  I think I will enjoy this site very much.  One point I'd like to make about Laura/Melissa.  In the early shows she really was quite the little actress.  Very believable and did well carrying the show with Michael Landon.  It seemed like, in the later teen years, she was pretty dull.  It felt like she phoned it in each week.  Her crying was ridiculous.  She'd segway into this baby whine, scrunched up face and no tears.  It surprises me now because I am older and rewatching the reruns.  She was simultaneously doing made-for-tv movies and getting work as an actress.  She definitely has the ability to act.  It just annoys me the lack of effort put into such a main role in LHTP.  Did anyone else wonder about this? 

Yes, I thought the acting on everyone's part got worse in the later seasons, although I'm not sure how much was attributable to the actors and how much was the storylines/dialogue. Man, that episode with Pa and Almanzo racing to do their deliveries and Ma and Laura fake-hysterical laughing was so bad on so many levels.

[debraran]

23 minutes ago, Cara said:

Yes, I do wonder what the deal really was with Melissa Sue. I have a feeling the way Melissa Gilbert and Alison describe her is not completely accurate. And there is another side to the story. Miss Stewart does mention briefly that she went out to dinner a couple of times with Melissa Sue and her mother and she liked her very much.

Most adults say she was nice and mature and Greenbush twins just said she studied alone and was quiet. She was never mean or a bully.  I feel and it’s just a guess, they needed to bolster the books a bit, publishers like drama and they knew she wouldn’t hit back. Melissa Sue was actually nice, saying she wasn’t close to Melissa and Alison overcame shyness and became quite an actress or something like that . I also wonder if her Emmy nod rubbed them the wrong way. ( she was only one to get one)

[BigBingerBro]

I have a feeling that Melissa Sue's mother told her to stick to business and not forge any friendships for some reason, thus seeming cold and aloof with the other young actors.  I've seen many interviews with Melissa Sue and she never talks bad about anyone.

I totally agree with M Gilbert's poor acting in the later years.  I think she was just over it at that point.  

[Zella]

My understanding is also that Melissa Sue was more uncomfortable with the not-so-family-friendly jokes on the set and pushed back on kissing scenes, so I think she got pegged as an uptight prude by other castmates, which is unfortunate because I don't think that reflects poorly on her, especially if she wasn't being a snot about it with the other performers. 

2 hours ago, Tamiele said:

In the early shows she really was quite the little actress.  Very believable and did well carrying the show with Michael Landon.  It seemed like, in the later teen years, she was pretty dull.  It felt like she phoned it in each week.  Her crying was ridiculous.  She'd segway into this baby whine, scrunched up face and no tears.

I've noticed this too. I thought she was really talented in the earlier seasons and was very natural in more emotional scenes. I've gradually come to despise Laura, partially because of the writing but also partially because it does seem like Melissa Gilbert got pretty lazy with her performance. 

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, Zella said:

My understanding is also that Melissa Sue was more uncomfortable with the not-so-family-friendly jokes on the set and pushed back on kissing scenes, so I think she got pegged as an uptight prude by other castmates, which is unfortunate because I don't think that reflects poorly on her, especially if she wasn't being a snot about it with the other performers. 

I've noticed this too. I thought she was really talented in the earlier seasons and was very natural in more emotional scenes. I've gradually come to despise Laura, partially because of the writing but also partially because it does seem like Melissa Gilbert got pretty lazy with her performance. 

She had the acting chops, I just think like what was said, she was phoning it in and kind of anxious to move on. 

[BigBingerBro]

She was also chasing and running around with Rob Lowe during those later years.  Her mind was elsewhere.

Edited February 2, 2021 by BigBingerBro

[jason88cubs]

Yea I read somewhere , Melissa was ready to move on. She took the show for granite , and when they filmed the movie and blew up the town, she lost and became super emotional realizing it was truly over

[Zella]

I've also read Melissa Gilbert was really upset when Michael Landon left his wife because she had spent a lot of time with them and she idealized him before that. Maybe part of why she lost interest in the show and checked out was because she was really hurt and felt awkward. 

[Blergh]

13 hours ago, Zella said:

Yeah, I thought it was pretty good. I was pretty frustrated with the earlier season 6 episodes, but there have been some good ones at this mid-point.

I still have no idea why anyone in that town continues to do business with Harriet--honestly, if I'd found out she was the one running the switchboard, I would have had any wires tore out of my house--but I liked the way the episode handled Alice's first marriage. I thought it was going to go in a very different direction (some sort of bizarre excuse for why she was a virgin when she married Jonathan despite having been married before), and I was glad it didn't. 

 Of course, I thought it was a bit odd that they NEVER said was Alice's original surname was even during this episode in which her mother and her 1st husband each were depicted. Jonathan called her 'Ma' and Charles didn't call her anything (e.g. Mrs.[Whatever])) despite her putting them up in a pleasant room in Minneapolis for the night- and even the performer was only given the credit of 'Alice's Mother'.  Why were they going to so much trouble to avoid giving Alice (and her mother) a surname? Weird.

[Zella]

11 minutes ago, Blergh said:

 Of course, I thought it was a bit odd that they NEVER said was Alice's original surname was even during this episode in which her mother and her 1st husband each were depicted. Jonathan called her 'Ma' and Charles didn't call her anything (e.g. Mrs.[Whatever])) despite her putting them up in a pleasant room in Minneapolis for the night- and even the performer was only given the credit of 'Alice's Mother'.  Why were they going to so much trouble to avoid giving Alice (and her mother) a surname? Weird.

I didn't think about that, but yeah it's weird. 

[Blergh]

Speaking of weird (to try to segue it back to the autobios), I thought it was  a bit off that Miss Arngrim considered what few frosty words Miss Anderson tossed her way down the years to have been horrible verbal eviscerations while she laughed off countless pranks and even Miss Gilbert deliberately stuffing her mouth with feces-laden mud during their onscreen mudfight. Yes, I'm glad that Miss Angrim and Miss Gilbert became lifelong friends but it sure seemed that they had different standards of what was cool re each other than they did re Miss Anderson. At least Miss Angrim now seems more willing to consider liking (or at least being civil) to Miss Anderson for the person she is than she was during the show's production.

[debraran]

3 hours ago, Blergh said:

Speaking of weird (to try to segue it back to the autobios), I thought it was  a bit off that Miss Arngrim considered what few frosty words Miss Anderson tossed her way down the years to have been horrible verbal eviscerations while she laughed off countless pranks and even Miss Gilbert deliberately stuffing her mouth with feces-laden mud during their onscreen mudfight. Yes, I'm glad that Miss Angrim and Miss Gilbert became lifelong friends but it sure seemed that they had different standards of what was cool re each other than they did re Miss Anderson. At least Miss Angrim now seems more willing to consider liking (or at least being civil) to Miss Anderson for the person she is than she was during the show's production.

That was yuck, re mud but I thought many of the pranks were awful but that. 😜 Melissa's mom was also on the set a lot and like many mom's didn't want her daughter being unprofessional. They also saw the and heard as stated, the salty language, the drinking, the flirting, the gossip, some filter it better than others. Melissa Sue did say in interview below, she didn't want Michael's new girlfriend doing her makeup but was more silent than others but felt bad for Lynn. They had been chatty before but now she chose to be cordial but not friends. 

I don't think she gabbed about it on the set like many of us do at offices but was probably pretty mature and professional for her age. She later after show ended apologized to Cindy for giving her the cold shoulder and she said she understood. Michael went out to dinner with Melissa Sue and her husband on occasion. Melissa G started talking to Michael when he was sick.  We all make choices but Melissa Sue did seem to have a maturity and quietness about her that didn't make headlines.

Funny, you never hear much about "Albert" or the rest and they seemed very quiet too, few interviews later but not then, and no one seemed to care. Melissa Sue didn't have a long TV career but she did seem to have a nice long marriage in Canada and married a guy she said wrote her favorite Columbo show  : ) She had 2 kids and seems content in interviews.  In this interview she discuss's a trip for Leslie Landon's birthday and something Melissa Gilbert did to bring attention to them but even then she says "I don't think she did it on purpose, I'm not sure why"

https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/little-house-on-the-prairie-how-melissa-sue-anderson-showed-silent-solidarity-with-michael-landons-wife-when-he-had-an-affair.html/

Edited February 2, 2021 by debraran

[Cara]

14 hours ago, Zella said:

I've also read Melissa Gilbert was really upset when Michael Landon left his wife because she had spent a lot of time with them and she idealized him before that. Maybe part of why she lost interest in the show and checked out was because she was really hurt and felt awkward. 

I always find it interesting when a man leaves his wife for a younger woman how she often resembles a younger version of his wife.

 

Edited February 2, 2021 by Cara

[libgirl2]

5 hours ago, Cara said:

I always find it interesting when a man leaves his wife for a younger woman how she often resembles a younger version of his wife.

 

I think its mainly they have a type. Though, I'm thinking about my ex-husband's second wife and we both have dark curly hair. At least we did, I have since gone blonde. I'm allergic to hair dye and unless I want a muddy gray, blonde is my only choice. She also had a round face like me. Hmmm..... since he divorced her, I wonder what he moved onto? 

[debraran]

Michael's wife Lynn (RIP) said she knew Michael would cheat if it wasn't Cindy, it would have been someone else. I don't know if she wasn't pregnant if he would have married her then but he did love her it seems. I remember Lynn formed an ex wives club with some other stars (Leonard Limoy wife and the wife of Gavin from Love Boat) I'm sure in time she moved on and I hope was happy. Like many families it caused pain and separation but being on TV, you just have it broadcast everywhere. I understand his distaste for tabloids and the lies, but dating your TV daughter's stand-in and later makeup artist, I'm sorry you kind of ask for it. That just comes with the territory.

I didn't realize how Shannon Doherty slept with Melissa Gilbert's first husband. I wasn't much for gossip, especially then but I never did like her character, kind of whiny. No love lost between them for sure.

 

 

Edited February 2, 2021 by debraran

[Cara]

5 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

I think its mainly they have a type. Though, I'm thinking about my ex-husband's second wife and we both have dark curly hair. At least we did, I have since gone blonde. I'm allergic to hair dye and unless I want a muddy gray, blonde is my only choice. She also had a round face like me. Hmmm..... since he divorced her, I wonder what he moved onto? 

Yeah, I can see the whole type thing. My husband has a “type” he finds physically attractive in general. The weird thing is I don’t fit that type and never have. We’ve been together since we were teenagers. He just loves me for me. I’m lucky!

Edited February 3, 2021 by Cara

[jason88cubs]

It is weird to see Michael was no saint

 

I mean he's not a horrible bad person but it is surprising to read certain things about him

[Zella]

The timing on this cracked me up in light of our recent conversation about Miss Beadle, but in addition to watching LHOTP, I've also been working my way through a one-season show from the early 1960s called Stoney Burke. It's got a pre-Hawaii 50 Jack Lord as the star, and before-they-were famous Bruce Dern and Warren Oates as part of the supporting cast, and a lot of the episodes have early performances from eventually famous faces, like Leonard Nimoy, Cloris Leachman, and Robert Duvall. The other day, Reverend Alden popped up as a doctor, but in the episode I'm watching just now, there's a college coed who's the main guest's roommate, and as soon as the roomie spoke, I realized it was Miss Beadle. She's so young! It's apparently one of her earliest credited performances. 

Edited February 3, 2021 by Zella

[debraran]

8 hours ago, jason88cubs said:

It is weird to see Michael was no saint

 

I mean he's not a horrible bad person but it is surprising to read certain things about him

I feel back then especially they liked to keep bubbles about people as much as possible and "bad" things, sometimes just human failings, were kept as hush hush as possible. Michael could be a wonderful actor but also had his share of haters, people who didn't like his attitude or personality but he also had his fans who helped his ego and knew the other good side. He knew what the public craved and I think when he paid too close attention to a dip in ratings, he tried different tactics for ratings that helped one day but hurt show in long run. (my opinion only) When Michael said Charles would have cheated if neighbors weren't so far apart was, to me, because of criticism he wasn't used too. I take his work as it is and never thought he was "Charles". I never thought he was a hunk either but that's a personal thing, I was more of a James Garner "Rockford" type. : )

I think he might have had some bumps but wish we got to see what else he came up with. I barely watch TV now and gravitate to family shows or ones that make me feel good on Netflix or regular TV (This is Us, Call the MIdwife, Atypical)

 

 

Edited February 3, 2021 by debraran

[Blergh]

FWIW, I was not surprised that ML fooled around but I was surprised he was a rather intense drunk- albeit he somehow managed to keep a tight work schedule. I mean, Charles was a rather aggressive teetotaler  complete with episodes in which he forced others to sober up. Well, not the first time someone played opposite his offstage persona. BTW, ML was the late Lynn Landon's 3rd husband and they started their affair while both were married to other folks so I  had to laugh when she'd get so righteous on talk shows and magazines about his leaving her. I mean, with their history how she could claim to have been surprised that this would happen.

[debraran]

16 minutes ago, Blergh said:

FWIW, I was not surprised that ML fooled around but I was surprised he was a rather intense drunk- albeit he somehow managed to keep a tight work schedule. I mean, Charles was a rather aggressive teetotaler  complete with episodes in which he forced others to sober up. Well, not the first time someone played opposite his offstage persona. BTW, ML was the late Lynn Landon's 3rd husband and they started their affair while both were married to other folks so I  had to laugh when she'd get so righteous on talk shows and magazines about his leaving her. I mean, with their history how she could claim to have been surprised that this would happen.

Maybe it was the sting on his girl being 20 years younger and pregnant and they had so many children together and he adopted one.  They supposedly had family portrait done day before he told her.  But as you said he had wandering eye and it wasn’t a shocker. ( maybe to kids) I feel many wives think they’ll have affairs but not leave.  He wanted to start over again.  They don’t get invited anywhere again but the guy does.  Little things that bother some but not all. 

Edited February 3, 2021 by debraran

[Blergh]

For anyone who's interested I recall several things about Matthew Laborteaux (Albert) .One was that he had been autistic but somehow had been able to overcome that challenge by the time he started in LHOTP. Second that Alison Arngrim said that ML had warned her and MG about their new castmate's earlier condition but, by the time he'd given that warning,she and MG had already 'intiated' him by throwing him in a trash can but, thankfully, that didn't seem to undo his progress. Lastly, MG has stated that from the moment he started on the series, he ALWAYS was her brother- something I can't recall her saying the equivalent for re MSA nor even her own adoptive brother Jonathan.  Regardless, it's nice to know that he seemed to have rolled with the punches but ultimately was embraced by the cast!

[Zella]

I think the fact Michael Landon was on TV for so long was a bit of a double-edged sword. I think I read that he was on TV consecutively for right at 30 years. I can't think of another actor with that sort of longevity on TV. But it also basically means people saw him every week (if not every day in syndication) and grew up with him. My grandma watched Bonanza at home and then she watched that show and Little House on the Prairie with her kids (my dad and his brother). I don't think that's unusual.

And his character was always the good guy. I mean, Little Joe could be an ass sometimes, but by the end of the episode, he always comes around, and of course Pa is intended to be a model husband and father. 

I think if he had had a film career where he played a wider range of parts, he may have still been stereotyped as the good guy, but I doubt people would have just automatically assumed he was as wholesome as the TV characters he played. So, when it comes out that he has affairs, I think it created more of a backlash than it would otherwise.

I've always gotten the impression Michael Landon was really sensitive and didn't handle criticism well, but I think his childhood also gave him a very distorted view of normal. I read that after his mother was constantly trying to commit suicide in front of him, he vowed his own kids wouldn't have to deal with that. Which is good, but I wonder if it made him think people were overreacting to his own scandals since he had such a dysfunctional example that he was trying to avoid.  

16 hours ago, debraran said:

I never thought he was a hunk either but that's a personal thing, I was more of a James Garner "Rockford" type. : )

I wasn't even alive when The Rockford Files was on, but I think James Garner is one of the most handsome men to ever be on TV. I couldn't just like your comment. I had to type out a solidarity response. 😄 (I used to deliver movies and books to the local nursing home for the library I work for. There were these two little old ladies who were some of my favorite residents who could be kind of picky about what they wanted to watch. After I figured out they both had a massive crush on James Garner, I never had problems finding stuff for them to watch. 🙂 )  

Edited February 4, 2021 by Zella

[debraran]

6 hours ago, Zella said:

I think the fact Michael Landon was on TV for so long was a bit of a double-edged sword. I think I read that he was on TV consecutively for right at 30 years. I can't think of another actor with that sort of longevity on TV. But it also basically means people saw him every week (if not every day in syndication) and grew up with him. My grandma watched Bonanza at home and then she watched that show and Little House on the Prairie with her kids (my dad and his brother). I don't think that's unusual.

And his character was always the good guy. I mean, Little Joe could be an ass sometimes, but by the end of the episode, he always comes around, and of course Pa is intended to be a model husband and father. 

I think if he had had a film career where he played a wider range of parts, he may have still been stereotyped as the good guy, but I doubt people would have just automatically assumed he was as wholesome as the TV characters he played. So, when it comes out that he has affairs, I think it created more of a backlash than it would otherwise.

I've always gotten the impression Michael Landon was really sensitive and didn't handle criticism well, but I think his childhood also gave him a very distorted view of normal. I read that after his mother was constantly trying to commit suicide in front of him, he vowed his own kids wouldn't have to deal with that. Which is good, but I wonder if it made him think people were overreacting to his own scandals since he had such a dysfunctional example that he was trying to avoid.  

I wasn't even alive when The Rockford Files was on, but I think James Garner is one of the most handsome men to ever be on TV. I couldn't just like your comment. I had to type out a solidarity response. 😄 (I used to deliver movies and books to the local nursing home for the library I work for. There were these two little old ladies who were some of my favorite residents who could be kind of picky about what they wanted to watch. After I figured out they both had a massive crush on James Garner, I never had problems finding stuff for them to watch. 🙂 )  

He has a great auto biography I hope they had a chance to read.  😉 Yes when James did the Kodak commercials, I was a kid and they were my fav with Mariette Hartley (the dish lady on LHOP). I think they sold many cameras. I know Michael did Kodak commercials too but lost that gig with affair.

It's in the past now, but I think if Cindy wasn't on the show, didn't work as stand in there and later makeup girl, it would have been hard but not as hard for cast to see it. When you see the flirting, the guy you admire acting stupid and the rest, it affects the atmosphere at work more.

Michael stuck with same stereotype unlike Betty White who was on Mary Tyler Moore show, Golden Girls, Hot in Cleveland and many others, with different type of character.

[jason88cubs]

When I think of Michael Landon I always think of him as Little Joe, especially in the comedy parts of Bonanza like The Flapjack Contest and the Leprechaun episode

 

 

 

[Blergh]

While ML definitely had his flaws, one thing that must be kept in mind  is this: from Bonanza onward, he always played heroes (and after that series, he himself produced all of his series (plural) so it's not a case of being a starving actor helpless against producers and agents  pigeonholing him in only a single type of role). IOW, it seemed he tried to have it both ways- he wanted the audience to see him as a hero onscreen but then seemed surprised and hurt when they reacted less than kindly when his offscreen flaws became known. Still, one can't deny that he DID his best to be a de facto father to MG after her own father was taken from her via the parental split then his early death and they did make their peace before his death (and that went above and beyond any requirements as a co-star and producer of a show featuring minor performers). Jonathan Gilbert has diligently kept his own counsel re his family life and career down the decades but it would be interesting to find out if ML attempted to try to fill the void of the younger performer's absent then late father.

Edited February 4, 2021 by Blergh
bolding

[CountryGirl]

I will say that I appreciated how ML did give other folks a chance to shine and it wasn't always about him.

For example, The Lord is My Shepherd two-parter, it was largely about Half Pint. Yes, Pa got to swoop Laura up and cry his manly tears at the end, but there were large parts of both episodes where it was Laura. Well, her, and in keeping with LHOP trope of Laura and her penchant for creepy old men, Ernest Borgnine.

Or the Caroline almost cuts off her leg (A Matter of Faith).

The Olsen-centric episodes, i.e. "Nels, make her a widow!" 

Mary going blind, Blind Journey, and the "May We Bake Them Brown" two-parters had some Pa, but mostly it was all about Mary, Adam and the blind school.

[libgirl2]

12 hours ago, Zella said:

I wasn't even alive when The Rockford Files was on, but I think James Garner is one of the most handsome men to ever be on TV. I couldn't just like your comment. I had to type out a solidarity response. 😄 (I used to deliver movies and books to the local nursing home for the library I work for. There were these two little old ladies who were some of my favorite residents who could be kind of picky about what they wanted to watch. After I figured out they both had a massive crush on James Garner, I never had problems finding stuff for them to watch. 🙂 )  

Add me to the James Garner lovefest. I was young when RF was on and I always thought he was so handsome. When I watched The Notebook, I think I cried mainly because of him. 

[Zella]

4 hours ago, jason88cubs said:

When I think of Michael Landon I always think of him as Little Joe, especially in the comedy parts of Bonanza like The Flapjack Contest and the Leprechaun episode

 

 

 

I also associate Michael Landon more with Bonanza than anything else, simply because I watched way more of that than any of his other shows. Little Joe wasn't my favorite Cartwright, but any of the episodes where he and Hoss tag-team for comedic shenanigans are gold! 

[debraran]

7 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

Add me to the James Garner lovefest. I was young when RF was on and I always thought he was so handsome. When I watched The Notebook, I think I cried mainly because of him. 

And Murphy's Romance with Sally Field wasn't bad either. I wanted him in the Notebook though. ; ) He was very kind too. He had a fan club online and before that, on paper he kept up until he couldn't anymore. He met fans, signed pictures, etc. and was never snooty. He also worked for civil rights and gave to other charities. Not too many like him anymore.

Edited February 4, 2021 by debraran

[debraran]

8 hours ago, Blergh said:

While ML definitely had his flaws, one thing that must be kept in mind  is this: from Bonanza onward, he always played heroes (and after that series, he himself produced all of his series (plural) so it's not a case of being a starving actor helpless against producers and agents  pigeonholing him in only a single type of role). IOW, it seemed he tried to have it both ways- he wanted the audience to see him as a hero onscreen but then seemed surprised and hurt when they reacted less than kindly when his offscreen flaws became known. Still, one can't deny that he DID his best to be a de facto father to MG after her own father was taken from her via the parental split then his early death and they did make their peace before his death (and that went above and beyond any requirements as a co-star and producer of a show featuring minor performers). Jonathan Gilbert has diligently kept his own counsel re his family life and career down the decades but it would be interesting to find out if ML attempted to try to fill the void of the younger performer's absent then late father.

I felt there must have been some bad family secrets or hurts for him to leave and not talk to family but I always wondered if Landon tried to keep in touch. If he wanted, I'm sure Jon would have been in Highway to Heaven with Albert, his on screen dad and others. ; ) Really none of the cast even though they played together say much. I feel it's to ward off other questions.

He did mentor Melissa but I feel as she grew it probably was less. For her to just cut him off when she wasn't perfect, IDK, it seemed odd but maybe a last straw. No matter what they tell us, you know there is more. Ego is very strong and you start to believe your own publicity. Michael wasn't naive, he saw this happen to others and whatever made him crazy, he embraced it. I didn't like reading in Life or People about how he kept going by Cindy's house and all that because it was like she was trying to justify to the press, it wasn't just her. I just kept thinking, his kids are reading this too. We all just think of ourselves at times, I've done it myself but it's unseemly when public.

Edited February 5, 2021 by debraran

[Rose Quartz]

11 minutes ago, debraran said:

And Murphy's Romance with Sally Field wasn't bad either. I wanted him in the Notebook though. ; ) He was very kind too. He had a fan club online and before that, on paper he kept up until he couldn't anymore. He met fans, signed pictures, etc. and was never snooty. He also worked for civil rights and gave to other charities. Not too many like him anymore.

I was a little young for Rockford Files, so I first saw James Garner in the one season Maverick reboot from the early '80s.  I also enjoyed him in Murphy's Romance and the other movies he did around that time.  And when I found out about his personal life I was even more impressed.  Below is a picture of him during a civil rights march in the '60s.  RIP Mr. Garner - you were one of a kind.

[debraran]

1 minute ago, Rose Quartz said:

I was a little young for Rockford Files, so I first saw James Garner in the one season Maverick reboot from the early '80s.  I also enjoyed him in Murphy's Romance and the other movies he did around that time.  And when I found out about his personal life I was even more impressed.  Below is a picture of him during a civil rights march in the '60s.  RIP Mr. Garner - you were one of a kind.

I never enjoyed an autobiography more. He was very liberal and gave back but never forgot his roots. Very classy to coworkers too, except for some Rockford producers, only said nice things about people.

[Rose Quartz]

51 minutes ago, debraran said:

I never enjoyed an autobiography more. He was very liberal and gave back but never forgot his roots. Very classy to coworkers too, except for some Rockford producers, only said nice things about people.

Thanks for the rec.  I didn't realized he'd written an autobiography so I'll have to check it out.

And now that I've derailed the thread enough....I grew up in the 70s so I was the perfect target audience for LHotP.  I watched it pretty religiously until Almanzo joined the cast but I could never get into their romance, even though I enjoyed it in the books.  I was horse crazy as a kid so my favorite episodes are still the ones featuring Bunny, although I also liked the "Taming of the Shrew" vibe when Nellie met Percival.

[debraran]

Yes, I never like Almonzo in the show either but loved anything with animals and loved Nellie with Percival (would have been funny spinoff) and when she met the pig farmers son. I still laugh at Harriet and the gun even though I know what's coming. So many dynamics with Nellie and her mom that were never too delved into. I sometimes wondered where Nel's hunting dog was most of the time. 🤔

[libgirl2]

12 hours ago, debraran said:

Yes, I never like Almonzo in the show either but loved anything with animals and loved Nellie with Percival (would have been funny spinoff) and when she met the pig farmers son. I still laugh at Harriet and the gun even though I know what's coming. So many dynamics with Nellie and her mom that were never too delved into. I sometimes wondered where Nel's hunting dog was most of the time. 🤔

I wasn't a fan of the Almanzo (or as Mrs. Olsen would say Zaldano) romance on the show either. I always wanted to see more Nellie and Percival. I think the only reason I kept watching the show was just to see them! 

[Blergh]

15 hours ago, debraran said:

I felt there must have been some bad family secrets or hurts for him to leave and not talk to family but I always wondered if Landon tried to keep in touch. If he wanted, I'm sure Jon would have been in Highway to Heaven with Albert, his on screen dad and others. ; ) Really none of the cast even though they played together say much. I feel it's to ward off other questions.

He did mentor Melissa but I feel as she grew it probably was less. For her to just cut him off when she wasn't perfect, IDK, it seemed odd but maybe a last straw. No matter what they tell us, you know there is more. Ego is very strong and you start to believe your own publicity. Michael wasn't naive, he saw this happen to others and whatever made him crazy, he embraced it. I didn't like reading in Life or People about how he kept going by Cindy's house and all that because it was like she was trying to justify to the press, it wasn't just her. I just kept thinking, his kids are reading this too. We all just think of ourselves at times, I've done it myself but it's unseemly when public.

Mr. Jonathan Gilbert is now 53-years-old but, for whatever reasons, he has thusfar elected to keep his own counsel about his family life and child performing career. Miss Arngrim has said that he expressed to her that he had no real interest in performing at the time but it seems he was made a regular to keep Mrs. Gilbert from worrying about having to care to for him at home (and since  besides LHOTP, he only did a voiceover playing Annie Sullivan's late brother Jimmy in his sister's starring role of the TV movie adaptation of The Miracle Worker (1979), time has borne out evidence that he had little if any independent interest in said career).  Regardless of whether he or not he eventually opts to share his side of the story of the world, that should be respected.

However, I do find it a bit much that MG barely touched upon his estrangement from her family in her autobio and more or less just shrugged it off with a ' I never wanted him around anyway so who needs him' tude - with only a few negative and even fewer indifferent recollections but the only vaguely  positive recollection she had of him was that he screamed at the news of their adoptive father's death. It's sad that his co-stars (Miss Arngrim, the late Mr. Bull and possibly the late Miss MacGregor) expressed more concern for his welfare and liking  him as a person than either of his sisters have done.

[debraran]

4 hours ago, Blergh said:

Mr. Jonathan Gilbert is now 53-years-old but, for whatever reasons, he has thusfar elected to keep his own counsel about his family life and child performing career. Miss Arngrim has said that he expressed to her that he had no real interest in performing at the time but it seems he was made a regular to keep Mrs. Gilbert from worrying about having to care to for him at home (and since  besides LHOTP, he only did a voiceover playing Annie Sullivan's late brother Jimmy in his sister's starring role of the TV movie adaptation of The Miracle Worker (1979), time has borne out evidence that he had little if any independent interest in said career).  Regardless of whether he or not he eventually opts to share his side of the story of the world, that should be respected.

However, I do find it a bit much that MG barely touched upon his estrangement from her family in her autobio and more or less just shrugged it off with a ' I never wanted him around anyway so who needs him' tude - with only a few negative and even fewer indifferent recollections but the only vaguely  positive recollection she had of him was that he screamed at the news of their adoptive father's death. It's sad that his co-stars (Miss Arngrim, the late Mr. Bull and possibly the late Miss MacGregor) expressed more concern for his welfare and liking  him as a person than either of his sisters have done.

I agree.  I respect his privacy but worried he fell on hard times or can even be dead and no one would know. Some cast kept in touch for a while but many of them passed. Melissa Sue had a mutual friend but lost touch with him years ago. Richard Bull was very appreciative of his acting, manners and intellect.  Thought he was the brightest kid on the set . He said his mom ignored him and no one knows home life but I doubt  Melissa was that shocked . Anyone could be found in US who is working with SS but if he just wants to be invisible let him be.  (And don’t make up careers )

 

Edited February 5, 2021 by debraran

[alexa]

I don’t know what all is going on with Jonathan, but I hesitate to jump to conclusions that Melissa didn’t care, etc.  There could be complicating factors that she couldn’t get very involved and that led to a relationship that wasn’t very close.  Family dynamics can be complicated and no one on the outside ever really knows what is happening.  
 

I feel very on the opposite side of things these days, lol—  I have always loved Dean Butler as Almanzo, and loved his interactions on the show.  

[debraran]

I have seen thousands of pics of LHOP but never saw this one. Guy at end is Rad Daly (A Team)

 

 

e

[debraran]

https://www.facebook.com/LaPetiteMaisonDansLaPrairienet/photos/a.438654306596540/1088008764994421/

 

Or this one, sorry if duplicates.

handsomest pic of Jon I've seen.

 

And lastly THIS was my dream doll house. someone made it for Michael or the kids. It' looks like "Ma" doll is inside.

 

Edited February 6, 2021 by debraran

[debraran]

double

Edited February 6, 2021 by debraran
double

[Blergh]

3 hours ago, debraran said:

I have seen thousands of pics of LHOP but never saw this one. Guy at end is Rad Daly (A Team)

 

 

e

I can't help but think that if Miss Arngrim didn't already have this pic in her collection, she'd want it because it has her with at least three of her favorite folks from that time (although I have no idea what she may have thought about Miss Gilbert's possible pal Mr. Daly).  It sure looks as though they're all having fun (and she and  young Mr. Gilbert are sharing a laugh while framing the late Mr. Tracy who she treasured until his tragic death a few years later which would spur her to become one of the earliest public figures to become active in AIDS education, outreach, research and cures  to the present time).

[libgirl2]

I read the Charlotte Stewart book--- oh my! Miss Beadle! Seriously, I really enjoyed it, it was a bit gossipy but she really seemed to like pretty much everyone. I liked some of the insight on LHOTP, especially Katherine MacGregor. Highly recommend it! 

[Cara]

On 2/3/2021 at 8:41 AM, Blergh said:

FWIW, I was not surprised that ML fooled around but I was surprised he was a rather intense drunk- albeit he somehow managed to keep a tight work schedule. I mean, Charles was a rather aggressive teetotaler  complete with episodes in which he forced others to sober up. Well, not the first time someone played opposite his offstage persona. BTW, ML was the late Lynn Landon's 3rd husband and they started their affair while both were married to other folks so I  had to laugh when she'd get so righteous on talk shows and magazines about his leaving her. I mean, with their history how she could claim to have been surprised that this would happen.

Here is one of those talk show interviews you mentioned.

 

[debraran]

I remember Lynn on a show with some other women in the ex wives club and she said it was like a death. When Michael died she said she didn't have to mourn or go because it happened already. Sad in a way but I understand what she meant. Sadly for many women as stated, whether they were the first or the mistress to the the guys first wife, they eventually go through the same thing. Not all men do this of course and some do find their true love the second time, but for many, it's younger and younger. What seems more new now is having kids at 70 or older. Men didn't do that as much years ago. Larry King, Tony Randall, 78 are 2 examples. They have the means and the desire, up to them, but just not something you heard as much many years ago when stars had affairs.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-03-12-li-948-story.html

[Cara]

Tony Randall didn’t divorce his first wife, she died. But I still think it’s crazy having children in your 70’s.