MICHAEL LANDON

'Michael Landon' (October 31, 1936 – July 1, 1991) was an American actor, writer, director, and producer, who starred in three popular NBC TV series that spanned three decades. He is widely known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in ''Bonanza'' (1959-1973), Charles Ingalls in ''Little House on the Prairie'' (1974-1982), and Jonathan Smith in ''Highway to Heaven'' (1984-1989). Although his Bonanza co-star David Canary and youngest daughter Jennifer Landon have both won Emmys, Landon was never given the honor. Nonetheless, few prime time actors have been so prolific. With twenty-eight years of full-hour episodic acting (the star was not on-camera for most of "Little House on the Prairie's" final season), he surpasses the TV mileage of both James Arness and Lucille Ball. Landon produced, wrote, and directed many of his series' episodes, including his only short-lived production, ''Father Murphy'' which starred his friend and "Little House" co-star Merlin Olson. He also hosted the annual long-running coverage of the "Tournament of Roses Parade" with Kelly Lange, also on NBC.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Early career

''Bonanza''

''Little House on the Prairie''

''Highway to Heaven''

Personal life

Hobbies

Remembrances

Quotes

References

External links

Biography

Early life

Landon was born 'Eugene Maurice Orowitz' in the New York City borough in the Queens neighborhood of Forest Hills, New York. Landon's father, Eli Maurice Orowitz, was a Jewish American actor and movie theater manager, and his mother, Kathleen Ignatius O’Neill, was an Irish American Catholic dancer and comedienne. Eugene was the Orowitz' second child; his sister, Evelyn, was born three years earlier. In 1941, when Orowitz was 4 years old, he and his family moved to Collingswood, New Jersey, where he later attended Collingswood High School.^[1]
Life at home was anything but pleasant for young Landon. His parents would often speak to each other through him, saying such things as "Tell your father that dinner is ready." and "Tell your mother that I'll be there in a minute."
In addition to his parents refusal to speak to one another, Landon beared a terrible secret; he was a bedwetter. His mother would hang his soiled bedsheets in an effort to humiliate her son. Landon would later draw on this experience for the made-for-television movie "The Loneliest Runner".
Michael also had to bear the burden of living with his mother's constant suicidal tendencies. He would often find his mother sticking her head in the oven. He once tried to prevent his mother from drowning herself in the ocean during one of the family's rare vacations. He pulled at her and hit her as hard as he could to convince her to come back. He finally knocked her down and dragged her back to the beach. Forty-five minutes after this suicide attempt, Landon's mother and sister were playing on the beach as if nothing had happened. Landon later threw up.

Early career

After changing his name to Landon (selected from a phone book) he soon became one of the more popular and enduring young actors of the late 1950s, making his first appearance in ''The Mystery of Casper Hauser''. This part led to other roles such as: ''I Was a Teenage Werewolf'', ''Crossroads'', ''The Rifleman'', Fight For The Title, The Adventures of Jim Bowie'', ''Wire Service'', ''Telephone Time'', ''General Electric Theater'', ''The Court of Last Resort'', ''The Tales of Wells Fargo'', ''Johnny Risk'', and The Legend of Tom Dooley among many others.

''Bonanza''

In 1959, at age 22, Landon had his first starring TV role as Little Joe Cartwright on ''Bonanza'', the first TV series to be broadcast in color. Also starring on the show were Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, and Dan Blocker. Landon's character was the green, cocky youngest Cartwright brother. The character evolved into a "". During ''Bonanza's sixth season (1964-1965), the show topped the Nielsen Ratings and remained number one for three years. Landon, a southpaw, often performed his own stunts. Receiving more fan mail than any other cast member, the young actor successfully coaxed the powers-that-be to allow him to write and direct some episodes. It was a smart move, as he spent the next twenty plus years as one of television's most successful talents. In 1962 he wrote his first script, and in 1968 he directed his first episode. In 1993, TV Guide listed Little Joe's September 1972 wedding episode, as one of TV's most memorable specials. Landon's script fondly recalled brother Hoss, who was initially the story's groom, before Dan Blocker's untimely death. During its final season ''Bonanza'' declined in the ratings and NBC cancelled it in January 1973. Along with Lorne Greene, Landon appeared in all 14 seasons of the western. Michael Landon was loyal to many of his ''Bonanza'' associates including producer Kent McCray, director William F. Claxton, and composer David Rose, who remained with him throughout "Bonanza" as well as "Little House On The Prairie" and "Highway To Heaven".
In 1962 Landon released a ''Bonanza'' related single, ''Gimme A Little Kiss/Be Patient With Me'', on Columbia Records.

''Little House on the Prairie''

The year after Bonanza was cancelled, Landon went on to star in the pilot of what would become another successful western television series called ''Little House on the Prairie'', again for NBC. The show was taken from a 1935 book that was published by Laura Ingalls Wilder, whose character in the show was played by then-unknown actress, Melissa Gilbert. In addition to Gilbert, two other unknown actresses also starred on the show: Melissa Sue Anderson who appeared as Mary Ingalls, the oldest daughter in the Ingalls family, and Karen Grassle, appearing as Charles's wife, Caroline Ingalls. Landon served as executive producer, writer, and director of "Little House", making him a driving force in Hollywood. The show, a success in its first season, emphasized family values and relationships. ''Little House'' became Landon's second-longest running series. Above all, the entire cast shared a close bond with Landon, especially Gilbert.
As ''Little House on the Prairie'' executive producer, Landon hired three sets of real-life siblings to appear on the show (Melissa Gilbert and Jonathan Gilbert, Lindsay Greenbush and Sidney Greenbush, and Matthew Laborteaux and Patrick Labyorteaux). Patrick appeared on ''Little House on the Prairie'', from 1977 to 1981, as Jonathan Garvey's son, Andy. Years later, he appeared as Bud Roberts in the hit series, ''JAG'' which ran for 10 years.
Landon's real-life son, Michael, appeared as Jim in the episode ''The Election'' and his real-life daughter, Leslie, also appeared in that episode as well as playing the part of a plague victim in "The Plague", an episode from the show's first season. Leslie would later be cast as school teacher Etta Plum during the show's final season.
Tremendously popular with viewers, the show was nominated for several Emmys and Golden Globes. After eight seasons, ''Little House'' was retooled by NBC in 1982 as '', which focused on the Wilder family and the Walnut Grove community. Though Landon remained the show's executive producer, director and writer, "A New Beginning" did not feature Charles and Caroline Ingalls. The "New Beginning" was actually the final chapter of "Little House", as the series ended the show's run in 1983. The following year, three made-for-TV movies followed, which served as the unofficial tenth season of "Little House". In the final film, "The Last Farewell", the town of Walnut Grove was completely destroyed by dynamite.
Gilbert said that her mentor Landon became a "second father" when she lost her own dad at age 11. When not working on the ''Little House'' set, Gilbert spent many weekends visiting Landon's real-life family. In 1981, when Gilbert was 17, she briefly dated Michael Landon Jr., who took her to her prom. After the series ended, Gilbert stayed connected with Michael Sr. for the next 8 years, until his death. After Landon's passing, she named her son, Michael Garrett Boxleitner (1995), after him.
Landon teamed up with Oscar-winner Paul Newman, and First Lady Nancy Reagan, for a drug abuse foundation called, ''Just Say No''

''Highway to Heaven''

After producing both the ''Father Murphy'' TV series and a movie, ''Sam's Son'', Landon went on to star in another successful television series. On ''Highway to Heaven'', he played Jonathan Smith, a probationary angel whose job was to help people in order to earn his angel wings. His co-star on the show was Victor French (who previously co-starred on Landon's ''Little House on the Prairie'') as ex-cop, Mark Gordon. NBC didn't feel the show would last very long, but it too proved to be another hit for Landon. This was also the first religious fantasy drama series, starting a specialized subgenre which included later shows such as ''Touched by an Angel''. On ''Highway'', Landon served as executive producer, writer and director of the show. Though Landon liked directing and writing more than acting, he continued to act because actors got paid more, and his top- billing enticed network suits to buy his series..
By 1985, prior to hiring his son Michael Landon Jr. as a member of his camera crew, he also brought real-life cancer patients and disabled people to the set. His decision to work with disabled people led him to hire a couple of adults with disabilities to write episodes for ''Highway''. He also revamped the classic 1957 film, ''I Was a Teenage Werewolf''. By its fifth season, ''Highway'' took a nose dive in the ratings, and in June 1989, co-star Victor French died of lung cancer. French's death contributed to the show's subsequent cancellation. Landon invited his youngest daughter Jennifer Landon to take part in the final episode.

Personal life

Landon was married three times.

★ Dodie Levy-Fraser (married in March 1956. Landon filed for divorce in March 1962 and the divorce became final in December 1962)

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★ Mark Fraser Landon, born October 1, 1948 (adopted)

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★ Josh Fraser Landon, born February 11, 1960 (adopted)

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★ Jason Samuel (Landon) Smith, born May 13, 1961 (adopted)

★ Marjorie Lynn Noe (married on January 12, 1963/divorced 1980)

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★ Leslie Ann Landon, born October 11, 1962

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★ Michael Landon Jr., born June 20, 1964

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★ Shawna Leigh Landon, born December 4, 1971

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★ Christopher Beau Landon, born February 27, 1975 (Christopher is openly gay and the screenwriter of the box office smash film Disturbia)
    (Landon at one point attempted to adopt Lynn's daughter, Cheryl Ann Pontrelli, from her first marriage, but the girl's birth father wouldn't allow it.)

★ Cindy Clerico (married in February 14, 1983)

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★ Jennifer Rachel Landon, born August 29, 1983. (Jennifer is now an Emmy-winning actress starring as Gwen Norbeck Munson on the soap opera ''As the World Turns''.)

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★ Sean Matthew Landon, born August 5, 1986
His second marriage, to Marjorie Lynn Noe, ended in a bitter and public divorce in 1980. The final divorce decree did not address the division of assets, and so there was a separate battle over the division of the couple's community property that took two years to settle and ended up costing Landon more than US$26 million in 1982. His wife helped form a vocal Hollywood ex-wives association that included the former wives of Andy Griffith, Ken Berry, Don Knotts and Robert Goulet, entitled LADIES (Life After Divorce Is Eventually Sane). Many fans felt betrayed by Landon, who had always played morally upstanding characters on television. Even Kodak dropped him as their official spokesperson, claiming he'd failed to live up to his image of the ideal father. Defending himself in interviews, Landon replied, ''"Nobody's perfect. Not Charles Ingalls. Not Michael Landon."''
In February 1959, Landon's father died of a heart attack. In 1973, his step-daughter, Cheryl was involved in a serious car accident. She was hospitalized in a coma. Three years later in 1976, Cheryl suffered bouts of depression and became addicted to painkillers. In March 1981, Landon's mother, Peggy O'Neill, died.
Landon's shows were all on NBC, but after ending ''Highway'', he moved to CBS and in 1991 starred in a two hour pilot called ''Us''. This was meant to be another series for Landon, but on April 5, he was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, an inoperable pancreatic cancer that had spread to his liver and lymph nodes. Doctors believe Landon's heavy cigarette smoking - four packs a day - contributed to this cancer. On April 8, 1991, he appeared at a press conference to speak of his illness promising to do the best that he could to fight the cancer.
On May 9, 1991, he appeared on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' to speak of his illness and to publicly condemn the tabloid press for their sensational headlines and inaccurate stories, including the claim that he and his wife were trying to have another child. Less than 2 months later, on July 1, 1991, Landon died in Malibu, California, at the age of 54.
He was interred in the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California. Cindy and Michael's family were joined by 500 other mourners including former President Ronald Reagan (with whom Michael had once chopped wood) and his wife Nancy. Merlin Olsen, Ernest Borgnine, Brian Keith and many of Michael's co-stars, such as Melissa Gilbert and Melissa Sue Anderson, were present. Although Michael's first wife, Dodie, accompanied by her two sons were present, his second wife, Lynn, was absent. When asked why she didn't attend the funeral of the man she'd once shared nearly twenty years together, she would reply that she grieved Michael's death years before, when they divorced.
After his death, Landon was again on the covers of weekly tabloids when his step-daughter, Cheryl, alleged that he had made some last-minute changes to his will that gave a larger portion of his estate to his wife, Cindy, and their two children. Michael Landon has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1500 N. Vine Street. In 1998, he was inducted posthumously into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

Hobbies

Landon had a lot of hobbies over the years: fishing, karate, spending family time, painting, creating half-finished dog houses, building mosaic coffee tables, using dismantled guns, creating components from sports cars, playing bridge, golfing, swimming, weightlifting, cooking, playing tennis, water skiing, hand gliding and watching horror movies. According to the A&E Biography, he also spent a lot of time with disabled children and adults. On an episode of ''Highway'', Landon's character took them to the Special Olympics, including a special needs man, who felt he couldn't do anything, when he can fix things to make them right.

Remembrances

Following Landon's death his son Michael Jr. produced a memorial special, "Michael Landon: Memories with Laughter and Love", featuring the actor's friends and co-stars. ''Bonanza'' co-star David Canary said that one word that described Landon was "fearless" in his dealings with network brass. TV daughter Melissa Gilbert said that the actor made her feel, "incredibly safe" and was "paternal." One of Landon's trademarks was his signature "cascading chuckle", as the actor loved practical jokes. Often cited was his bizarre sense of humor, which included having toads leap from his mouth and dressing as a superhero to visit a pizza parlor. Replaying a 1988 "Tonight Show", episode, Johnny Carson related how the actor took him to a restaurant after Carson accidentally ran over a cat. Landon had a fake menu made that had variations of the word cat woven into many of the courses.

Quotes

Michael about his times with his father: "I felt my father's presence with me, enlightening my memories, helping me to commit to paper the feelings I had. . . I really heard my father speaking to me from the other dimension, filling my mind with just the right words. The story came so fast and was so right. In three days, the script was complete." ^[2]
Michael: "I was grown before I realized that other mothers didn't put their heads in the oven."
Michael: "Whatever you want to do, do it now. There are only so many tomorrows."
Michael encouraging others to watch clean TV: "I want people to laugh and cry, not just sit and stare at the TV. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I think viewers are hungry for shows in which people say something meaningful."
Michael's mother, Peggy O'Neill, talked about his irresponsible behavior: "I don't know where he lives. I never bother him because he doesn't like me asking questions. He's quite secretive. He keeps me at a distance. I don't even have his phone number. Why should I? I'm not very important. I'm just his mother."
Michael's commenting about how many members of the press showed up to the press conference he held in April 1991: "Boy, you gotta be real sick to get this much attention."
Michael: "I believe in God, family, truth between people, the power of love."

References

1. HIS EARLY DAYS WERE FUN, PALS RECALL SOME REFUTE IMAGE OF A TROUBLED CHILDHOOD, ''Philadelphia Daily News'', July 2, 1991. "In a 1985 interview, Landon claimed he ate lunch alone at Collingswood High School, that he never had a date as a teen-ager because no Christian father in the town would allow his daughter to go out with a Jew."
2.

External links

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★ Michael Landon Remembrance Project Site

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