Michael Landon rose to fame thanks to NBC’s Western hit series, Bonanza, and Little House on the Prairie. However, the charismatic actor known for his charm and good looks didn’t always have a good relationship with the press. Here’s what Landon said about reporters trying to “degrade” him.
‘Little House on the Prairie’ star Michael Landon had issues with some reporters
Michael Landon was a huge star from the ’60s until he died in 1991. The Little House on the Prairie star frequently visited talk shows to discuss how he attained fame, and he touched on his experiences with reporters, which often weren’t good.
In 1975, Landon joined Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show to discuss how reporters tried to “degrade” him. “A lot of people like to write things that are not particularly nice,” Landon told Carson after verifying that he and his Little House co-stars got along very well.
“And sometimes I sit there and I read the articles that people write,” Landon continued. “The only thing that really irritates me … is that you don’t mind what people write about your work. … But when they make up stuff, you know, just to write something nasty … And then you sit down and you pick up a TV Guide and you read an article and it’s absolutely nothing to do with it.”
Landon said he thinks journalism’s negativity is “very sad.”
“I think that the general American public has a much better opinion of themselves, then, they have to sit and read magazine articles that degrade other people so that they can feel superior,” he added. “I think that’s what they consider. I know too many American people because I go out around the country and I don’t think they think that way.”
Michael Landon reportedly had a temper, according to his co-stars
Like all TV stars, Michael Landon dealt with his fair share of bad press. And while he maintained that he had a great relationship with his Little House on the Prairie co-stars, a few other stars from the show noted his bad temper.
“One day, as we shot an emotional scene for the episode titled ‘The Gift,’ I sensed his famous temper was about to blow,” Melissa Gilbert wrote in her memoir, Prairie Tale. “It was my fault. I couldn’t remember my lines.”
Gilbert recalled one particular time when Landon yelled “cut” after she failed to remember her lines for the third time. When he called her out, she began weeping. “[Michael Landon’s] anger was terrifying and having witnessed it, I never wanted to be on the receiving end,” she continued.
Why did ‘Little House on the Prairie’ get canceled?
Michael Landon will forever be known for his contributions to Little House on the Prairie. But all great shows must end, and Little House was eventually canceled.
So, why did NBC take the show off the air? It appears ratings dipped and the original concept no longer worked. After season 8, NBC rebranded the show as Little House: A New Beginning, but it wasn’t enough to save it.
“I didn’t think a married woman should still be coming to her father for advice,” Landon mentioned in 1984. “When we started this show, we never imagined it would last that long.”