https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10165451/Little-House-Prairies-Karen-Grassle-reveals-stories-star-Michael-Landon.html


Grassle, 79, who played 'Ma' Caroline Ingalls on the show, which began airing in 1974, shares stories of her time on set in her upcoming memoir
She said Landon, who directed, produced, and starred in the show as Pa, wouldn't pay her more than the child actors
After he refused her a raise, she claims he cut her scenes and wrote her out of storylines
She recalled him making jokes about her body and her facial expressions to crew and using foul language on set
He also made 'disgusting jokes about how a woman smelled after sex,' she said


On screen, Little House on the Prairie's Ma and Pa were the picture of marital bliss — but off-camera, there was no love lost between stars Michael Landon and Karen Grassle.

Nearly 40 years after the nine-season hit show ended, Grassle, now 79, has revealed that she and Landon, who died in 1991, were hardly enamored of one another — and in fact, he could be quite cruel.

In her upcoming memoir, Grassle recalls the 'disgusting' jokes Landon would tell on set, how he'd mock the way she looked, and that he 'insulted' her by insisting she shouldn't be paid more than the child actors on the show, which began airing in 1974.

The behind-the-scene tidbits are revealed in Grassle's book, 'Bright Lights, Prairie Dust: Reflections on Life, Loss, and Love from Little House's Ma,' according to the New York Post.

Grassle is most known for her role as Caroline Ingalls on the NBC drama, which ran on NBC from 1974 to 1982.

The show was based on Laura Ingalls Wilder's autobiographical book series by the same name, and tells the story of Ingalls' family's life on a farm near Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s through 1890s.

Though the series dealt with some very serious subjects including alcoholism, poverty, racism, addiction, cancer, and even rape, it's considered wholesome family viewing — which makes some of Grassle's revelations about what went on behind the scenes quite shocking.

Landon — who starred as Caroline's husband Charles Ingalls and also directed and produced much of the show — created the series after starring in Bonanza.

Grassle described him as an 'amazing, multi-talented person' — with a controlling streak.

'He was very highly strung, but he was carrying the weight of the show on his shoulders,' she said.

But she doesn't seem to think that was any excuse for some of his behavior.

The relationship appears to have grown rocky after Grassle, who was paid $2,000 to $4,000 week at the height of her fame, asked for a raise for the second season.

Landon said no, reportedly insisting she should be making as much as the child actors — and insisting she wasn't as popular as she believed she was.

'I felt insulted as his co-star on a hit series,' she said. 'I didn't want to gouge anybody, but I expected a fair wage.'

After that, she said, he began cutting her scenes and leaving her out of storylines altogether.

He could also be cruel, mocking her body and facial expressions to crew members — but Grassle didn't feel she could call him out.

'It was almost like I was frozen,' she said. 'But, as a woman in the 1970s film industry, I was so accustomed to these putdowns, it never occurred to me to sharply rebuke him. I kept up the professionalism. I’d be the good girl, play the part and hope.'

What's more, he made crude remarks, using nasty language like 'c**t' on set and making 'disgusting jokes about how a woman smelled after sex.'

Many of Landon's co-stars and colleagues have had kind words about him over the years, but Grassle is not the first to make critical remarks.

Melissa Sue Anderson, who played Mary Ingalls, had her own comments in her book, 'The Way I See It: A Look Back at My Life on Little House.'

'Mike was a great father from everything that I saw,' she wrote. 'But at work, he was controlling, and he could be mean at times. He would single out certain people and tease them publicly and relentlessly.

'He could also be vindictive. I remember him telling me the main reason he decided to blow up the town of Walnut Grove at the end of Little House was so that no one else would ever be able to use our sets.'

Landon died at age 54 in 1991 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

In December, Deadline reported that a Little House reboot was in the works from Anonymous Content, Paramount Television Studios, and Friendly Family Productions.

Little House on the Prairie's Ma Ingells actress: Michael Landon would boast about his sex life with teen stand-in who became his wife (https://nypost.com/2021/11/09/michael-landon-bragged-about-sex-life-on-little-house-set/)

Actress Karen Grassle, who played Caroline “Ma” Ingalls on Little House, recalls working with Landon in her new memoir, Bright Lights, Prairie Dust: Life, Loss and Love from Little House’s Ma (https://www.amazon.com/Bright-Lights-Prairie-Dust-Reflections/dp/1647423139), which will be released next Tuesday. Grassle writes that Landon wouldn’t shut up about the wondrous effects of a natural supplement he’d recently started taking to improve his sex life. “Mike began to arrive jubilant at the makeup table, crowing about the benefits of bee pollen for the aging male,” Grassle writes. The cast soon learned that Landon was bragging about his sex life while having an affair with Cindy Clerico, a stand-in who was then 18 years old and more than 20 years Landon's junior. Landon married Clerico in 1983, eight years before his death.

I am not surprised. ML always acted like he was a playboy. Melissa Sue Anderson already stated some of these things in her own book, and some things were even confirmed by Melissa Gilbert and Allison Arngrim in their books.

It is, of course, sad that Karen had to endure this harassment. But not at all a shock.

I've read negative things about ML over the years, but nothing so graphic and crude.

There are many stories about Michael Landon treating people like crap, including co-workers and fans. I heard one story that an elderly woman asked him for an autograph at a swimming pool. He told her that he charged $5 for an autograph and watched her go around the swimming pool deck begging for change until she came back to him with $4.00+ in nickles and dimes to ask him if it was enough. He then roared with laughter saying he was only kidding but he let her make a fool of herself for his amusement.

There are many stories about Michael Landon treating people like crap, including co-workers and fans. I heard one story that an elderly woman asked him for an autograph at a swimming pool. He told her that he charged $5 for an autograph and watched her go around the swimming pool deck begging for change until she came back to him with $4.00+ in nickles and dimes to ask him if it was enough. He then roared with laughter saying he was only kidding but he let her make a fool of herself for his amusement.

I hadn't heard this story, but to be honest, that sounds exactly like something Michael Landon would do. Like, I can even hear the laugh.

Jerks are jerks. He simply had an outlet to come across as a nice man. My ex sounds like his double.

He also was really bad to the actor who played Doc Baker. The actor wanted a contract which would give him a stead paycheck and a raise and feel like part of the cast. Michael refused and refused to make him a full time cast member which would have allowed him to have benefits even though his character was in so many episodes. So he was paid peanuts for each episode with no contract to allow him to keep working.

Michael was close to the actor who played Mr Edwards but when he did Carter Country, Michael swore to never let him back on Little House. He took it personal.

Michael supposedly drank vodka every day on the set. Not always the best guy to be around and he treated people poorly.

He also was really bad to the actor who played Doc Baker. The actor wanted a contract which would give him a stead paycheck and a raise and feel like part of the cast. Michael refused and refused to make him a full time cast member which would have allowed him to have benefits even though his character was in so many episodes. So he was paid peanuts for each episode with no contract to allow him to keep working.

I hadn't heard that, but there are many echoes of what other cast members, including Karen Grassle, have said about their pay.


Michael was close to the actor who played Mr Edwards but when he did Carter Country, Michael swore to never let him back on Little House. He took it personal.

Michael supposedly drank vodka every day on the set. Not always the best guy to be around and he treated people poorly.

The drinking clearly led to many of these other problems.

Many years ago Howard Stern pointed out the myth of Michael Landon. He was born Jewish but hid that and promoted Christianity. He cheated on all his wives and had so many divorces, etc. Howard made the comparison to himself how much he was hated yet he never cheated on his wife and was a private family man. He compared himself and said he was the opposite of Michael Landon where Howard was a good family man but because of his shock jock persona people thought he was a horrible person. Michael Landon played an incredible father and moral character on so many shows so people assumed that is how he led his life. He sipped vodka from a coffee cup every day on the set of Little House and treated everyone poorly.

Didnt he also refuse to let any cast member be nominated or accept an emmy?

He also was really bad to the actor who played Doc Baker. The actor wanted a contract which would give him a stead paycheck and a raise and feel like part of the cast. Michael refused and refused to make him a full time cast member which would have allowed him to have benefits even though his character was in so many episodes. So he was paid peanuts for each episode with no contract to allow him to keep working.

Michael was close to the actor who played Mr Edwards but when he did Carter Country, Michael swore to never let him back on Little House. He took it personal.

Michael supposedly drank vodka every day on the set. Not always the best guy to be around and he treated people poorly.

These are the stories I remember reading about, although he did let Victor French back onto LH (I think) and he did HTH with him, so I guess he ended up forgiving him.

It's clear the ML had a lot of issues that he never got help for. It seems like he self medicated with alcohol, with food, with work, to avoid some torment that plagued his mind. He claimed his mother was abusive and cruel to him. He made a couple of movies about that abuse, one of which I saw on YouTube a few years ago, and it really gives you insight into the mind of ML, maybe insight that you don't really want to have. It's really one sided and the end seems like a child's fantasy of how that cruelty is dealt with.

But rethinking Karen Grassle being paid as much as the kids...I would hope that at least Melissa Gilbert was well paid for her role, since she was pretty much the star of the show. If Karen Grassle was paid as much as MG, that would be okay, you would think. But I suppose in that TV era people were not paid very well.

Many years ago Howard Stern pointed out the myth of Michael Landon. He was born Jewish but hid that and promoted Christianity. He cheated on all his wives and had so many divorces, etc. Howard made the comparison to himself how much he was hated yet he never cheated on his wife and was a private family man. He compared himself and said he was the opposite of Michael Landon where Howard was a good family man but because of his shock jock persona people thought he was a horrible person. Michael Landon played an incredible father and moral character on so many shows so people assumed that is how he led his life. He sipped vodka from a coffee cup every day on the set of Little House and treated everyone poorly.

Yeah, everyone has said variations of the same thing: that he could be hard to work for, made crude jokes, and didn't always treat people well. The womanizing got to the point where Melissa Gilbert stopped speaking to him, outside of work.


Didnt he also refuse to let any cast member be nominated or accept an emmy?

That I don't believe is true. Melissa Sue Anderson was nominated for an Emmy during Season 4.

It seems as though if a performer (or crew person) was one of his faves, he'd have given them the moon on a platter but could turn on folks on a dime if he felt that they were trying to get too big for their britches.

Irony is that between his boozing and crudity, he sounded like someone Pa Ingalls would have beaten up for not acting sober and civil in front of Ma and the girls!

I have also read stuff on ML being cruel to people. A former housekeeper said ML would make fun of her and belittle her. I am a little shocked on some of this I am now reading about ML. Wow!

He also was in love with himself. In Alison's book, he took great care to film those shirtless scenes just right :lol:

He was a genius with direction and creativity but walked over everyone and took great pleasure in minimizing people. Getting back to the original allegation on this thread, its insulting to pay your co-star as much as child actors and then cut her scenes because she asked to be treated equal.

He was notoriously cheap in paying people to work for him. Alison wrote in her book how upset she was when Nellie was written out of the show because she wanted the character to have and ending with the show. When they asked her back for one last episode (Nellie comes home) she rejected the offer and said if you want me my price is double. Sure enough her price was met and she got paid a fair wage and also got to finally close out the character on the show.

Many years ago Howard Stern pointed out the myth of Michael Landon I would take whatever Howard Stern says with a grain of salt.

He was born Jewish but hid that and promoted Christianity. People can convert.

he also refuse to let any cast member be nominated or accept an emmy?
I don't think Michael Landon had the power to control who was nominated.

I think the truth about Michael Landon is somewhere in the middle.
From what I have read and seen, from cast and crew, yes, Michael could be controlling but from what they say, it was because he had a vision and he was a perfectionist. He was also writing, directing, producing, and acting in most every episode of Little House and Highway To Heaven, as well as taking on many other roles on the sets, and yet he always made sure, when possible, that filming was done by 6pm so that they could go home to spend time with their families.
I have also read, from cast and crew, that Michael liked to surround himself with people he knew and worked with in the past. And that is one thing I noticed and thought it was nice that many of the actors(not just main characters) from Little House were cast on Highway To Heaven. So he kept them working.

Did he have problems? Yes, but don't we all? He could have used his talent to make gritty, edgy, provocative shows to titillate viewers, but instead he made warm, family-friendly shows that promoted good values, understanding, and God. And for that, I appreciate Michael Landon.

I had never seen much of LHOTP when it originally aired on NBC. However, with the self-quarantine during the pandemic, I would regularly tune into the show, when it was shown on COZI-TV. Years before, I had enjoyed Michael Landon, when he portrayed the irrepressible “Little” Joe Cartwright on the classic western series, “Bonanza.” I then wanted to see his performance as Charles Ingalls on this later program.

So, when I saw Karen Grassle’s book in the library, I got it and enjoyed Ms. Grassle’s account of her life and acting career. After college at the University of California at Berkeley, Ms. Grassle had an extensive early career as an actress first in New York City and also as an acting student and performer in London.

In the book, Ms. Grassle recounts her great friendships with fellow LHOTP actors Karl Swenson, Katherine MacGregor, Kevin Hagen and Dabbs Greer, among others. After the very first successful season of the show, Ms. Grassle relates how star and producer Michael Landon repeatedly ignored her request for a pay raise, she believed she was entitled to. Eventually, Karen Grassle was able to secure a well-deserved raise after much haggling with the apparently parsimonious Mr. Landon.

Ms. Grassle mentions her great embarrassment when Michael Landon would tell the film crew extremely vulgar jokes in front of her as they were filming a scene. She further states, that she did not like sitting with Michael Landon and other crew members to watch film they had shot because he would routinely make cutting and acerbic remarks about some of the other actors’ supposed bad acting in those scenes.

Me. Grassle recounts her active role in advocating passage of the Equal Rights Amendment and her work on behalf of abused women in the United Stares. I think Ms. Grassle’s book is an excellent look into the inevitable struggles and challenges facing a young person entering the acting profession. All LTHOP fans should read this look into Ms. Grassle’s fascinating life.

I had never seen much of LHOTP when it originally aired on NBC. However, with the self-quarantine during the pandemic, I would regularly tune into the show, when it was shown on COZI-TV. Years before, I had enjoyed Michael Landon, when he portrayed the irrepressible “Little” Joe Cartwright on the classic western series, “Bonanza.” I then wanted to see his performance as Charles Ingalls on this later program.

So, when I saw Karen Grassle”s book in the library, I got it and enjoyed Ms. Grassle’s account of her life and acting career. After college at the University of California at Berkeley, Ms. Grassle had an extensive early career as an actress first in New York City and also as an acting student and performer in London.

In the book, Ms. Grassle recounts her great friendships with fellow LHOTP actors Karl Swenson, Katherine MacGregor, Kevin Hagen and Dabbs Greer, among others. After the very first successful season of the show, Ms. Grassle relates how star and producer Michael Landon repeatedly ignored her request for a pay raise, she believed she was entitled to. Eventually, Karen Grassle was able to secure a well-deserved raise after much haggling with the apparently parsimonious Mr. Landon.

Ms. Grassle mentions her great embarrassment when Michael Landon would tell the film crew extremely vulgar jokes in front of her as they were filming a scene. She further states, that she did not like sitting with Michael Landon and other crew members to watch film they had shot because he would routinely make cutting and acerbic remarks about some of the other actorsÂ’ supposed bad acting in those scenes.

Ms. Grassle recounts her active role in advocating passage of the Equal Rights Amendment and her work on behalf of abused women in the United Stares. I think Ms. Grassle’s book is an excellent look into the inevitable struggles and challenges facing a young person entering the acting profession. All LTHOP fans should read this look into Ms. Grassle’s eventful and fascinating life.

I had never seen much of LHOTP when it originally aired on NBC. However, with the self-quarantine during the pandemic, I would regularly tune into the show, when it was shown on COZI-TV. Years before, I had enjoyed Michael Landon, when he portrayed the irrepressible “Little” Joe Cartwright on the classic western series, “Bonanza.” I then wanted to see his performance as Charles Ingalls on this later program.

So, when I saw Karen Grassle”s book in the library, I got it and enjoyed Ms. Grassle’s account of her life and acting career. After college at the University of California at Berkeley, Ms. Grassle had an extensive early career as an actress first in New York City and also as an acting student and performer in London.

In the book, Ms. Grassle recounts her great friendships with fellow LHOTP actors Karl Swenson, Katherine MacGregor, Kevin Hagen and Dabbs Greer, among others. After the very first successful season of the show, Ms. Grassle relates how star and producer Michael Landon repeatedly ignored her request for a pay raise, she believed she was entitled to. Eventually, Karen Grassle was able to secure a well-deserved raise after much haggling with the apparently parsimonious Mr. Landon.

Ms. Grassle mentions her great embarrassment when Michael Landon would tell the film crew extremely vulgar jokes in front of her as they were filming a scene. She further states, that she did not like sitting with Michael Landon and other crew members to watch film they had shot because he would routinely make cutting and acerbic remarks about some of the other actorsÂ’ supposed bad acting in those scenes.

Ms. Grassle recounts her active role in advocating passage of the Equal Rights Amendment and her work on behalf of abused women in the United Stares. I think Ms. Grassle’s book is an excellent look into the inevitable struggles and challenges facing a young person entering the acting profession. All LTHOP fans should read this look into Ms. Grassle’s eventful and fascinating life.

Thanks for your take, Sgt. I appreciate the book recommendation, and your thoughts!