Michael Landon Was Hilarious — ‘Little House’ Cast Says He Was ‘A Workaholic Cuckoo, But So Funny!’ (Exclusive)
Plus, learn about Michael’s unexpected connection to Muppets creator, Jim Henson
Everyone admired Michael Landon before, during and after he starred on Little House on the Prairie. Viewers adored his kind and gentle approach to the Little House role and his embodiment of the ideal father figure, while his co-stars looked up to his creative prowess. Landon was one of the biggest stars of his time, snagging long-running roles in Bonanza, Little House and Highway to Heaven, while also working as a writer, director and producer.
His Little House co-stars, Alison Arngrim and Dean Butler, spoke about what it was like to work with the incredibly talented creative and how he was “one of the funniest people” on the set.
Michael Landon’s connection to ‘Little House’
Little House on the Prairie has always been a comforting watch for fans to enjoy and escape from their lives. The show followed the Ingalls family, which was led by a gentle and kind mother and father. Viewers have often shared with Arngrim and other stars from the show about how they watched Little House to experience the loving household they didn’t have for themselves. Arngrim noted that Landon was looking for that, too.
“Michael Landon himself, his home life was not happy,” Arngrim said. “He had a miserable childhood, and he talked openly about how difficult his parents were. He was looking for the kind of real family and real love and connection that the show exemplified.”
The creative vision that made ‘Little House’ a TV classic
Landon wore a lot of hats on the Little House set: he was a star, writer, director and executive producer. He was the creative force behind the series, and he knew what was needed for Little House to connect with the audience..
“I think there was this desire in the community to be pushing forward to something that hasn’t been done,” Butler said. “I think Michael, because of his experience on Bonanza and seeing how it resonated with people, was not afraid to keep shining a light backward and illuminating a path that had not been illuminated in this way before. He had no fear of that. And I think he just intuitively understood that there was an ongoing craving for this.”
Prior to Landon starring in the western family series, the actor had a starring role in another western, Bonanza. Because of the massive success of that show, Landon knew that it was something the world wanted to see on their screens.
Butler added about Landon, “No one understood what they were trying to do on Little House better than Michael did. People talk about vision for shows and who’s really the creative force behind something, and he was so moved that he had to acquire the books and have them developed for television. Where Little House is concerned, that was driven by Michael Landon’s vision. This was part of his era in television, the era of white hats and black hats, and he was able to transfer that into this world of a female-driven family in a small community. It’s about grace and dignity and decency, and Michael got all that so clearly.”
How Michael Landon and Jim Henson were surprisingly alike
It’s long been known that Landon enjoyed a practical joke on set and his co-stars loved his goofball side. Alison Arngrim, who was only 12 years old when the show began, appreciated his sense of humor behind the scenes.
“One of the funniest people I ever met,” Arngrim said of Landon. “I mean, it’s one of the best ways to describe him. Remember, he’s writing the show, he’s producing the show and he’s directing the show and he’s this ball of energy and just a workaholic cuckoo, but so funny. Michael was a creative tornado. It was absolutely amazing to watch him work and then he was an absolute laugh riot and couldn’t resist a practical joke.”
Not only did Landon appreciate a good joke, but he was also very dedicated to his work both as an actor and behind the scenes. After a conversation with Caroll Spinney, Arngrim discovered Landon and his drive was eerily similar to that of Jim Henson, the creator of The Muppets.
“I met Caroll Spinney, the guy who was Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch [on Sesame Street] and he wanted to hear all about Michael Landon,” Arngrim explained. “He was a fan and I’m a fan of Jim Henson. We started talking and he said, ‘Were these two guys separated at birth?’ We compared notes on how Jim Henson worked and his personality, and how Michael worked and his personality, and went, ‘Wow, these two guys were so alike.’ Jim Henson was constantly driven, waking people up at 3am with an idea…Michael had that, too, unfortunately, both the good and the bad. Caroll Spinney said, ‘I love Jim Henson so much, and I’ve always admired Michael and now you’re telling me it’s practically the same dude,’ and it was really striking.”
The flawed but beloved side of Michael Landon, according to costars
Even with all of his talent, his creative drive and his charisma, Michael Landon wasn’t perfect. But he knew that his purpose was to create a safe space for audiences through Little House and to bring light to the world.
Butler added of him, “This was not a perfect human being by any stretch. He was a very full, richly diverse human being, but he understood what his job was and that was to create something that multiple generations of people could experience together. Something that would be foundational in terms of its goodness with people, values and morals—that would be crystal clear. There was very little nuance and ambiguity in what he was doing.”
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