Talk:Michael Landon

Producer

Someone should say something about how Landon's shows were very wholesome and television networks did not expect them to do very well, but they ended up being very successful shows for their time. I believe I saw this information in the A&E Biography on Michael Landon.

Image

Does anyone know what happened to the image that (apparently) used to be attached to this article? I commented-out the reference to it in the article, but I assume it once existed...? Was it a copyvio? —Frecklefoot 17:39, 24 Feb 2004 (UTC)

It was uploaded on the 26th January. Images uploaded at that time are still missing. Secretlondon 17:41, Feb 24, 2004 (UTC)

I hear that eventually they'll be available again? In that case, I'll comment it back in—when they become available again, it'll appear. —Frecklefoot 17:58, 24 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Jewish

What does "considered himself Jewish" mean? Did he attend synagogue or have a mikveh, etc.? Was he a Reform Jew on the basis of his father? Can we add any details? Rmhermen 17:08, Dec 16, 2004 (UTC)

The term "Jewish" may also be used to describe an ethnic background, not merely a religion. Michael 05:06, 29 June 2006 (UTC)

He did have a bar mitzvah.

He did have a Bar Mitzvah, at Temple Beth Sholom, Haddon Heights, NJ, a conservative Jewish synagogue, under the leadership of Rabbi Albert L. Lewis. According to Lewis's children, who knew him, his was one of the first Bar Mitzvah ceremonies conducted by their father. Resnicoff (talk) 02:35, 12 February 2010 (UTC)

--I added this info, but it was deleted because it was unreferenced/unsourched -- but was then allowed to reenter with "citation needed" reference. If anyone has a biography that mentions the synagogue, please enter the reference. I have spoken to congregants, and to the family of the rabbi, who do remember Eugene Orowitz as a student, who had one of the first Bar Mitzvah celebrations conducted by Rabbi Lewis. Thanks! Resnicoff (talk) 23:09, 15 February 2010 (UTC)

I know of none. All I read is that he considered his beliefs to be a mixture of Roman Catholicism and Judaism, while he also considered himself Jewish by ethnicity. 64.234.0.101 (talk) 04:39, 9 September 2010 (UTC)

Wasn't there a TV movie made about him?

His one son (I think) made a tv movie for CBS about how Michael was a horrible father and a womanizer. This definitely needs to be added to the article. Buzda 08:41, 6 December 2005 (UTC)

how could you say that michael was a womanizer? - a complete stranger

Because he was.

Yes, he was more of a families man than a family man.

Sad that Landon didn't live up the TV roles he played in real life. I think he was a very nice man. In my opinion.

Answer: Even saints had spotted lives (Augustine). Michael Landon Jr never portrayed his dad as a womanizer (though Landon himself admitted to a period of heavy drinking). Young Landon was understandably hurt by his father's erratic, mid-life affair and percieved split affection. Still, elevating ideals via contemporary media is a lofty, honorable goal. Perhaps Maury "Paternity Test" Povich and Jerry Springer could take note. Airing shows about men who have sired 12 children by countless women before age 25 ("Maury"), men who had sex with their daughters ("Springer"), & transgender triagles ("Springer") is now considered entertainment. And the two questions Povich never asks during his hundreds of paternity tests is, "who is paying for these kids livlihood, or the crime that is linked to these absentee dads' unsupervised youth"? Springer became a host after a mayorial sex scandel, but no one can call him duplistic as he never trumpeted values. Why dump on people who elevate ideals when they fall short, while people who profit from losers are embraced? -Wes Angus —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.40.172.8 (talk) 12:57, 8 May 2008 (UTC)

That movie by his son was disowned by his other kids. It's just gossip and it doesnt have a place here, IMO. Actually I think he directed a movie called Sam's Song about his childhood. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.201.188.178 (talk) 18:31, 19 December 2007 (UTC)

Who? Landon or his son? Landon made a movie called The Loneliest Runner about his own childhood. — Frecklefσσt | Talk 18:57, 19 December 2007 (UTC)

Cindy Clerico

Cindy Clerico's article could be merged with this one? --Melaen 22:57, 13 December 2005 (UTC)

Nah, two completely different people.

Cleanup needed

Why did someone add that David Canary received an Emmy in Michael's opening paragraph? Even if that is appropriate, which I don't think it is, it should at least be clarified that Mr. Canary has won only a DAYTIME emmy for his work on a soap opera which has nothing to do with Michael's career since Michael only worked in Primetime and never worked on daytime soap operas. And why isn't there a section on Awards that Michael has won? Michael Landon may not have won an Emmy but he was awarded the Founders Award in 1982 by the Television Academy of Arts and Science and was posthumously inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. He won numerous other awards, lifetime achievement awards, and was also inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame and other entertainment related associations/Halls of Fame (I can get all the official/correct names). In addition, numerous awards have been named in honor of Michael Landon like the Michael Landon Award for Contribution to Youth through Television, The Michael Landon Award for Community Service to Youth (Young Artists Awards), and the Michael Landon Award that is given out by the [CA] Governor's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, to name a few.~~JanisLyn (May 7, 2007)~~

ANSWER- The point is that Landon, one of the most prolific stars of all time, DIDN'T get an Emmy in ANY facet of television (acting, writng, directing). Sad, but one suspects a bias against G rated fare. Or maybe awards are just too pretentous? Why should Tatum O'Neil have one and not Shirley Booth, etc..?-FQ —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.40.172.8 (talk) 18:19, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

A) Why make a distinction between daytime vs primetime? Look at what passes for TV entertainment between 8 and 11 PM these days (Flava-Flav on MTV), and soap operas will begin to look like Shakespeare. -T.H. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.40.172.8 (talk) 19:19, 3 September 2008 (UTC)

This article is in serious need of a cleanup. It's poorly written in some areas. I'd do it, but I have nowhere near the time! --Bmeloche 02:42, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Yes, a few dangling participles. e.g. "In 1956, Landon lost his father, Eli Orowitz, to a massive heart attack, while working at a store." (who was working at the store? Grammatically, its Michael, but contextualy, its ambiguous.)

I tried to get a lot of the errors and just plain dull minutiae out of the text. Someone keeps sayin ghe is a "character actor"--he wasnt. He was a leading man type of actor. A character actor is someone who plays odd roles of a particular type.

The character actor was back again. Would whoever is doing that PLEASE look up the definition of character actor and refrain from using it? Thank you! If you need assistance with an example: Examples of *character actors* are: Bruce Dern, Dub Taylor, Wally Cox, and James Whitmore. Look these men up and I think you will see that Landon, a "lead actor" did not do character roles.

Fixed the lead in to the quote: "Boy, you gotta be real sick to get this much attention." That statement was made in reference to how many members of the press showed up to the press conference Michael Landon held in April 1991 to discuss his pancreatic cancer and not about being popular on television as someone had previously noted. ~~JanisLyn~~

Too much unsourced gossip

I appreciate that the current revision reads less like a fan page than previous versions, but there is a new problem. The "Family Life" section is too long for an actor's Wikipedia article. I can understand some discussion of his family life, since he is often portrayed as a wholesome figure despite his many affairs. But as it is, the section is too long. I agree I happen to highly respect him and this should be focused on his act in life mainly. Does anyone agree?

Worse, the overwhelming majority of the new information is completely unsourced. This has to be fixed. It is a problem throughout the article, but especially in the family section. What is the source for these personal items? Phiwum 16:38, 26 June 2006 (UTC)

This article is a mess. He deserves better! I keep deleting character actor too, but it keeps coming back. Someone needs to look up what a character actor is! Landon was a lead male actor. Telly Savalas, Wally Cox, Ken Curtis, Bruce Dern were/are character actors!

I added information about dates of birth of his children. Dates and adoption information (or in the case of his stepdaughter, non-adoption) come from Michael's Will and its codicil, which are public documents. I got copies of them when his stepdaughter's book came out back in 1992 because she was making some claims about last minute changes to his Will. ~~JanisLyn~~

I corrected the previous notation about Michael Jr. working as a director on Highway to Heaven. That was not true. He worked as a film loader. First, just watching Highway to Heaven episodes establishes Michael Jr. was not a director of any episode. Second, his getting hired as a film loader has been mentioned in numerous articles including an interview Michael Jr. did for TV Guide, August 7, 1993. ~~JanisLyn~~

Family section may be long but as someone noted he was known for his family programming and his family life has over the years been the source of commentary, both pro and con. In addition, several of his children are actively working in the entertainment industry: Jennifer (actress, As the World Turns); Christopher (screenwriter), Michael Jr. (director, writer and producer); and Leslie did some acting when she was younger on Little House. The Landon family is now a second-generation Hollywood entertainment family. ~~JanisLyn~~

Someone requested citations regarding the divorce information for Michael Landon's second marriage and the amount of the property settlement that Lynn Landon received in 1982. I have citations but I don't know how to include them. For example, the amount and year of the final property settlement for Michael's second marriage is disclosed on page 128 of the biography by Aileen Joyce called Michael Landon His Triumph and Tragedy and it states Lynn Landon "received an estimated settlement of $26 million" and that the final settlement was reached prior to April 27, 1982. I have also seen this information elsewhere but I assume one citation is enough ... right? Could someone let me know how to add citations to this article. Thanks. ~~JanisLyn~~

Major cleanup started

I only came to read about Landon, and instead I was sort of appalled at the article quality. I have cleaned up a lot of really bad grammar here, though certainly not all of it, and have attempted to return the article to NPOV. Several things (such as the bedwetting) were removed as being both irrelevant as well as being completely incomprehensible as sentences. Because I was only here to read, I have not yet gone to verify facts, so they still need checking (I called for citations in a couple places, and will remove the statement that he acted because actors get more money if no one can provide a citation by end August). I did check the Nielsen ratings against Wikipedia's list of #1 shows, but have otherwise only tried to clarify sentences, not confirm them.--Thespian 13:31, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

Thank God you did this--I tried but it was too awful and I got tired. :)

Made lists for Family section. THought it contained too much gossip. Got it down to just the facts. Hope this helps. Rearranged some of the sections. Death at the end, not in the middle. Removed some uncited gossip. Someone take it from here. I'm exhausted. Babygator23 19:12, 17 September 2006 (UTC)

"Early life" section

I removed this just added section from the artilce:

As a little boy, he used to run out of the house playing the roles of people, while hiding. He then blamed himself for telling the family to be reconnected, after Orowitz dreamt of having a new family. At the same time, he also wet his bed until he was a teenager as his upsetting mother tried to humiliate him by stopping him to hang his sheets outside the bedroom window. He never confided in his friends about his homelife. In 1949, when Orowitz was 12, he watched Samson and Delilah, where he was overwhelmed by the large image on the big screen, which was the long hair. In his own fantasy, he identified the heroes who have long hair, but Orowitz never had long hair until he was in his thirties. Despite of the movie he watched, he never told any of his classmates about his hair-brained theory.

It is unsourced, POV and unclear. It also looks like it might be a joke. Do with it what you will. — Frecklefoot | Talk 14:34, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Categories

Way too many...they take up about 6 lines. Which ones should be deleted? Babygator23 14:56, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

Awards for Little House - info needs corrected

This article states that "Though Little House was tremendously popular with viewers, the show was never nominated for any Emmys or Golden Globes." That is not accurate - it was nominated for several Emmys and Golden Globes, and even won a few Emmys. 206.180.110.8 18:21, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

Article said that Little House was "published" by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Changed to "written". Ingalls was an author, not a publisher. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.69.210.124 (talk) 05:38, 21 November 2008 (UTC)

Needed correction...

"The show was taken from a 1935 book that was published by Laura Ingalls Wilder, whose character in the show was played by a then-unknown actress, Melissa Gilbert."

LOL, "a then-unknown actress"?? Melissa Gilbert was TEN YEARS OLD when Little House began. Is it her fault that she wasn't "better known," at say, age eight?

I think the "then-unknown" can be dropped without much ado. Simplemines 03:23, 6 February 2007 (UTC)Katy`

I agree it could be dropped without really losing much. On the other hand, maybe Gilbert is well-known enough (or maybe not; I'd only know her from Adam by virtue of the fact that she's presumably female) that it's worth making the point that this is where she started being well-known? Compare "Shirley Temple was cast in such-and-such a role" with "Shirley Temple, a then-unknown actress, was chosen for the part of whozis". 174.65.175.154 (talk) 22:46, 18 June 2011 (UTC)

One referrence?

Please say it ain't so! Oh well, not really surprised. I see that clean up was suggestted in the past. Landon's article seems like it deserves a little more attention. Any takers? Thanks!--Tom 16:11, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

A quotes section?

I've read the quotes section, and I've come to the conclusion that this actor is not particularly quotable. Neither is his mother. Is this section really necessary? Does it add to the encyclopedic content, or is it merely fancruft? Phiwum 23:03, 28 July 2007 (UTC)

Non sequitir?

"Landon, a southpaw, often performed his own stunts."

What does being left handed have to do with perform your own stunts?

John Paul Parks (talk) 17:16, 3 January 2009 (UTC)

I came in here to wonder the same thing. This smells like supercondensed news feature wordcount-itis. 198.53.208.74 (talk) 12:24, 23 February 2010 (UTC)

Relationship with Melissa Gilbert

This from Melissa Gilbert...

Melissa didn't have any contact with Landon after "Little House" ended during the 1983/1984 season. Seven years later, on May 9, 1991, when she saw a gaunt-looking Landon on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson discussing his pancreatic cancer, she was compelled to finally telephone him. She had had no contact with Landon since his divorce scandal and he had never met her son, Dakota Brinkman, born May 1, 1989. Together they went to his Malibu home where he was, by then, bed-ridden. They spent the afternoon together. It was her opportunity to say "goodbye," something she did not get to do when Paul Gilbert suddenly passed away when she was 11. Exactly one week later, on July 1, 1991, Landon died. When Melissa gave birth to her second son (with second husband Bruce Boxleitner) on October 6, 1995, she named him Michael in honor of him.

...contradicts what is in this article:

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.

So, which is it? --Elliskev 18:12, 24 April 2009 (UTC)

Which is ref'ed? — Frecklefσσt | Talk 18:40, 24 April 2009 (UTC)

Neither. --Elliskev 18:56, 24 April 2009 (UTC)

I am not 100% sure, but I believe it was his Little House wife (Karen Grasley) who had no contact with Michael after Little House ended its run. Melissa, however, did have some off/on contact. -Vince Potter

On a not-entirely-unrelated note, the entire (long) paragraph about Melissa Gilbert in the Little House on the Prairie section reads like the stream of consciousness of someone on speed. It looks like it's largely quotes, but I think it would be probably better rewritten entirely. Unfortunately, I can't make heads or tails of it to do so. "He put frogs in his mouth, we had a script supervisor. He had this chair with these pouches on the sides and he would carry from the set to where we were shooting, from spot to spot to spot to wrap around the course of the day." Huh? Carry what? The chair? The frogs? The script supervisor? And that's just a short snippet, the rest of it is much the same. 174.65.175.154 (talk) 22:35, 18 June 2011 (UTC) I agree with the above paragraph, as I was reading that section, my reaction was just that Huh?. and excuse my ignorance, but would someone please enlighten me as to what the phrase "put frogs in his mouth" means? I have never heard this one!Welby99Welb99 20:46, 1 December 2011 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Welby99 (talk • contribs)

Orphanage series

Hi!

I am from Germany. I remember that - about twenty years ago or so - there was a TV-series running that centered around a rural orphanage. Although I do not expressly remember Walnut Grove or any character from the Little House series appearing or even being mentioned there, the atmosphere, clothing and simply everything seemed to be set in the very same universe. And I am also pretty sure that I read Michael Landon's name - as a producer or co-producer - somewhere in the opening or closing credits.

Does anyone here happen to know what the name of this series was?

You're talking about little house on the prairie. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.18.137.61 (talk) 04:01, 18 October 2012 (UTC)

Thank you in advance and all the best to you.--80.141.178.121 (talk) 20:45, 8 June 2009 (UTC)

Unreferenced moved here

Cheryl made a promise to her father to continue his grave concern for the future generation with positive live shows; promoting family values and to honor and protect his name. She is an International public speaker, teacher, mother, and author. Cheryl wrote the bestselling book, "I Promised My Dad" referred to as a loving love story between a father and daughter. She has been written up in many magazines positively promoting her father and remains devoted to her father's legacy. Cheryl refers to him as the greatest father, though a step father at 6 years old, he treated and refered to her as his daughter. She continues the work for our youth through "Street Corner Dreams" foundation. She has been awarded: "Ambassador of Peace" from the Washington Times Foundation and United Nations. Cheryl had Michael's first grandchild, James Michael Wilson..

Yuck

This article reads like it was written by an 8 year old, for 5 year olds. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.40.119.251 (talk) 15:29, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

Yes, it's suffered from numerous editors heaping gushing praise without any references to back up their claims. — Frecklefσσt | Talk 14:35, 2 October 2009 (UTC)

I concur. One of the worst things I've ever read on Wikipedia. Not only is the tone nauseating, the grammar and spelling are terrible. 62.40.35.123 (talk) 23:05, 15 June 2011 (UTC)

Death under Other Projects?

Is it really necessary to have Death under the heading 'Other Projects'? Iæfai (talk) 02:55, 1 October 2009 (UTC)

No. Like the note above, this article has suffered from one too many editors without an organized effort to clean it all up. — Frecklefσσt | Talk 14:35, 2 October 2009 (UTC)

I just looked at the article. His death is mentioned there in passing in reference to one of his projects, but it's not discussed in detail. The article has a whole section on his illness and death. — Frecklefσσt | Talk 14:38, 2 October 2009 (UTC)

Smoking

The article should mention that Landon's pancreatic cancer was caused by his heavy smoking and drinking. (92.0.37.66 (talk) 17:57, 28 February 2010 (UTC))

Only if there's a reliable reference stating so. --SkagitRiverQueen (talk) 18:11, 28 February 2010 (UTC)

And preferably not added by a sockpuppet of the banned User:HarveyCarter. Rodhullandemu 18:26, 28 February 2010 (UTC)

Landon wrote an article for Life magazine in May 1991 in which he said he believed his cancer had been caused by his lifestyle (heavy smoking, drinking, too much unhealty food). His close friend Victor French died of lung cancer caused by smoking. (JacobDowell (talk) 21:24, 28 February 2010 (UTC))

You are correct about the article (but it was actually June, not May, 1991). I used to have a copy of it that I kept, but have since misplaced it (maybe I loaned it out to someone). I will look around on the internet and see if I can find a reference to that article. Thanks for bringing it up. --SkagitRiverQueen (talk) 21:45, 28 February 2010 (UTC)

That's right. I think he wrote it in May and it was published in June 1991. (JacobDowell (talk) 22:10, 28 February 2010 (UTC))

"TV Guide"

First paragraph: "Landon appeared on the cover of TV Guide twenty-two times" Perhaps there should be a link added to this comment ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV_Guide ): otherwise the implication is that all readers will know this publication. These kind of assumptions can lead to a feeling that there is a U.S. bias here. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.180.47.192 (talk) 00:40, 24 August 2010 (UTC)

Legacy section

In the legacy section, there is mention of his humor. Indeed, it is quoted as "often cited", with absolutely no citation. Can someone familiar with this find some citations?Wzrd1 (talk) 01:07, 7 October 2012 (UTC)

You are hilarious