{"id":4562,"date":"2024-05-28T11:56:01","date_gmt":"2024-05-28T11:56:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kohajone.press\/?p=4562"},"modified":"2024-05-28T11:56:08","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T11:56:08","slug":"karen-grassle-drops-bomb-about-michael-landon-says-he-made-disgusting-jokes-on-set-of-little-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kohajone.press\/?p=4562","title":{"rendered":"Karen Grassle drops bomb about Michael Landon, says he made \u201cdisgusting\u201d jokes on set of Little House"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Karen Grassle became a legendary television actress following her role as Caroline Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The show, along with its various roles, is still to this day iconic. Not only that, but people all over the world can and do continue to watch the show.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of the actors from the show have previously spoken out about the wonderful atmosphere on set \u2013 by many accounts Michael Landon was a father figure and extremely kind.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, according to Karen Grassle, things weren\u2019t all as rosy as they might have appeared.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an upcoming memoir, Grassle claims that Michael Landon lashed out at her several times, mocking her and telling \u201cdisgusting\u201d jokes. Furthermore, the actress explained how Landon was of the belief that she shouldn\u2019t get paid more than the child actors on the show.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Little House on the Prairie<\/em> is a legendary show that is still aired in over 100 countries. In fact, the show has never been completely off the air since it premiered way back in 1974.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The historical western drama \u2013 about the Ingalls family and their farm in Plum Creek, near Walnut Grove, Minnesota \u2013 helped some of its actors become household names.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karen Grassle \u2013 Caroline Ingalls<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Michael Landon<\/a> is the figure most people associate with the show. Sadly, he passed away in 1991.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the other actors, Melissa Gilbert<\/a> and Karen Grassle both became icons through Little House<\/em>. For me, it\u2019s hard to choose a favorite from so many great performances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grassle\u2019s life changed completely when she got the part of Caroline Ingalls, AKA \u201cMa\u201d, on Little House on the Prairie<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Born February 25, 1942 in California, Grassle completed her college education at the University of California. She then traveled to London to study at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She did plenty of theater work with the Shakespeare company, but unfortunately things didn\u2019t quite add up when it came to her finances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had spent a year in England, working with a Shakespeare company and teaching, and came back to the States flat broke,\u201d she told Closer Weekly<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Michael
Youtube\/Johnycarsson<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Yet some of the greatest happenings in life can be coincidences. It just might be that one is in the right place at the right time to get that shot they desperately need in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s exactly what happened to Karen Grassle, in any case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Met Michael Landon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At the time Little House on the Prairie<\/em> was casting for the show, Grassle was actually involved in another project. As everyone knows, she ended up being cast in Little House<\/em>, all thanks to a happy coincidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was asked to fly to LA to play the lead in an independent movie, but when I got to the airport, there was no ticket!\u201d Grassle recalled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019d sublet my apartment and my boyfriend was [with me], so I wrote a bad check to get one. But when I got to LA, the movie fell through.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At that point, her agent called her with a proposition. A new project had come up, one featuring Michael Landon. At the time, Grassle knew him as, \u201cthis guy from Bonanza.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was not a big TV watcher,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The series that she would audition for was, of course, Little House on the Prairie<\/em>. The drama was based on the life of the Ingalls family and took place in the 19th century Midwest. Landon was the lead of the show, and Grassle was to try out for the role of Caroline Ingalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was the only one at the interview,\u201d Grassle told Closer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Karen
Youtube\/The Bobbie Wygant Archive<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019d seen everyone in Hollywood who was right for the part. They were down to the wire because they cast everyone else. After I read my second scene with Mike, he leaped up like a jack-in-the-box and said, \u2018Bring her to wardrobe!\u2019 But NBC had to approve me, so he interviewed for executives on closed-circuit TV.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karen Grassle \u2013 Little House on the Prairie<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Grassle got the part \u2013 and her life changed thereafter. At first, her relationship with Landon was amazing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I came on the pilot, he was extremely kind and sensitive and a good director and really gave me a chance to find my legs because [TV] was a new medium for me,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cSo I have to say it started out really, really great. It didn\u2019t stay great.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grassle explained that Landon always did his best to try and involve everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe was constantly trying to make the crew laugh and make everybody happy,\u201d she recalled. \u201cA very hard worker and he could be quite moody \u2014 he had a lot on his shoulders that first year. He had a falling-out with a producer very early on, so he was the only captain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karen quickly settled in with all the other actors and actresses. She bonded particularly well with the children on set, especially Melisa Gilbert, who starred as Laura Ingalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it came to her own role of Caroline, Karen decided to base her role on her own mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you read Laura Ingalls Wilder\u2019s books and see photos, Caroline was very tough and sturdy,\u201d she explained. \u201cMy mother rode a horse barefoot to school, and as a young woman, she taught in a one-room schoolhouse! So I took her character, strength, and wisdom and infused Caroline with that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though Karen and all the people involved with the production enjoyed the hysteria that was Little House<\/em>, some things that went on behind the scenes weren\u2019t as ideal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dispute with Michael Landon on set<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As Little House<\/em> started to gain more and more viewers, becoming widely popular in the process, the stars of the show wanted in on the success. At that time \u2013 having become one of the household names \u2013 Karen Grassle felt that she deserved more money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, her pursuit of a better contract resulted in a heated argument with Michael Landon instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMichael was prodigiously talented,\u201d she told Closer. \u201cA complicated character from a dysfunctional family who loved his crew. But when the show was in the top 10 and I said, \u2018Gee, it is time to renegotiate my contract,\u2019 Michael did not want to pay me. It was very difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As one might imagine, things on set became a little sticky after. Karen\u2019s dispute with Landon caused a serious rift in their relationship. She was even afraid to talk to anyone about her not being paid accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why? Well, she feared that she might ruin her and Landon\u2019s relationship irreparably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Karen
Youtube\/Melissa Sue Anderson Fan<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t speak up publicly at the time,\u201d she said. \u201cUnless the fact that I continued to negotiate meant that Mike might have said things about me that could have been detrimental.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Had a \u2018healing\u2019 phone call<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

40 years have now passed since Grassle appeared as Caroline Ingalls in Little House<\/em>. Even though she had said dispute with Landon over her salary, the two started talking again shortly before Landon\u2019s passing in 1991.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had a friendly call about the good old days,\u201d Grassle said. \u201cI was glad we had that healing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned, Karen has previously spoken out on the sometimes tense relationship between her and Landon on set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now though, with her set to release her memoir, she\u2019s taken another swing at Landon, accusing him of several things in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her book \u2013 as reported by the Daily Mail \u2013 Grassle explains how Landon lashed out at her several times, including how he mocked her, told her \u201cdisgusting\u201d jokes, and insulting her by saying she shouldn\u2019t get paid more than the child actors on Little House<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI felt insulted as his co-star on a hit series,\u201d she claims. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to gouge anybody, but I expected a fair wage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe would say things like, \u2018The network has done some testing and Ma is not the favorite character so they don\u2019t want to give you more money.\u2019 Or he\u2019d say \u2018You know, it\u2019s a jungle out there.\u2019 Or \u2018Well, Karen there has to be some parity between you and the girls,’\u201d Grassle explained, referring to the young actress that played her and Landon\u2019s on-screen daughters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Karen
Ron Galella, Ltd.\/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After Landon and Grassle\u2019s dispute over money, the star actor began to cut her scenes and leave her out of the storyline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI kept up the professionalism\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, Karen claims that Landon mocked her body and facial expressions to members of the crew. Ultimately, she felt that she couldn\u2019t call him out for what he did to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was almost like I was frozen,\u2019 she said. \u201cBut, 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\u2019d be the good girl, play the part, and hope.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly, Karen isn\u2019t the first co-star to have spoken out about Michael Landon\u2019s behavior on set. In her book The Way, I See It: A Look Back at My Life on Little House<\/em>, Melissa Sue Anderson \u2013 who starred as Mary Ingalls<\/a> \u2013 explained that Landon was a \u201cgreat father\u201d. That said, he apparently wasn\u2019t the most pleasant person on set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt work, he was controlling, and he could be mean at times. He would single out certain people and tease them publicly and relentlessly,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Michael
Ron Galella\/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Landon was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 1991. He passed away just three months later at the age of 54. At the time of his diagnosis, Landon was about to star in another series called Us<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michael Landon \u2013 cause of death<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with People<\/a>, his family spoke about his last days. Wife Cindy said that people were left devastated when Landon shared the news about his cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI could feel every nerve in my body,\u201d\u00a0Chris, one of his sons with Cheryl Lynn, said. \u201cLike it was all lit up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Landon underwent chemotherapy and adopted an organic lifestyle involving a vegetarian diet and acupuncture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tragically, though, within just a month the tumor on his pancreas had doubled in size. Doctors shortly afterward found that the cancer had spread to his liver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the early afternoon of July 1, 1991, Michael Landon passed away with Cindy by his side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His last words were: \u2018I love you.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it was watching him go through the whole process that prepared her,\u201d Leslie Landon, daughter of Lynn Noe said in an interview with People<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What do you make of all this? Please, give us your thoughts on Karen Grassle\u2019s claims in the comments section.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, share this article on Facebook with friends and family if you\u2019re also a fan of Little House on the Praire<\/em>!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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