‘Little House on the Prairie’ Star Michael Landon Was Reportedly Jealous of Burt Reynolds
Little House on the Prairie star Michael Landon was reportedly jealous of Burt Reynolds. According to Karen Grassle, who played “Ma Ingalls” on the show, Landon was very jealous of the celebrity. Landon was the executive producer, showrunner, and star of Little House on the Prairie. His “Pa” Ingalls character won over the hearts of adoring fans.
But behind the scenes, Landon reportedly struggled with his jealousy.
“In the ’70s, Burt topped the list as the most desirable man in Hollywood,” Karren Grassle told The New York Post. “Mike was resentful and wanted to take his place.”
Landon even worked out a bunch to try and outdo him. This meant that Landon wanted to flex his muscles as much as possible on Little House on the Prairie. With him essentially running the show, he had that power. That’s why whenever Pa gets injured, it’s typically somewhere on the torso.
Karen Grassle Developed Bonds with Her On Screen Daughers
While Karen Grassle’s relationship with her on-screen husband Michael Landon was quite tumultuous, she managed to form bonds with the girls who played her on-screen daughters. According to the New York Post, she actually went out of her way to develop bonds with the girls. ‘
All of this was “so they felt comfortable doing scenes with me as their mother.”
Grassle’s daughters were played by Melissa Gilbert, Melissa Sue Anderson, and Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush. She was particularly close to the actress she spent the most screen time with, Melissa Gilbert, who played the iconic Laura Ingalls.
Karen Grassle Had some Rough times on the ‘Little House on the Prairie’ Set
But while she had these off-screen bonds, Karen Grassle’s time on Little House on the Prairie was far from easy. Toward the end of the show, Grassle developed a drinking problem.
On top of that, her relationship with Michael Landon began to sour. Landon, notorious for not paying his actors much, did not take well to Grassle asking for a raise. It’s where their problems started, but the two had issues that went far deeper.
Grassle recently opened up about the drinking problem and her relationship with Michael landon to The New York Post and in her upcoming memoir, “Bright Lights, Prairie Dust: Reflections on Life, Loss, and Love from Little House’s Ma”
The upcoming book will take a look at Grassle’s career. It’ll explore the highs and lows that came with working on Little House on the Prairie. While the show seems quite innocent and uncomplicated, it looks like things were anything but behind the scenes, and Grassle plans to tell her side of the story through the book, which will be released on November 16th.
