Michael Landon "Little House on the Prairie" in 1974

Michael, we've really been looking forward to this opportunity to talk with you because ever since the world premiere movie and then we found out that this got the most mail of any pilot that ever has been. You knew that, of course. Yes, we got a terrific audience response. We were very happy about it. Yes, so this bodes only good things for you, huh? Well, I never try to look for futures as far as this business is concerned. There are too many things that you don't have any control over such as time slot, opposition and so forth. But I was happy to see that the audience enjoyed the show and we're hopefully going to make some episodes in the future that they're going to like. Do you like your time slot? Any time slot is fine with me. Again, I don't fight for time slots. I'm really only concerned with making film and good film and that's all I'm in the business for. I don't do the other things. Some of the people have been saying that this is a kind of western Waltons. Do you resent that? No, I don't resent that. I think it's an interesting commentary on the state of television. In other words, any show that you have that guarantees nonviolence is in fact in some way a Waltons episode. If we were doing the future and there was no killing then we would be doing a futuristic Waltons. The fact is that you watch the tube and everybody's getting hit on the head and having car chases and you can interpose one show with an act of another and never miss a beat. Yes, but this is a property that you've wanted to do for some time or how did you get in touch with this property? The property was first brought to me by a fellow named Ed Friendly who was co-executive producer of the show. I read it and at this particular time I had read probably 40 pilots that NBC wanted me to make, the majority of which were Murder and Mayhem and the rest of them were doctors working on incurable diseases and one man who landed on the wrong planet. So I really hadn't found anything that was another winner. And they made them too, I swear to God. A lot of heart. But anyway, when this came along it was fresh for me because it was honest and it was simple and very basic and I liked the people. I thought the people were nice and I kind of thought my family would like to watch that. I have a lot of kids and it's kind of fun to think you're going to do a show that you would be happy to sit in the living room with the whole family and watch. You know, Michael, I have to think a little bit back to Bonanza because I've interviewed Lorne Green a number of times. Oh, my dada. Your dada. Yes. And I knew Dan Blocker well because he was a Texan and I loved him dearly. And I know that your set, that Bonanza set, was something else with all those men. Now you're going to be with all these women, three daughters and a wife. You're going to have to clean up your act, Michael. No, we never. And it's actually probably very healthy for me. We have a good group, super group, nice cast and a lot of the guys that we had on the Bonanza crew are back with us. Are they? Oh, yeah. So it's really old home week. Yeah, but still it's a little different atmosphere, isn't it, with all those women around? No, it's the same laughs. That doesn't change. We have an awful lot of fun on the show. I don't think you can make shows week in and week out and work that kind of schedule if you're not having a good time. Was it difficult to find the children to play these roles, Michael? I think we were very fortunate there. I interviewed probably 100 little girls and we tested 12. And I think in Melissa Gilbert and Melissa Sue Anderson. Our little tiny one is actually twins because she can only use a small child three hours a day. So we have Lindsey and Sidney Greenbush. We have many little nicknames for them. They're really two cute little four-year-olds. And they together play Baby Carrie. And they both better lose their teeth at the same time and in the same place, hadn't they? Well, we can take care of that. Give them a little shot there off screen that you folks out there won't see. Michael, you just told me you didn't have any violence on this show. Well, we weren't going to film that. Michael, are you going to direct any of these? Yes, well, I'll do four out of the first 13 two-hour shows and then one two-hour episode that will be on the week before Thanksgiving. And, of course, you're the co-producer. Right. Which means you have a piece of the action, as we say. Yes, I'll do anything for money. No, you've already told us that, Well, that's because I didn't own the planet. One serious question I have to ask you, Michael, and that is we know now, of course, that the actors' strike is not going to take place. But had it taken place, what would this have done to you and the series? Well, what it would have done to me was I would have flown back to Vegas. I was in Vegas this weekend and I told my wife, I'll call you as soon as I get home because we went with another couple and they're going to drive back tonight. If not, I was going to go back to Vegas. It wouldn't do any more to me than it would do to everybody else, and that is delay premiere week. Those are things that I don't worry about because, again, I have no control over the actors' strike. So I don't worry about it. Do you hope this runs as long as Bonanza? Well, I don't know if it can run that long because I'm getting so tired. No, the difference here is that our kids are going to grow up very, very fast. And it would be interesting to see what would happen, but I don't think the show itself can run 14 years and still have me in it because it's not like Bonanza where we can make it all up. These books are factual and the girls are going to grow up, they're going to get married, and they're not going to live with me anymore. So the series itself may continue, but at a given point, it would have to go with Laura and her husband and their own family. And remember, you know, whatever happens, there's always that guy on the other planet. He could come back. He'd certainly haunt me. Great.