“Bonanza” and “Little House on the Prairie” star Michael Landon reportedly had a somewhat rocky work relationship with Priscilla Presley on the film “Love is Forever.”
Director Hall Bartlett reported that Landon used to mock his co-star on the set of the film. Landon allegedly used to mock Presley for spending too much time on her hair. Presley isn’t the only co-star that Landon used to make jokes about. While appearing on talk shows, the actor made light of his “Bonanza” co-star Lorne Greene for wearing a hair piece. Meanwhile, Landon reportedly wore four inch lifts in his shoes.
But Bartlett was hardly an unbiased third-party observer. Landon and Bartlett fought often behind the camera during production on the film. The “Bonanza” actor had been co-producer on the film and had his own thoughts on how the film should go. After-all, Landon had directed many episodes of his hit TV shows and enjoyed having a hand in the creative process.
That didn’t sit well with Bartlett, who badmouthed the actor to the press. Bartlett said he thought Landon would be more like his “Little House on the Prairie” character Charles Ingalls. But Landon could never live up to that gold standard within his own personal life.
“If Landon is trying to get by with another Jesus Christ painting of himself, then let me say that Landon is the biggest liar I’ve ever met in the picture business,” Barlett told People.
Michael Landon Apologizes
Priscilla Presley, herself, doesn’t mention any mockery on the part of her co-star. But she did report that the two were distant on-set while filming the movie. But Presley blames that fact mostly on Landon being preoccupied with his feud with Bartlett than any bad feelings between the two.
“Although Michael was very nice, the relationship was distant, as he was in conflict with the director and kept mostly to himself or with the crew who worked on the film,” Presley said.
For his part, Landon denied Barlett’s allegations about the production. He said he was trying to do his job as co-producer on the film and that Bartlett resisted any input on the film. After production on the film wrapped, Landon did approach Presley and apologized for the environment on-set.
“During the after-party, Michael came over to me and apologized for his behavior,” she said.
