‘Little House on the Prairie’: Alison Arngrim Makes Bold Comparison of Michael Landon
What To Know
- Little House on the Prairie star Alison Arngrim described Michael Landon as a creative, energetic, and humorous workaholic on set.
- Arngrim and Caroll Spinney, the puppeteer behind Big Bird, compared Landon to Muppets creator Jim Henson, noting striking similarities in their driven personalities and creative processes.
- Both Michael Landon and Jim Henson died in their early 50s, with Landon passing from pancreatic cancer in 1991 and Henson from organ failure in 1990.
Little House on the Prairie star Alison Arngrim recently made a bold comparison between Michael Landon and another TV legend.
During an interview with Women’s World published on December 3, the actress behind Nellie Oleson opened up about working with Landon. She started off by saying Landon was “one of the funniest people I ever met,” while also being incredibly hard-working.
“Remember, he’s writing the show, he’s producing the show, and he’s directing the show, and he’s this ball of energy, and just a workaholic cuckoo, but so funny,” Arngrim, 63, detailed. “Michael was a creative tornado. It was absolutely amazing to watch him work, and then he was an absolute laugh riot and couldn’t resist a practical joke.”
While speaking with Women’s World, Arngrim recalled meeting Caroll Spinney, the puppeteer behind Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street. They discovered many similarities between Landon and Muppets creator Jim Henson.
“He wanted to hear all about Michael Landon,” she explained. “He was a fan, and I’m a fan of Jim Henson. We started talking, and he said, ‘Were these two guys separated at birth?’”
Everett Collection
Arngrim continued, “We compared notes on how Jim Henson worked and his personality, and how Michael worked and his personality, and went, ‘Wow, these two guys were so alike.’ Jim Henson was constantly driven, waking people up at 3 a.m. with an idea…Michael had that, too, unfortunately, both the good and the bad.
She added, “Caroll Spinney said, ‘I love Jim Henson so much, and I’ve always admired Michael, and now you’re telling me it’s practically the same dude,’ and it was really striking.”
Unfortunately, Henson and Landon both died in their 50s. Henson died at 53 in 1990 from organ failure caused by streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (TSS). Meanwhile, Landon died at 54 in 1991 from pancreatic cancer.
Little House on the Prairie aired for nine seasons from 1974 to 1983.
Little House on the Prairie, streaming on Peacock, Prime Video, and Philo