Melissa Gilbert Movies
Actress Melissa Gilbert literally grew up before our eyes in the role of Laura Ingalls on the TV series Little House on the Prairie. A professional from the age of 3, Gilbert was ten years old when she assumed the role of Laura, and in her mid-20s when Little House branched off into a handful of TV movies in the 1980s. Outside of this series, Gilbert was the uncrowned queen of the TV remakes: She starred as young Helen Keller in 1979's The Miracle Worker, played the title role in 1980's The Diary of Anne Frank, and assumed the old Natalie Wood role in 1981's Splendor in the Grass. More recently, she has been showing up in made-for-TV biopics, e.g. Babymaker: The Dr. Cecil Jacobson Story (1993) and Against Her Will: The Carrie Buck Story (1994). Gilbert's latter-day series-TV work has included the parts of Kate Delany in Sweet Justice and Rochelle in Stand By Your Man; she has also been heard as the voice of Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl, in the daily Batman: The Animated Series. In all of these, she has been billed under her married name of Gilbert-Brinkman (her marriage to Bo Brinkman has since dissolved). Melissa Gilbert is the sister of Sara Gilbert, who played Darlene on TV's Roseanne; her grandfather, Harry Crane, was one of the creators of the Jackie Gleason series The Honeymooners.Though she continued to work, often in TV movies, her career took a shift when she got deeply involved with the Screen Actors Guild, eventually being elected as president of the organization and serving in that capacity from 2001-2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1980
The schoolchildren of Walnut Grove face a new nemesis in the form of an overgrown bully named Bart (Sandy Ward). To teach his tormentor a lesson, Albert (Matthew Laborteaux) contrives to throw a good scare into the boy. But when his "wolf-man" disguise comes a cropper, Albert decides to leave Bart's reformation in the hands of his clever classmates. This episode contains a sly reference to series star Michael Landon's first starring film I Was a Teenage Werewolf. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1980
Charles (Michael Landon) and Caroline (Karen Grassle) journey to faraway Milwaukee to attend two important events: a farmers' convention and their 25th high school reunion. At the convention, Charles exhorts his fellow small farmers to stand up to the "big boys," while at the reunion, Caroline is both impressed and a depressed by the "success" stories told by her former classmates. When all is said and done, both Charles and Caroline realize anew how wonderful their life has been together -- disappointments, setbacks, tragedies, and all. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
In a casting twist, this remake of Arthur Penn's The Miracle Worker casts Patty Duke, who won an Oscar for her work as Helen Keller in the original, as Annie Sullivan, the woman who taught the deaf and blind Keller sign language. (In Penn's original, Sullivan was portrayed by Anne Bancroft.) The story, however remains the same; through perseverance and a bit of luck, Sullivan teaches Keller first to dress herself, then the sign-language alphabet, then finally the means of communication. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
- Starring:
- Melissa Gilbert, Patty Duke, (more)
- 1979
Hoping to contribute to the Ingalls' family coffers, young Albert (Matthew Laborteaux) becomes an apprentice to old Isaac Singerman (John Bleifer), Walnut Grove's coffin maker. Before long, Albert is subjected to the taunts of his classmates, who maliciously label him a "Jew lover." As it turns out, even the most bigoted citizens of Walnut Grove could stand to learn a lesson from the positive example set by Isaac and his brethren. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1979
Set to Tchaikovsky's score, this Japanese animated effort chronicles the adventures of a young girl dreaming of a magical land of anthropomorphic mice that are under the spell of a wicked two-headed mouse. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Lee, Melissa Gilbert, (more)
- 1979
- Add Little House on the Prairie: Season 06 to Queue Add Little House on the Prairie: Season 06 to top of Queue
Season six of Little House on the Prairie bids goodbye to Mary Ingalls (Melissa Sue Anderson) and her new husband, Adam Kendall (Linwood Boomer) -- at least on a regular weekly basis. With Mary and Adam having moved to the Dakotas, Laura Ingalls (Melissa Gilbert) is now the oldest daughter in her family, and she intends to prove her worth by following in Mary's footsteps as Walnut Grove's resident schoolteacher. She is also courted by a local farmer named Almanzo Wilder (Dean Butler), to whom she will become engaged. The principal characters must endure some heavy emotional baggage during the series' sixth season, when the town's schoolhouse burns down, killing Mary and Adam's baby as well as the wife of farmer Jonathan Garvey (Merlin Olsen). On a happier note, in the season's closing episode, "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not," Laura and Almanzo have drawn up plans to marry and to teach in a new school in the town of Sleepy Eye; and Walnut Grove gossip Mrs. Oleson (Katherine MacGregor), having established her own business, hires a young man named Percival Dalton (Steve Tracy), who will ultimately wed her daughter, Nellie (Alison Arngrim). ~ Rovi
- 1979
No sooner has Walnut Grove's first telephone been installed in the town's hotel than self-appointed operator Mrs. Oleson (Katherine MacGregor) begins eavesdropping on her neighbors. Overhearing a conversation between Alice Garvey (Hersha Parady) and her mother, Mrs. Oleson is shocked to discover that Alice was married before her union with her present husband, Jonathan (Merlin Oleson). This revelation causes a serious rift in the Garvey household -- at least until Jonathan finds out the real reason that Alice has never talked about her first husband. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1979
The victim of lifelong abuse at the hands of his drunken father, surly 17-year-old Tod Dortmunder (Timothy Wead) comes to live with his grandparents in Walnut Grove. Wasting no time getting into trouble, Tod soon faces a jail term for stealing Charles' watch. Rather than heap more punishment on the battered boy, Charles (Michael Landon) allows Tod to work out his sentence on the Ingalls farm -- where the teenager comes face to face with kindness and affection for the first time in his life. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1979
James Olson guest stars as "Reverend" Edward Danforth, a bombastic faith healer who descends upon Walnut Grove. So persuasive is Danforth's rhetoric and his laying-on-of-hands technique that soon both Rev. Alden (Dabbs Greer) and Doc Baker (Kevin Hagen) are shunned by the community as being hopelessly old-fashioned. But Danforth is exposed as a fraud when tragedy strikes in the home of a boy suffering from a ruptured appendix. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1979
After the death of Caroline's mother, her heartbroken father, Frederick Holbrook (Barry Sullivan), moves into the Ingalls' sod house. Little Albert (Matthew Laborteaux) quickly gravitates to Frederick, who has a gift for weaving fascinating stories out of his lifetime experiences. As a means of pulling Frederick out of his loneliness, Charles (Michael Landon) persuades the old man to gather together his reminiscences in book form -- and even offers to raise enough money to get the book published. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1979
Victor French returns to Little House on the Prairie in the role of Isaiah Edwards, now a successful logger. When he is crippled by a falling tree, Edwards loses his will to live. Though he appears to shake himself out of his doldrums when he renews his friendship with the Ingalls family, Edwards nonetheless continues to exhibit suicidal tendencies -- never more dramatically than during a hunting trip with Charles (Michael Landon). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1979
Suffering from an extremely overactive imagination -- fueled by the Halloween season and his addiction to dime novels -- Albert (Matthew Laborteaux) dreams that he and Laura (Melissa Gilbert) are kidnapped by Indians. The plot thickens when Albert is mistaken for the chief's son and, as such, is expected to lead his tribe in an attack against Walnut Grove. And back in the "real" world, little Carrie (a role shared by twins Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush) is given a good scare by her even littler sister Gracie (likewise played by twins, Wendi and Brenda Turnbaugh). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1979
Telecast on Sunday evening rather than the series' customary Monday-night slot, "The Little House Years" is a three-hour compilation of highlights from the series' five previous seasons. Gathered together for Thanksgiving, the Ingalls family recalls the most memorable events of their lives, with special emphasis on the growing pains endured by daughter Laura (Melissa Gilbert). Among the episodes excerpted are 1974's "The Lord is My Shepherd," featuring Ernest Borgnine as a hermit named Jonathan; the 1976 installments "Bunny" and "The Race," emphasizing the ongoing rivalry between Laura and the impossible Nellie Oleson (Alison Arngrim); and another 1976 entry, the two-part "Journey in the Spring," guest-starring Arthur Hill as Lansford Ingalls, father of Charles Ingalls (Michael Landon). For syndication purposes, "The Little House Years" has been re-edited as three separate hour-long episodes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1979
A slick sports promoter (Ray Walston) convinces Jonathan Garvey (Merlin Olsen) that he has genuine talent as a wrestler. It is all part of a scheme to bilk the citizens of Walnut Grove by staging a rigged wrestling match. Things get really sticky when, consumed by gambling fever, Mrs. Oleson (Katherine MacGregor) bets the church funds on the outcome of the match. It is up to the crooked promoter's henchman (played by B-movie favorite Leo Gordon) to unexpectedly save the day. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1979
Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson) accompanies her husband, Adam (Linwood Boomer), on a stagecoach trip to an awards ceremony where Adam will be honored. En route, the coach is involved in an accident in a remote area. As the only passenger who is unhurt, Mary must save the lives of Adam, a pregnant woman (played by Michael Landon's daughter Leslie Landon), and the woman's unborn child. Meanwhile, back in Walnut Grove, a seriocomic subplot involving Laura (Melissa Gilbert), Albert (Matthew Laborteaux), Mrs. Oleson (Katherine MacGregor) and a Christmas fund plays itself out. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1979
Albert (Matthew Laborteaux), the Ingalls' foster son, is frustrated by his efforts to trace his family tree as part of a school project. Equally frustrated is Charles Ingalls (Michael Landon), who, in attempting to legally adopt Albert, is stymied by the sudden arrival of the boy's natural father (Michael Pataki). In the climactic scene, Albert pulls off a cruel but necessary deception to rid himself of the father who had long before deserted him. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1979
Love comes into the life of Walnut Grove's Rev. Alden (Dabbs Greer) in the form of the widowed Anna Craig (Iris Korn). This turn of events outrages the insufferable Mrs. Oleson (Katherine MacGregor), who is of the staunch opinion that a minister should be "married to his work." In her efforts to break up the romance, Mrs. Oleson spreads some malicious gossip that may very well destroy Rev. Alden's status as the town's spiritual leader. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1979
Although the people of Walnut Grove are delighted when a carnival comes to town, Nels Oleson (Richard Bull) is in despair. It seems that the carnival's fat lady, Annabelle (Harriet Gibson), is Mr. Oleson's long-estranged sister. Elsewhere, Laura (Melissa Gilbert) has a new rival for the affections of Almanzo (Dean Butler) in the form of snooty Christie (Wendy Schaal). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1979
In the concluding episode of Little House on the Prairie's two-part season six opener, the rivalry between Laura (Melissa Gilbert) and Nellie (Alison Arngrim) over the affections of their teacher's handsome brother, Almanzo (Dean Butler), reaches a fever pitch when the two girls come to blows. Breaking up the fight, Almanzo decides that it might be best to take Laura to his home to get over her anger. Naturally, Laura's dad, Charles (Michael Landon), suspects that Almanzo is harboring ulterior motives -- and thus another fight is inevitable. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1979
Season six of Little House on the Prairie begins with introduction of Dean Butler as Almanzo Wilder, future husband of series narrator Laura Ingalls (Melissa Gilbert). The brother of Walnut Grove's new schoolmarm, Eliza Jane Wilder (Lucy Lee Flippin), Almanzo immediately upon arrival becomes the romantic bone of contention between lovestruck teenagers Laura and Nellie Oleson (Alison Angrim) -- and for a while it looks as though nasty Nellie will emerge triumphant. But Laura has a delicious revenge on her longtime rival when Nellie invites Almanzo for a home-cooked chicken dinner. This is the first episode of a two-part story. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1979
In the final episode of Little House on the Prairie's fifth season, Laura (Melissa Gilbert) and Albert (Matthew Laborteaux) promise to honor the last wish of their friend Dylan (Steve Shaw), who is suffering from terminal leukemia. This promise, however, turns out to be a tall order, since Dylan wants to see the Pacific Ocean before he dies. Even so, Laura and Albert set out from their Minnesota home with Dylan in tow -- while their father, Charles, (Michael Landon) conducts a frenzied search for his missing youngsters. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1979
With wheat prices plummeting, the farmers of Walnut Grove hold a meeting to decide whether or not to fix prices. The only farmer who doesn't go along with the plan is town bigot Larrabee (Don "Red" Barry), who refuses to charge the same price as a black neighbor. Outraged by this behavior, Jonathan Garvey (Merlin Olsen) embarrasses Larrabee in front of the man's family. Seeking revenge, Larrabee in turn heads to Garvey's home -- and ultimately finds himself facing a charge of barn-burning. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1979
When she begins to differentiate light from dark, Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson) is thrilled -- perhaps, at long last, she is regaining her sight. Meanwhile, Laura (Melissa Gilbert) and Albert (Matthew Laborteaux) try to fix up Mary and Adam's "dream" cottage -- with only two mismatched paint colors at their disposal. Though disappointment is in store for Mary, it is nothing compared to the humiliation suffered by Laura and Albert when they see the hideous results of their handiwork. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1979
In desperate need of quick cash, two men knowingly sell mutton infested with anthrax to the citizens of Walnut Grove. When most of the community falls ill, Charles (Michael Landon) and Jonathan (Merlin Olsen) head to Springfield for medical supplies. En route, they are held up by a man whose behavior suggests insanity -- but will they turn the man in or honor the pitiful pleas of his wife to let him go? Meanwhile, back in Walnut Grove, an ailing Laura (Melissa Gilbert) is struck blind -- perhaps permanently. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1979
When his sight is temporarily impaired in an accident, young Jordan (Ronnie Scribner) pretends to have been permanently blinded in order to keep his quarrelling parents from splitting up. At first disapproving of Jordan's charade, Laura Ingalls (Melissa Gilbert) decides to let him keep his secret, since he means no harm. Circumstances alter cases when Jordan endures a second concussion. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
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