Melissa Sue Anderson Movies
A ballet student since grade school, Melissa Sue Anderson was 11 years old when she career-shifted from dancer to actress in the 1974 TV pilot film Little House on The Prairie. For the next nine seasons, Melissa Sue co-starred on the Little House series proper as the Ingalls family's eldest daughter Mary. During this period, she won an Emmy for her performance in "Which Mother Is Mine?", a 1979 ABC Afternoon Special offering. To avoid confusion with Little House co-star Melissa Gilbert, Ms. Anderson was tagged with the nickname "Missy," a cognomen that has stuck to this day. As a youngster, Melissa Sue Anderson expressed a desire to become a film director; as an adult, she remained an actress, appearing in such efforts as An Innocent Love (1982), First Affair (1983) and Chattanooga Choo Choo (1984). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
In this exciting thriller, a massive quake razes the Big Apple. Amidst the rubble and chaos, a policeman desperately searches for his family. At the same time, a serial killer stalks him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Lifetime goes behind the scenes -- the dramatic public scenes, that is -- to uncover the real woman who has lived an entire life in the limelight. Melissa Gilbert began appearing in commercials when she was only two; by nine, she was playing Laura on Little House on the Prairie, a role which would forever endear her to the public and establish Gilbert's close relationship with Michael Landon. Unfortunately, the actress's many acclaimed performances were sometimes overshadowed by her personal troubles, including two failed marriages. For her Intimate Portrait biography, Gilbert discusses her work, her third successful marriage, and the joys she has found in motherhood. ~ Sarah Welsh, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Michael Landon: Memories With Laughter & Love is a poignant tribute to one of Hollywood's most beloved and respected actors. Hosted by Michael Landon Jr., Leslie Landon Matthews, Melissa Gilbert, and David Canary, this magnificent profile takes a nostalgic look at Landon's work in television and film, from his starring role in I Was a Teenage Werewolf and the early days as Little Joe on Bonanza to the Emmy-winning Little House on the Prairie and his last role on Highway to Heaven. A losing battle with cancer ended Landon's legendary career, which was marked by an undaunted commitment to family-oriented prime-time programming. Through rare interviews and precious clips, viewers can once again experience the magic Landon brought to the screen. ~ Scott Albright, All Movie Guide
- 1991
- PG13
Television anchor Barry Barron (Elliott Gould) is killed after he becomes involved with a breaking story, but is raised as a zombie by a voodoo spell. Not quite the stumbling idiot that most of the undead are known for, Barron has to solve his own murder and uncover the story. He is helped in his quest by a spiritualist (Mabel King). ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elliott Gould, Mark Moses, (more)
- 1990
Forbidden Nights is set in the Red China of 1979. Robin Shou plays a Chinese radical, working on behalf of bringing political reform to his homeland. Melissa Gilbert costars as an American teacher who falls in love with Shou. The dramatic thrust of the story is Ms. Gilbert's willingness to put her own life on the line for Shou's ideals. This made-for-TV star-crossed romance was filmed in Hong Kong, seven years before it too would fall within the Mainland China orbit. Forbidden Nights was directed by Waris Hussein, the Indian-born craftsman responsible for such theatrical features as Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx (1970) and The Possession of Joel Delaney (1972). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
In this western, a senator from New Mexico, who was once a marshal, heads for London to find the one who killed his niece, a research scientist who had been looking into the activities of an international chemical company. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Weaver
- 1988
- PG13
Writer/director Sam Shepard's jaundiced view of "Lake Woebegone" territory is essentially a vehicle for his lady fair Jessica Lange. Far North is set in rural Minnesota, at the home of a dour, curmudgeonly farm family. Only Kate (Lange) has been able to escape this repressive environment, but she comes home when dad Bertram (Charles Durning) is laid up in the hospital. Despite her city-bred sophistication, Kate almost instantly reverts to childhood, trying desperately to "prove herself" to her misogynistic papa. To do this, she vows to kill the poor old horse that caused her father's injury. Considering its bleak surroundings and vituperative characters, Far North contains very funny dialogue; in terms of the film's cinematic value, however, Shepard's idea of directing seems to be to yell "Action!" and hope for the best. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jessica Lange, Charles Durning, (more)
- 1987
Every so often, the popular TV adventure series The Equalizer expanded from one hour to two. One such "extended" episode was the 1988 installment "Memories of Manon". Edward Woodward stars as Robert McCall, ex-spy turned do-gooder who is known to friend and foe alike as "The Equalizer" because of his tireless efforts in the cause of fair play. This time around, McCall is targeted for liquidation by Anthony Zerbe, who has a grudge against the former espionage agent. Stuck in the middle is Melissa Anderson, cast as the daughter that McCall never knew he had. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Loretta Young was originally to have starred in made-for-TV Dark Mansions, but she didn't like the script and passed up the project; her role was quickly filled by another Hollywood veteran, Joan Fontaine. Aaron Spelling and Douglas Cramer, the guys who brought you Love Boat, "go gothic" in this Seattle-based tale of the supernatural. While writing the history of a shipbuilding family, Linda Purl learns a little too much for her own wellbeing. Per the film's title, most of the story takes place in a haunted house-and it's a lulu. Michael York, Philip Drake and Melissa Sue Anderson costar. Dark Mansions was first telecast August 23, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
Jessica (Angela Lansbury) arrives in Hollywood, where her first mystery novel "The Corpse Danced at Midnight" is being made into a movie. Unfortunately, Jessica is displeased by the decision of film producer Jerry Lydecker (John Saxon) to "juice up" her novel with heavy doses of sex and violence, and she makes no secret of her outrage. Thus it is that Jessica ends up on the suspect list when the highly unlikable Lydecker turns up murdered. John Astin, later a series semi-regular in the role of Cabot Cove real estate agent Harry Pierce, is here cast as Ross Hayley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
- PG
The owner of a professional football team must restore the titular train and run it from Tennessee to NYC in 24 hours if he is to inherit $1 million in this comedy. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- 1983
The husband of a college professor has an affair with a pretty college coed. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1983
The First Affair of the title is the one conducted by naïve but nubile college freshman Toby King (Melissa Sue Anderson). Struck by the girl's sense of responsibility, professor Jane Simon (Loretta Swit) hires Toby as a baby-sitter. Soon afterwards, however, Jane's susceptible husband Greg (Joel Higgins) finds himself being won over by Toby's unspoiled beauty and words of endearment. This standard-issue triangle drama was filmed under the title Freshman Year. Lensed on location at Harvard University, the made-for-TV First Affair premiered October 25, 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Melissa Sue Anderson, Loretta Swit, (more)
- 1982
Originally filmed under the title One Starry Night, this CBS TV movie stars Melissa Sue Anderson as 19-year-old University of Washington volleyball champ Molly Rush. In danger of flunking out of school, Molly turns to a tutor for help. Her "mentor" turns out to be 14-year-old math genius Harry Woodward (Doug McKeon), who has been enrolled in the university under a special early entry program. Much to the surprise of both protagonists, Molly and Harry fall in love -- a state of affairs that does not please Molly's otherwise easygoing jock boyfriend, Dunc Widdoes (Steven Bauer, here billed as Rocky Bauer). An Innocent Love initially aired on March 2, 1982. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Certainly the low point in Glenn Ford's acting career, this Canadian production is, nevertheless, one of the slickest-looking slasher films from that subgenre's early-'80s heyday. The plot (what one can make of it) involves an unseen killer stalking a group of college students at the prestigious Crawford Academy. The well-staged murders are mysteriously linked to the slightly off-kilter Virginia (Melissa Sue Anderson, formerly of Little House on the Prairie), whose disturbing past holds the key to the killer's identity. Though this film brought nothing new to the psycho-horror field, it did feature one of the more interesting ad campaigns of the period. One-sheets loudly boasted, "Six of the most bizarre murders you've ever seen!" and barred all late-arriving patrons from entering the theater during the final ten minutes (a promotional stunt stolen from Psycho). This hype proved less than apropos since the murders in question are not particularly bizarre or original (aside from the shish-kabob impalement depicted in the ads), and the film's climax is so painfully contrived that latecomers may be more able to comprehend it than those bemused viewers who watched the film from the beginning. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Melissa Sue Anderson, Glenn Ford, (more)
- 1981
Snowed in by a Christmas blizzard, the Ingalls family, including married daughters Laura (Melissa Gilbert) and Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson) and their respective husbands, Almanzo (Dean Butler) and Adam (Linwood Boomer), pass the time by telling stories about their lives. Also on hand is family friend Hester-Sue (Ketty Lester), who imparts a fascinating yarn of her own. This episode features excerpts from the 1974 Little House on the Prairie TV-movie pilot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1981
The made-for-TV Advice to the Lovelorn stars Cloris Leachman as a "Dear Abby" type newspaper advice columnist. Walter Brooke costars as her editor, who discourages her efforts to follow up her advice in person. But follow she does, trying to untangle the problems of guest stars Melissa Sue Anderson, Lance Kerwin, Desi Arnaz Jr. and Donna Pescow. She even finds time for a romantic episode with special guest star Paul Burke. Intended as the pilot for a weekly series, the 2-hour Advice to the Lovelorn was telecast November 30, 1981. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Rev. Alden (Dabbs Greer) finds a foster home for the orphaned Cooper children. Charles (Michael Landon) has a bad feeling about this setup -- a feeling that is borne out when it is revealed that the children's new guardians merely want to use them as cheap labor. The kids run away, whereupon Charles finds them -- agreeing to adopt them if it is humanly possible. Jason Bateman and Missy Francis join the regular cast as James and Cassandra in this, the final episode of Little House on the Prairie's seventh season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1981
Adam (Linwood Boomer) and Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson) return to Walnut Grove, where Adam wants to set up his law practice. His first client turns out to be the most hated man in town: Edgar Mills (Jeff Corey), who is accused of swindling the townsfolk in a wide-ranging scam. At first believing in Mills' innocence, Adam soon learns the painful truth -- but also discovers that Mills' motives were not as sinister as they seem. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1981
Black farmer Joe Kagan (Moses Gunn) sells his Walnut Grove property and moves to Sleepy Eye, where he gets a job at the blind school. Joe's primary motivation is his love for schoolteacher Hester-Sue (Ketty Lester), but she would prefer a wealthier and more worldly husband. Only when she realizes that the man of her dreams may well prove to be a nightmare does Hester-Sue learn to fully appreciate the humbler, but more dependable, Joe. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1981
In a shocking bit of counter-casting, Melissa Sue Anderson stars in this TV-movie shocker as Vivian Sotherland, a beautiful -- and wholly evil -- teenaged witch. Accustomed to eliminating anyone who gets in her way, Vivian has lovingly made certain that her sweetheart David Sterling (Patrick Cassidy) will not flunk out of high school through the simple expedient of killing all his teachers. Alas, the clueless David throws Vivian over in favor of a new girl in school, Robin Prentiss (Mary Beth McDonough). Fully prepared to add Robin to her ever-growing list of victims, Vivian is rather put out to discover that her romantic rival possesses a few supernatural powers of her own. Midnight Offerings was first broadcast February 27, 1981, on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Melissa Sue Anderson, Mary McDonough, (more)
- 1980
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After many setbacks, Laura Ingalls (Melissa Gilbert) finally marries Almanzo Wilder (Dean Butler) in the two-part opener of Little House on the Prairie's seventh season. Wedding bells also ring for Laura's childhood nemesis (but now good friend), Nellie Oleson (Alison Arngrim), who weds Percival Dalton (Steve Tracy) -- much to the horror of Nellie's status-climbing mother, Mrs. Oleson (Katherine MacGregor) when it is revealed that "Percival" is actually a Jewish boy named Isaac Cohen. Nellie herself resolves this problem by giving birth to twins, then announcing that one baby will be raised Christian, the other Jewish! Meanwhile, recently widowed Jonathan Garvey (Merlin Olsen) teams with Laura's dad, Charles Ingalls (Michael Landon), to set up a warehouse business headquartered in Sleepy Eye, the same town where Laura and Almanzo now live and work as teachers. Also, we are re-introduced to Laura's blind older sister, Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson), and her equally blind husband, Adam Kendall (Linwood Boomer), likewise employed as teachers. A freak accident restores Adam's sight, whereupon he decides to go to law school -- after first reassuring Mary that his ability to see will not in any way dim their love. As the season draws to a close, Laura finds that she is pregnant. And in the two-part season seven finale, "The Lost Ones," Charles Ingalls decides to adopt a brace of orphans, James and Cassandra Cooper (played respectively by Jason Bateman and Missy Francis). ~ All Movie Guide
- 1980
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Adam Kendall (Dean Butler) decides to try for a scholarship now that his eyesight has been restored. En route to apply for the scholarship in Minneapolis, Adam is beaten, robbed, and contracts a fever. Meanwhile, back at home, his still-blind wife, Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson), not only has a premonition that Adam is in trouble, but is still worried that he will no longer care for her now that he can see. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1980
In the first episode of a two-part story, an accident unexpectedly restores Adam Kendall's (Linwood Boomer) eyesight. Although Adam is exultant, his still-blind wife, Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson), is worried that he will fall out of love with her. Meanwhile, Percival Dalton (Steve Tracy) proves to be more than a match for his ever-contentious mother-in-law, Harriet Oleson (Katherine MacGregor). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
