Michael Landon made his first actual splash on the large display screen in Gene Fowler Jr.’s 1957 drive-in traditional “I Was a Teenage Werewolf,” taking part in Tony Rivers, the teenage werewolf. The movie was a success and led to Landon getting extra work in high-profile motion pictures like “Excessive College Confidential!,” “God’s Little Acre,” and “The Legend of Tom Dooley.” Landon was the hotness of the second. Then, in 1959, he landed a plum position taking part in Little Joe Cartwright on NBC’s traditional Western TV present “Bonanza” and caught round for all 14 seasons of that (very profitable) collection.
If Landon’s profession had ended there, he nonetheless would’ve been a legend. Nonetheless, unwilling to relaxation on his laurels, the person swiftly joined the solid of NBC’s “Little Home on the Prairie” TV present, which debuted in 1974. Landon starred within the Laura Engalls Wilder guide collection adaptation as Charles Ingalls, the light, protecting patriarch of the Ingalls clan and the position performed by Luke Bracey in Netflix’s reboot present. As a toddler of the Nineteen Eighties, I personally recall listening to from a lot of my friends that Landon was their first movie star crush. It was heartbreaking when the collection went off the air in 1983, nevertheless it remained in reruns for years thereafter.
From there, to maintain the ball rolling, Landon instantly created and starred in “Freeway to Heaven,” a high-concept NBC drama collection that lasted a formidable 5 seasons and over 100 episodes following its premiere in 1984. There, Landon performed Jonathan Smith, an angel in a denim jacket who has been despatched to Earth for a probationary interval. Teaming with a bitter ex-cop named Mark Gordon (Victor French), Jonathan goes on a quest from God to assist individuals. The collection is at present obtainable to look at on Prime Video, amongst different streaming platforms.
Freeway to Heaven was Michael Landon’s child
The pilot episode of “Freeway to Heaven” sees Jonathan Smith coming to a retirement dwelling to stop it from being offered, defending the aged residents inside. One of many residents is Mark’s sister, so when Mark sees a mild, good-looking dude poking his nostril round, he will get suspicious. He finally learns that Jonathan is an angel and realizes he have to be lonely, engaged on human issues on their lonesome. After getting approval from the Boss (i.e. God), Mark and Jonathan crew up. A feature-length film, the pilot was fairly an occasion in Nineteen Eighties households.
It ought to be famous that “Freeway to Heaven” was Michael Landon’s child. Not solely did he create the present, however he additional wrote the pilot and directed the majority of the collection.
“Freeway to Heaven” covers a variety of materials that one may’ve seen in an old style After-College Particular. There’s an episode dedicated to gang violence. One other is in regards to the terminally sick son of an astronaut. One other nonetheless is a couple of Vietnam Warfare vet and the 15-year-old orphan he adopts. Generally, Jonathan is simply there to assist star-crossed lovers from warring households elope. Many campus individuals appeared in “Freeway to Heaven” in visitor roles, and looking by episodes can have you yelling “Hey, it is so-and-so!” lots. Ed Asner, Eli Wallach, James Earl Jones, Dick Van Dyke, Leslie Nielsen, Bob Hope, Lorne Greene, Ned Beatty, Helen Hayes, Ernest Borgnine, Shannon Tweed, Keenan Wynn, Ronee Blakely, Jonathan Frakes … everybody was on this present. Additionally, as a result of troubled youths have been a standard characteristic, some notable teen and little one actors appeared as nicely, like David Faustino, Wil Wheaton, Peter Billingsley, Josh Brolin, and Matthew Perry (nicely earlier than he grew to become the center of “Mates”).
Freeway to Heaven marked the top of Landon’s 30-year NBC partnership
As a result of Jonathan is an angel, he is in a position to make use of divine magic to don numerous identities and professions all through the collection. He may summon materials possessions now and again, however that is not a really regular characteristic. Jonathan and Mike dub the previous’s divine magic as The Stuff, though Jonathan shouldn’t be allowed to make use of The Stuff in defiance of God’s will. Though the collection is about an angel, it is not explicitly Christian, nor does it ever proselytize about attending church or believing in Jesus. Fairly, its theology is that there is a single God who has helpers on Earth aiding these in misery. Regardless of its nondenominational method, “Freeway to Heaven” has been extensively embraced by Christian audiences, and reruns are sometimes featured on Christian cable networks.
Again in 1988, Michael Landon spoke with the Los Angeles Instances about “Freeway to Heaven,” and he mentioned that it was impressed by a rising tide of anger he witnessed in Los Angeles. Everybody was so mad on a regular basis, so he determined to battle what he noticed with a mild present about divine kindness. It is a candy story and may point out that “Freeway to Heaven” might, at occasions, be a bit maudlin and mawkish. Within the cynical, Ronald Reagan-era U.S., although, perhaps that was wanted.
“Freeway to Heaven,” in comparison with “Bonanza” and “Little Home on the Prairie,” wasn’t a bowl-’em-over success, though it at all times had respectable rankings. In 1988, nevertheless, NBC determined to cancel the present (there was a writers’ strike on the time), and the fifth season of 13 episodes was burned off by 1989. The cancelation ended a 30-year relationship that Landon had with NBC. Too unhealthy.
Landon handed away in 1991 of pancreatic most cancers. R.I.P., good sir.
