![]() ![]() “That look was ‘in,’ but the look, agent said, was not helping Michael Landon cast Caroline Ingalls, Pioneer Mom.” “In the 70s, it was common for actresses in Hollywood to wear tight jeans and little tops that revealed their midriffs, false eyelashes and plenty of eyeliner,” she described. “I was told to wear a dress and no make-up,” Grassle wrote about her instructions before her nerve-wracking audition at Paramount Studios. The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Grassle in a Shakespeare in the Park production of “Cymbeline” with Sam Waterston. Her TV spouse saw the potential of a small-screen adaptation of the memoirs of settler Laura Ingalls Wilder and put his reputation on the line to helm the show. ![]() It was a major triumph when, as a complete unknown, she won the role of Ma in “Little House,” the “vision” of “Bonanza” heartthrob Landon, who took the part of Charles “Pa” Ingalls himself. She constantly worried about making the rent and the cost of repairs to her battered old car. “My apartment was on First Avenue on a block with a methadone clinic,” Grassle recalled of the location near the East River, noting that junkies would pass out in the vestibule of her building. Sadly, she followed her dad’s example by hitting the bottle - a destructive habit that began when she was studying at the University of California, Berkeley, a hippy enclave where she was prone to anxiety and occasionally self-harmed.īut, as Grassle pointed out, her “limited budget” in New York helped contain her drinking at the time. ![]() Karen and her mom backstage on Broadway early in her acting career. Meanwhile, the money she earned from the stage was a pittance. It was a particularly challenging period since she was unhappily married to actor Leon Russom (the first of her three former husbands), whom she divorced in 1970. When she was based in Manhattan, the London-trained thespian worked mostly in theater, appearing on Broadway and in a Shakespeare in the Park production of “Cymbeline” alongside Christopher Walken and Sam Waterston. She landed the coveted part of Ma in January 1973 after moving from New York to Los Angeles. “It was wonderful to have that strong female role model as inspiration for Caroline,” the actress said, adding: “Especially as my life was so different.” Her father, Eugene, an independent realtor, was a suicidal alcoholic, while her long-suffering mother, Frae, was a “tough, determined” schoolteacher who overcame hardship during the Great Depression. Her dad was an alcoholic and she followed in his addictive footsteps after she started college. Grassle was born in Berkley, Calif., where she still lives today. Grassle, now 79, was born and raised in Berkeley, Calif., where she still lives today. “I had to resist my natural propensity for privacy to get to the truth.” The candid book recounts experiences including her string of failed romances, two unwanted pregnancies, her exposure to a sexually transmitted disease and her rocky relationship with actor, director and producer Michael Landon, the driving force behind “Little House.”Īs the mother of one explained: “It took me a long time to really dig in and fully uncover the layers of my story. Grassle said Michael Landon (left) underpaid her, using the excuse that her earnings should correspond with those of the child actors. 16, charts the highs and lows of her private life and showbiz career. Grassle’s new memoir, “Bright Lights, Prairie Dust: Reflections on Life, Loss, and Love from Little House’s Ma” (She Writes Press), out Nov. ![]() Her on-screen persona in the G-rated series about the wholesome Ingalls family was the polar opposite of her true character - a self-hating addict who tottered on the brink of despair. Karen Grassle’s on-screen persona in the G-rated series about the wholesome Ingalls family was the polar opposite of her true character - a self-hating addict who tottered on the brink of despair. Now, almost five decades after her reckless behavior aboard the plane, she has opened up about her wild, emotionally damaging past in the late ’60s and ’70s. “I was a mess,” Grassle told The Post in an exclusive interview. Still, it wasn’t long before she was making out with the guy sitting next to her and, in a boozy haze, agreed to go home with him once they landed. The TV star, who played doting wife and mother Caroline “Ma” Ingalls in the smash-hit show “Little House on The Prairie,” gave no hint that the glass of white was supplementing the copious amounts of alcohol she’d already consumed at the airport. When actress Karen Grassle was asked by the stewardess in the first-class cabin if she’d like some wine before takeoff, she nonchalantly replied: “Oh, just a little, please.” Man killed father in pond while ‘baptizing’ him, prosecutors say Pro golfer updates alcohol battle after attacking PGA Tour Half of adults with ADHD may struggle with alcohol and drug abuse: study NFL star’s wife shares sweet PDA video after he details sobriety journey ![]()
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