I had The View on yesterday for a couple of minutes. The
ladies were talking about the Stephen Collins scandal. Rosie O’Donnell
said that the allegations were shocking because Stephen Collins was this
generation’s Michael Landon.
Was Stephen Collins this generation’s Michael Landon? Well, in a
sense, he was. He played a loving father and pastor for eleven years,
so I can understand how people would identify him especially with that
role. But there are differences. Stephen Collins played other roles,
too, including roles as villains, whereas Michael Landon almost always
played good characters. Moreover, Michael Landon not only starred in
wholesome shows, but he played a significant role in creating them. I
think that Landon had a greater commitment to the existence of
wholesome, family TV shows.
But I can’t think of anyone else who would qualify as this
generation’s Michael Landon. Of course, Michael Landon was alleged to
have fallen short personally from his TV persona, albeit not as far as
Collins fell from his.