Inside Melissa Gilbert’s War With Promoter Pushing ‘Little House on the Prairie’ Events
Melissa Gilbert is taking aim at a promoter pushing live 50th-anniversary events for her classic T.V. series Little House on the Prairie by saying the shows are a “shocking affront” to fans!
Melissa, 60, who played pioneer girl Laura Ingalls Wilder on the NBC program from 1974 to 1983, appeared at one California festival in March — but was unable to continue the tour.
Yet, she charges organizer Jack Bishop and his company, Gravel Road Markets LLC, continued to advertise her involvement and wrongly told consumers she was a co-producer!
“Fans were buying tickets to see me, and I knew that I wasn’t going to be there,” says Melissa, who says she took to social media to set the record straight.
“I will not work with anyone who does this. Period — full stop.”
Citing complaints from the public, Melissa adds attendees also griped about the quality of some Gravel Road events.
“From what I understand, it became a waking nightmare,” she alleges. “They ran out of food. He oversold tickets. He didn’t pay the vendors.”
Melissa and former costars Alison Arngrim, Karen Grassle, Dean Butler, Charlotte Stewart and Matthew Labyorteaux announced none of them would appear at the company’s future events due to them being “poorly organized and executed” — and requested their names and likenesses be removed from all promotional materials!
The cast also claims Gravel Road listed the actor-less bashes as “sold out” rather than canceled!
Melissa huffs, “I think it really sheds a terrible light on the brand.”