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'Terrible Light On The Brand': Melissa Gilbert And Little House On The Prairie Cast Calls Out 50th Anniversary Organizer Over Event Cancellation Issue
Melissa Gilbert and the cast of Little House on the Prairie have lambasted the 50th-anniversary of the series’ event organizer, Jack Bishop and his company, Gravel Road Markets LLC.
Melissa Gilbert along with the cast of Little House On the Prairie have aimed their daggers at the organizing committee of the celebrations marking the 50 years since the show was aired. They have slammed Jack Bishop and the company he runs, Gravel Road Markets LLC for sloppy work.
Cast members Melissa Gilbert, Alison Arngrim, Karen Grassle, Dean Butler, Charlotte Stewart, and Matthew Labyorteaux made a statement on September 6 saying they will not be taking part in events scheduled in the states of Tennessee, South Dakota, Missouri, and Texas in the near future. That decision came after what they called poorly organized events in Connecticut and Pennsylvania.
Gilbert told People how the event in Pennsylvania became a walking nightmare. She said, "They ran out of food. He oversold tickets. He didn’t pay the vendors." She claimed that fans had to use their smartphones' flash due to the lack of lighting in the dining area.
Bishop did not formally cancel the events advertised to fans. The cast also claimed that Bishop had not called off what was left of the tour particularly the one in Branson and Corsicana. The events were just rather misleadingly advertised on Eventbrite as having been “sold out”.
Gilbert added, "It really is a shocking affront to the fans of Little House on the Prairie. And I can say that if I were the owner of the IP [intellectual property], I would be infuriated because I think it really sheds a terrible light on the brand."
In the October 1 press release, the cast revealed they had sent a letter to Bishop that they no longer wish to lend their names and support to any of the initiatives either personally or via control of any media by the company Gravel Road Markets. They also asked to take down any marketing materials containing their names.
As per People, the cast members asked Bishop to "remove [their] names and likenesses from sales and marketing assets supporting any upcoming Little House on the Prairie 50th Anniversary events produced or promoted by Gravel Road Markets, LLC."
The Little House fans who went to the event at Keystone, South Dakota found no event going on there. Gilbert told People, that Bishop falsely used her name as a co-producer of the events which she found "appalling". She said, "Fans were buying tickets to see me, and I knew that I wasn't going to be there."
Gilbert, who played the role of Laura Ingalls, was most vocal against Bishop. She said that after one event in March 2024 in Simi Valley California where she attended, Bishop started promoting the event telling fans that Gilbert would attend but her name was nowhere on the schedule.
Little House on the Prairie aired from 1974 to 1983. It became a classic in television history and cemented itself as a part of American pop culture. It starred Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, Melissa Gilbert, Melissa Sue Anderson, and more.
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