Melissa Francis
As a child actress in the 1980s, Melissa Francis performed in more than 100 commercials and TV shows, including Little House on the Prairie. She left Hollywood for Harvard, where she studied economics, but eventually found herself in front of a camera again as a financial reporter and news anchor. Francis recently jumped from CNBC to Fox Business Network, where she'll have her own daily program starting later this spring, giving viewers a regular venue to catch her feisty interviewing style.
"She has a playful yet inquisitive edge to her that makes her different than the die-cast cable anchors," says Piers Morgan Tonight executive producer Jonathan Wald, who worked with...
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Bonanza
David Dortort, creator of the long-running hit Western Bonanza, has died. He was 93.
Dortort died Sunday at his Westwood, Calif., apartment, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
See other celebrities we've lost this year
A three-time Emmy nominee, Dortort got his start writing for such series as ...
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Pernell Roberts
Pernell Roberts, the last surviving member of Bonanza's cast, has died of cancer, the Los Angeles Times reported. He was 81.
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Michael Landon
Mark Landon, the eldest son of Little House on the Prairie star Michael Landon, was found dead at his home on Monday. He was 60.
The cause of death has not been determined, but the Los Angeles Police Department does not suspect foul play, according to the Associated Press.
Mark Landon acted in ...
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Jesse Lee Soffer and Jennifer Landon, As the World Turns
Did you know As the World Turns toasts a half-century of daytime television on April 2? "I don't want to go too epic on you," says Ellen Dolan (Margo), "but it's incredible that our show has been in American homes for 50 years. What a milestone!"
ATWT isn't waiting until spring to celebrate its birthday, though, since the CBS sudser just snapped up a slew of Daytime Emmy nominations, including outstanding drama, outstanding writing team and five acting nods.
"When I heard my name [announced] on The View, I was in shock," enthuses Jennifer Landon (Gwen), who's a shoo-in to win outstanding younger actress. "Mom was so happy. She didn't even say any words. She just screamed!" No doubt her father — the late, great Michael Landon — would be a proud papa, too.
"I was happy Jennifer was nominated because it would be
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You've got male: the men of The Ponderosa
Question: I've been watching Bonanza reruns and was wondering why it was eventually canceled. My dad says it was because Dan Blocker died. Is that true? Thanks for your help and keep up the good work!
Answer: Aw, heck — t'ain't nothin, but thanks for the kind words, Tim.
It's true that when Blocker died at 43 from surgical complications, many felt the heart and soul of the show went with him. But the show also dropped in the ratings after NBC moved it from its longtime Sunday-night berth to Tuesday night. The truth is that Bonanza most likely perished because its time had simply passed. Next to Gunsmoke, it was the longest-running Western on TV (from September 1959 to January 1973) and for much of that time it turned in phenomenal ratings. From 1964 to 1967, it was No. 1 and it only began to slip out
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