Melissa Francis (Cassandra)

Thanks for the link, I'm glad things worked out well for her, for some it doesn't.

She seems a very optimistic lady, plenty of sense of humor...Thanks for the link, David!

Vanesa.

I got a notice her book is shipping, should get in Nov 1st. Will update after I have a chance to read it.

Mine was shipped today.

Let us know what you think of it, Cheryl!

Received my book on Friday of last week. Man, that was fast!!! Haven't had a chance to start it yet, but will soon!

She's so pretty!

You are really lucky! Please, tell us how the book is after you've read it!

Vanesa.

You can read some on Amazon...they give you a sneak peek.
http://www.amazon.com/Diary-Stage-Mothers-Daughter-Memoir/dp/1602861722/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1351637789&sr=8-1#reader_1602861722
I think pg 48 starts the Michael Landon meeting. I laughed when she called, what must have been Cindy a "barbie doll" that was with Michael. : ) The hair and makeup was interesting too and how Michael perceived her "look". You can see how demanding he was but nice.

cool

I read the free excerpt. I don't think there will be a lot more about LHOP, but she covered quite a bit in those chapters although I realize an occasional page was missing. (they do want you to buy it) I know her memory had to be helped a little bit, she was so young, but Michael did seem to be the last word and I like how she tells about how they shoot, etc.
I also like her honesty about not liking the show then and how it seemed to someone her age. I guess Michael didn't realize "new blood" isn't always the best thing, you can't always make someone "an Ingall's" as he put it. It worked with Albert because Laura was still young, but later, I think it in my opinion, it didn't because it was more obvious what he was doing.

I might wait and get it on sale, sounds like it will be depressing with her Mom, I'll see.

I never realized the clothes were so uncomfortable for the children, maybe that could have been helped a bit, I don't know.
When she talks about her first crying episode, I wont go into detail, might explain why they overused it later, some fans say she cried too much.

I remember sometimes seeing sweat stains on the girls dresses at school even when it wasn't supposed to be hot. I would have lasted 5 minutes when it was warm, they would have to hold my wardrobe until they were shooting. :)

Praire Girl wrote:

I remember sometimes seeing sweat stains on the girls dresses at school even when it wasn't supposed to be hot. I would have lasted 5 minutes when it was warm, they would have to hold my wardrobe until they were shooting. :)

I've once read that Allison Arngrim collapsed in the first season of the show, because she wasn't used to these kind of clothes in the middle of California's summer. Yes..the poor little thing fainted!

Vanesa.

I got the book today and read the rest of the LHOP pages. It was what I expected, maybe a little less. She mentioned playing with the Greenbush Twins and how hot it was, little tidbits about Michael, no mention of Karen or Matt or others. She was on a short time, but I think most people knew trying to copy exactly what worked before, wouldn't work again...they wanted little Laura and Nellie, not replacements.

I did find one tidbit odd, that the candy in the mercantile was old, never really changed...for some reason I thought for the staff, it would be fresh. : )

I'll read the rest over the next week or so. I knew LHOP would be short, but it confirmed some things.

littlehouselover wrote:

I got the book today and read the rest of the LHOP pages. It was what I expected, maybe a little less. She mentioned playing with the Greenbush Twins and how hot it was, little tidbits about Michael, no mention of Karen or Matt or others. She was on a short time, but I think most people knew trying to copy exactly what worked before, wouldn't work again...they wanted little Laura and Nellie, not replacements.

I did find one tidbit odd, that the candy in the mercantile was old, never really changed...for some reason I thought for the staff, it would be fresh. : )

That must have been gross for Willy and Nellie, who were constantly stuffing there faces with it

Oh yes, I hope for them, they got "fresh" stuff on the top. : ) She said they would keep trying the candy bins, as kids do, "just in case".

It was sad to see the show gasping for air, but it's easy to "Monday morning quarterback". It just seemed so obvious you can't duplicate, you can't fool fans into thinking, "Oh Cassandra is just like Laura". But Michael was going through a lot with his personal life at the time also and as Melissa alluded too, the tabloids, etc. were not kind about his "womanizing" as she put it. Although she felt playing an angel didn't seem logical at the time, fans liked it and it was more about others than Jonathan when he left Little House behind forever to do Highway to Heaven.

I'm grateful for the years LHOP was on, and although Melissa Francis was surprised at the fans and love of the show, she was young and like other actors, it was another show. When it touches you somewhere, it isn't just another show.

So it was mostly about Michael and Jason? I realize she was probably too young to remember much, the remembrance about the first scenees seem right out of script, but it was interesting.
No mention of any adults though?

She mentioned Michael of course, that MG was "old", Nancy, and her pretty but uncomfortable dresses, her TV brother Jason, the twins, she liked to play with (not Grace though) No mention of her TV Mom, brother or other cast members.
I know she had many scenes with them, but maybe it just wasn't that memorable to her. There were some pics of the family though.

She touched on the sets more, Simi and the inside set, how they did fake snow, the heat, her mother's reaction to everything. She adored her being on the show.

Praire Girl wrote:

So it was mostly about Michael and Jason? I realize she was probably too young to remember much, the remembrance about the first scenees seem right out of script, but it was interesting.
No mention of any adults though?

Well; she was not too young. I remember vividly thinks of my first day of class when I was six, anecdotes from Kindergarten, a lot of details of my daily life when I was 4 and some of the shows I used to watch in TV...Don't forget that MIssy Francis would see MNichael Landon in a daily basis, so she could very well remember a lot of details about him and Jason too.

Vanesa.

Yes, she liked Jason, but he played with other kids. The "extras" kept the kids busy. I remember scenes of grade school, things that stuck out to me, but maybe it just wasn't such a big deal to her or she was trying to be kind by not saying anything. The book was about her mother and her and she did talk about her mother's reaction to the show, how she said it was "a big deal!", not to let Jason "steal her thunder" although she didn't know what that meant at the time. Michael did have an episode or two about him, she never had one really.
Michael was the boss and demanding but nice, and did gross things like putting a frog in his mouth with them too...not my sense of humor but it was 'him". He liked "one take" and called her the the 'one take kid" which is why maybe some scenes weren't "fixed" when there was something off that we catch now. He thought of it as saving money. When he deliberately messed up a take to be funny, it was HIS idea. : )
The filming out of sequence was touched on a few times, something most people do, but to do a scene where you a in shock over your parents death, then being adopted, then being with your parents and watching your parents die, must have seemed odd.

EDiT: I did see this interview where she does mention that Matt was helpful to her and kind.
http://www.zunshine.com/littlehouse/francis.html

I've read this interview but it was so long ago that I had forgoptten most of it was about.

O laughed when I read that MIssy was amazed when she saw Michael Landon in XX Century clothes!

Vanesa.

"Diary of a Stage Mother's Daughter: a Memoir" (Weinstein Books), Melissa Francis

From Brooke Shields to Lindsay Lohan and even "Modern Family" actress Ariel Winter, the idea of someone having a "stage mom" is commonplace in our lexicon.

Fox Business Network anchor Melissa Francis isn't just familiar with the term, she lived it.

Francis grew up a child actress, landing a full-time role on "Little House on the Prairie" when she was 8 years old.

What people might not know is that her mother was so invested in her daughter's show-biz career that she was often manipulative and selfish.

Francis writes about her own "Mommy Dearest" experience in the memoir, "Diary of a Stage Mother's Daughter." She tells how her mother was like a drill sergeant, making sure she was prepared and punctual for auditions and jobs, while at home, the conditions were often that of squalor. Laundry would pile up, often there was no food in the refrigerator, and when Francis wasn't working, her mother would fall into a deep depression.

There are tales in the book of how her mother tried to keep Francis' earnings a secret, and how she took her daughter to be emancipated at age 15 so she would be competitive and able to work more hours.

Interwoven with memories of Hollywood are examples of how Francis' older sister, Tiffany, was often the forgotten child and began to act out as a result. As Francis grows up and wants to focus on being a college student, her sister regresses and becomes more dependent on her parents.

"Diary of a Stage Mother's Daughter" is not only a fascinating read but also a sad one because it's the story of a family's destruction.

Ultimately it's also an inspiring story, as Melissa Francis' strength and determination to become more than just a former child star is nothing short of commendable.


Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/nov/14/review-francis-book-is-a-diary-worth-a-read/#ixzz2CDOdnMd9
- vcstar.com

Wow, that is very interesting. It makes me so sad for her, hearing that she grew up that way.

Even ig my mother would be so mean to me, I didn't thionk I could write bad about her in a book for everyone to read about. I never really liked to read all those "children's stars revelations". They seems almost obscene to me...

Vanesa.