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Michael Landon had some odd jobs before he found fame on Bonanza
Hard work really does pay off—and in Landon's case, it paid well.
Celebrities, like everyone, didn’t start with the success they eventually achieved—they had to work for it. Few worked harder than Michael Landon, who played Little Joe Cartwright on Bonanza.
Before his success in the role, he worked a series of odd jobs while pursuing his ultimate dream of becoming a successful actor. According to a 1967 interview with The Register, that year Landon received a pay increase from $11,000 to $12,000 per episode.
Compared to today's actors, that paycheck may seem small, but compared to Landon's past career endeavors, it was an amount worth celebrating.
"It sure beats my last job, selling blankets door to door," Landon said.
In previous jobs, he handled hot cans in a soup cannery, worked in a ribbon factory, and washed cars. He was unloading freight cars when a fellow laborer, a part-time actor, asked Landon to do an acting test with him at Warner Bros.
Eventually, that one acting test with Warner Bros. led him to Bonanza, which gave him the financial security he needed to stop working odd jobs and focus on his acting career. He became so popular in his role that he received over 5,000 fan letters a week.
According to the interview, Landon and his family experienced many financial ups and downs during his childhood. He knew struggle, which made working on a long-running series like Bonanza even sweeter.
"I'd pick used Christmas cards out of trash cans, erase the names or paste labels over them, and sell them for two cents, a nickel, or a chocolate bar," Landon said. "Who could turn down a little kid?"
"I'd get old lamps at the dump, fix them, and sell tin foil and newspapers to junk dealers," Landon continued. "I'd have been a great junk man."
Luckily, selling and side hustles weren't in his future. His earnings from the series went into his home, office buildings, and beach properties, some of which he owned jointly with Lorne Greene and Dan Blocker.
He also made money writing scripts for Bonanza, which producers bought for $2,500 to $2,750 each. He never had to worry about money again. His hard work on Bonanza paid off and paid him well.
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