Michael Landon could be a friend or foe in entertainment. The “Little House on the Prairie” star loved celebrating his birthday on Halloween.
Landon, who was born on Oct. 31, 1936, and died on July 1, 1991, enjoyed throwing Halloween birthday parties for a rather unique reason. Kent McCray, a longtime friend of Landon and producer of many projects together, talked about those parties in a 2016 interview with Jeremy Roberts.
“He loved having a birthday on Halloween,” McCray, who died on June 3, 2018, said. “That meant any party he had he could dress up and be somebody different.”
McCray offers, as an example, Landon’s 50th birthday party on Halloween Eve 1986. He tells Roberts that his original plan was to go with his wife Susan and dress up like director Alfred Hitchcock.
‘Little House on the Prairie’ Star’s Friend Dressed Up Like Girl
But there was a hitch: McCray would have to take off his mask in order to have some drinks and food. That sent Hitchcock to the sidelines. What would he do now?
McCray said his wife “went through her closet and found an old skirt and wig.”
“Next we drove to a local store not far from where we lived in Malibu and found an old poodle,” he said. “Susan sewed the poodle onto the skirt so I could dress up like a girl.”
They went to the “Little House on the Prairie” star’s party. It was being held in a big tent next to a house Landon and his third wife Cindy hadn’t moved into yet.
“Cindy noticed me almost instantaneously and exclaimed, ‘God, you’ve gotta come see Michael!'” McCray said. “She brought me over to him, and he was talking to Johnny Carson and his wife.”
Landon Started Laughing Upon Seeing McCray’s Halloween Costume
What was Landon’s reaction? Well, he looked at McCray and started laughing.
“He couldn’t help it,” McCray said. “He introduced me to Johnny, who I had met before. Carson looked at me and said, ‘You’ve either got a lot of guts or you’re very secure!’ I said, ‘Well I happen to have a little of both.'”
Landon took every opportunity he could to dance with McCray, all dressed up like a girl.
“That’s what we did all night long,” McCray said. “He gave some great parties. It was just a wonderful night.”
Just one of those nights McCray held onto for a sweet memory of his friend and “Little House on the Prairie” star, Michael Landon.
