Michael Landon Film Gives A Frustrated Son's Perspective

"Michael Landon, The Father I Knew," a new television movie starring John Schneider and Cheryl Ladd, will be broadcast as the "CBS Sunday Movie," May 23 at 9 p.m. on KIRO-TV.

Michael Landon Jr. directed the film, which is based on his true story, a very personal account that reveals the relationship between a beloved television star and the son who idolized him.

In the film, theirs is the kind of family everyone dreams of having. Michael Landon Sr. (Schneider) is wildly successful, the star of the hit television show "Bonanza." He is married to his second wife, Lynn (Ladd), and is a devoted husband and father, with a public image beyond reproach.

For Mike Jr., it's a time of feeling loved and protected. However, it's another story for Landon's children by his first marriage. They have an absentee father whose attention has definitely turned towards his new family.

Eventually, Michael Sr. shows a temper , stemming from the pressures of stardom and unresolved issues from his childhood. He is also showing signs that his marriage is failing and, when he meets and begins to see a young make-up artist on the show, his union with Lynn becomes increasingly strained.

Then Mike Sr.'s affair hits the front pages of a supermarket tabloid for all the world to see. The effects are devastating for Mike Jr., his sister, Leslie, and their mother.

Lynn initially hopes to save the marriage but, when she realizes it's over, she finds the strength to pick up the pieces and go on. Mike Jr. doesn't fare as well. He watches his father start a new life and leave his second family behind. He turns to drugs and alcohol until he hits bottom, alienating himself from all those he desperately wants to hold dear.