Blanche Hanalis

Veteran TV writer known for warm-hearted family fare, biopics of great women and tales of remarkable little girls. Hanalis's greatest success was in developing the long-running TV series "Little House on the Prairie," which made former "Bonanza" star Michael Landon into a TV writer/director of renown. Her first major job in the industry was as staff writer on the fondly remembered 1960s fantasy spoof, "My Favorite Martian," starring Ray Walston and Bill Bixby. Much of Hanalis's subsequent work involved literary adaptations, usually in period settings. Other TV movie credits include "Christmas Eve" (1986), "Big Bend Country" (1981), "Portrait of a Rebel: Margaret Sanger" (1980), "Little Lord Fauntleroy" (1980), "My Africa" (1988), "Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story" (1978) and "Young Pioneers" (1976).