Talk:Melissa Gilbert

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Can't we get a better pic of her? Snoopy9 23:31, 23 May 2007 (UTC) snoopy9

How can someone be an adopted sister AND a half-sister? I'm modifying the article text because, well, that just seems silly. Manticore 18:20, 19 August 2005 (UTC)

I've heard Melissa was youngest person on WoF. Can anybody confirm & include it? Trekphiler 00:08, 22 December 2005 (UTC)

There seems to be some confusion about the ethnicity (not the religon) of Melissa Gilbert in the original statement that she is of "Jewish descent". Adam Sandler's famous hit The Chanukah Song states "Melissa Gilbert and Michael Landon never mix meat with dairy. Maybe they shoulda called that show Little Kosher House on the Prairie?"

But she was adopted into a show-biz family. Her adoptive father's birthname was Paul MacMahon [1]. (Why did he change his last name to Gilbert? Does anybody know? Was it for the same reason that Michael Keaton's real last name is Michael Douglas [2] -- see the first paragraph under "Trivia"?) Melissa Gilbert's grandfather is apparently Harry Crane [3]. Melissa's adoptive mother's name is merely listed as "Barbara Gilbert" [4]. Assume that the information is correct -- that Harry Crane is the grandfather, then one might conclude that Barbara's maiden name was Crane. There is a Barbara Crane [5] at the IMDB, but she is not listed as the adoptive mother of Melissa Gilbert, nor is she listed as the daughter of Harry Crane. Let us assume that Barbara Gilbert was ethnically Jewish. From what I understand of Jewish tradition (which is not much), if your mother is Jewish, then you are considered Jewish. Sara Gilbert, her "adoptive" sister, is said to be Jewish. This doesn't make Melissa necessarily of "Jewish descent". Does anybody have info on Melissa Gilbert's biological parents? Other than IMDB and nndb (which both are volunteer web sites like the Wikipedia), can anybody get their hands on definitive sources (see Wikipedia: Verifiability)?

4.228.216.41 19:00, 8 February 2006 (UTC)

It gets more complicated as I read more. Melissa Gilbert's sister, Sara Gilbert, is a famous actress in her own right, having starred on the sitcome Roseanne. Sara Gilbert's real name is actually Sara Abeles; she later changed her surname to "Gilbert "to match her adopted half-sister. Sara's biological mother had divorced Paul Gilbert (nee MacMahon) and married Harold Abeles. So is Harold Abeles Jewish, and this is why Sara Gilbert is considered Jewish? And then by association, everybody assumed that Melissa is Jewish as well? And Barbara Crane is not necessarily Jewish either?

4.228.216.41 20:14, 8 February 2006 (UTC)

No, Melissa says she's Jewish on her official site. [6]
  • "I see that you celebrate Christmas, what religion do you practice?

My family is Jewish, but I carry a knowledge and respect for all religions. I don't practice one specifically. " Vulturell 22:50, 8 February 2006 (UTC)

    • But I have to admit that this is another of those interesting showbiz mysteries. Let's see what we have so far:
  • Sara Gilbert
    • biological father: Harry Abeles
    • biological mother: Barbara Crane?

I think both Abeles and Crane are Jewish, so Sara Gilbert is "fully Jewish",

  • Melissa Gilbert
    • biological father: Unknown? I'm assuming it's not Paul Gilbert/MacMahon.
    • biological mother: Are we sure that it's not Barbara Crane?

Vulturell 23:42, 8 February 2006 (UTC)

  • IMDB says that Melissa is Sara's "half sister". Which leads me to believe that Barbara Crane is indeed both Melissa's and Sara's biological mother. Barbara Crane and Paul Gilbert divorced in 1972 - not clear when they were married, but I guess it could have been after Melissa's 1964 birth? So her biological father is someone else - quite possibly someone that Barbara Crane never married? As for Barbara Crane being Jewish, it seems likely. Harry Crane seems like a typical early 20th century NY-born Jewish comedian and I would venture that his wife, Lilian, (Barbara's mother) was probably Jewish, too. So Melissa's statement that "her family is Jewish" makes sense. I think the biggest question is what happened to Melissa's biological father? Vulturell 23:49, 8 February 2006 (UTC)
    • NNDB also says Crane was Gilbert's "mother", while listing Gilbert as her "adoptive father". I really think it's likely Crane is her natural mother. Vulturell 23:53, 8 February 2006 (UTC)
      • Barbara Crane Cowan is Melissa's "adoptive" mother. Apparently, she has been married at least three times (to Paul Gilbert, Harry Abeles, and currently Warren Cowan) and she's listed at imdb.com under her current name, Barbara Cowan [7]. Sara Gilbert is the biological daughter of Barbara and Harry Abeles. She is not biologically related to Melissa, but they were raised by the same mother, so I guess that is what the "half-sister" is referring to. Yahoo has a fairly comprehensive bio on Melissa [8]. 64.0.112.66 09:52, 17 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Walk like a star?

How old was she when she made it to the Walk of Fame? Is she still youngest, or have the Olsen Twits replaced her? Trekphiler 04:15, 25 May 2007 (UTC)