Melissa Gilbert marked the dismissal of the child sex charges against her husband, actor Timothy Busfield, with a memorable quote associated with one of Hollywood’s most cherished characters: Willy Wonka.
The 62-year-old Little House on the Prairie star posted the reflective words, “So shines a good deed in a weary world,” after a New Mexico judge dismissed the indictment against Busfield. He had been accused of inappropriately touching twin boys.
The phrase is best known from Gene Wilder’s performance in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. In the movie, Charlie Bucket earns Wonka’s respect by returning the Everlasting Gobstopper instead of using it to betray the candy maker.
The sentiment, however, dates back further than the classic film. It was drawn from William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, where the original line reads: “So shines a good deed in a naughty world.”
It is not known whether Gilbert was aware that her wording came from the film’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s line rather than from the playwright’s original text.
Her post appeared to acknowledge the end of a painful period marked by allegations, intense public attention and a legal fight that placed immense pressure on Busfield and his career.
The ruling came four months after Gilbert revealed that she had said an emotional farewell to the Manhattan apartment where she lived for eight years, relocating permanently upstate while Busfield continued his effort to defend himself.
Gilbert was visibly emotional in court in January when a judge ordered Busfield released from custody. She clasped her hands and whispered, “Thank you, God.”
Gilbert’s words, “So shines a good deed in a weary world,” were famously spoken by Gene Wilder in the 1971 movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
In June, Gilbert documented the move by sharing photos of boxes stacked throughout the couple’s one-bedroom Upper West Side home. One image showed the actress lying on the floor in the middle of the packing chaos.
“So long perfect little one bedroom apartment on the Upper West Side. The last eight years here have been so special,” she wrote at the time.
Her message carried a serious tone as she alluded to the difficult circumstances surrounding her husband’s legal case.
“I promise we will be back it’s just that right now…..well….you know,” Gilbert added, while also expressing excitement about beginning life in their upstate home.
Gilbert and Busfield, who married in 2013, faced major upheaval after the 69-year-old actor was accused of criminal sexual contact involving child actors connected to the television series The Cleaning Lady.
The case took a dramatic turn when State District Judge Joseph Montano dismissed the indictment, finding that prosecutorial misconduct and significant mistakes had undermined the grand jury proceedings.
The ruling, issued Friday, followed months of contentious legal arguments between prosecutors and Busfield’s defense attorneys.
Busfield, known for roles in The West Wing, Field of Dreams and Thirtysomething, has repeatedly denied the allegations.
Timothy Busfield secured a significant legal victory after a New Mexico judge dismissed the child sex abuse indictment, citing prosecutorial misconduct and problems with the grand jury process.
Gene Wilder delivered the celebrated line near the end of the 1971 classic, when Charlie Bucket demonstrated his honesty by returning the Everlasting Gobstopper.
In June, Melissa Gilbert was photographed lying among moving boxes as she packed up the Manhattan apartment she had called her “perfect little one bedroom.”
His attorney, Amanda Fayerberg, said the actor was ‘relieved and grateful’ after learning of the ruling.
But the dismissal does not necessarily mean his legal ordeal is over.
Prosecutors said they had not decided whether to seek another indictment, leaving open the possibility that the allegations could return to court.
The case originated from allegations involving twin boys who appeared on The Cleaning Lady, which Busfield directed in Albuquerque between 2022 and 2024.
Their parents alleged that Busfield had behaved inappropriately toward the children before the boys lost their roles on the production.
According to a January criminal complaint, one boy told investigators Busfield had touched his private areas over his clothing on occasions when he was seven and eight years old.
His twin brother also alleged inappropriate touching but did not identify where he had been touched.
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Busfield’s attorneys argued that the children initially denied inappropriate contact during police interviews and accused their parents of coaching them after the boys were dropped from the show.
The defense also cited an independent Warner Bros. investigation that according to Busfield’s lawyers, found no evidence of wrongdoing.
In April, Gilbert emotionally defended her husband Busfield after he pled not guilty to child sexual abuse charges
The legal showdown intensified in June when Busfield’s attorneys sought to have the indictment dismissed, accusing prosecutors of being ‘willfully blind to the lack of evidence.’
During a September hearing, Fayerberg played recordings of grand jurors requesting additional witnesses.
She argued that prosecutors had incorrectly told jurors subpoenas were necessary, despite the witnesses being ‘present, available and willing to testify.’
‘The state engaged in egregious prosecutorial misconduct,’ she declared.
Prosecutors disputed the defense’s characterization, arguing that Busfield had improperly attempted to influence the grand jury toward favorable testimony during his own three-hour appearance.
Busfield told jurors the accusations had devastated his personal and professional life, costing him work and his representation.
Asked directly about allegations that he had caressed the children, the actor delivered an emphatic denial.
‘I’m saying that is absolutely one gazillion percent untrue. Never ever.’
‘I know this man in my bones. No one knows him better than I do. I know literally everything about him,’ she expressed; seen in 2020 in NYC
The actress was later asked how the allegations against Busfield and the indictment have affected them, causing her to describe it as ‘hell’
Throughout the controversy, Gilbert has remained fiercely loyal to her husband, even as she acknowledged the enormous toll the accusations had taken.
In an emotional April interview with Good Morning America, she insisted she knew Busfield better than anyone.
‘I know this man in my bones. No one knows him better than I do. I know literally everything about him,’ she said.
‘I trust him with my children’s lives, I trust him with my grandchildren’s lives, my nieces and nephews. He is an honorable, caring, generous human being.’
But she also admitted the scandal had shattered their former existence.
‘Our life as we knew it is done,’ she said, adding: ‘We are grieving what we had.’
Gilbert admitted the scandal had been ‘the most traumatizing experience of our lives,’ fearing that even if her husband was exonerated, his Hollywood career might never recover (File)
The Little House On The Prairie star – who married The West Wing actor in 2013 – maintained her husband’s innocence while also revealing that she had known of his past sexual assault allegations before their marriage (they are seen together in December 2012)
Gilbert feared that even an eventual legal victory would not erase the damage to Busfield’s reputation.
‘He’s canceled… even if he’s exonerated, he will always be that guy,’ she said.
The actress temporarily disappeared from her personal Instagram account after the allegations emerged in January, before returning to the platform in May.
She was also seen crying in court when a judge ordered Busfield’s release from custody earlier this year, clasping her hands and whispering, ‘Thank you, God.’
Busfield’s attorney acknowledged the uncertainty still hanging over the couple.
‘We know this may not be the end,’ Fayerberg said. ‘If the State chooses to try again, Tim is ready, and so are those witnesses.’