To celebrate my latest interview with actor DEAN BUTLER (Episodes 73 & 74), who played Almanzo Wilder on the classic TV series “Little House On The Prairie” for the last four seasons of the family-friendly drama television series, I've put together this entertaining trivia list featuring some fun facts about this beloved television series for you to enjoy!
The show is loosely based on Laura Ingalls Wilder's best-selling series of Little House books.
In 1972, with the encouragement of his wife and daughter, television producer and former NBC executive Ed Friendly acquired the film and television rights to Wilder's novels from Roger Lea MacBride and engaged Blanche Hanalis to write the teleplay for a two-hour motion picture pilot. Friendly then asked Michael Landon to direct the pilot; Landon agreed on the condition that he may also play Charles Ingalls.
The pilot, which first aired on March 30, 1974, was based on Laura Ingalls Wilder's third Little House book, Little House on the Prairie. The rest of the regular series premiered on the NBC network on September 11, 1974, and last aired on May 10, 1982.
Karen Grassle, who played Caroline “Ma” Ingalls, auditioned for the show under her stage name Gabriel Tree. Michael Landon reportedly wanted a more wholesome, less “hippy-dippy” name and asked her to change back to her given name.
After MGM acquired the show from Paramount, the crew tore up old sets that were used for MGM productions to make room for the new sets that were needed for the show. When Michael Landon removed flooring from one of the old sets, he uncovered the Yellow Brick Road from "The Wizard of Oz" (1939), which was still intact. Melissa Gilbert and the other kids got extremely excited when they recognized it.
Michael Landon wore four-inch lifts in the series.
Dean Butler portrayed Laura’s husband, Almanzo, on the series. However, he also continued his acting career well into his adulthood. One of his more notable roles was Hank Summers, father of the titular character in the TV series Buffy, the Vampire Slayer.
According to Alison Arngrim's autobiography "Confessions of a Prairie Bitch," Katherine McGregor was a nice lady, but a disruptive element on set. She would argue with the directors and try to give other actors and actresses direction. Even her onscreen husband, Richard Bull, had to put his foot down about it. Michael Landon seriously considered firing her, but her performance as the show's villain was just too perfect to let her go.
Back in the 1800s, one of the main evening meals was beef stew. Throughout the series, when the Ingalls sat down to eat, they ate Dinty Moore Beef Stew. If they had fried chicken for dinner, it was Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Lindsay and Sydney Greenbush, the twins who played Carrie Ingalls, often took turns onscreen due to child labor laws. During filming, one of the girls tripped on her way down the hill and tumbled to the bottom. The director thought it was adorable, and used the clip
Michael Landon had a unique way of inspiring child actors and actresses to cry when required for a scene. Melissa Gilbert described how he would work himself up emotionally, face her with his eyes full of tears and ask her, "Do you know how much I love you?" to which she would get all teary and emotional in response.
According to Karen Grassle, Michael Landon considered his television son Matthew Laborteaux as his actual son.
Alison Arngrim originally auditioned for the role of Laura Ingalls, then for Mary Ingalls. When she auditioned for Nellie Olson, she was hired on the spot.
Alison Arngrim and Melissa Gilbert were good friends in real life. They used to play territory wars on the set.
Some of the episodes written by Michael Landon were recycled storylines from ones that he had written for Bonanza.
The show was a hit in its first season. In its second season, ratings dropped so low that the show was in danger of cancellation. NBC moved it from Wednesday to Monday nights to attract a wider audience, and the ratings recovered in its third season. NBC intended to end the show after its fourth season, but the ratings stayed high enough to renew the show for a fifth season. It remained in the top thirty until it was finally cancelled in 1983.
Michael Landon did not know how to play a fiddle.
Out of the many young girls who auditioned for the role of Laura Ingalls, Michael Landon was so certain that Melissa Gilbert was the perfect candidate that hers was the only screentest he sent to the producers at NBC.
Dean Butler remarked that the first kiss between him and Melissa Gilbert was so nerve-racking for everyone that there were chaperones on the set to make sure nothing unseemly was going on. From the sidelines, Melissa's mother Barbara was wailing "My baby!" so much, that she had to be consoled.
Although based on the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, the show took many liberties with different characters. Albert Ingalls, the Garveys, and Adam Kendall never existed. Mary Ingalls went to a school for the blind, but she never married. In real life, Carrie Ingalls became a successful real estate agent.
During the 1982–83 television season, with the departure of Landon and Grassle, a sequel series, generally considered Season Nine for syndicated packages, was broadcast with the new title Little House: A New Beginning.
Melissa Gilbert appeared in 191 episodes, more than anyone else. Michael Landon appeared in 177 episodes.
The character Charles Ingalls was ranked number four in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" (June 20, 2004 issue).
The theme music was penned by David Rose, who wrote many themes. However, he is best known for the 1962 Burlesque classic, The Stripper. He wrote the instantly recognizable theme of BONANZA.
In addition to all her semi-autobiographical books about herself, Laura Ingalls wrote a book about her husband, Almonzo Wilder, called "Farmer Boy."
Each 45 minute episode took, on average, seven days to shoot requiring four days on location at Big Sky Ranch in Simi Valley for 'Walnut Grove' exteriors (and various Hollywood studio backlots for "Sleepy Eye", "Mankato" "Winoka", etc.), and three days in the studio for all interiors.
Karen Grassle has talked in interviews about Michael Landon's decision to blow up the Walnut Grove set as a protest against NBC, who decided to cancel the show. She has said Landon blowing up the set was very sad, and she "wishes he hadn't done that."
In between scenes, Michael Landon organized ballgames and horseshoe contests with his young co-stars. He also targeted them for some outrageous pranks.
March 30th, 2024, marked the 50th anniversary of Little House on the Prairie, when the pilot episode premiered, on that date, in 1974, on NBC.
Trivia items from IMDB & Wikipedia
To listen to my fascinating conversation with actor Dean Butler (Episodes 73 & 74), who played Almanzo Wilder on the classic TV series “Little House On The Prairie”, on my podcast - click on the links below. Enjoy!
Episode 73 - HERE
Episode 74 - HERE
