Little House on the Prairie is an American
WesternThe Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
drama television seriesDramatic programming in the UK, or television drama and television drama series in the US, is television program content that is scripted and fictional along the lines of √a traditional drama. This excludes, for example, sports television, television news, reality show and game shows, stand-up...
, starring
Michael LandonMichael Landon was an American actor, writer, director, and producer. He is widely known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza , Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie , and Jonathan Smith in Highway to Heaven...
and
Melissa GilbertMelissa Ellen Gilbert is an American actress, writer, and producer, primarily in movies and television. Gilbert is best known as a child actress who co-starred as Charles Ingalls's second daughter, Laura Ingalls Wilder, on the dramatic television series Little House on the Prairie...
, about a family living on a farm in
Walnut Grove, MinnesotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 599 people, 291 households, and 178 families residing in the city. The population density was 577.7 people per square mile . There were 341 housing units at an average density of 328.9 per square mile...
, in the 1870s and 1880s. The show was an adaptation of
Laura Ingalls WilderLaura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder was an American author who wrote the Little House series of books based on her childhood in a pioneer family...
's best-selling series of
Little HouseLittle House is a series of children's books by Laura Ingalls Wilder that was published originally between 1932 and 1943, with four additional books published posthumously, in 1962, 1971, 1974 and 2006.-History:...
books. Television producer and
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
executive
Ed FriendlyEdwin "Ed" S. Friendly Jr. was a multiple-Emmy-nominated television producer who was responsible for creating several successful television programs, including Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Little House on the Prairie, and Backstairs at the White House.Ed Friendly served with the United States Army...
became aware of this enduring story in the early 1970s. He asked Michael Landon to direct the pilot movie, who agreed on the condition that he could also play
Charles IngallsCharles Phillip Ingalls was the father of Laura Ingalls Wilder, known for her Little House on the Prairie series of books...
.
The regular series was preceded by a
two-hour pilot movieLittle House on the Prairie is a 1974 television film which is considered to be the pilot to the Little House on the Prairie tv-series...
that first aired on March 30, 1974. The series began on the NBC network on September 11, 1974, and ended on May 10, 1982. During the 1982-83 television season, with the departure of Michael Landon and Karen Grassle, the series was broadcast with the new title
Little House: A New Beginning.
In 1997,
TV GuideTV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
ranked the two-part episode "I'll Be Waving As You Drive Away" #97 on its 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.
Detail
Although it differed from the original books and many new characters and situations were added, this television series was one of the few long-running successful dramatic family shows (and it is still in syndication). Although predominantly a drama, the program did have some comedic moments, thanks to supporting cast members Mr. Edwards (played by
Victor FrenchVictor Edwin French was an American actor and director.-Early career:Born in Santa Barbara, California,...
) and the Oleson family: Nels Oleson (
Richard BullRichard Bull is an American film actor, stage actor and television actor.He is best known for his performance as Nels Oleson, the kindly proprietor of Oleson's Mercantile and the long suffering husband of his wife Harriet on the NBC TV series Little House on the Prairie which aired from 1974 to...
), Harriet Oleson (
Katherine MacGregorKatherine "Scottie" MacGregor is an American television actress. She is best-known for her comic performance as Harriet Oleson from 1974 to 1983 on the NBC television series Little House on the Prairie.Mrs...
), Willie Oleson (
Jonathan GilbertJonathan J. Gilbert is an American former film and television actor.-Life and career:Gilbert is best known for his performance as Willie Oleson on the NBC TV series, Little House on the Prairie, from 1974 to 1983...
), Nellie Oleson (
Alison ArngrimAlison Margaret Arngrim is an American actress, stand-up comedian and author.Arngrim's father, Thor Arngrim, was a well-known Hollywood manager...
), and their adopted child, Nancy Oleson (
Allison BalsonAllison Balson is an American actress, who is also a published singer and songwriter. Her best known role was Nancy Oleson on the Little House on the Prairie series which she held between 1981 and 1983...
).
The show's central characters are Charles Ingalls (
Michael LandonMichael Landon was an American actor, writer, director, and producer. He is widely known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza , Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie , and Jonathan Smith in Highway to Heaven...
), farmer and patriarch, with his wife, Caroline (
Karen GrassleKaren Grassle is an American actress, best known for her role as Caroline Ingalls, the wife of Michael Landon's character and the mother of Melissa Gilbert's character, on the Little House on the Prairie TV series.-Early career:She graduated from Ventura High School in 1959 , serving as the...
), and four daughters, Mary (
Melissa Sue AndersonMelissa Sue Anderson is an American-Canadian actress. She played the role of Mary Ingalls on the NBC television series Little House on the Prairie. She starred on the show from 1974 until 1981, leaving after Season 7, but later appeared in 2 episodes of Season 8 in late 1981. She won an Emmy...
), Laura (
Melissa GilbertMelissa Ellen Gilbert is an American actress, writer, and producer, primarily in movies and television. Gilbert is best known as a child actress who co-starred as Charles Ingalls's second daughter, Laura Ingalls Wilder, on the dramatic television series Little House on the Prairie...
), Carrie (
Lindsay and Sidney GreenbushRachel Lindsay Rene Bush and Sidney Robyn Danae Bush - former child actresses. Born to actor Billy Green Bush and Carole Kay Bush...
) and Grace (
Wendi and Brenda TurnbaughWendi Lou Turnbaugh and Brenda Lea Turnbaugh - former child actresses; identical twins from San Fernando Valley, California....
), later adding adopted children Albert (
Matthew LaborteauxMatthew Laborteaux is an American actor who has starred in television and film. He is perhaps best known for portraying the character Albert Quinn Ingalls on the hit NBC series Little House on the Prairie from 1976 to 1983....
), Cassandra (
Missy FrancisMelissa Ann Francis is an American television journalist and news anchor for CNBC. Melissa is the co-anchor of CNBC's morning show, The Call and MSNBC’s It’s the Economy. She is a frequent contributor to NBC’s Today Show and Weekend Today Show...
) and James (
Jason BatemanJason Kent Bateman is an American television and film actor. After appearing in several 1980s and 1990s sitcoms including It's Your Move, and The Hogan Family, Bateman came to prominence in the early 2000s for playing Michael Bluth on Arrested Development, for which he won a TV Land, a Golden...
).
Other essential characters included the friendly Nels Oleson, proprietor of the town's general store, Oleson's Mercantile; his malicious, gossiping wife, Harriet; and their two spoiled children, Nellie and Willie; and later, their adopted child, Nancy (
Allison BalsonAllison Balson is an American actress, who is also a published singer and songwriter. Her best known role was Nancy Oleson on the Little House on the Prairie series which she held between 1981 and 1983...
). Also appearing in the series are former professional football player
Merlin OlsenMerlin Jay Olsen was an American football player in the National Football League, NFL commentator, and actor. He played his entire 15-year career with the Los Angeles Rams and was elected to the Pro Bowl in 14 of those seasons, a current record shared with Bruce Matthews...
(as Jonathan Garvey),
Dabbs GreerRobert William "Dabbs" Greer was an American actor who performed many diverse supporting roles in film and television for some fifty years. His distinctive, southern-accented voice fitted well in shows featuring rustic characters, such as westerns...
(as Reverend Robert Alden),
Karl SwensonKarl Swenson was an American theatre, radio, film, and television actor.-Biography:Born in Brooklyn, New York of Swedish parentage, Swenson made several appearances with Pierre-Luc Michaud on Broadway in the 1930s and 40s, including the title role in Arthur Miller's first production, The Man Who...
(as Lars Hanson, the town's founder and proprietor of the town's mill), and
Kevin Hagen (as Dr. Hiram Baker, the town's physician).
Malcolm in the MiddleMalcolm in the Middle is an American television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Network. The series was first broadcast on January 9, 2000, and ended its six-and-a-half-year run on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes...
creator
Linwood BoomerLinwood Boomer is a Canadian-American television producer, writer, and actor. He is well known for playing the role of Adam Kendall on the drama Little House on the Prairie, and for creating the Fox sitcom Malcolm in the Middle....
appears as Mary Ingalls's teacher-turned-husband, Adam Kendall, whom she meets at the school for the blind in the 1978-1979 season. In the sixth season,
Dean ButlerDean Butler was born May 20, 1956, in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada, is an American movie and television actor and producer of documentaries....
joined the cast as
Almanzo WilderAlmanzo James Wilder was the husband of Laura Ingalls Wilder and father of Rose Wilder Lane, both noted U.S. writers.- Early life :...
, and he and Laura are married in the seventh season premiere.
Michael Landon directed the largest number of episodes (87); producer William F. Claxton handled the majority of the remaining shows (68). Co-star Victor French helmed 19 episodes. Maury Dexter directed only a handful.
The series theme song was titled
The Little House and was written and conducted by
David RoseDavid Rose was a British-born American songwriter, composer, arranger, pianist, and orchestra leader. His most famous compositions were "The Stripper", "Holiday for Strings", and "Calypso Melody"...
. The ending theme music, also written by Rose, originally appeared as a piece of incidental music in a later-season episode of
Bonanza.
As with most TV series set in a distant time or place, historical inaccuracies and errors do appear. At the end of the episode "Country Girls" an airplane can be heard flying overhead.
Little House on the Prairie was largely filmed on
Big Sky RanchBig Sky Ranch is a movie ranch located in Simi Valley, California. It has been widely used for the filming of Western television and film productions....
at
Simi Valley, California-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Simi Valley had a population of 124,237. The population density was 2,940.8 people per square mile...
and as a result camera vistas sometimes pick up rugged
chaparralChaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
terrain, far too mountainous and scrubby for Minnesota. One episode even depicted Laura running away and climbing up a mountain. California's oak
savannaA savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
s appears in many of the scenes and are considered to be representative of the real
Walnut GroveAs of the census of 2000, there were 599 people, 291 households, and 178 families residing in the city. The population density was 577.7 people per square mile . There were 341 housing units at an average density of 328.9 per square mile...
. Dr. Baker's telephone was an anachronism since the telephone only existed in large cities in the 1880s. Also during the series run, several married women take teaching jobs during an era when only single women could teach. Several episodes mentioned peanut butter sandwiches, which were not introduced until the early 1900s. Another episode ("Wave Of The Future", from season eight) shows an elderly man, ostensibly Colonel Harland Sanders, attempting to sell his restaurant franchise to Mrs. Oleson. Sanders was actually born in 1890. In the episode titled "A Wiser Heart" Laura Ingalls Wilder attends an 1885 lecture by
Ralph Waldo EmersonRalph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century...
, however Emerson died in 1882.
Themes
Little House explored many themes and every episode was filled with family values, love, friendship, and faith. Adoption, alcoholism, racism and blindness were portrayed in the scripts. Some plots also included subjects such as drug addiction (i.e.
morphineMorphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
), leukemia, prejudice, and even rape.
Several of the episodes written by Michael Landon, were recycled storylines from ones that he had written for
BonanzaBonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
. Such as: season two's "A Matter of Faith", based on the
Bonanza episode "A Matter of Circumstance"; season five's "Someone Please Love Me", based on the
Bonanza episode "A Dream To Dream"; season seven's "The Silent Cry", based on the
Bonanza episode "The Sound of Sadness"; season eight's "He Was Only Twelve", based on the
Bonanza episode "He Was Only Seven"; and season nine's "Little Lou", based on the
Bonanza episode "It's A Small World."
Cast
Melissa Gilbert appeared in the majority of
Little House episodes, and stayed throughout the entire run. She was absent for thirteen episodes, for a total of 190/203 episodes. Michael Landon appeared in every episode except four for the first eight seasons, then departed from the cast (when the show was retooled as
Little House: A New Beginning), for a total of 179/203 episodes.
- Michael Landon
Michael Landon was an American actor, writer, director, and producer. He is widely known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza , Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie , and Jonathan Smith in Highway to Heaven...
as Charles IngallsCharles Phillip Ingalls was the father of Laura Ingalls Wilder, known for her Little House on the Prairie series of books...
(1974–1983)
- Karen Grassle
Karen Grassle is an American actress, best known for her role as Caroline Ingalls, the wife of Michael Landon's character and the mother of Melissa Gilbert's character, on the Little House on the Prairie TV series.-Early career:She graduated from Ventura High School in 1959 , serving as the...
as Caroline Quiner IngallsCaroline Ingalls, born Caroline Lake Quiner was the mother of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the Little House books.-Biography:...
(1974–1982)
- Melissa Gilbert
Melissa Ellen Gilbert is an American actress, writer, and producer, primarily in movies and television. Gilbert is best known as a child actress who co-starred as Charles Ingalls's second daughter, Laura Ingalls Wilder, on the dramatic television series Little House on the Prairie...
as Laura Ingalls WilderLaura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder was an American author who wrote the Little House series of books based on her childhood in a pioneer family...
(1974–1983)
- Melissa Sue Anderson
Melissa Sue Anderson is an American-Canadian actress. She played the role of Mary Ingalls on the NBC television series Little House on the Prairie. She starred on the show from 1974 until 1981, leaving after Season 7, but later appeared in 2 episodes of Season 8 in late 1981. She won an Emmy...
as Mary Ingalls KendallMary Amelia Ingalls was born near the town of Pepin, Wisconsin. She was the first child of Caroline and Charles Ingalls...
(1974–1981)
- Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush
Rachel Lindsay Rene Bush and Sidney Robyn Danae Bush - former child actresses. Born to actor Billy Green Bush and Carole Kay Bush...
as Carrie IngallsCaroline Celestia "Carrie" Ingalls Swanzey was the third child of Charles and Caroline Ingalls, and was born in Montgomery County, Kansas...
(1974–1982)
- Richard Bull
Richard Bull is an American film actor, stage actor and television actor.He is best known for his performance as Nels Oleson, the kindly proprietor of Oleson's Mercantile and the long suffering husband of his wife Harriet on the NBC TV series Little House on the Prairie which aired from 1974 to...
as Nels Oleson (1974–1983)
- Katherine MacGregor
Katherine "Scottie" MacGregor is an American television actress. She is best-known for her comic performance as Harriet Oleson from 1974 to 1983 on the NBC television series Little House on the Prairie.Mrs...
as Harriet Oleson (1974–1983)
- Alison Arngrim
Alison Margaret Arngrim is an American actress, stand-up comedian and author.Arngrim's father, Thor Arngrim, was a well-known Hollywood manager...
as Nellie Oleson Simms Dalton (1974–1981, 1982)
- Jonathan Gilbert
Jonathan J. Gilbert is an American former film and television actor.-Life and career:Gilbert is best known for his performance as Willie Oleson on the NBC TV series, Little House on the Prairie, from 1974 to 1983...
as Willie Oleson (1974–1983)
- Victor French
Victor Edwin French was an American actor and director.-Early career:Born in Santa Barbara, California,...
as Isaiah Edwards (1974–1977, 1979, 1981–1983)
- Bonnie Bartlett
Bonnie Bartlett is an American television and film actress. Her career spans over 50 years, with her first major role being on a 1950s daytime drama, Love of Life. She is best known for her role as Ellen Craig on the medical drama series St. Elsewhere. She and her husband, actor William Daniels,...
as Grace Snider Edwards (1974–1977, 1979)
- Kevin Hagen as Dr. Hiram Baker (1974–1983)
- Dabbs Greer
Robert William "Dabbs" Greer was an American actor who performed many diverse supporting roles in film and television for some fifty years. His distinctive, southern-accented voice fitted well in shows featuring rustic characters, such as westerns...
as Rev. Robert Alden (1974–1983)
- Charlotte Stewart
Charlotte Stewart is an American film and television actress.She is most famous for her role as the schoolmarm 'Miss Beadle' on Little House on the Prairie and her work with director David Lynch....
as Eva Beadle Simms (1974–1978)
- Karl Swenson
Karl Swenson was an American theatre, radio, film, and television actor.-Biography:Born in Brooklyn, New York of Swedish parentage, Swenson made several appearances with Pierre-Luc Michaud on Broadway in the 1930s and 40s, including the title role in Arthur Miller's first production, The Man Who...
as Lars Hanson (1974–1978)
- Radames Pera
Radames Perá is an American actor who is best known for his role as the young Kwai Chang Caine in the 1972-1975 television series Kung Fu.-Biography:...
as John (Sanderson, Jr.) Edwards (1975–1977)
- Brian Part
Brian Part was an American child actor best known for his role of the adopted son of Mr. Edwards on television's Little House on the Prairie. He now writes and performs music with his wife Melody Part.-Biography:Part first developed an interest in acting at the age of five...
as Carl (Sanderson) Edwards (1975–1977)
- Kyle Richards
Kyle Egan Richards is an American actress and television personality. She is known for returning to television with her sister, Kim Richards, on Bravo's The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.-Early life:...
as Alicia (Sanderson) Edwards (1975–1977, 1979, 1982)
- Merlin Olsen
Merlin Jay Olsen was an American football player in the National Football League, NFL commentator, and actor. He played his entire 15-year career with the Los Angeles Rams and was elected to the Pro Bowl in 14 of those seasons, a current record shared with Bruce Matthews...
as Jonathan Garvey (1977–1981)
- Hersha Parady
Hersha Parady is an American actress best known for her role of Alice Garvey in Little House on the Prairie.- Career :Parady began her career in television with guest-appearances in Mannix and The Waltons...
as Alice Garvey (1977–1980)
- Patrick Laborteaux
Patrick Labyorteaux is an American actor. He is best known for his roles of Andrew Garvey on the NBC series Little House on the Prairie as well as Bud Roberts on the hit CBS series JAG.-Life and career:...
as Andrew "Andy" Garvey (1977–1981)
- Matthew Laborteaux
Matthew Laborteaux is an American actor who has starred in television and film. He is perhaps best known for portraying the character Albert Quinn Ingalls on the hit NBC series Little House on the Prairie from 1976 to 1983....
as Albert (Quinn) IngallsAlbert Quinn Ingalls was a character on the U.S. television series, Little House On The Prairie. The role, which was not historically a part of the Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, was played by actor Matthew Laborteaux....
(1978–1982, 1983) and as young Charles Ingalls
- Linwood Boomer
Linwood Boomer is a Canadian-American television producer, writer, and actor. He is well known for playing the role of Adam Kendall on the drama Little House on the Prairie, and for creating the Fox sitcom Malcolm in the Middle....
as Adam Kendall (1978–1981)
- Ketty Lester
Ketty Lester is an American singer and actress, who is best known for her 1962 hit single, "Love Letters", which reached the Top 5 of the charts in both the United States and the United Kingdom.-Life and career:...
as Hester-Sue Terhune (1978–1983)
- Wendi and Brenda Turnbaugh
Wendi Lou Turnbaugh and Brenda Lea Turnbaugh - former child actresses; identical twins from San Fernando Valley, California....
as Grace IngallsGrace Pearl Ingalls Dow was the fifth and last child of Caroline and Charles Ingalls. She was the youngest sister of Laura Ingalls Wilder, known for her Little House on the Prairie books.-Biography:...
(1978–1982)
- Dean Butler
Dean Butler was born May 20, 1956, in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada, is an American movie and television actor and producer of documentaries....
as Almanzo WilderAlmanzo James Wilder was the husband of Laura Ingalls Wilder and father of Rose Wilder Lane, both noted U.S. writers.- Early life :...
(1979–1983)
- Lucy Lee Flippin
Lucy Lee Flippin is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her performance as Eliza Jane Wilder on the TV series Little House on the Prairie. She also played Fran Castleberry, the sister of Polly Holliday's character on the show Flo...
as Eliza Jane Wilder (1979–1982)
- Steve Tracy
Steve Tracy was an American film and television actor. Tracy is best known for his role on Little House on the Prairie as Percival Dalton.-Life and education:...
as Percival Dalton (1980–1981, 1982)
- Allison Balson
Allison Balson is an American actress, who is also a published singer and songwriter. Her best known role was Nancy Oleson on the Little House on the Prairie series which she held between 1981 and 1983...
as Nancy Oleson (1981–1983)
- Jason Bateman
Jason Kent Bateman is an American television and film actor. After appearing in several 1980s and 1990s sitcoms including It's Your Move, and The Hogan Family, Bateman came to prominence in the early 2000s for playing Michael Bluth on Arrested Development, for which he won a TV Land, a Golden...
as James (Cooper) Ingalls (1981–1982)
- Missy Francis
Melissa Ann Francis is an American television journalist and news anchor for CNBC. Melissa is the co-anchor of CNBC's morning show, The Call and MSNBC’s It’s the Economy. She is a frequent contributor to NBC’s Today Show and Weekend Today Show...
as Cassandra (Cooper) Ingalls (1981–1982)
- Jennifer and Michele Steffin
Jennifer Marie Steffin and Michele Ann Steffin are former child actresses, whose most memorable role was the one of baby Rose Wilder on the "Little House on the Prairie" television series....
as Rose WilderRose Wilder Lane was an American journalist, travel writer, novelist, and political theorist...
(1982–1983)
- Shannen Doherty
Shannen Maria Doherty is an American actress, producer, author and television director, known for her work as Heather Duke in Heathers , as Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 and its spinoff series 90210, and as Prue Halliwell in Charmed .-Early life and career:Doherty was born in Memphis,...
as Jenny Wilder (1982–1983)
- Stan Ivar as John Carter (1982–1983)
- Pamela Roylance as Sarah Reed Carter (1982–1983)
- Lindsay Kennedy as Jebidiah "Jeb" Carter (1982–1983)
- David Friedman
David Friedman , is an American child actor from the 1980s.Friedman is known for his role as Jason Carter in the Michael Landon TV series Little House on the Prairie. He retired from Hollywood at the age of 12, went to college in the San Diego area and eventually became a marketing...
as Jason Carter (1982–1983)
- Leslie Landon
Leslie Landon Matthews is an American actress, best known from the role of Etta Plum on Little House on the Prairie TV series. Her father was Michael Landon and mother is Marjorie Lynn Noe .-Career:Leslie is notable for her role as Etta Plum on Little House on the Prairie which she played from...
as Etta Plum (1982–1983)
Guest stars
During its nine-season run, many unfamiliar and/or familiar actors who guest-starred on the show went on to greater fame; among those appearing in Little House episodes are: future
Hill Street BluesHill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
stars,
Michael ConradMichael Conrad was an American television actor.-Career:Conrad had a long acting career in television from the 1950s to the 1980s...
and
James B. SikkingJames Barrie Sikking is an American actor known for his role as Lt. Howard Hunter on the 1980s NBC TV series Hill Street Blues. He also starred on the ABC TV series Doogie Howser, M.D. as Dr. David Howser and on the short-lived 1997 CBS drama series Brooklyn South as Captain Stan Jonas...
; Landon's ex-
BonanzaBonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
co-star,
Mitch VogelMitch Vogel is a United States former child actor who left show business as at the age of 20. He was best known for his 1970-73 Bonanza role, where he played the teen orphan Jamie Hunter Cartwright...
; and two of Landon's real-life children Michael Landon, Jr. and
Leslie LandonLeslie Landon Matthews is an American actress, best known from the role of Etta Plum on Little House on the Prairie TV series. Her father was Michael Landon and mother is Marjorie Lynn Noe .-Career:Leslie is notable for her role as Etta Plum on Little House on the Prairie which she played from...
; and many others such as:
Willie AamesWillie Aames is an American actor, film and television director, television producer, and screenwriter. He played Tommy Bradford on the 1970s’ Eight Is Enough and Buddy Lembeck on the 1980s’ Charles in Charge.-Early life:...
,
Anne ArcherAnne Archer is an American actress who has performed in feature films, television, and stage and was named Miss Golden Globe in 1971. Among her best known roles is that of Beth Gallagher in the 1987 movie Fatal Attraction, for which she received a nomination for an Academy Award.-Career:Archer's...
,
Parley BaerParley Edward Baer was an American actor in film, television, and radio.-Radio:Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, Baer had a circus background, but began his radio career at Utah station KSL...
,
Jonathan BanksJonathan Ray Banks is an American actor in film and television.Banks was born in Washington, D.C. in 1947. His mother worked for the CIA. Banks attended Indiana University Bloomington where he was a classmate of Kevin Kline...
,
Billy BartyBilly Barty was an American film actor.-Biography:Barty, an Italian American, was born William John Bertanzetti in Millsboro, Pennsylvania...
,
Richard BasehartJohn Richard Basehart was an American actor. He starred in the 1960s television science fiction drama Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, in the role of Admiral Harriman Nelson.-Career:...
,
Ralph BellamyRalph Bellamy was an American actor whose career spanned sixty-two years.-Early life:He was born Ralph Rexford Bellamy in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Lilla Louise , a native of Canada, and Charles Rexford Bellamy. He ran away from home when he was fifteen and managed to get into a road show...
,
Lucille BensonLucille Benson was an American actress known for her roles in commercials, television, and movies in the 1970s and 1980s.-Personal life:...
,
Ray BolgerRaymond Wallace "Ray" Bolger was an American entertainer of stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of the Scarecrow and Kansas farmworker Hank in The Wizard of Oz.-Early life:...
,
Ernest BorgnineErnest Borgnine is an American actor of television and film. His career has spanned more than six decades. He was an unconventional lead in many films of the 1950s, including his Academy Award-winning turn in the 1955 film Marty...
,
Todd BridgesTodd Anthony Bridges is an American actor. He is best known for his childhood role as Willis Jackson on the NBC/ABC sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, and for his recurring role as Monk on the UPN/CW sitcom Everybody Hates Chris...
, Joshua Bryant,
Red Buttons,
Johnny CashJohn R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
,
June Carter CashValerie June Carter Cash was an American singer, dancer, songwriter, actress, comedienne and author who was a member of the Carter Family and the second wife of singer Johnny Cash...
,
Tom ClancyTom Clancy was a member of the Irish folk singing group The Clancy Brothers. He had the strongest voice of the brothers and had previously been an actor in numerous stage productions, appearing with Orson Welles in King Lear.Like his older brother Patrick Clancy, he was born in Carrick-on-Suir,...
,
Matt ClarkMatt Clark is an American actor and director with credits in both film and television. Clark has played diverse character roles in Westerns, comedies, and dramas....
,
Jeff CoreyJeff Corey was an American stage and screen actor and director who became a well-respected acting teacher after being blacklisted in the 1950s.-Biography:...
,
Nicolas CosterNicolas Coster is a British-born American actor, most known for his work in daytime drama and as a character actor on nighttime television series.-Biography:...
,
Johnny CrawfordJohn Ernest "Johnny" Crawford is a prolific American character actor, singer and musician. At 12, Crawford rose to fame for playing Mark McCain, the son of the Lucas McCain character , in the popular 1960s ABC western series, The Rifleman, which aired from 1958 to 1963...
,
James CromwellJames Oliver Cromwell is an American film and television actor. Some of his more notable roles are in Babe , for which he earned Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, Star Trek: First Contact , L.A...
,
David FaustinoDavid Anthony Faustino is an American actor and rap artist primarily known for his role as Bud Bundy on the sitcom Married with Children.-Early life:...
,
Gil GerardGilbert C. "Gil" Gerard is an American actor. He is most famous for his role as Captain William "Buck" Rogers in the 1979-1981 television series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.-Early life:...
,
Louis Gossett, Jr.Louis Cameron Gossett, Jr. is an American actor best known for his role as Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman and Fiddler in the 1970s television miniseries Roots...
,
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Little House: A New Beginning
A sort of spin-off of the original series; when Michael Landon decided to leave the show (though he stays on as executive producer, and occasional writer and director), season nine is renamed, the focus is put on the characters of Laura and Almanzo, and more characters are added to the cast. A new family, the Carters (Stan Ivar as John, Pamela Roylance as Sarah, Lindsay Kennedy as older son Jeb, and
David FriedmanDavid Friedman , is an American child actor from the 1980s.Friedman is known for his role as Jason Carter in the Michael Landon TV series Little House on the Prairie. He retired from Hollywood at the age of 12, went to college in the San Diego area and eventually became a marketing...
as younger son Jason), move into the Ingalls home. Meanwhile, Almanzo and Laura take in their niece, Jenny Wilder (portrayed by pre-Beverly Hills 90210 star
Shannen DohertyShannen Maria Doherty is an American actress, producer, author and television director, known for her work as Heather Duke in Heathers , as Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 and its spinoff series 90210, and as Prue Halliwell in Charmed .-Early life and career:Doherty was born in Memphis,...
), when Almanzo's brother dies (presumably his two sons are also deceased) and raise her alongside their daughter, Rose. The Wilders appear prominently in some episodes, while in others, they appear only in early scenes used to introduce the story or its characters (see, for example, "
The Last Summer"). The explanation given for the original characters' absence was that they moved to Burr Oak, Iowa to build a much better life. The show lost viewers, thus this version of the series was canceled after nineteen episodes. However, the show would live on for a couple more years in movie format.
Movie specials
Three made-for-television movie sequels followed:
Little House: Look Back to Yesterday (1983),
Little House: Bless All the Dear Children (1983), and
Little House: The Last Farewell (1984). The big finale ended the series with a bang. The plot summary: Charles and Caroline decide to visit Walnut Grove. They learn that a railroad tycoon actually holds the deed to the township, and he wants to take it over for his own financial gain. Despite their best efforts, the townspeople are unable to drive the businessman away. At a town meeting, one of the residents offers a supply of explosives that he has. Each man takes turn blowing up his own building.
When asked why the set was blown up, the show's producer, Kent McCray, said that when the series started, he made an agreement with the property owners that at the end of the series he would put the acreage back to its original state. When the production crew were estimating the cost of dismantling all the buildings, Michael Landon thought for awhile and said, "What if we blow up the town? That would get the buildings all in pieces and you can bring in your equipment to pick up the debris and cart it away." He then said that he would write it where they blow up all the buildings, except for the little house and the church. Both McCray and Landon wept as the town blew up.
Two other
Little House movies were made in conjunction with the Landon series: the 1974 pilot for the program and
Little House Years (1979), a
ThanksgivingThanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
special/
clip showA clip show is an episode of a television series that consists primarily of excerpts from previous episodes. Most clip shows feature the format of a frame story in which cast members recall past events from past installments of the show, depicted with a clip of the event presented as a flashback. ...
that aired in the middle of season six.
Broadcast history and ratings
Little House on the Prairie was one of several hit shows on NBC primetime throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. For the first two seasons, the show was aired on Wednesday nights at 8pm ET/7pm CT, to moderate ratings. In 1976, the series became a Monday night staple on NBC; after the move, it remained in the top 30 for the rest of its run.
| Season |
Ratings Rank |
| 1974–1975 |
#13 |
| 1976–1977 |
#16 |
| 1977–1978 |
#07 |
| 1978–1979 |
#14 |
| 1979–1980 |
#16 |
| 1980–1981 |
#10 |
| 1981–1982 |
#25 |
| 1982–1983 |
#29 |
Awards
- 1976: TP de Oro
The TP de Oro is a Spanish award given since 1973, to honour, mostly, Spanish, but also foreign television series. The TP de Oro is considered to be the most prestigious Spanish awards for television.-External links:* *...
, Mejor Actriz Extranjera (Best Foreign Actress), Karen GrassleKaren Grassle is an American actress, best known for her role as Caroline Ingalls, the wife of Michael Landon's character and the mother of Melissa Gilbert's character, on the Little House on the Prairie TV series.-Early career:She graduated from Ventura High School in 1959 , serving as the...
- 1976: TP de Oro, Mejor Serie Extranjera (Best Foreign Series)
- 1978: Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for Outstanding Cinematography in Entertainment Programming for a Series, Ted Voightlander, episode "The Fighter"
- 1979: Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Series, Ted Voightlander, episode "The Craftsman"
- 1979: Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series, David Rose
David Rose was a British-born American songwriter, composer, arranger, pianist, and orchestra leader. His most famous compositions were "The Stripper", "Holiday for Strings", and "Calypso Melody"...
, episode "The Craftsman"
- 1980: TP de Oro, Mejor Actriz Extranjera (Best Foreign Actress), Melissa Sue Anderson
Melissa Sue Anderson is an American-Canadian actress. She played the role of Mary Ingalls on the NBC television series Little House on the Prairie. She starred on the show from 1974 until 1981, leaving after Season 7, but later appeared in 2 episodes of Season 8 in late 1981. She won an Emmy...
- 1981: Western Writers of America
Western Writers of America, founded 1953, promotes literature, both fiction and non-fiction, pertaining to the American West. Although its founders wrote traditional western fiction, the more than five hundred current members also include historians and other non-fiction writers as well as authors...
Spur Award for Best TV Script, Michael LandonMichael Landon was an American actor, writer, director, and producer. He is widely known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza , Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie , and Jonathan Smith in Highway to Heaven...
, episode "May We Make Them Proud"
- 1982: Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore), David Rose, episode "He Was Only Twelve", part 2
- 1983: Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...
for Best Young Actress in a Drama Series, Melissa GilbertMelissa Ellen Gilbert is an American actress, writer, and producer, primarily in movies and television. Gilbert is best known as a child actress who co-starred as Charles Ingalls's second daughter, Laura Ingalls Wilder, on the dramatic television series Little House on the Prairie...
- 1984: Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress in a Drama Series, Melissa Gilbert
Syndication
The show is immensely popular in reruns in syndication. In the US, it currently airs on
Hallmark ChannelThe Hallmark Channel is a cable television network that broadcasts across the United States. Their programming includes a mix of television movies/miniseries, syndicated series, and lifestyle shows that are appropriate for the whole family...
and on various local stations—such as
KTLAKTLA, virtual channel 5, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, USA. Owned by the Tribune Company, KTLA is an affiliate of the CW Television Network. KTLA's studios are on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson...
in Los Angeles. Because of its historical context and its connection to the book series, it is deemed acceptable for use by the
FCCThe Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
to meet federal
E/IE/I, which stands for "educational and informative," refers to a type of children's television programming shown in the United States. The Federal Communications Commission requires that every full-service Terrestrial television station in the U.S. show at least three hours of these television...
programming guidelines.
In Canada, reruns of the series began airing weeknights on
CTSCrossroads Television System, or CTS, is a privately held Canadian television system.CTS airs predominantly Christian-based religious programming, most notably 100 Huntley Street, The Michael Coren Show and LIFE Today with James & Betty Robison, as well as other religious and faith based...
, a Christian-based network, as of September 1, 2008.
In the US, television syndication rights are currently owned by
CBS Television DistributionCBS Television Distribution is a global television distribution company, formed from the merger of CBS Corporation's two domestic television distribution arms CBS Paramount Domestic Television and King World Productions, including its home entertainment arm CBS Home Entertainment...
. Originally, NBC licensed these rights to Worldvision Enterprises, since networks could not own syndication arms at the time. As a result of corporate changes,
Paramount Domestic TelevisionParamount Domestic Television was the television distribution arm of American television production company Paramount Television, once the TV arm of Paramount Pictures...
and
CBS Paramount Domestic TelevisionCBS Paramount Domestic Television was an American television distribution company/production that was formed on January 17, 2006 and owned by CBS Corporation...
would inherit the rights, finally passing to CTD in 2007.
NBC has always owned ancillary rights, and thus is the worldwide licensor for DVD rights as well (see below). Sister company NBC Universal International Television distributes the series internationally.
DVD releases
The entire series has been released on
DVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. The North American DVD sets include exclusive interviews by the French
Little House historian Patrick Loubatière and actors Alison Arngrim, Dabbs Greer and Dean Butler.
A majority of the episodes in the North American DVD versions have scenes cut from the episodes—these are derived from the syndicated television versions by Worldvision Enterprises, the series former distributor (in fact, their various logos still appear at the end of most episodes—but before the then-current NBC Universal Television Distribution logo). Other episodes are time-compressed; these are NTSC-converted video prints from UK PAL masters. Only a handful of episodes in the DVD sets are in their original, uncut versions (for example, many season one episodes on DVD contain scenes not in current syndication prints). Unfortunately, many episodes on the DVD versions contain tracking lines and audio problems.
The DVD sets sold in the US and Canada were released under license from NBC Universal by Imavision Distribution, a company based in
QuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. Imavision has also released a French-language version of the DVD set, sold separately. Both versions are in
NTSCNTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...
color, and coded for all regions. Later copies were distributed by
Lions Gate EntertainmentLions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...
, following their acquisition of Imavision.
The DVD sets sold in the United Kingdom were released by
Universal PlaybackPlayback is a label of Universal Studios Home Entertainment in the United Kingdom, which specialises in releasing Region 2 DVDs of classic and cult television programmes. In particular, it has the rights to a number of well-known BBC sitcoms.-DVD releases:...
(a
Universal Studios Home EntertainmentUniversal Studios Home Entertainment is the home video division of Universal Pictures...
label); this version is in
PALPAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
color, and coded for region 2. Season 9 (the final season) is scheduled to be released August 18, 2011. The post-series movies are scheduled to be released later (TBA).
Some time earlier, some single
Little House episodes were released on both DVD and VHS by
GoodTimes EntertainmentGoodTimes Entertainment, Ltd. was a home video company that originated in 1984 under the name of GoodTimes Home Video. Though it produced its own titles, the company was well-known due to its distribution of media from third parties and classics...
.
Before retail DVDs were available, the
Little House episodes were available through a
Columbia HouseThe Columbia House brand was introduced in the early 1970s by the Columbia Records division of CBS, Inc. as an umbrella for its mail-order music clubs, the primary incarnation of which was the Columbia Record Club, established in 1955. It had a significant market presence in the 1980s and early...
club subscription. These
VHSThe Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
tapes contained two episodes per tape and were only available at a club price. The episodes on these VHS tapes, unlike the current DVDs, were not edited and remain the only commercially available uncut episodes.
The
Little House series have also been released in Scandinavia. So far, seasons 1-8 have been released through 2010. Season 9 (the final season) is scheduled to be released August 18, 2011. The post-series movies are scheduled to be released later (TBA). A delay of the releases is advised because of problems with the master tapes. It is indicated to be in the second half of 2011. This information has come from Universal in Scandinavia.
Finland DVD ratings controversy
In November 2008, the Finnish Board of Film Classification rated the DVD release of the
Little House on the Prairie series as suitable for adults only—requiring a sticker to be affixed to all DVDs saying
"Banned for under-18s". This was due to Universal Pictures' decision not to submit the series to state review, to avoid the state review fee of approximately USD $27,500.
|
| Season | |Originally aired | Region 1 |
| 1 |
23 |
1974–1975 |
July 8, 2003 |
July 25, 2005 |
|
|
2 |
22 |
1975–1976 |
July 8, 2003 |
March 27, 2006 |
|
|
3 |
21 |
1976–1977 |
November 4, 2003 |
March 10, 2008 |
|
|
4 |
22 |
1977–1978 |
February 17, 2004 |
May 26, 2008 |
|
|
5 |
24 |
1978–1979 |
June 29, 2004 |
August 4, 2008 |
|
|
6 |
24 |
1979–1980 |
October 26, 2004 |
May 3, 2010 |
|
|
7 |
24 |
1980–1981 |
February 15, 2005 |
July 17, 2010 |
|
|
8 |
22 |
1981–1982 |
June 14, 2005 |
March 20, 2011 |
|
|
9 |
19 |
1982–1983 |
November 1, 2005 |
January 20, 2012 |
|
|
10 |
3 |
1983–1984 |
November 28, 2006 |
TBA |
|
|
The Complete Television Series |
203 |
1974–1984 |
November 11, 2008 |
TBA |
|
|
External links