Little House On The Prairie (1974-1983)

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  • LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRARIE


    ED FRIENDLY PRODUCTIONS
    NBC TELEVISION



    Information From IMDb


    Plot Summary


    A long-running drama based upon the "Little House" series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, "Little House on the Prairie" follows the lives of the simple, farming Ingalls family: Charles, Caroline, Mary, Laura, Carrie and then Grace and the later adopted Albert, James and Cassandra, who settle into a quaint little house on the banks of Plum Creek near the small town of Walnut Grove during the late 1800s. Often narrated by Laura, the series follows her simple farm upbringing from her childhood until her adulthood with Almanzo Wilder with whom she starts a family of her own. While the series is based upon the Little House books (and thus the real life of author Laura Ingalls Wilder), it is a very loose adaptation, with mostly only key events and elements of fact surviving the transition from book to TV series, the most important being Mary's eventual blindness, and Laura's future. Several other fictitious (some factual) characters make up the friendly community of Walnut Grove, including teacher Miss Beadle (succeeded by two other teachers, then Laura, then Etta Plum), Dr. Hiram Baker, Rev. Robert Alden, Mr. Hanson (of the Hanson lumber mill), and the well-to-do Olesons, owners of the local mercantile, and also the primary rivals of the Ingalls family (except the Oleson patriarch). Family friends include the Edwards family, the Garvey family and the Carters, who, in the final season, move into the Ingalls' little house.
    Written by Ondre Lombard


    Series Cast
    Melissa Gilbert ... Laura Ingalls / ... (199 episodes, 1974-1983)
    Michael Landon ... Charles Ingalls (182 episodes, 1974-1983)
    Karen Grassle ... Caroline Ingalls (172 episodes, 1974-1982)
    Sidney Greenbush ... Carrie Ingalls / ... (171 episodes, 1974-1982)
    Lindsay Greenbush ... Carrie Ingalls / ... (170 episodes, 1974-1982)
    Melissa Sue Anderson ... Mary Ingalls / ... (162 episodes, 1974-1981)
    Scottie MacGregor ... Harriet Oleson (148 episodes, 1974-1983)
    Richard Bull ... Nels Oleson (142 episodes, 1974-1983)
    Jonathan Gilbert ... Willie Oleson (140 episodes, 1974-1983)
    Kevin Hagen ... Dr. Hiram Baker (113 episodes, 1974-1983)
    Alison Arngrim ... Nellie Oleson / ... (105 episodes, 1974-1982)
    Matthew Laborteaux ... Albert Quinn Ingalls / ... (87 episodes, 1976-1983)
    Dabbs Greer ... Reverend Robert Alden (76 episodes, 1974-1983)
    Dean Butler ... Almanzo James Wilder (62 episodes, 1979-1983)
    Wendi Turnbaugh ... Grace Ingalls (59 episodes, 1978-1982)
    Brenda Turnbaugh ... Grace Ingalls (59 episodes, 1978-1982)
    Ruth Foster ... Melinda Foster (58 episodes, 1974-1983)
    Victor French,, Karl Swenson, Patricia Neal, John Ireland
    and many others


    Series Directed by
    Michael Landon (88 episodes, 1974-1983)
    William F. Claxton (68 episodes, 1974-1981)
    Maury Dexter (21 episodes, 1979-1983)
    Victor French (18 episodes, 1974-1983)
    Leo Penn (3 episodes, 1974-1975)


    Series Produced by
    Michael Landon .... executive producer (203 episodes, 1974-1983)
    Kent McCray .... associate producer / producer (202 episodes, 1974-1983)
    and others.


    Series Writing Credits
    Laura Ingalls Wilder (202 episodes, 1974-1983)
    Michael Landon (47 episodes, 1974-1983)
    and many others


    Series Original Music by
    David Rose (204 episodes, 1974-1983)


    Trivia
    * In the "The Last Farewell", they really did blow up the town. Producer/star Michael Landon didn't want the bulldozers to crush the buildings. So he wrote a story which gave the inhabitants the chance to destroy their town themselves. They did not however destroy the home that the Ingalls had lived in. That was destroyed by the fires in California in late 2003.
    * Out of the many young girls who auditioned for the role of Laura Ingalls, Michael Landon was convinced immediately that 'Melissa Gilbert' was the perfect candidate. In fact, he was so certain that Gilbert's was the only screen test that he sent to the producers at NBC
    * Alison Arngrim originally auditioned for the role of Laura Ingalls, but was not successful. She then tried out for the role of Laura's sister Mary, to the same avail. However, when auditioning for the role of "Nasty" Nellie Oleson, she was hired on the spot for playing mean so convincingly.
    * In the episode "Here Come the Brides", Scottie MacGregor was actually injured in the scene where Mrs. Olson falls off the horse. Because MacGregor was unable to do the next sequence, Ruth Foster (who plays Mrs. Foster in the show) dressed in Mrs. Olson's costume and filmed the scene for her instead.
    * The character Charles Ingalls was ranked #4 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" (20 June 2004 issue).
    * The character Nellie Oleson was ranked #3 in TV Guide's list of "TV's 10 Biggest Brats" (27 March 2005 issue).
    * Dean Butler remarked that the first kiss between him and 'Melissa Gilbert' (Laura) 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.
    * In the episode "The Last Farewell", where the town of Walnut Grove is blown up, one of the few buildings left clearly standing was the church/schoolhouse.
    * Mary's husband, Adam Kendall, was studying law when he went blind. Just before he regained his eyesight, he passed the bar. After he regained his eyesight, he began a law practice in Walnut Grove.
    * Michael Landon had a unique way of inspiring child actors 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.
    * The theme song was penned by David Rose, who wrote many theme songs. However, he is best known for the 1962 Burlesque classic, The Stripper.
    * Since Walnut Grove had no jail of it's own, Nels Oleson's ice house served as such for anyone awaiting trial.
    * Although loosely based on the real stories penned by Laura Ingalls Wilder, the show took many liberties with different characters. The biggest example of this is the character of Albert Ingalls, who in fact never existed; Charles and Caroline Ingalls were the parents of four daughters, Mary, Laura, Carrie, and Grace.
    * The first dog the Ingalls owned was Jack. After he died, they adopted a stray black and white dog named Bandit.
    * Laura's favorite perfume was lemon verbena. Mr. Edwards gave it to her in two episodes. Once when she was a little girl, and again after she was grown up.
    * CASTLE THUNDER: Heard every time it storms
    * The only prime-time non-reality series to stay in production during the 1980 actors' strike and the 1981 writers' strike, which delayed both fall seasons. Michael Landon, representing NBC rather than a studio, negotiated deals with SAG and WGA to allow the show to continue filming under a separate contract, while the actors and writers continued to boycott the studios. (He did the same with the Writers Guild of America, purchasing scripts from the new members of the union, on the final season of "Highway to Heaven" (1984), which he owned. NBC didn't use his new episodes during the fall of 1988, though.)
    * Actor E.J. André appeared on the series 7 times, in 5 different roles. The characters he portrayed were Zachariah, Jed Cooper, St. Peter, Matthew Simms and Amos Thoms.


    Filming Locations
    Big Sky Ranch - 4927 Bennett Road, Simi Valley, California, USA
    Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA
    California, USA
    Clark Fork River, Stanislaus National Forest, California, USA
    Columbia State Historic Park - 22708 Broadway, Columbia, California, USA
    Donnell's Lake, Stanislaus National Forest, California, USA
    Donnell's Vista, Stanislaus National Forest, California, USA
    Golden Oak Ranch - 19802 Placerita Canyon Road, Newhall, California, USA
    Old Tucson - 201 S. Kinney Road, Tucson, Arizona, USA
    Paramount Ranch - 2813 Cornell Road, Agoura, California, USA
    Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
    (interiors)
    Red Hills Ranch, Sonora, California, USA
    Simi Valley, California, USA

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited 3 times, last by ethanedwards ().

  • Little House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series,
    starring Michael Landon, Melissa Gilbert, and Karen Grassle,
    about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s.
    The show is an adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's best-selling series of Little House books.
    Television producer and NBC executive Ed Friendly became aware of the 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 Ingalls.


    The regular series was preceded by the two-hour pilot movie,
    which 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 Guide ranked the two-part episode
    "I'll Be Waving As You Drive Away" #97 on its 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.


    This was a great and cute, and hugely successful, long running series.
    Directed, produced ,written and acted by the brilliant Michael Landon,
    even the music was scored by David 'Bonanza' Rose!
    Ably supported by the lovely actress, Melissa Gilbert,
    this series could do no wrong in most folks eyes!
    I found it a bit sugary, but then most Duke fans would, wouldn't they?

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited 3 times, last by ethanedwards ().

  • We never really watched the show so I don't have much of an opinion about it except that I greatly enjoyed the episodes with Michael Landon and Victor French--that I was able to watch.

    Es Ist Verboten Mit Gefangenen In Einzelhaft Zu Sprechen..

  • . . . personally, (don't tell the Mrs.) I would have preferred Hoss if he were still alive instead of little Joe as the star.


    What?? :ohmy:


    That's OK, I must say that while I do kind of enjoy the show, it was a terrible disappointment after reading the WHOLE Little House series of books. I know they had to stray big time from the original books to make the show last so many seasons, but it just wasn't the same for me after reading all the books.


    Mrs. C :angel1:

  • I grew up in "Little House" country. The town of Walnut Grove is about 2 hours from my home town. All the highways in the southern part of Minnesota are either intersecting or part of the Laura Ingalls Wilder historic route http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L…s_Wilder_Historic_Highway

    So I guess with that being said, we as kids grew up on Little House and The Walton's. Good moral value's and life lesson's. I still enjoy them on the Hallmark Channel when I have the chance.

    Life is hard, its even harder when your stupid!!
    -John Wayne

  • Todd,


    Thanks for the wonderful links! Don't get me wrong - I don't hate the show, it was just kind of disappointing and shallow after reading the whole series. I have enjoyed researching the Ingalls family and following up on Laura's life as an adult, an interest generated by reading the books.


    But I absolutely enjoy the wholesome nature of the show, and you hit the nail on the head, it goes hand in hand with the Waltons, which I enjoy immensely as well.


    Mrs. C :angel1:

  • i absolutely love this programme and still watch it when i have a spare evening - a bit like john wayne, it transports me to a wonderful, happy world

    "Sorry don t get it done, Dude" (Rio Bravo)


    Hooked on The Duke

  • i absolutely love this programme and still watch it when i have a spare evening - a bit like john wayne, it transports me to a wonderful, happy world



    It was always one of my favorite TV series. Wish more people nowadays were like the Ingalls family, Doc Baker, Nels Oleson, Lars, Isiah Edwards, Jonathan Garvey; well in fact, most people in Walnut Grove, except for Harriet and Nellie Oleson. Nels is a wimp but a likable wimp.

    De gustibus non est disputandum

  • they were the days to live in, i think :teeth_smile: i must admit i always quite liked the olesons on the basis that we all know a family like them and mrs oleson had a kind heart.... really....
    i didn t realise until recently that laura and willie were actually brother and sister in real life

    "Sorry don t get it done, Dude" (Rio Bravo)


    Hooked on The Duke

  • they were the days to live in, i think :teeth_smile: i must admit i always quite liked the olesons on the basis that we all know a family like them and mrs oleson had a kind heart.... really....
    i didn t realise until recently that laura and willie were actually brother and sister in real life



    Two other siblings on the show, besides the twins used for the younger Ingalls girls, were Matt and Patrick Laborteaux, who played Albert Ingalls and Andy Garvey respectivley.

  • Two other siblings on the show, besides the twins used for the younger Ingalls girls, were Matt and Patrick Laborteaux, who played Albert Ingalls and Andy Garvey respectivley.


    i must admit i didn t know that - i m steadily working my way through the box sets at the minute (currently on series 3 which was very kindly a xmas present from my son)
    mrs oleson always used to annoy me as a child but now i m older i can see that she was just "misguided" and wanted only the best for her children (hence the kind heart)

    "Sorry don t get it done, Dude" (Rio Bravo)


    Hooked on The Duke

  • sorry - i meant to quote you then and pressed the wrong button



    No problem, Stumpy. I knew exactly what you meant. I disagree about Harriet Oleson. Sometimes she showed a good heart but, mostly, she was a stuck up snooty snob that thought she was better than everybody else and her daughter, Nellie was just like her. And she was jealous of Caroline Ingalls good looks. Incidently, Karen Grassle, who played Caroline Ingalls, is now doing tv ads for those matresses that you can adjust for you comfort. She looks so different that if they hadn't had her name on screen, I never would've known her.

  • I watched the show, but for a few episodes that starred Merlin Olsen, overall I didn't care for it much. Too mushy. I to prefer Hoss to Little Joe, even though he was good as a teenage werewolf.

  • [extendedmedia]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HfjU3e1X74M&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HfjU3e1X74M&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object>[/extendedmedia]

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited once, last by ethanedwards ().