It's impossible to consider the history of American television without mentioning Little House on the Prairie. The show explored the lives of the Ingalls household and was passionately followed by thousands of viewers between 1974 and 1982. Its presentation of an ideal 19th-century American family was responsible for putting an innovative heartwarming twist on the traditional Western historical drama genre.
But far from the often kind, innocent, and satisfying resolutions of the show's plot, many funny, shocking, and revealing things happened on the series' set. Today, let's take a trip down memory lane and tackle some interesting secret facts behind Little House on the Prairie.
Michael Landon Fell in Love on the Set
Michael Landon was the actor behind the honorable Charles Ingalls, the father-figure in Little House on the Prairie. A married man, Landon fell in love with Cindy Clerico, the show's make-up artist. The two ended up tying the knot and having two children together, but their love affair was still the topic of great controversy.
Landon was married to the actress Lynn Noe, and many people found it ridiculous that he decided to leave her for a younger woman. Still, Landon and Clerico did enjoy a very serious and passionate relationship and stayed together all the way until 1991, the year Landon sadly passed away due to pancreatic cancer.
Linwood Boomer Went on to Create a Show We All Know & Love
If you're a fan of Little House on the Praire, you undoubtedly remember Linwood Boomer, the actor behind Adam Kendall's character. But did you know that Boomer went on to create a U.S. sitcom classic not that long after he left the show?
Nineteen years after he left the show, Boomer used his considerable experience as an actor to create the 2000 hit series Malcolm in the Middle, which ran for seven seasons and a total of 151 episodes. Besides starring the charismatic Frankie Muniz, the cast also counted with Bryan Cranston, the actor who'd be made popular for portraying Breaking Bad's unforgettable high-school teacher Walter White.
Melissa Gilbert Played Her On-screen Mother
Laura is one of the most important characters in Little House on the Prairie, and she was portrayed to perfection by a young and talented Melissa Gilbert. But few people know that Gilbert ended up playing her on-screen mother on a musical stage production inspired by the classic TV series.
Little House on the Prairie, The Musical was a hit and was presented in 28 Canadian and American cities between October 2009 and June 2010. At the time, Gilbert was obviously too old to reprise her role as Laura, so she was allowed to star as Caroline Ingalls. It was an unexpected but exciting twist.
Michael Landon Had a Juvenile Sense of Humor
Michael Landon was arguably the most influential person behind Little House on the Praire's success. He was a demanding professional who wrote, produced, directed, and starred in the series. But according to actress Alison Arngrim (who played Nellie Oleson), he was also a practical joker with a "juvenile sense of humor."
In an interview published by Fox News, Arngrim shared her memories of the late actor, mentioning that he was always making the cast and crew laugh and that he had a "high-pitched giggle, like a little girl." It's surely not something we would expect from a macho-man like Landon!
Michael Landon Applied Love as an Acting Method
We don't need to be involved in creating a TV show to assume it's not easy to manage child actors. But the ever-busy Michael Landon had a proven method to make the youngsters in the cast cry whenever it was necessary. And the trick involved... Love.
While most directors like to play rough with their actors, Landon was a man of a kinder nature. He'd kneel next to the young actors before emotional scenes and would ask them: do you know how much I love you? Believe it or not, this actually worked!
Ronald Reagan Attended Michael Landon's Funeral
Michael Landon was reportedly a proud Republican. The portrayal of classical American family values seen in Little House on the Prairie resonates highly with the party's conservative values, and we're pretty sure former President Ronald Reagan was a fan of the show.
In fact, Reagan and his wife Nancy did attend Landon's funeral in 1991, headlining a list of visitors that featured over 500 mourners. It's hard to tell how close the two men really were, but they did meet at least once, while Reagan was still President. A photo of the moment can still be found online.
Katherine MacGregor Had an Annoying Habit on Set
Whether it's the office, backstage, or the studio set, strong egos will clash whenever talented people work together. Little House on the Prairie was no exception, and Katherine MacGregor (the actress behind Harriet Oleson) had an annoying habit on the set that reportedly almost got her fired.
This annoying habit was revealed by MacGregor's co-star Alison Arngrim, but what was it all about? Apparently, MacGregor liked to "give notes" to her fellow actors and interfered a lot with the director's job. Maybe she was trying to make the show better, but unsolicited advice is usually annoying!
Karen Grassle Thought The Set Was an "Old Boys" Club
Actress Melissa Sue Anderon (Mary Ingalls) reported some tension between her on-screen mom and dad. Karen Grassle, who played the matriarchal Caroline Ingalls, has recently said that being on the set of Little House on the Prairie often felt like being in an "old boys club."
She was reportedly not happy about how submissive her character was, and she felt like the environment on the set was more favorable to the male actors. It's surely not something we wish to relate with a series as nostalgic and heartwarming as Little House on the Prairie, but some male toxicity may have been at play.
Melissa Gilbert Has a Very Interesting Dating History
A talented and gorgeous actress, it's no wonder Melissa Gilbert has captured the attention of many famous men over the years. But more than eventful, her dating history is fascinating! She has famously dated Tom Cruise, as well as a young and still-unknown Rob Lowe.
Other reported love affairs of the woman behind Laura Ingalls included actor John Cusack, actor/director Scott Baio, Michael Landon's son Michael Landon Jr., and, believe it or not, pop star Billy Idol! Apparently, she ended up her relationship with the "Dancing With Myself" singer when he decided to take her to Rick James's house, a place Gilbert called the "scariest" she'd ever been.
This Man Played Five Different Characters
More than a wise-looking veteran performer, the talented E.J. Andre was a very versatile one. He was the go-to actor whenever producers needed a charismatic senior man to play a brief but significant role. And unbelievably enough, he ended up portraying five different characters in a total of six episodes!
Amos Thoms, Matthew Simms, Zachariah, St. Peter, and Jed Cooper were all played by the man in the picture. Since this is a not very well-known Little House on the Prairie fact, it seems like the show's creators actually got away with it!
One Actress Slept With Melissa Gilbert's Husband
Melissa Gilbert revealed this scandalous story in one of her memoirs, and it's a shocker. When Gilbert and her ex-husband Bo Brinkman were attending couple therapy sessions together, the Gettysburg actor dropped a bomb. He confessed he'd slept with Shannen Doherty, the lovely actress who portrayed Jenny Wilder in Little House on the Prairie's final season.
It sounds even worse when you consider Doherty was just 12 years old when she first joined the show. But don't worry: this all happened way after that! At the time, Doherty was a 22-years-old superstar who was working in the Beverly Hills, 90210 drama series.
The Show Tackled Age Gaps
It's not easy to notice because the two plotlines happen in the first and last seasons of the show, but Little House on the Prairie seems to take the same basic story and recycle it into two different episodes. Both tackle the subject of age-gap romance, and both offer a similar resolution to the issue.
In season 1, episode 17, Doc Baker gets involved with a younger woman named Kate Thorvald. In season 9, episode 10, it's Mr. Edwards who falls for a younger lady. In both episodes, the older men were wise enough to put temptation aside and decided not to go through with the romances.
Karen Grassle Was Forced to Drop Her Stage Name
When Karen Grassle auditioned for Caroline Ingalls' role, there was no doubt she was the right woman for the job. But Michael Landon wasn't happy about one thing: her stage name. Grassle used a different professional name before appearing in Little House on the Prairie, and Landon thought it would look bad in the credits.
He persuaded the actress to use her real name while working in the show because he wasn't happy about Grassle's moniker: Gabriel Tree. An admittedly memorable name, it didn't exactly fit with Landon's conservative-family-values philosophy for the series.
Filming Outside Could Cause Heatstroke
Simi Valley was the stage of most location scenes in Little House on the Prairie. But Alison Arngrim has admitted that filming in the excruciating heat of the Californian valley was extremely demanding. She said that in the Summer, Simi Valley temperatures could often reach 110 degrees! But that's not the worst part...
Working in such heat was already a nightmarish task, but the cast was forced to do it while wearing wigs, petticoats, and voluminous 1800s dresses! Arngrim confessed in an interview that she passed out from heatstroke more than once while working in the show.
They Filmed Just 15 Miles Away From U.S.'s worst-ever Nuclear Disaster Site
Michael Landon died tragically from cancer at the young age of 54. But he wasn't the only one. The dreadful condition tormented many cast members, and the Simi Valley area was the well-known site of a cancer epidemic.
This epidemic was undoubtedly related to the 1959 Santa Susana nuclear tragedy, U.S.'s worst-ever radioactive disaster. The set of Little House on the Prairie was just 15 miles away from the disaster site, and the actors and crew spent almost ten years filming there. According to the experts, the Santa Susana disaster was responsible for up to 2,000 cancer-related deaths.
The Two Melissas Did Not Get Along
In a 2014 interview on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Melissa Gilbert wasn't afraid of speaking her mind when it came to co-star Melissa Sue Anderson. She said that the young actress hated her and knocked her "off the wagon" back when she was nine.
Gilbert used other unpleasant adjectives to describe Anderson, such as "difficult, mean," and even "horrid." According to Gilbert, Anderson's tough-to-deal-with personality was most likely related to how her mother watched over her while on set. When most kids played together during a break, Anderson was not allowed to leave her mom's side.
Landon Disliked Katherine MacGregor
The Melissas weren't the only Little House on the Prairie stars with a deep, secret feud. Reportedly, Landon and Katherine MacGregor weren't exactly best friends, and the two had a very spiky relationship on the set.
As it seems, MacGregor's excellent rendition of the hateful Mrs. Oleson wasn't entirely an act. As we've seen, the real-life actress had a big personality that got on the nerves of most of the show's directors and cast. Richard Bull, the man who played MacGregor's on-screen husband, was also constantly irritated by the actress.
What's For Dinner?
Dinner time at the Ingalls household was the site of many important scenes of the show. But while the Ingalls clan went through all kinds of plot-relevant adventures at the dinner table, one thing remained unchanged throughout the entire series: the food.
Looking at Ma, you'd think she's a very skilled cook. But the prop food used in the series was always the same: Dinty Moore beef stew. Canned food doesn't really sit well with the Ingalls' style, but we guess this was the fastest way to literally put food on the table for the actors to work their magic. Dinty Moore beef stew is still a popular canned food today.
Michael Landon Dyed His Hair
Landon's prided and lustrous locks were one of his trademarks, and it certainly forecasted the curly hairstyle that became so popular throughout the '80s. But Landon's natural color was far from youthful. In fact, the actor turned grey when he was still in his 20s.
A grey tangle wouldn't really sit well with the kind and virile character of Charles Ingalls, so Landon would constantly dye it black to maintain his handsome look and youthful charm. Reportedly, he used Clairol Medium Ash Brown to get the look he was looking for.
Melissa Wasn't The Only Gilbert in the Show
Melissa Gilbert was not the only Gilbert who made way to the Little House on the Prairie's cast. Her younger brother, Jonathan Gilbert, was also an actor, and he played the impudent Willie Oleson in the show. Retired from the show business since 1984, Jonathan now works as a stockbroker!
Besides Melissa and Jonathan, there's another Gilbert sibling with a notable Hollywood career. Melissa's younger sister Sara Gilbert made a name for herself after appearing in the sitcom Roseanne, and she also made it to shows like The Talk and The Big Bang Theory.
Nellie’s Trademark Hair Came With a Price
The golden curls of Nellie Oleson, the character played by Alison Arngrim, were so characteristic, they still make for a popular look today. If you drop by the salon and ask for 'Nellie Oleson curls,' we're pretty sure most hairdressers will know exactly what you're talking about.
Sadly, though, Nellie's beautiful locks were not real, but rather, a wig, and a somewhat demanding one at that. Arngrim's scalp would sometimes bleed from the hairdo, which was extremely painful to do! We guess curls as perfect as that are not just fake: they also come with a price!
Landon Wasn't a Christian
Above all else, Little House on the Prairie is a show about traditional family values and living a conservative and ethical lifestyle. But the message of the series was often blended with and presented in a Christian tone, with many of the religion's main moral issues being tackled.
But guess what? Michael Landon wasn't even a Christian! He was Jewish. His real name was Eugene Maurice Orowitz, and his father was a Jewish man from Queens, New York. Still, Landon's mother, Peggy O'Neill (who worked as a dancer/comedian), was Roman Catholic, which may explain why so many Christian themes made it to Little House on the Prairie.
These Two Rivals Were Real-life BFF's
Life on the set of Little House on the Prairie could hardly be any more different from what happened on the screen. The sisters, Mary and Laura, were extremely close in the story but could barely stand one another in real-life. And yet, the opposite happened with these two on-screen rivals, the little Nellie and Laura.
Alison Arngrim and Melissa Gilbert played two characters with complete opposite moral backbones, but they were best-friends-forever when the cameras stopped rolling. Reportedly, the two young actresses adored one another and even had slumber parties together!
Yes, That's Sean Penn
If you happen to revisit episodes 11 and 21 of Little House on the Prairie's first season, don't be surprised when you see a kid who looks exactly like a young Sean Penn. Unbelievably enough, the powerhouse Hollywood A-lister got his start as 'kid,' an uncredited extra cast to appear in the background in a couple of shots.
There's really no time to take a second look at the extras in the busy day-to-day of producing and recording a classic American TV series. But we bet the entire cast of the show was baffled when they discovered the one-and-only Sean Penn was once hired to be just a background filler.
The Influence of Bonanza Was Deeply Felt
Little House on the Prairie was such a massive hit; it's hard to even consider Michael Landon doing anything other than being Charles Ingalls. But the talented American actor made a name for himself in the Western series Bonanza, which ran for a whopping 14 seasons and featured Landon in a total of 430 episodes.
Like Little House on the Prairie, Bonanza was also a family-centered series, even though it focused mostly on an all-male group of characters. Still, Landon would reportedly go back to his Bonanza days for inspiration whenever he was missing one or two Little House plotlines. Wasn't it Picasso who said, "good artists copy; great artists steal?"
The Cast Drank a Lot & It Worked!
Alcohol consumption and work ethic aren't exactly two compatible concepts. But we have to open an exception for the cast of Little House on the Prairie. According to Alison Arngrim, most of the show's cast members drank heavily while on the job, and some (like Landon) felt completely energized by it.
Arngrim said that drinking actually improved Landon's acting, even stating that "from their performance," it'd be easy to mistake Coors beer for "some kind of miracle drug." Considering how sleepy some people get after having just a glass of red wine, we too find it unbelievable, but we have to take Arngrim's word for it.
The Real Walnut Grove is in Minnesota
A real-life story inspired little House on the Prairie, and the supposedly fictional little town of Walnut Grove is indeed very real. Make no mistake: the real Walnut Grove is in Minnesota, 1,802 miles away from the forged one, in Simi Valley, California.
But if you're a bonafide fan of the Ingalls' adventures, you may want to try to visit the real thing. It's a tiny place with a population of just 871 that was founded in 1874 and incorporated in 1879. The town's landmark? The Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum.
Kevin Hagen Demanded More Money For the Cast
In the '70s, acting in a major TV series didn't necessarily mean receiving a big fat check. While some superstars got a decent payment, it wasn't anything like today. If Little House on the Prairie were a modern show, actors would receive a substantial sum between $150K and $1 million per episode!
It wasn't like that 50 or so years ago. The cast of Little House on the Prairie got paid so mildly that the actor Kevin Hagen (who portrayed Doc Baker) reportedly tried to persuade the NBC executives to grant better salaries to the actors. His request was denied.
Melissa Gilbert Received Surgery After Two Nasty Accidents
Melissa Gilbert isn't afraid of saying she's "accident-prone," and the actress has been unlucky (to say the least) in recent years. First, it was a complicated fall on Dancing With the Stars, which led to a concussion. Then, an accident involving a fallen balcony that ended up collapsing over her head.
As a result, Gilbert underwent four different spinal fusion surgeries between 2010 and 2020. The latest was a great success, and Gilbert shared with her online fans it was "truly remarkable" that she felt great and almost completely off the meds a mere five days after the complicated procedure. We wish her the best!
Did The Show Predict Coronavirus?
Little House on the Prairie is far from being the only pre-COVID TV series to have tackled the issues of widespread disease, forced lockdown, and dangerous epidemics. Other Western-themed series, like Deadwood, have done the same in a quite brilliant manner.
But Little House episodes such as "Plague" and "Quarantine" seem to be so reminiscent of the events that shocked the entire world in 2020, it's impossible not to think of an inadvertent prophecy. The similarities are so uncanny Melissa Gilbert even talked about it during an interview with the New York Post.