Don’t believe that Little House on the Prairie was flawless!
Known for its timeless charm, wholesome tales, and spirit of adventure, this well-loved classic wasn’t without its share of missteps.
Many errors and blunders somehow made it passed the editing room, even though everything looked perfect.
Like my parents used to do, I still find myself addicted to Little House on the Prairie repeats. It instantly takes us to the late 1800s and presents us with the tenacious Ingalls family.
It is evident from watching the episodes now that the show’s message—treating people with dignity, embracing honesty, and appreciating the value of family and friends—is still as potent as ever.
But those of us who are perceptive have found a wealth of mistakes and idiots that will make you laugh and possibly perform a double take.
Laura’s mystic pregnancy
Late in season seven, when the flowers were in full bloom and the prairie was at its most picturesque, Laura made her first pregnancy announcement.
However, she was still heavily pregnant by the next summer, which left viewers to wonder how long this unusual pregnancy was expected to last.
In all honesty, it seemed as though there was a gulf between the authors and the other members of the team, a blatant example of poor story management.
Nellie Oleson wore a wig
We all recall Alison Arngrim’s portrayal of Nellie Oleson, the resident troublemaker on Little House on the Prairie. However, did you know that Nellie had a far larger part in the performance than she did in the original novels?
The character’s increased prominence demonstrates how much the audience detested this cunning antagonist, particularly when she teamed up with Harriet, her similarly cunning on-screen mother.
Nellie’s famous blond curls are undoubtedly remembered by many, but getting that look wasn’t simple. Using an antiquated curling iron that needed to be heated in an oven, Alison Arngrim’s own hair was styled into those recognizable ringlets. It was a laborious and patient procedure.
Bringing in a wig was the answer. They used dozens of long, straight metal hairpins and a big metal comb to hold it firmly in place.
Colonel Sanders Cameo
Colonel Sanders, the famous originator of Kentucky Fried Chicken, made an unexpected appearance in a season eight episode called “Wave of the Future,” which is undoubtedly one of the show’s funniest bloopers. Nellie’s eatery turns into a franchise in this plot.
However, things don’t work out as expected, and Nellie regrets the entire experience. She joins forces with Charles and Nels to create a competing restaurant in an effort to escape the contract.
In a strange turn of events, Colonel Sanders himself then appears and offers Harriet a contract to launch her own chicken business.
The funny part is that KFC didn’t exist until 1952, and the good Colonel wasn’t even born until 1890. In the meantime, Little House is set in the 1870s and 1880s! Talk about an entrepreneur who can travel through time.
And for a little additional taste, it’s said that fried chicken actually came directly from KFC anytime it appeared in any of the show’s dishes. Therefore, perhaps Colonel Sanders’ appearance wasn’t so unrealistic after all.
The missing coats
The conspicuous absence of winter clothing in frigid temperatures is something I’ve frequently pondered. In the episode “Bless All the Dear Children,” Laura’s infant is abducted in Minneapolis around Christmas.
As Gilbert notes, everyone is walking around without a coat, even though everyone who knows Minneapolis in December knows it can get extremely cold.
The episode was filmed in Tucson, Arizona, during the summer, which may account for this error.
A fashion slip
In certain episodes, Caroline moves in a way that gives you a glimpse of her bra. This is somewhat out of date given that the series takes place in the 1870s and 1880s, and bras weren’t even created until 1912!
On set, a few of the women also have curls or perms, which are more appropriate for the 1970s than the 1880s.
The majority of the males in the series are clean-shaven, which contrasts sharply with the historical photographs of the time. In actuality, beards were popular, and the great majority of adult men had facial hair. The majority of Charles Ingalls’ adult life was actually spent sporting a beard. The show’s grooming selections don’t seem to have been in line with the time’s tough style.
A dummy instead of a living person
An violent scene occurs when an unidentified attacker attempts to knock Albert off a moving train in the fifth season episode, “The Odyssey.”
Laura, however, acts swiftly and pushes the evil away in time to save Albert. But in the middle of this intense event, a humorous blunder occurs.
A dummy is flung from the train and lands awkwardly in the grass, as spectators with keen eyes can see. In a humorous contrast, a daring stuntman outdoes the motionless dummy by rolling down the hill.
Melissa Sue Anderson was ”cold and aloof.”
Melissa Sue Anderson won over viewers’ hearts as the stunning blonde Mary, the oldest child of Charles and Caroline Ingalls, in Little House on the Prairie seasons one through seven.
It was difficult for her co-stars to relate to her, though. In their memoirs, Melissa Gilbert and Alison Arngrim both mentioned how Melissa Sue Anderson, known on set as “Missy,” frequently came across as distant and icy while working on the program. However, it’s difficult to imagine that there was any separation between the cast when you see pictures of them all together.
There were rumors among the crew that Missy’s tendency to isolate herself was due to her overly protective mother.
But Nellie and Laura became best friends
Melissa Gilbert’s character, Laura Ingalls, was the arch-enemy of Alison Arngrim’s character, the original mean girl, Nellie Oleson. However, things were different behind the scenes! Melissa and Alison clicked and became close friends.
They were like actual sisters when the cameras stopped filming, laughing together and making memories that stretched beyond the program.
They were co-conspirators off-set, having sleepovers at each other’s houses and playing practical jokes on their gullible co-stars. Who would have imagined that such a lighthearted and funny camaraderie would emerge off-screen from the intense rivalry on screen?
The Fallout of grief in “My Ellen”
The tragic drowning of Ellen Taylor is the subject of “My Ellen,” one of the most remembered episodes of Little House on the Prairie.
Laura and Mary find themselves in a difficult predicament when they go skinny bathing with their friend Ellen Taylor. When some boys approach, the girls hide under the water until it’s safe to do so.
Ellen unfortunately gets trapped and drowns, while Laura and Mary are able to safely resurface. In the heartbreaking aftermath, Ellen’s distraught mother accuses Laura of causing the tragedy.
At Ellen’s burial, her distraught mother accuses Laura of causing the disaster, stating, “YOU did this!” This heartbreaking charge has a big impact on Laura, especially because she already feels bad about what happened. What is noteworthy, however, is the response of the adults in their immediate vicinity. They merely exchange anxious looks and allow Laura to endure her suffering in silence rather than intervening to protect her.
It’s a time of confusion. You would think that at least one of the numerous adults in the room, such as Doc Baker and Reverend Alden, would reassure Laura that she is not at fault. They let her deal with the harsh words on her own instead. Although the story’s emotional impact in “My Ellen” is clear, there are several scenes that seem disconnected from the rest of the narrative.
Michael Landon put frogs in his mouth
Pranks appeared to be a common occurrence in the filming atmosphere, and Michael Landon frequently took the lead with his inventive and humorous actions. Rachel Greenbush, who portrayed Carrie, the youngest of the Ingalls siblings, shared one amusing joke.
During breaks, Greenbush and Melissa Gilbert, her on-screen sister, would sneak down to the creek for some frog-catching excursions. To surprise Landon, they would return to the set with their slimy little companions.
In a lighthearted turn, he would approach other members of the cast and crew after taking the gullible frogs and putting them in his mouth. He would open his lips to let the frogs leap out while grinning cheekily, causing everyone around him to burst out laughing and in a panic.
Melissa Gilbert’s rift with Michael Landon
Off-screen, the co-stars played a significant role in each other’s life for many years, and the ensemble had such a strong bond that you would assume they were a genuine family.
However, the actors’ relationship wasn’t always easy, and one significant incident led to a long-lasting breach between Melissa Gilbert and Michael Landon.
It all began when the young celebrity learned something that would alter her perception of Landon for all time. Cindy Clerico, Little House’s makeup artist and stand-in, was a much younger woman with whom Landon had an affair on set while he was married to his second wife, Marjorie Lynn Noe.
On set, Gilbert remembers observing how close Landon and Clerico were growing, but he brushed it off, not believing that Landon would cheat on his wife.
“It was nothing untoward; they weren’t ever in a closed-off room, not that I saw,” she wrote in her memoir. “But Mike would walk around holding her puppy, and she was a pretty young thing who wore stylish tight jeans, leotards, and high-heel boots.”
Gilbert and the rest of the company soon learned of the affair and were horrified by the behavior of the performer they had admired as a father figure.
“For us, as kids, it was a real blow,” Melissa Sue Anderson later recalled in her biography. “Although we knew he could be difficult at times and had his flaws, we never dreamed he was capable of inflicting that kind of pain on his real family.”
“For me personally, I had held him up to a higher moral standard. He had really let me down.”
The traveling quilt
Sharp-eyed admirers with laser-like vision have noticed another amusing error: the family quilt appears to be acting independently! Throughout the series, this illusive quilt appears on the beds of the Olsens, Charles and Caroline, and even other people.
It’s evident that certain props were repurposed for efficiency because it’s mostly white and has a sweet design that resembles a double wedding ring quilt.
In relation to places, have you observed the Ingalls kids’ perplexing commute to and from school? From one episode to the next, their path appears to shift. They occasionally wander by the sawmill after crossing the bridge, and other times they appear on the road behind it inexplicably.
Dean Butler almost killed himself
Dean Butler, who played Laura Ingalls’ husband Almanzo Wilder, was one of the cast members who appeared in later seasons of the show.
Dean traveled to the Little House movie set a few days after graduating from college. For a variety of reasons, it would be a memorable day.
Butler was expected to pull a horse-drawn wagon 200 yards down a hill in the opening sequence. He had never done it before, and things didn’t really go as planned when Michael yelled, “Action.” Butler dropped the reins to reach for his hat as the air took it up. Simultaneously, the unmanageable horses spurted off the road and charged in the direction of an oak tree.
Fortunately, a crew member reached the horses before they struck the tree, despite the yelling of the audience.
If Michael Landon had chosen to perform the scenario instead, Dean’s first day on Little House would have gone more smoothly.
“Michael came up to me, chewing on a cigarette, and said ’well, I think I have to double, you know’,” Butler recalled Landon saying. “‘I can double you but not replace the horses on the show’. That was my first taste of being with Michael, but it was great fun.”
Did Albert die?
In 1978, a young Matthew Labyorteaux would play Albert Quinn Ingalls, who would go on to become a major character in the series. Despite the fact that the Ingalls family adopted the young boy, many TV viewers failed to notice his departure from the series.
In the 1983 television film “Little House: Look Back to Yesterday,” Albert receives a leukemia diagnosis. However, did he pass away? To this day, it is still uncertain.
“He never officially died in the episode and I think maybe it’s kind of left up in the air to debate… but it was sort of an unspoken thing that we knew he was going to die,” the former child star said in an interview some years ago.
A timeless mistake
There is a noticeable omission in the Little House on the Prairie TV film The Last Farewell’s big climax. Since it is set in 1901, it is obvious that by the beginning of the 20th century, the majority of the characters should be in their 60s or 70s.
The actual Charles Ingalls, for example, died in 1902. By now, the younger characters—Jenny, Cassie, Nancy, Carrie, and James—should have entered young adulthood.
However, looking at pictures from the last seasons, it seems like nobody has aged much, as though Walnut Grove had stopped time. On the other hand, the Wilders had previously relocated to Missouri around the turn of the century.
Went on a pilgrimage to India
Did you notice that The Last Farewell lacked Katherine MacGregor, who played Harriet Oleson for all nine seasons?
She was on a trip to India because of her newfound Hindu beliefs, according to some sources, but there is more to her absence from the series finale. Other accounts claim that it was the result of a long-running personal dispute between her and Michael Landon regarding her pay and the use of her talent.
We hope you have enjoyed this humorous behind-the-scenes peek at Walnut Grove as we conclude our exploration of Little House on the Prairie’s gaffes and errors.
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