"Little House on the Prairie" (1974) TV series 1974-1983

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Writers:

Arthur Heinemann (writer) (14 episodes)
John Hawkins (writer) (11 episodes)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

Release Date:

11 September 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Family | Romance | Western

Plot:

The life and adventures of the Ingalls family in the 19th century American West.

Plot Keywords:

House | Teacher | Prairie | Small Town | Blindness

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 15 wins & 34 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. Nov. 9	4:00 AM	TVLAND	He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not	#6.23
Mon. Nov. 9	5:00 AM	TVLAND	He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not	#6.24

Cast

Melissa Gilbert	...	Laura Ingalls / ... (192 episodes, 1974-1983)
Michael Landon	...	Charles Ingalls / ... (183 episodes, 1974-1983)
Lindsay Greenbush	...	Carrie Ingalls / ... (182 episodes, 1974-1982)
Sidney Greenbush	...	Carrie Ingalls / ... (182 episodes, 1974-1982)
Karen Grassle	...	Caroline Ingalls (170 episodes, 1974-1982)
Scottie MacGregor	...	Harriet Oleson (152 episodes, 1974-1983)
Richard Bull	...	Nels Oleson (147 episodes, 1974-1983)
Melissa Sue Anderson	...	Mary Ingalls / ... (142 episodes, 1974-1981)
Jonathan Gilbert	...	Willie Oleson (139 episodes, 1974-1983)
Kevin Hagen	...	Dr. Hiram Baker (113 episodes, 1974-1983)
Alison Arngrim	...	Nellie Oleson / ... (104 episodes, 1974-1982)
Matthew Laborteaux	...	Albert Quinn Ingalls / ... (87 episodes, 1976-1983)

Also Known As:

Little House: A New Beginning (USA) (last season title)

Runtime:

60 min | Germany:45 min (210 episodes) | USA:60 min (203 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:G | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-18 (DVD) (2007) (self applied) | Australia:PG (some episodes) | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Big Sky Ranch - 4927 Bennett Road, Simi Valley, California, USA

Company:

Ed Friendly Productions

Trivia:

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.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: In the episode "The Lord is My Shepherd", Laura runs away from home and stays on top of a mountain, even though there are no mountains whatsoever in Walnut Grove, Minnesota.

Quotes:

Almanzo James Wilder: [trying to give Laura a nickname] What's your given name?
Laura: Laura Elizabeth Ingalls.
Almanzo James Wilder: Laura Elizabeth...
[pause]
Almanzo James Wilder: How about Beth?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Ron Howard/The Clash (#8.3)" (1982)

Not as sappy as you might remember...

I grew up watching 'Little House On The Prairie', as well as read some of the books on which the program was based. As a young kid, I was aware that some of the issues on the program were very serious, but I still considered it, like many of you, to be a 'family' program; sweet, sappy, and moralistic. As the years have worn on, I've watched the program in reruns. Lately, for the past 2-3 months, I've been watching back-to-back reruns nearly everyday, and have been extremely surprised at the darker layers to 'Little House' that I guess most people never picked up. Here's some of the darker subjects tackled on 'Little House' - murder, corruption, child rape/abuse/endangerment, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, accusations of adultery, etc. From this list you'd think you I was talking about a show you couldn't watch with your family. 'Little House' also dealt with death, destruction of one's home, the evils of gossip, alcoholism, divorce, kidnapping, racism/xenophobia/religious persecution, personal crisis, loss of faith, etc. Sure some episodes tried to have a resolution at the end of 60 minutes, but most did not. The characters were not perfect by a long shot; not even the main character Laura or even the Reverend Alden. I highly recommend 'Little House' to adults wanting to try something different out. A much better show than other 'family' shows of the time, like 'Eight Is Enough' (good but not as good as LH), and much, much better than the 'family' shows of the past decade including 'Dr. Quinn' and '7th Heaven'.