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Little House on the Prairie celebrates its 50th anniversary this September, and to mark the occasion, three of the show’s stars, Melissa Gilbert, Karen Grassle, and Alison Arngrim, reunited on Thursday’s (March 21) Good Morning America to reflect on the iconic series.
In a segment filmed for GMA, the three actresses visited the Big Sky Ranch in Simi Valley, California, where the show was filmed during its nine-season run from 1974 to 1982. In anticipation of the upcoming Prairie Palooza fan event, the area has been set up with recreations of the schoolhouse, general store, and legendary little house itself.
“When we did the show, we went, ‘Yeah, this is a really good show, Oh, it seems to be a hit, that’s nice.’ But the idea that 50 years later, people would still be excited about it, it’s absolutely mind-blowing,” Arngrim said.
As for what continues to drive people to the show, Grassle shared, “People are finding values, comfort, and message that they long for. And I think it’s just simple human decency.”
The show, which was loosely based on Laura Ingall Wilder’s Little House book series, revolved around the Ingalls family, who lived on a farm on Plum Creek near Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in 1870s-90s. Gilbert played the lead, Laura Ingalls, while Grassle portrayed her mother, Caroline, and Arngrim starred as her classmate, Nellie Oleson.
“It’s overwhelming, actually,” Gilbert said of being back on set. “I’m remembering so much and so much of my childhood and so many wonderful experiences and emotional experiences attached to all of these people.”
The trio also paid tribute to the late Michael Landon, who played the patriarch Charles Ingalls in the Emmy-winning series. Landon, who Arngrim joked was “the TV girl dad” of his time, died in 1991 from pancreatic cancer at the age of 54.
“He was magnetic,” Gilbert shared. “He drew me in, but he also played with me right away. And our relationship immediately became parental in that way, but he treated us when he worked with us like contemporaries, not like kids.”
Earlier this month, it was announced that Landon’s children and Little House alum Dean Butler were creating “Team Little House” for the PanCAN PurpleStride, a walk to raise money to end pancreatic cancer on April 27, 2024, in 60 cities across the country.
During its eight-year run, Little House aired over 200 episodes, plus specials, and was adored by viewers and critics. When asked what it was that the show gave viewers that kept them coming back, Grassle said, “Gosh, I never thought of it that way, but I can only think it’s love.”
