‘Little House on the Prairie’: Inside Alison Arngrim and Co-Star Steve Tracy’s Sweet Relationship
Little House on the Prairie star Alison Arngrim formed a close relationship with members of the cast. One Little House on the Prairie cast member who became a big part of her life was the late Steve Tracy, known for playing Percival Dalton, Nelly Oleson’s husband. Here’s a look inside their relationship.
The ‘Little House on the Prairie’ cast members were close
In her book Bright Lights, Prairie Dust, Karen Grassle talks about the close friendships she formed on the Little House on the Prairie set. She was good friends with Katherine MacGregor, who played Harriet Oleson, Nellie Oleson’s mother. She also formed a friendship with Charlotte Stewart, who played schoolteacher Mrs. Beadle.
Arngrim became best friends with co-star Melissa Gilbert. In her book Confessions of a Prairie B**** she says she knew they would be friends for life when Gilbert showed concern after she passed out on the Little House set from heat exhaustion. Arngrim says Gilbert stayed outside her dressing room until she felt better. She compared Gilbert to a father waiting outside the delivery room, pacing anxiously.
Alison Arngrim formed a close relationship with Steve Tracy
Another good friend of Arngrim’s was Steve Tracy. She says they were so close that some people thought they had a romantic relationship in real life. They didn’t mind because Tracy was hiding a secret about his personal life. He was gay and he didn’t want this to be revealed to the public.
Arngrim says she and Tracy had great chemistry on and off the set. During one scene, they were having so much fun they couldn’t stop laughing. Arngrim says they broke out in fits of giggles and couldn’t stop. She noticed the crew giving her and Tracy looks that seemed to ask if they were an item. Arngrim says they all thought she and Tracy were sleeping together.
Arngrim says during the time Little House on the Prairie was on the air, many gay actors tried to hide their true identity. According to her, they had “cover relationships” so no one would suspect they were gay. However, Tracy didn’t need a cover because everyone thought they were romantically linked. She says they even lied to the National Enquirer and said they were “deeply in love.”
Arngrim and Tracy spent a lot of time together. She says they attended charity events, red carpet events, and more as a “couple.” Arngrim says she and Tracy probably had more in common than real couples in Hollywood.
Alison Arngrim called Steve Tracy her ‘other husband’
Arngrim says she was so close to Tracy after Little House on the Prairie ended that she jokingly referred to him as her “other husband.” She says they constantly joked around and could even finish each other’s sentences. “It was as if we never stopped being Nellie and Percival,” says Arngrim.
Arngrim described Tracy as a close friend, teacher, and confidant. She says he was much more than her friend. She also considered him to be her “mentor and protector.”
Unfortunately, Arngrim lost her mentor and protector. Tracy died of AIDS-related complications on Thanksgiving Day on November 27, 1986. He was 34 years old.
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