This Day in TV History: ‘Little House on the Prairie’ Aired the Pilot Episode
Little House on the Prairie was a part of many households in the 1970s and 1980s. Melissa Sue Anderson, Melissa Gilbert, Karen Grassle, and Michael Landon kept us fixated on our television screens. The pilot episode aired on March 30, 1974. Join us for a trip down memory lane.
‘Little House on the Prairie’ first aired on March 30, 1974
The pilot episode of Little House on the Prairie provides the background story of the Ingalls family. The pilot was full of action. The family is forced to move twice, their dog almost dies, and their home catches fire. A lot is packed into that hour.
Laura (played by Melissa Gilbert) explains why the family is moving. During her voiceover, the character discusses leaving their little house in the big woods. She seems both excited and sad about the move.
“If I had a remembrance book, I would mark down how it was when we left our little house in the big woods to go West to Indian territory,” says Laura. Her father, Charles Ingalls, says the family must leave because so many people came to live in the big woods that there wasn’t enough game to hunt. He was afraid the family might go hungry.
Karen Grassle didn’t find her ‘Little House’ character interesting
Karen Grassle (she played Caroline Ingalls) was happy to be part of Little House on the Prairie. However, she admits that she didn’t think her character was all that interesting. When she read the script for the first couple of episodes, she wasn’t excited about the character.
In her autobiography, Bright Lights, Prairie Dust, Grassle says she thought Caroline was “not sexy” and “not at all shiny.” Grassle thought the character was “a bit of a drag” on the Charles Ingalls character. She was concerned about the role and the impact it might have on her acting career.
Grassle worried that playing Caroline might prevent her from getting certain roles. “It didn’t seem exactly a star-making part nor a character who would generate lots of spell-binding roles in other projects,” wrote Grassle. However, she eventually convinced herself to be grateful for the role. Grassle says she encouraged herself.
“Take the damn part and be grateful you’re working,” she told herself. Grassle starred in Little House on the Prairie for eight seasons.
Alison Arngrim passed out on the set
Alison Arngrim (she played Nellie Oleson) was introduced during Little House on the Prairie Season 1 Episode 2 (titled “Country Girls”). In her book Confessions of a Prairie B****, she reveals she passed out on her first day.
Arngrim says she didn’t have a lot to eat. Furthermore, the crew was filming outdoors, and it was very hot that day. She also had to stand in front of hot lights. This turned out to be a recipe for disaster. Arngrim says she was preparing to film her scene. The next thing she knew, she was on the ground. Once she recovered, everything was OK, and she was able to continue. Despite what happened, Arngrim says that was a special day for her because that’s when she and Gilbert became friends.
“That was the day I knew Melissa loved me and I her,” writes Arngrim. “It was the beginning of a great friendship. The rest of the day was fainting-free, but to this day, the Little House cast and crew have never let me live it down—I truly made an entrance.”
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