Reminiscing on ‘Little House on the Prairie’
Stars from the classic series ‘Little House on the Prairie’ shared their thoughts on some of the show’s most outrageous storylines. The series, which aired from 1974 to 1983, did not always enjoy consistent success during its nine-season run.
Dean Butler, who portrayed Almanzo Wilder, reflected on a particularly memorable episode during a podcast with Patrick Labihorteau. He highlighted Season 9, Episode 20, titled “For the Love of Blanche.”
In this episode, a character named Isaiah Edwards, played by Victor French, vows to care for a dying traveler’s child. To everyone’s surprise, the child turns out to be an orangutan named Blanche. Butler expressed his bewilderment, asking, “Where did this come from?” He noted, “Mr. Edwards adopts the orangutan, and we never see her again. It’s like, we’re left hanging with this memory.” At the end of the episode, Blanche is sent off to the zoo.
Labiorteau, now 60, humorously stated that incorporating an orangutan was quite a challenge for the production. He mentioned, “That was good enough for Clint Eastwood,” referencing Eastwood’s film “Every Which Way But Loose,” where an orangutan named Clyde starred in two films.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time cast members from Walnut Grove, Minnesota, have shared anecdotes on Labihorteau’s podcast. In November, Dean Butler reminisced about a memorable encounter on set with Michael Landon, who played the beloved Charles Ingalls.
Sadly, Landon passed away from pancreatic cancer in 1991 at just 54 years old; he was not only an actor but also a producer and director for the series. Butler was joined in the discussion by Alison Arngrim, known for her role as Nellie Olson, and several other cast members.
Butler recalled a scene that tested Landon’s strength. “We were filming a moment where he was supposed to go limp when lunging at another character, but he didn’t,” Butler joked. He noted that after multiple takes, Landon, clearly fatigued, picked him up and tossed him into the barn while shouting, “Go limp!” Butler admitted he was excited about the scene, which led to some unexpected physical antics.
Asking whether Arngrim felt any soreness from the incident, Butler agreed, “The next take was completely fine.” It seemed to conclude a chaotic but memorable moment for the cast.
