The Fallout of Grief in “My Ellen”
In the memorable episode “My Ellen,” Ellen Taylor drowns while skinny-dipping with Laura and Mary. Ellen’s grief-stricken mother blames Laura for the tragedy during the funeral, saying, “YOU did this!” What’s confusing is that the adults present, like Reverend Alden and Doc Baker, don’t step in to defend Laura. Instead, they leave her to deal with the harsh words on her own, making the storytelling feel disjointed at times.
Michael Landon’s Pranks
Pranks were common on the set, with Michael Landon often leading the way. Rachel Greenbush, who played Carrie Ingalls, revealed that she and Melissa Gilbert would catch frogs during breaks and bring them to Landon. He would then put the frogs in his mouth and walk over to others, opening his mouth to let the frogs jump out, causing laughter and panic among the cast and crew.
Melissa Gilbert’s Rift with Michael Landon
The cast had great chemistry off-screen, but there was a major incident between Melissa Gilbert and Michael Landon. Landon, while married to his second wife, began an on-set affair with the show’s makeup artist and stand-in, Cindy Clerico. Gilbert initially dismissed the closeness between them but later discovered the affair. The cast, including Melissa Sue Anderson, was devastated as they had looked up to Landon as a father figure.
The Traveling Quilt
Eagle-eyed fans noticed that the family quilt seemed to move around a lot. It appeared on various beds throughout the series, like the Olsens’ and Charles and Caroline’s beds. Clearly, some props were reused for efficiency. Also, the Ingalls children’s route to and from school changed from episode to episode, sometimes crossing the bridge and passing the sawmill, and other times mysteriously appearing on the road behind it.