Dean Butler’s Close Call
Dean Butler, who joined the show later as Laura Ingalls’ husband Almanzo Wilder, had a harrowing first day on set. In his first scene, he was supposed to drive a horse wagon down a hill. When the breeze blew his hat off and he dropped the reins to grab it, the horses went out of control and charged towards an oak tree. Luckily, a crew member managed to stop them before disaster struck, and Michael Landon ended up doing the scene instead.
Did Albert Die?
Albert Quinn Ingalls, played by Matthew Labyorteaux, was adopted by the Ingalls family and became an important part of the series. In the made-for-TV movie “Little House: Look Back to Yesterday,” he’s diagnosed with leukemia. However, it remains unclear whether he actually died. The former child star said it was sort of left up in the air for debate.
A Timeless Mistake
In the grand finale, “The Last Farewell,” set in 1901, there’s a significant oversight. Characters like Carrie, Jenny, James, Cassandra, and Nancy should have been in young adulthood by then, and the older ones like Charles Ingalls should have passed away (as the real-life Charles Ingalls died in 1902). Yet, the characters didn’t seem to age much, as if time had stood still in Walnut Grove.
Katherine MacGregor’s Absence
Katherine MacGregor, who played Harriet Oleson throughout all nine seasons, was missing from “The Last Farewell.” While some reports say it was due to her pilgrimage to India related to her new Hindu faith, other sources suggest it stemmed from a personal conflict with Michael Landon over salary and how her talent was utilized.
These bloopers and mistakes offer an interesting behind-the-scenes look at “Little House on the Prairie,” adding a different dimension to our memories of this classic show.