Complete series cast summary: | |||
Melissa Gilbert | ... |
Laura Ingalls
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(205 episodes, 1974-1983)
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Michael Landon | ... |
Charles Ingalls
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(187 episodes, 1974-1983)
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Lindsay Greenbush | ... |
Carrie Ingalls
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(183 episodes, 1974-1982)
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Sidney Greenbush | ... |
Carrie Ingalls
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(183 episodes, 1974-1982)
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Karen Grassle | ... |
Caroline Ingalls
(183 episodes, 1974-1982)
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Melissa Sue Anderson | ... |
Mary Ingalls
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(163 episodes, 1974-1981)
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Scottie MacGregor | ... |
Harriet Oleson
(153 episodes, 1974-1983)
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Richard Bull | ... |
Nels Oleson
(147 episodes, 1974-1983)
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Jonathan Gilbert | ... |
Willie Oleson
(140 episodes, 1974-1983)
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Kevin Hagen | ... |
Dr. Hiram Baker
(113 episodes, 1974-1983)
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Alison Arngrim | ... |
Nellie Oleson
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(104 episodes, 1974-1982)
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Matthew Labyorteaux | ... |
Albert Quinn Ingalls
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(89 episodes, 1976-1983)
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A long-running drama based upon the "Little House" series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, "Little House on the Prairie" follows the lives of the simple, farming Ingalls family: Charles, Caroline, Mary, Laura, Carrie and then Grace and the later adopted Albert, James and Cassandra, who settle into a quaint little house on the banks of Plum Creek near the small town of Walnut Grove during the late 1800s. Often narrated by Laura, the series follows her simple farm upbringing from her childhood until her adulthood with Almanzo Wilder with whom she starts a family of her own. While the series is based upon the Little House books (and thus the real life of author Laura Ingalls Wilder), it is a very loose adaptation, with mostly only key events and elements of fact surviving the transition from book to TV series, the most important being Mary's eventual blindness, and Laura's future. Several other fictitious (some factual) characters make up the friendly community of Walnut Grove, ... Written by Ondre Lombard <olombard@lombard.dialup.cyberverse.com>
I grew up watching 'Little House On The Prairie', as well as read some of the books on which the program was based. As a young kid, I was aware that some of the issues on the program were very serious, but I still considered it, like many of you, to be a 'family' program; sweet, sappy, and moralistic. As the years have worn on, I've watched the program in reruns. Lately, for the past 2-3 months, I've been watching back-to-back reruns nearly everyday, and have been extremely surprised at the darker layers to 'Little House' that I guess most people never picked up. Here's some of the darker subjects tackled on 'Little House' - murder, corruption, child rape/abuse/endangerment, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, accusations of adultery, etc. From this list you'd think you I was talking about a show you couldn't watch with your family. 'Little House' also dealt with death, destruction of one's home, the evils of gossip, alcoholism, divorce, kidnapping, racism/xenophobia/religious persecution, personal crisis, loss of faith, etc. Sure some episodes tried to have a resolution at the end of 60 minutes, but most did not. The characters were not perfect by a long shot; not even the main character Laura or even the Reverend Alden. I highly recommend 'Little House' to adults wanting to try something different out. A much better show than other 'family' shows of the time, like 'Eight Is Enough' (good but not as good as LH), and much, much better than the 'family' shows of the past decade including 'Dr. Quinn' and '7th Heaven'.