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It’s hard to believe it’s been 50 years since the Ingalls family made their television debut in 1974.
“Good Morning America” reunited with cast members Melissa Gilbert (Laura), Karen Grassle (Caroline, Laura’s mother) and Alison Arngrim (Laura’s nemesis Nellie Oleson) to celebrate the series’ 50th anniversary and discuss his lasting legacy.
As to why generations of fans continued to watch the show long after its more than 200 episodes over nine seasons came to an end in 1983, Grassle had an idea.
“People are finding values, comfort and a message that they long for,” he said. “And I think it’s just human decency.”
(Above left to right) Matthew Laborteaux, Melissa Gilbert, Michael Landon, Dean Butler, Melissa Sue Anderson, Linwood Boomer (Bottom left to right) Karen Grassle and Lindsay/Sidney Greenbush appear on the set of the seventh season of “The “house on the prairie.”
NBCUniversal via Getty Images, FILE
Arngrim added that the show seemed like a hit at the time, but its staying power is “absolutely mind-blowing” to her.
“It’s overwhelming, actually,” Gilbert interjected. “I’m remembering so, so much of my childhood and so many wonderful, emotional experiences associated with all of these people.”
Among those who have left a lasting impact on Gilbert is the late Michael Landon, who not only played Ingalls patriarch Charles, also known as “Pa,” but also produced the series and directed and wrote many episodes.
“Technically, he was the TV girl’s father,” Arngrim laughed.
Michael Landon appears as Charles Philip Ingalls in this undated photo from “Little House on the Prairie.”
NBCUniversal via Getty Images, FILE
Gilbert called Landon, who died in 1991 at the age of 54, “magnetic,” saying he “attracted me but also played with me right away.”
“Our relationship immediately became paternal,” he continued. “But when she worked with us she treated us like contemporaries, not like children.”
As Gilbert’s Laura grew from a girl to a woman on the show, she was also guided by her television mother.
Grassle, reflecting on what Caroline, or “Ma,” gave to Laura and, by default, to those who watched the show, said, “I can only think of it as love.”
The trio of actresses, and other cast members, will reunite at the “Little House on the Prairie” 50th anniversary cast reunion. & Festival” this weekend for the three-day festival taking place March 22-24 in Simi Valley, California. Get more details here.
See then and now photos of “Little House on the Prairie” cast members:
Melissa Gilbert (Laura Ingalls Wilder)
Melissa Gilbert on “Little House on the Prairie,” left, and Melissa Gilbert, March 21, 2024 on “Good Morning America.”
Getty Images/ABC News
Karen Grassle (Caroline Ingalls, aka “Ma”)
Karen Grassle on “Little House on the Prairie,” left, and Karen Grassle, March 21, 2024 on “Good Morning America.”
Getty Images/ABC News
Alison Arngrim (Nellie Oleson)
Alison Arngrim on “Little House on the Prairie,” left, and Alison Arngrim, March 21, 2024 on “Good Morning America.”
Getty Images/ABC News