Happy Anniversary Little House!!

Happy 40th Anniversary to our Little House on the Prairie!!       40 years ago today, the premiere episode aired. Wow!


Who could have predicted back then what we know now? 40 YEARS of beautiful acting, scenery, story-telling and just plain perfection viewed by fans all over the world!  


I am watching the Pilot right now in celebration! 


Maybe something fun we could do---how about everyone mention how Little House has 'bettered' your life over the years?  I know it has for me, in many ways. But perhaps the biggest way is how I parented my boys.  Ma's voice/lines have literally crept into my mind in certain parenting situations---Pa's too.  It's amazing how this show infiltrated my life with lessons that I will personally never forget.

Anyone else?

I watched the shows from the get go.....all through high school and beyond.  After my life got busy with family, I lost track of it for many years.  When I was first diagnosed with cancer in 1995; Little House was rediscovered while sitting in the chemotherapy room having my meds dripped into me.  As I sat watching it, I realized I could get lost out on 'the prairie' for an hour.  I soon started taping the shows and before I knew it, I had my boys climbing in bed with me to watch my show....those memories are precious to me.....Little House bettered my life, by helping me to escape from what was going on in my life at that very moment, and bring special moments with my boys.  

Aww Rhonda, you brought tears to my eyes!   I'll never forget your story of how Little House helped you through one of the most difficult times of your life.  I'm sure your boys cherished that time with you too, watching this show and cuddling up with their momma! 


I forgot to mention that I watched from the get-go too, but I was 4 and don't remember that well. I just remember that as I got a little older, it was me (not my older sisters) who got so excited about watching it each Monday night at 8:00. Best night of the week!  

Great idea, Amy. The first episode I can remember watching is Country Girls. I was also really young when it first aired. For me, it was a way to escape my lousy childhood. My mom has been gone for more than 30 years now, but I think if she lived my parents would have been divorced. They barely knew each other when they got married. Things were never great at home; though I did my best not to draw much attention to myself and anger my father. I was one of those kids who grew up wishing she lived with Ma and Pa Ingalls.

Now, the show is a way with me to connect with friends. I enjoy writing fan fiction stories when I get a chance. I'm sure my house and parenting style isn't close to that of Ma or Pa Ingalls, but I cherish the lessons I learned from the show.

40th Anniversary – What It Means To Me

It’s hard to explain what Little House on The Prairie has meant to my wife Sandy and me. I’m a lot older than most of you, probably ALL of you, and the older I get, the more I reflect on just how Michael Landon’s writing and that wonderful cast touched our lives in the 1970’s.

We had watched Little House from the beginning and I always thought it was a great show. Unfortunately, it took a horrible experience in our lives to really exemplify what it really meant to us both. Our only son was born in 1970. He was a wonderful kid and was very precious to us. Sandy had a rough delivery, and unfortunately was not able to have more children. We accepted that, and we were just thankful that God had given us a son.

He was four years old when Little House debuted. I can remember like it was yesterday, the three of us watching that show. Although he was only four, he loved it, especially when Jack was on. I think of him every time Cheryl talks about her beloved Jack. We all have our favorites on the show and it is amazing how much they mean to us. Every time Jack was on, that laugh of his rang out through the house. I can hear it now as I write this.  

Then in 1976, probably the most horrible year of my life, our son was taken from us. That year is pretty much a blank for me now, but the one thing I remember vividly is that I simply lost my faith and was mad at God. So, I did what a lot of people do and took it out on myself and the ones I loved. The human in me could not understand why it had happened. So, I simply buried myself in work, and took a lot of Valium. A lot! In the seventies, doctors dispensed it like candy. And in the beginning, it took the pain away. After two years, I was up to 40 miligrams a day and headed for disaster.

How Sandy put up with me during those years is a wonder to me. When I look back on it, the answer was simple. Besides loving me, she had mourned our son and accepted the fact that he was gone. I hadn’t done that. I hadn’t even cried about it. I was the one that was going to be strong and in the process, I nearly destroyed myself. And during that time, I added alcohol to the mix.

I had not watched Little House for several years. One night for some reason, I was flipping through channels, and the new season of Little House was on. For some reason, I decided to watch it. “As Long As Were Together” was the episode. All I can remember is what Sandy said to me that night when that boy walked up the street and met Laura for the first time. “That’s the cutest kid I ever saw in my life!”

All of you know how I loved Albert, and probably are sick of hearing me say it. The reason is a simple one. Several weeks later, while watching “Fagin”, when he asked Michael if he could call him “Pa”, I cried like a baby for half the night. All of my sorrow came out that night because of that kid and his Dad. It was the first time that I mourned for my son. The next morning, I made a promise to myself that I was going to straighten myself out, not only for my sake, but for Sandy’s.

What followed was six tough months. When you suck down Valium for that long and stop, the depression is hard to describe. But with the help of a very good doctor, counseling from a wonderful Minister,  and a loving Wife that God gave me, I succeeded in straightening myself out.

In 1979, we visited my Mother In Law in Tucson, Arizona. She had lived there since 1973. At the time, Michael Landon was an icon in Tucson. He held tennis tournaments here and of course, shot a lot of Little House at Old Tucson. When we arrived, she asked if we would like to go out there, since the Little House cast was in town shooting episodes. You can imagine what the answer was.

It was a beautiful day when we went. We rounded a corner and stood behind the barrier that had been set up for spectators. And there they were, Melissa, Michael and Matthew and a lot of extras. Sandy and I watched them for a long time. They were shooting the street scenes in “Author, Author” when Laura and Albert begged for money from a lady in the street while Charles was trying to sell the plow.  Several hours passed, and after the scenes were shot, we decided to look around the sets.

As we were leaving that day, we came within twenty feet of Matt as he was walking down one of the streets with several crew members. For some reason he looked straight at me and that smile of his lit up his face. If you think that kid was cute on film, you should have seen him in person! That was the boy that was hugely responsible for saving my life! The only thing I regret is that I didn’t have a camera that day. I would give a million bucks to have a picture of that smile.

When I received the new DVD a couple of days ago, Sandy and I both watched the pilot. I cannot express what it was like to watch the restored version of it. And when we saw Jack tagging along behind that wagon, we both heard the same thing.


Every day, I thank God for this forum and the blessed people in it. That show and this forum continues to be something VERY special in my life.

This show aired on T.V before I was born. It ended the year I was born or something like that. I grew up watching the Re-runs on T.V. I remember watching it every morning during the summer time. It came on TBS, Afther Mamma's family. I liked the show because it was a little like Road to Avonlea. I've seen ever episode.  

God Bless You Dave...and thank you so much for sharing your story with us.  Also, Thank You for all the cast info, but above all, the love and laughter you bring to us here in this forum.  I only hope I can meet you and Sandy in person someday...you are both amazing and so lucky to have each other!  May God bless you both.   

Dave, thank you SO much for sharing that piece of yourself with us.    I know that couldn't have been easy.  I'll write more tomorrow since I'm headed to bed and I have a lot to say, but wow, so beautiful.  

And Cheryl, I love what you wrote too, and am so glad you 'found' Little House to watch back then and help you escape.  I know so many adults say they grew up wishing they'd had parents more like Ma & Pa.  I was one of the lucky ones and both my parents were pretty much as close to them as you can hope for as a kid.  It's a pretty cool thing to know that (unlike a lot of other 70's shows), this particular show was able to really help kids cope in life and escape into this sort of fantasy world, not only of a sort of 'time travel', but to a world where the characters were all about 'doing the right thing' and teaching lessons, based in Christianity.  How many shows did THAT back then, and even fewer today, obviously, with all the political correctness and worrying about stepping on toes.  Makes me sad for kids today, who are growing up in difficult homes, struggling daily and never being exposed to shows like Little House, that might actually do some good in their lives.

I was going to tell you Dave, that my grandpa's son (my mom's younger brother that I never met) died at 16 of a brain tumor, and my grandpa never recovered from it.  He became an alcoholic and that was his vice for the rest of his days and was a very angry and bitter man after his son's death and remained that way (another 20 years or so).   The fact that you came out the other side, Dave, shows the highest form of honoring your son, for he (nor my uncle) would have wanted you (or my grandpa) to live out the rest of your days in anger and bitterness.

I understand all about anger at God....I will not compare my loss to the severity of yours (I truly can't imagine that), but I miscarried between my sons at 5 months along and it took me well over a year to come back to God. I chose to blame Him. I finally realized He was the only one who could get me through this---not my husband, not my parents, not my living son.  It occurred to me that the only true way through this was with the Lord guiding me through my grieving and healing process.  Once I managed to let Him in and at least start recovering, I became pregnant with my second son who I delivered to term.  

Dave, I am so sorry for your loss.  Time may have eased the pain a little, but the hurt and loss will always remain, and I'm so glad you have had Little House and Albert to help you cope with that. Clearly you felt a connection and I'm sure Matthew Laborteaux would be so incredibly touched to know that he was able to relieve even a little of your pain.  I completely agree with your wife's statement that he was the cutest kid ever.  

Sorry this all got so long, but I wanted to share that with you too, since I know it took a lot out of you to share your story.

 


I hope more people will share how Little House has bettered their lives....I don't think any of us would be here on this forum if it hadn't somehow affected us all rather profoundly. 

Yeah, another one here. I watched Little House as an escape from my screwed up childhood. Everyone wanted parents like Ma and Pa, *sigh*.
Now when I watch the show, it makes me mourn for a bygone era that we will never get back. No one has time for each other, the electronic babysitter watches the kids, walk to a bus stop and see every with their nose buried in their phones. Social media, so shallow. I'm on the verge of shutting down my Facebook account for good. You can have 300 friends on Facebook, and how many of them call you once in a while?
They were so connected to the land also. When you got off work, you could just walk to the fishing hole. Or study by the creek. Delivering lumber to a distant town, and driving down a road totally connected with nature. Oh, what fantasy.

Ok, enough ranting. The lessons Little House taught us are something that we can live by today, even in our overly-connected world.

1. Hard work, even though we feel overworked nowdays, it feels good to know we did a honest day's work for an honest day's pay.
2. Family, tell your children, and spouse you love them, often. Take time out to play catch with them or go to a park.
3. Community, tell someone who gave you great customer service that you appreciate them and the job they do.
4. Faith, live by whatever beliefs you have. Become involved with a faith community.
5. Live by your word. Be direct when you need to be, but not hurtful. Charles sometimes had to say tough things to people.
6. One of the things I've learned by watching Laura and Nellie's constant needling at each other. It's a good lesson on how to deal with a bully. Do unto others but when they come up to that line. When they cross that line, stand up to them.

What a show, never be another one like it.

To Bestshowever,

That was the best POST ever!!  

 

Well, I feel so close to you all by just reading what you have shared. I've always said " You know a person has discovered LAURA when you hear that *sigh." Its a sigh of contentment that fills you after you have watched Little House.
I was 3 when Little house aired, so of course I didn't watch till around 1978. This would have been into the third season I guess. I actually remember the night I discovered the show. I heard this little girl yelling for her dog and then talking to her father. What I "saw" was MYSELF because like Laura I had a scruffy looking dog (Fella was his name.) just like Jack. Fella was everywhere I was and I was everywhere my father was. I had the same relationship with my dad that Laura had with Pa. I didn't mind getting dirty, handling wiggly fish, baiting my own hook or spitting. I used to spit on my own feet to get them "cleaner" before I went inside just so I wouldn't have to take a bath right away. For some reason my mom looked at the feet when gauging filth.
If my Mom was quick enough to catch me eating breakfast in the morning my hair got braided. IF not it was left to the mercy of the wind all day just to be a birds nest by the time the street lights came on. I was a child that lived outside.
I found myself rushing through my spelling homework every Monday night to be on the floor sitting by the speaker of our console tv by 7 p.m. I am sure that's why my spelling is awful today...its Michael Landon's fault. lol
After that, everything I pretended to be was Little House related. I was always Laura when playing with friends, but on occasion I would be Nellie until my Mother made me quit running in to her crying " MOTHER!" as Nellie always did. Then I went on a weird turn and wanted to pretend I was an Indian . During that time was when I was brought home by a policeman that lived in our neighborhood for not wearing a shirt. After that I could only be an Indian in the house... what fun is that??
By 1980 my home was in a huge upset. My parents divorced and I lost that close connection with my Dad. Watching LH took me back to that good feeling every week if just for an hour. I struggled for years to have a relationship with Dad, but it was only good when we could both let go. I learned a lot of important lessons from Little House and the stories have touched me . I know a lot of people didn't like the characters of James and Cassandra, but I identified with them . I felt orphaned by my Dad . He was the only parent that I was close to and everyone else just wanted me to do something for THEM. Every story that Michael brought to his audience touched someone. That is what has kept people watching. People don't change. Their needs don't change. We still loose people we love and need to find a way to deal. This show helped us deal , it made us stronger and it has led us ALL here so we could meet one another. Its truly an amazing thing, and this anniversary needs to be celebrated even if we aren't all at the reunion this summer.
I don't push my Little House nerdy self on my boys. They have watched from a distance and I think they have learned a few lessons along the way. I don't get mad when they ask for me "to go back" so they can see Walnut Grove get blown up again. I will leave them a whole mess of LH junk to go through when I am gone. Who knows, maybe then they will REALLY watch.

Good one Amy...glad you started this thread.   

What wonderful stories we all have. And Dave, thanks for sharing so much of yourself with us. I can only imagine the pain of that loss. I'm glad LHOP holds such meaning for you and that it helped you through your pain.

Oh Gin.  Only you can make me laugh and cry in a single post.  


I sure do wish we'd known each other when we were kids....you would have been a hoot to hang out with!  And you would have gotten me into soooooo much trouble.   


And oh my gosh, I can just hear you yelling "MOTHER!!!!" like Nellie!!  

Now Amy... I have a feeling we would have been wonderful together. I can see you dressing us both up in LH attire. I had a plum tree in our yard we could have used for our "apples" in our dresses. I would have needed several. We would have only gotten grounded a few times....  

I had that " MOTHER!" line down so good, Mom told me once I SOUNDED just like Nellie.

Rhonda, I can just see all three boys in bed with you. I know that was such a special time.

Dave, I hope someday you get to meet Matt. I'm sure when someone has pulled off a part as Matt did in Albert's character they have to have been touched by that kind of writing . I am sure he would be honored to know you were able to overcome so much because of the show. Grief can sure pull you in the deep end and keep its foot on you for a long time. I have been there too. I am so proud that you found your way to the surface again. Sandy must be someone special to wait and you must have been worth the wait. You have certainly made a mark on this prairie. Glad LH brought you here.

What Little House means to me?  A lot!  I was 4 when the show first started, so I didn't really start watching 'til the middle of 78 (the middle of season 4).  It actually started because my mom had this old magazine and there was an article on Alison Arngrim.  It talked about her mean character of "Nellie," so I was curious.  Since then, I was hooked!  I became even more hooked when Matt Labyorteaux joined the cast.  Not only did I already think he was amazing (and I was only 8!), but I could see early on how special he was.  Of course, over the years, as he got older, I started to develop a crush on him.  I'm not sure I'm over it yet!    

Anyway, what I loved most about this show is the love between the Ingalls family.  I always dreamed about having a family like that.  My mom loves me, of course, and she and my grandma did a great job raising me.  Unfortunately, my father wasn't/isn't much of a 'father'...and I always wondered what it was like to have a father like Charles.  I never knew a father could love like that...mine never did...or at least he had a terrible time showing it.  He still does.  Also, I have siblings, but they're all half siblings (from Dad) and while I know them, I wasn't actually raised with them.  I was raised with my older cousin who is more like a big brother to me than my real older brother ever will be.  I always wondered what it was like to have REAL siblings...adopted or natural.  I would have loved to have grown up in a house full of siblings (those who actually complain about that have NO IDEA how lucky they are!).  That's why I'm into all these family shows like Little House, 8 is Enough, Partridge Family, etc.  

A real father and brothers and sisters...what a dream!  But, then I figured I can have my dream with my own family someday...a husband and a house full of kids.  Sadly, I don't think the house full of kids will ever happen (naturally anyway), but the husband...maybe...and, who knows?  Maybe I'll adopt a house full of kids!  

As for a father...well, I'm happy to say I finally have one now.  No, my mother hasn't re-married (still have hope for her too)...but, let's just say I have a VERY good friend who's pretty much adopted me as his daughter...and I love him very much.  I not only have a father...I actually have a DAD.    

Finally...LH means a lot to me because of this forum.  You guys are fantastic!  I'm sorry I don't get in here as often as I like, but I'm trying!  Love to all!   

Thanks for sharing. Congrats on the " DAD" I know how much that does mean to you. They are hard to find sometimes. I like to think when we all come here we have no problem " fitting " in this Little House.

What a lovely post, Julie!   Like Gin, I'm VERY glad you were able to find your 'pseudo-dad'.....I'm sure he's happy he could fill that void for you too!!

I forgot about Eight is Enough---yep, that was very family oriented too.  You know, people talk about different sitcoms today presenting various family forms that didn't used to be 'presented', but they really were back then too....the dad on 8 is Enough was a widower, the mom on Partridge Family was a single mom (widower too I think? Or was she divorced?) and also Carol Brady was a widower and I think the dad was divorced, something like that.  

But I agree, I don't think ANY show revealed the LOVE of family like Little House on the Prairie did. And there was true romance between Charles & Caroline that you felt. I never believed it in other shows, but this one, you really felt like they were husband and wife, and the girls were their daughters. It was easy to fantasize about that because they were so 'real' and it didn't feel like acting.

I'm so glad you found this forum too, Julie.  We're glad you're here!! 

Gin wrote:
I don't get mad when they ask for me "to go back" so they can see Walnut Grove get blown up again. I will leave them a whole mess of LH junk to go through when I am gone. Who knows, maybe then they will REALLY watch.


When I read this I laughed so hard I nearly fell off the chair! I could just see Gin's boys saying that.....

I'm very happy for you Julie......Your new Dad loving you like a daughter is pretty special! He must be a great guy!

Thanks Gin, Amy, and Dave!   

Amy, in "Eight is Enough" Tom started off as married, but when Diana Hyland, the actress who played his wife Joan passed away in real life, they made him a widower. However, his character re-married and the kids now had a step mother (played by Betty Buckley). I'm actually getting re-acquainted with the show as I am getting the DVD's (I now have up to season 3; need two more).

Dave...he IS a great guy!   

Gin wrote:
I don't get mad when they ask for me "to go back" so they can see Walnut Grove get blown up again. I will leave them a whole mess of LH junk to go through when I am gone. Who knows, maybe then they will REALLY watch.

Gin: I know how much you really love your boys and how much they mean to you. So in order to really spark their interest in Little House, I wanted to give you the real story of what happened on that fateful day so many years ago. I think this will bridge the gap Gin! Then forty years from now they can get on this forum and tell everyone what Little House really means to them!

Good one!   

Foreigners! I knew foreigners were behind it!   

I have read all your stories and I must say that they all touched me a lot.
It’s so strong of you to be able to write about those things in your lives and I wish that I was able to do the same in such a moving way.
But as I am from Sweden and English isn’t my native language I’m so afraid that I shall use some wrong words and spoil anything in this beautiful thread.
However, those stories made me realize that some of us have one thing in common and that is that we have experienced things in our lives that make us longing for a family like the Ingalls.
And I’m also one of those persons.    

I lived with my natural parents from the day I was born until I moved away from home and during those years I can honestly say that I don’t have any memories at all of my father kissing me, or hugging me, or telling me that he loved me, or even that he cared a little bit for me.
He simply wasn’t able to show any love to anyone else besides my mom and him selves and he had a temperament that made my mother never take my position against him.
I remember as a child how I always felt confused and uncomfortable if I saw a friend get a hug or a kiss from his father. I guess that it wasn’t until I was a teenager that I fully understood that it could be such a thing as loving feelings between a father and a son.
The closest that I came to experience any kind of careful feelings from my father was one day when I was about 15 and my mother told me that “your father has feelings for you”.
I remember that I asked her what kind of feelings it was? Disgust?
My mother replied that I was a very ungrateful boy and then we never talked about it again.  

And on top of that my family moved when I was 9 and I didn’t get along with anyone in my new school class which made me want to cry when I had to go to school in the morning and wanted to cry when I had to go home after school.
   
I have learned to keep my feelings inside myself and I have always had a really hard time when it comes to talk about my childhood with anyone so maybe I sometimes acts a little bit too cold.
I know that a lot of you have experienced things in your lives that are much harder than what I went through but being rejected as a child by a parent can mark scars in a person for a long time.
Don’t ever do that to your children!

I didn’t found any TV-show to relate to when I grow up as I understand that a lot of you did.
But when I started to watch the LHOTP show a few months ago and I saw the relationship within the family and especially between Albert and Charles I guess that something happened inside me that really moved me.
I saw all those wonderful things going on in that family that I never got to experience in mine.
And I simply love the show since that day.

I want you to understand that it was very hard for me to write down those few words and I hesitated a lot before I decided to post it.
I don’t want to talk about it any further, but I want you to know that your stories about your lives has helped me a little bit to understand why I feel the way I feel.

God bless you all.

Peter

God bless you too Peter! You are not alone with the Father thing. I think ALL of us relate with Little House when it comes to the family thing. It's pretty simple. Charles was a great Dad, Caroline was a great Mother.....Laura was a wonderful Sister, along with Mary, Carrie and Grace. Albert was a great Brother........

Simply stated, that's what everybody would like to experience. But, life isn't always that way. The relationship with Albert and his Pa moved you for one reason. It meant a lot to me for another reason. That was the beauty of Michael's writing in my opinion. Everybody could relate to it for different reasons.

I know it was hard for you to write that. Know one thing about the people in this forum. We ALL love that show for different reasons. And your's is just as important as anyone else!

Thanks For Sharing It!