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Dean Butler almost killed himself
Some of the cast came into the show in later seasons, one of whom was Dean Butler, who starred as Laura Ingallsâ husband, Almanzo Wilder.
Just days following his college graduation, Dean made his way to the film set that was Little House. It would be a day to remember â for many reasons.
In Butlerâs first scene, he was supposed to drive a horse wagon 200-yards down a hill. He had never done it before, and when Michael screamed âactionâ, things didnât really work out. The breeze picked up his hat, with Butler instinctually dropping the reins to reach for it. At the same time, the horses, no longer under control, flew off the road and charged towards an oak tree.
People in the production were screaming, but luckily, a crew member managed to reach the horses before they hit the tree.
Deanâs first day on Little House couldâve gone better, with Michael Landon deciding to do the scene instead.
âMichael came up to me, chewing on a cigarette, and said âwell, I think I have to double, you knowâ,â Butler recalled Landon saying. ââI can double you but not replace the horses on the showâ. That was my first taste of being with Michael, but it was great fun.â
Did Albert die?
Albert Quinn Ingalls, played by a young Matthew Labyorteaux, would become a keystone of the series in 1978. The little boy is an orphan who is adopted in by the Ingalls family â but his exit from the series eluded many TV viewers.
In the 1983 made-for-TV movie âLittle House: Look Back to Yesterdayâ, Albert is diagnosed with leukemia. But did he die or not? That remains unclear to this date.
âHe never officially died in the episode and I think maybe itâs kind of left up in the air to debate⌠but it was sort of an unspoken thing that we knew he was going to die,â the former child star said in an interview some years ago.
A timeless mistake
In the grand finale of Little House on the Prairie, the TV movie The Last Farewell, thereâs a glaring oversight. Set in 1901, itâs clear that most of the characters should be in their 60s or 70s by the start of the 20th century.
For instance, the real-life Charles Ingalls passed away in 1902. The younger characters, like Carrie, Jenny, James, Cassandra, and Nancy, should have transitioned into young adulthood by this point.
Yet, when viewing images from the final seasons, it appears that everyone has aged remarkably little, as if time stood still in Walnut Grove. However, historically, the Wilders had moved to Missouri around the turn of the century.
Went on a pilgrimage to India
Did you notice that Katherine MacGregor, who played Harriet Oleson throughout all nine seasons, was missing from The Last Farewell?
While various reports state that she was on a pilgrimage to India due to her new Hindu faith, her absence from the series finale has another layer. According to other sources, it stemmed from a longstanding personal conflict with Michael Landon over salary and how her talent was utilized.
As we wrap up our journey through the bloopers and mistakes of Little House on the Prairie, we hope youâve enjoyed this lighthearted look behind the scenes of Walnut Grove.