Little House on the Prairie

This TV-series is a classic! I love this show. It's great and it's cute...the cast is great and every episode of the series it´s extremely good. Melissa Gilbert is a magnifficent actress, she played her role very well from the start back in 1974 to the end in 1984.

When I was 10 years old, my family was transfered back to the US from Germany where my dad had been stationed with the US Army. Our first night stateside we stayed in an airport motel, and while flipping through the channels to see what was new on American TV (all we had in Germany was afrts), we saw our first Little House Episode. The Sunday School class was outside under the big tree discussing plans for Rev Aldens birthday. I had read the little house books in school, and based solely on the names I jumped up and yelled, "It's Little House, it's little house" Needless to say, it was still on Wednesday nights then, and it became a Wednesday night tradition in our house, then Mondays. Every time I see the episode I think of that first night after a long flight, and all of us in that motel room. Good memories....

When I was five years old my grandmother bought me the Little House book set, and for nearly a year my dad read me a chapter or two a night, until all the books had been read. I still love these books and every fall I re-discover them.

Although I loved the show I can't remember too many similarites between the books and the TV, other than some of the characters. In the books there were no Garveys, no Albert, no James and Cassandra BUT I understand that these characters were added to the show for an interesting cast. I liked the fact that they made Mrs. Oleson like her horrible daughter Nellie, but if you had read the books you would remember that Mrs. Oleson wasn't too bad, although I think she should've knocked some sense into Nellie. :-) Other characters that are left out of the show are Mary Power and Cap Garland (who was one of my favourites from the books). It would've been cool to see Nellie try to worm her way into Almanzo's heart like she did in the books. I don't remember a plot line like that. I do remember some woman that liked Almanzo in the TV show, and Laura humiliated her somehow, I think she didn't sew a dress properly and if fell of the woman? I can't remember clearly. I read in a biography that Willie went blind from a firecracker - that would've made a good story! I still loved the show though. My favourite episodes are when Laura steals the jewel box from Nellie, and she had the nightmares about jail, and when Nellie pretends to be crippled and Laura pushes her down a hill in her wheelchair. I remember the one where Carrie fell in the mine, that one made me cry.

I've also read the negative comments and I have none. I've noticed some of the things that were mentioned but so what? What's wrong with showing emotion and crying? What's the problem with bringing new characters on for just one episode? That's the way shows are done, which should be obvious to all adults by now - if they've watched at least, well.....*anything* in film. I've been part of filming many times and I can tell you honestly that Michael Landon would have been a dream to work with. Melissa Gilbert is a pro and I absolutely adore her work. She remains one of my favorite actors to this day. The rest of the players are priceless. I'm 41 now and I was growing up watching this show and I just wonder how in the world could a parent NOT want their child to watch something like that? I learned so much from the storylines, and they taught me the meaning of goodness and purity. Little House was the epitome of good. They brought to light many situations and the best solutions to them and in most cases no one was ever hurt(unless an emotional learning experience). And not even Jack drowned. :o) If you want a wholesome show that the family will love and will benefit from, this is it. Not even the Waltons can top this one, and I love that show. Overlook the discrepancies that were mentioned here and you won't be sorry you took the chance. I came here to post because I saw that the first season of Little House is coming out and I would love for others to benefit. I just wish they'd filmed it in the past 5 years so my son could've been part of it. :o)

I love that show,I grew up with it,I saw all the episodes about twenty times.Michael Landon was a marvelous man he knew the how to make the show works and to touch audience all over the world. The casting was perfect.The music was great,all the characters had their theme song. If only we could see more about the little house actors now because they were more talented than somme actors you get on television drama now.Mattew Laborteaux was a great actors especially in the episode I'll remember you and Fagin and who could ever forget Scottie Mc gregor and Alyson Amgrim as Hariet and Nelie Olson. My point is that THEY DONT DO SHOWS LIKE THIS ANYMORE and it's sad,they did try to copy it with Dr queen but still it wasn't the half as good. I am hoping one day of somme sort of a reunion even if I know that it wont be the samme as the great Michael Landon died and that many of the others actors did too.