The solution was to bring in a wig. To keep it securely in place, they used a large metal comb along with dozens of long, straight metal hairpins.
Colonel Sanders Cameo
One of the funniest bloopers on Little House on the Prairie has to be the unexpected appearance of Colonel Sanders, the iconic founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, in a season eight episode titled ”Wave of the Future.” In this storyline, Nellie’s restaurant transforms into a franchise.
But, as you can imagine, things don’t go as planned, and Nellie regrets the whole ordeal. In an attempt to break free from the contract, she teams up with Charles and Nels to open a rival restaurant.
Then, in a bizarre twist, none other than Colonel Sanders himself shows up, offering Harriet a deal to start her own chicken franchise.
Now, here’s where the hilarity kicks in: the good Colonel wasn’t even born until 1890, and KFC didn’t hatch until 1952. Meanwhile, Little House is supposed to be set in the 1870s and 1880s! Talk about a time-traveling entrepreneur.
And for a little extra flavor — whenever fried chicken showed up in any meal on the show, rumor has it that it actually came straight from KFC. So, maybe Colonel Sanders’ cameo wasn’t that far-fetched after all.
The missing coats
This is something I’ve often wondered about — the glaring lack of winter coats during freezing weather. In the episode titled “Bless All the Dear Children,” Laura’s baby gets kidnapped around Christmas in Minneapolis.
Now, anyone familiar with Minneapolis in December knows it can be downright frigid, yet everyone is strolling around without a coat, as Gilbert points out.
This oversight might be due to the fact that the show was filmed in Tucson, Arizona, during the summer months.
A fashion slip
In some episodes, you can catch a glimpse of Caroline’s bra when she moves just the right way. Considering the series is set in the 1870s and 1880s, this is a bit of an anachronism — since bras weren’t even invented until 1912!
Some of the women also sport hairstyles with perms or curls on set – a look more at home in the 1970s than in the 1880s.
On a similar note, you might have noticed that most of the men in the series are clean-shaven, which is a far cry from the historical photos of the era. In reality, the vast majority of adult men sported facial hair — beards were all the rage. In fact, Charles Ingalls himself had a beard for most of his adult life. It seems like the show’s grooming choices didn’t quite match the rugged fashion of the time.
A dummy instead of a living person
In the season five episode “The Odyssey,” an intense moment unfolds when an unknown assailant tries to throw Albert off a moving train.
But Laura quickly jumps into action, shoving the villain off just in time to save Albert. However, amidst this dramatic scene, a funny blooper happens.
Keen-eyed viewers can spot a dummy being thrown from the train, landing awkwardly in the grass. Meanwhile, a fearless stuntman rolls down the hill, outdoing the stationary dummy in a hilarious contrast.
Melissa Sue Anderson was ”cold and aloof”..
From seasons one to seven of Little House on the Prairie, Melissa Sue Anderson won the hearts of fans as the beautiful blonde-haired Mary, the eldest child of Charles and Caroline Ingalls.
However, her co-stars found it challenging to connect with her. Both Melissa Gilbert and Alison Arngrim shared in their autobiographies that Melissa Sue Anderson —nicknamed “Missy” on set — often came across as cold and aloof during her time on the show. Yet, when you look at photos of the cast together, it’s hard to believe there was any distance between them.
Rumors swirled among the crew that Missy’s overprotective mother contributed to her tendency to keep to herself.
But Nellie and Laura became best friends
Alison Arngrim played the original mean girl, Nellie Oleson, the arch-nemesis of good girl Laura Ingalls, portrayed by Melissa Gilbert. But behind the scenes, it was a different story! Alison and Melissa hit it off and became the best of friends.
When the cameras stopped rolling, they were like real sisters, sharing laughs and creating memories that went beyond the show.
Off-set, they were partners in crime, enjoying sleepovers at each other’s homes and pulling pranks on their unsuspecting co-stars. Who would have thought that the fierce rivalry on screen would spark such a fun and playful friendship off-screen?
The Fallout of grief in “My Ellen”
One of the most memorable episodes of Little House on the Prairie is titled “My Ellen,” which revolves around the tragic drowning of Ellen Taylor.
When Laura and Mary go skinny-dipping with their friend Ellen Taylor, they suddenly find themselves in a tricky situation. Some boys come by, prompting the girls to hide underwater until the coast is clear.
While Laura and Mary manage to resurface safely, Ellen tragically becomes trapped and drowns. The aftermath is heart-wrenching, as Ellen’s grief-stricken mother, in her sorrow, blames Laura for the tragedy.
During Ellen’s funeral, her mother is overwhelmed with sorrow and blames Laura for the tragedy, saying, “YOU did this!” This gut-wrenching accusation hits Laura hard, especially since she already feels guilty about what happened. What stands out, though, is how the adults around them react. Instead of stepping in to defend Laura, they only exchange worried glances and let her suffer alone in her pain.
It’s a confusing moment. With so many adults present, including Reverend Alden and Doc Baker, you’d expect at least one of them to comfort Laura and reassure her that she isn’t to blame. Instead, they leave her to grapple with the harsh words on her own. In “My Ellen,” the emotional weight of the story is undeniable, but there are moments that feel disjointed in terms of storytelling
Michael Landon put frogs in his mouth
Pranks seemed to be a big part of the filming culture, and it was Michael Landon who often led the charge with his creative and funny antics. One hilarious prank was revealed by Rachel Greenbush, who played the youngest Ingalls sibling, Carrie.
The mischievous duo of Greenbush and her on-screen sister, Melissa Gilbert, would sneak off to the creek during breaks for some frog-catching adventures. With their slimy little friends in tow, they’d return to the set to surprise Landon
In a playful twist, he would take the unsuspecting frogs and pop them in his mouth, then stroll over to fellow cast and crew members. With a cheeky grin, he’d open his mouth to let the frogs jump out, sending everyone around him into startled fits of laughter and panic.
Melissa Gilbert’s rift with Michael Landon
The cast had such great chemistry that you’d think they were a real family, and off-screen the co-stars were a big part of each other’s lives for many years.
But things weren’t always smooth between the actors, and one major incident caused a lasting rift between Melissa Gilbert and Michael Landon.
It all started when the young star discovered news that would forever change how she saw Landon. Landon, while married to his second wife Marjorie Lynn Noe, began an on-set affair with a much-younger woman, Little House‘s makeup artist and stand-in Cindy Clerico.
Gilbert recalls noticing how close Landon and Clerico were becoming on set, but dismissed the thought, refusing to think Landon would cheat on his wife.
“It was nothing untoward; they weren’t ever in a
