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"Little House on the Prairie" (1974) More at IMDbPro »

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26 out of 29 people found the following comment useful :-
Michael Landon kept the good family entertainment ball rolling., 19 February 2006
Author: SmileyVision from United States

He spent 14 years winning us over as Little Joe Cartwright.He would spend the following 10 years winning us over even more as Charles Ingalls.Michael Landon,at least in my opinion,was the last warrior of good,clean family entertainment.He cared especially about our children and what they saw on television.This series did present serious subjects from time to time,but never in a way that was harmful to young eyes.Another thing I admire is the great respect given to Christianity. Landon was not afraid to say just how real God is,and how He is responsible for our very existence.In a day and age where it seems there is a growing number of people trying to do away with anything and everything that God is a part of,we could use more shows like this.OK, I'll get off of my soapbox now and say that this was a very entertaining show,one that took us through a wide range of emotions. It made us laugh,cry,think,and even gave us a thrill or two along the way.If it can do all of that,it has to be good.

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23 out of 26 people found the following comment useful :-
My favorite of many outstanding episodes, 13 September 2000
Author: (thull1@kc.rr.com) from Merriam, Kansas

I enjoy this series (I faithfully watch the reruns) for the same reasons millions of others do; the story lines that provide valuable lessons in life and the outstanding performances by regulars and guests. I would like to let readers know my all time favorite episode. It's the one titled "The Man Inside". This is the one about the fat man who decides to "leave" so his daughter will no longer have to be embarrassedd by him. Later, the children in the blind school open her eyes and help her realize what a great father he is.

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24 out of 28 people found the following comment useful :-
The best and most touching show ever made., 11 September 2003
Author: Oliver (Remie@37.com) from Ireland

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.

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25 out of 30 people found the following comment useful :-
Not as sappy as you might remember..., 20 March 2002
Author: Child Of Fire

I grew up watching 'Little House On The Prairie', as well as read some of the books on which the program was based. As a young kid, I was aware that some of the issues on the program were very serious, but I still considered it, like many of you, to be a 'family' program; sweet, sappy, and moralistic. As the years have worn on, I've watched the program in reruns. Lately, for the past 2-3 months, I've been watching back-to-back reruns nearly everyday, and have been extremely surprised at the darker layers to 'Little House' that I guess most people never picked up. Here's some of the darker subjects tackled on 'Little House' - murder, corruption, child rape/abuse/endangerment, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, accusations of adultery, etc. From this list you'd think you I was talking about a show you couldn't watch with your family. 'Little House' also dealt with death, destruction of one's home, the evils of gossip, alcoholism, divorce, kidnapping, racism/xenophobia/religious persecution, personal crisis, loss of faith, etc. Sure some episodes tried to have a resolution at the end of 60 minutes, but most did not. The characters were not perfect by a long shot; not even the main character Laura or even the Reverend Alden. I highly recommend 'Little House' to adults wanting to try something different out. A much better show than other 'family' shows of the time, like 'Eight Is Enough' (good but not as good as LH), and much, much better than the 'family' shows of the past decade including 'Dr. Quinn' and '7th Heaven'.

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23 out of 27 people found the following comment useful :-
Love Little House, 10 April 2001
Author: Monika-5 from United States

Sure, this series isn't as good as the books, but it's very enjoyable in its own right. Since I was too young to watch the show during its original run, I like to catch up on the reruns whenever I can. The acting was right on: Melissa Gilbert as Laura was perfect. She grew in the role and showed she was quite capable of carrying the show when Michael Landon left. But I can't help but be jealous of her because the gorgeous Dean Butler played her husband, Almanzo! They both did a great job.

Of course, it would be silly for me not to mention the other wonderful actors who made Little House so enjoyable to watch: Michael Landon and Karen Grassle as Pa and Ma Ingalls. Was there ever a cooler, prettier mother on TV than Karen Grassle??? Melissa Sue Anderson as gentle Mary Ingalls was incomparable, especially after she became blind. She was very convincing playing blind! Also noteworthy are Kevin Hagen as Doc Baker, Dabbs Greer as Rev. Alden, Victor French as Mr. Edwards, and Richard Bull and Katherine MacGregor as the nosy, rude, crass, but hysterically funny Nels and Harriet Oleson. And last but certainly not least is one of TV's best villainesses, Alison Arngrim as the snobby, bratty and whiny Nellie Oleson. What would LH have been without the great rivalry between Laura Ingalls and Nellie Oleson? Did they give the writers of Dynasty ideas for the mudfights between Krystle and Alexis???

It's hard to describe what it is about Little House I love so much. I think I love the extreme closeness of the Ingalls family, and the romance. Whether it be the love and romance between long married Charles and Caroline, the sweet love and romance of Laura and her "Manly", among others, or also the fact I grew up watching the reruns on my grandmother's lap and we bonded to this show in a certain sense, I truly have a big spot in my heart for this show and also Laura Ingalls Wilder's wonderful books.

My favorite episode is "Divorce, Walnut Grove Style", Laura and Almanzo's separation over the girl's song, and how they reconcile. What a wonderful show!

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19 out of 21 people found the following comment useful :-
great, 29 September 2003
Author: dtucker86 from Germany

The late Michael Landon spent his life as a part of our tv family. From 1959 when Bonanza came on the air until 1989 when Highway to Heaven was canceled, there was not a single year that he did not have a series on the air. That is a record that will stand for all time I believe. He specialized in creating high quality family programming. People don't generally realize that Mister Landon wrote and directed the majority of the episodes of Bonanza, Little House and Highway To Heaven. Little House showed us a simple, strong loving family who stayed together and solved their problems with the power of love and understanding. Michael was everyone's favorite strict but loving father. Melissa Gilbert said she really looked upon him as a father figure and the chemistry between Half Pint and Pa showed it. Thru Mary's blindness and her baby's death to Laura's marriage and all the other problems the Ingalls stayed together. The show had a first class ensemble cast and everyone did a wonderful job at creating colorful characters from Victor French's lovable Mister Edwards to Katherine MacGregor's snobby, mean Mrs. Olsen. What I like is the fact that Harriet Olsen always got her "comeuppance" at the end of every episode as did Nellie, but they never really did learn their lesson. One episode I remember particularly well was the one where Richard Mulligan played a Cival War veteran who was still troubled by his experiences at the Battle of Shiloh. He had ran away in battle and was seriously addicted to morphine. Mulligan was brilliant in the part and unlike most episodes, this one had a completely tragic ending. He killed himself. Also, the episode where Albert became an addict was excellent. People made fun of the scene where he vomits on Pa during withdrawal but that is exactly what happens to addicts when they go through it. Matthew Laborteaux visited rehab centers to research his part and it shows. It is a chilling look at the horrors of drug abuse.

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19 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :-
This was an inspiring series, 4 July 2003
Author: actorsmama

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)

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13 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the best of the family-oriented shows of the 1970's, 4 September 2005
Author: rcj5365 from Durham, North Carolina

The great Michael Landon spent his entire life as a part of the television generation. He has a career that span five consecutive decades from the late 1950's all the way until the early part of the 1990's. From 1959 when "Bonanza" came on the air,all the way through the mid-1980's with "Highway To Heaven",and the short-lived series "Us",there wasn't a single year that he did not have a series on the air. That is a record that will stand the test of time. Landon specialized in creating high quality family programming that made him one of the hardest working individuals in television. What made him so unique and successful in all the shows he produced and starred in,that the general public didn't realize that Michael Landon was very technical in what he did since he wrote,produced,and directed many of the episodes for "Bonanza","Little House On The Prairie",and "Highway To Heaven",not to mention his short lived series "Us". Its was here during his most successful show,"Little House On The Prairie",that he was not only the executive producer,but in charge of his own production company and the necessary means in which he had his own studio as well, Michael Landon Productions through the powers that be with TV executives over at NBC. "Little House On The Prairie",show audiences that Landon was way beyond his image as "Little" Joe Cartwright,for which he played for the 14 seasons that "Bonanza" ran on the air,and gave them new light into the character of Charles Ingalls,a strict but loving father who made a way out of no way to provide for his family during the times and struggles that went on the town of Walnut Grove. In about every episode it shows us how a strong loving family who stayed together and basically solved their problems with the love and understanding of one another through the hardships and trials that came their way,but made it through with hope and faith.

"Little House On The Prairie",had enough staying power for the nine and a half years that it ran on NBC-TV(1974-1983)and from there became one of the best family oriented shows of the 1970's,and it stayed that way throughout the remainder of the early-1980's. The series produced 203 episodes,and also developed a spin-off as well,"Father Murphy",which ran for three seasons. Not to mention three successful made for TV movies based on this series as well,from the premiere episode in 1974,to the fiery climax of the series in mid-1983. However,about the episodes,as one comment mentioned them as sweet and sappy as it was remembered,but in other terms it was a series that tackled some very disturbing issues that were relevant in its day while at the same time staying within the frame of the moralistic/family oriented genre. Some of it tackled even darker subjects,and this was a first in the family oriented dramas of the 1970's. But at the same time,it has some very touching moments. Also it had some classic episodes to boot too....Who remembers the episode were Laura Ingalls and Nelly Oleson duked it out against each other? But for most part,and as far as the characters were concerned,we got to see Melissa Gilbert's character of Laura transform during the series run from the development of a little girl to a beautiful woman,and it was during this series that she got married too. The chemistry between Michael Landon as Pa and Melissa Gilbert as Half Pint was perfect in every aspect and it shows in the Golden Globes this show rack up,not to mention the Emmy nominations it received as well. As for the mom,Karen Grassle,there was no cooler mom that she was. The mom every daughter wanted to have. Compassionate,caring and down to earth. Oh yeah,let's not forget Laura's oldest sister,Mary(Melissa Sue Anderson),and the baby girl Carrie(played by twins Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush)who also grows up before our eyes during the show's entire run. And the family's faithful and reliable dog,"Bandit",who comes to the rescue just in case the children get into any danger. And as far as the townsfolk are concerned,out of all the characters in Walnut Grove, there was NOBODY so devious and deliciously evil as Nelly Oleson and actress Allison Arngrim,played it to the tee as well as her mom Harriet Oleson,played by Katherine McGregor...In other words..Nelly was the girl everyone loves to hate!!!

This was a show that was way better and way focus than the other family shows that came out during the 1970's,and "Little House On The Prairie" was that show! Not even its competition,"The Waltons"(which was on a rival network)does not even come close!!! Out of all the shows this one tackled subjects that were too intense for a family show and it shows in some of the episodes. Landon basically went by the books that were the basis for the series that were written by Laura Ingalls Wilder and from there it worked. If you want a wholesome show that the family can love then leave it to Michael Landon and Company to bring you the best. There are some lessons and messages in some of the episodes. This is why it became NBC's most successful show,until it was cancelled in 1983.

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9 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
LHotP - Best Family Show!, 19 April 2006
Author: lotsabears65

I don't know what it is about this show, but it is one of my all time favorites. I am now in my early 40's and still watch it every time it airs. I own every DVD and even recorded every show long before DVDs were available. Michael Landon had a gift about the shows he wrote and directed. The best episode, in my opinion, is "The Lord is My Shepherd." The story lines and family atmosphere of these episodes says a lot. I can remember growing up watching these shows every Monday night - brings back fond memories of sharing those times with my family, particularly my grandmother, who adored Michael Landon as much as I did. I wish TV of today had the family values like it had many years ago. Shows such as "Little House" will forever remain a piece of history. Thank God Michael Landon left us such wonderful TV memories! :-)

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11 out of 16 people found the following comment useful :-
Great and Cute Drama-series..., 30 January 2003
Author: Axel Otterberg from Miami, USA

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.

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