‘Little House on the Prairie’ Stars Dish on New Documentary’s Emotional ‘Homecoming’ to Books’ Original Locations (Exclusive)
Former child stars, Alison Arngrim and Dean Butler, also speak to the show's legacy and what to expect from the documentary, 'Little House Homecoming'
Fifty-one years ago, Little House on the Prairie arrived on television, and its success shocked the world. The heartwarming Western series is based on the 1930s books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, but its potential for success was initially wildly underestimated. The show offered a look into the hardships faced by the Ingalls family and others like them as pioneers on the American frontier. What nobody saw coming was the emotionally driven themes of the series, including the importance of family, having a supportive community and persevering.
Now, members of the cast are coming back together for the new documentary, Little House Homecoming, which follows the stars as they head to the real-life places that inspired the Little House sets. Woman’s World sat down with former child stars from the series, Alison Arngrim and Dean Butler, who played Nellie Oleson and Almanzo Wilder, to talk about the upcoming documentary and what the legacy of Little House means to them today.
Woman’s World: Let’s talk about the documentary, Little House Homecoming. How did you both get involved and what can audiences expect from it?
Dean Butler: How it started for me was getting a phone call from Jonathan Parker, the director and producer of the film, and he shared that his 11 year old daughter, Anna, was obsessed with Little House and loved the books, he he and his wife, Becky, decided to take Anna and her brothers, Joel and Ben, on a road trip, and they went to Walnut Grove. And Jonathan wasn’t sure what to expect when he got there… it’s this little speck on a map, and they drive in thinking there isn’t going to be anything there. Well, there were 40 minivans, young girls in bonnets and their mothers in long dresses; they’re wading into Plum Creek, and they’re laughing and having a wonderful time.
He watched a group of women totally loving this reflection of what they had read in the books and a version of what they had seen on television come to life for real, and they were in it. And I think in that moment, he realized that there was much more than just his daughter’s fascination. This was millions of women’s love and fascination, not only in the United States, but around the world. I think that was the trigger for him to say, “I want to do this.”
And he asked me in this phone conversation, “Would you help me do this?” And the purity of that desire to do something beautiful for his daughter, to affirm something that she had loved as a child and that would imprint on her for life, really, if it were handled properly, I just thought that was a beautiful mission.
And I called Allison and I said, “We need to do this now.” We both get what Little House means to people because we see it. We’ve been seeing it and continue to see it in appearances we’ve been doing for years. So, to reinforce something that is beautiful, that is aspirational, that is connected to our humanity, that espouses the best of us as people, and not only for young women, but for young men, too… People of all ages can absolutely connect to the messages that Little House presents. And so, I love the idea that we can help Jonathan capture these stories that people share with him. We led him on this journey, and he did a beautiful job.
Alison Arngrim: It’s a love letter to the fans. It really is. When I saw the first screening… I’m in the back row, going, “It’s going to work, it’s epic.” They interviewed all these people, [went] to all the historical sites and it comes on and the audience they go bananas. People are crying, they go wild. There’s a standing ovation. It’s a hit because it spoke to them. It said, “You love this show, and you think you’re the only one. No, we get it. We get you. We understand why people love the books, why people love the show.” It’s about that.
You go to other countries and it’s all over the place. It’s, like, “Wait, you’re a fan?” I’m in France and grown, middle-aged men are openly crying, saying, “Charles has made me a better father and husband. I love Charlie. He’s so emotional. He plays the violin and he cries, and it is beautiful.”All over the world, it means so many different things. And I ask people, because it’s such an American story about westward expansion and the pioneers, “What does this mean in Sri Lanka? What does this mean in Switzerland and Argentina and Peru?” And they said, “It’s the emotions. It’s what the show means emotionally.” They get it.
WW: What was it like to revisit the actual locations that inspired the sets you grew up on? Did it feel familiar to you at all?
AA: I’ve been going to some of these places for years. In the early 90s, I went to Missouri, where the Rocky Ridge house is, and then I went to Walnut Grove for the very first time in 1991 or 1992 and I was blown away, because I went, “It’s real. It’s really the creek. It is really Plum Creek.” The town isn’t there anymore, but they have the lovely museum and the gift shop, and they’ve preserved some buildings, but they don’t have all the buildings of Walnut Grove that we made up on the set. But that creek looks like what we made up and I dove in, of course, because who could resist?
You can absolutely feel it. This is where this little girl had those experiences on the Banks of Plum Creek. This is where she was living when she was being bullied by Nellie Olsen. This is the place. And, yeah, it absolutely moved me.
DB: Like Alison, I’ve been going to these places for years now. All these places have a certain commonality to them. They are simple, small, sincere places. I’ve been to Walnut Grove, to Mansfield, Upstate New York, Almanzo Wilder’s home… It always feels like going home again, in a way.
WW: Alison, you were 12 years old when the series first aired, so you practically grew up on the Little House set. Did you know about the history behind it? What was that like, spending your formative years on this series?
AA: I had not a clue because I hadn’t read the books, and I didn’t know what the heck was going on. I’d read for Laura and Mary. And then they made the pilot, and I remember I saw the pilot and thought, “Well, that makes sense. Those people should be playing Laura and Mary, of course.”
My father said, “I don’t know why they’re spending this much money on sets. Nobody’s going to watch this thing. I give it six months.” My father was a manager in Hollywood. He was, like, “Seriously, Little House on the Prairie?:”—which is what most of Hollywood really thought. They didn’t think this would go anywhere. They didn’t believe in this. Michael [Landon] knew. Michael always knew, but most of Hollywood went, “You’re out of your mind.” It was probably around the second or third year I realized that it was a hit, and I had touched a live electrical wire. There was no turning back.
DB: I grew up in a country environment. I grew up with horses and coal oil lamps and large dinner tables with family members gathered around. And when I stepped into this, it was strangely and unexpectedly familiar, so in that sense it was very comfortable. And I think that was wonderfully affirming for me to step into something that I felt like I understood.
WW: Nellie wasn’t exactly beloved by everyone because she was the show’s go-to villain, but what did you think of her? Were you excited to get to play a mean girl when you first got cast?
AA: I had no idea what I was getting into. I get to the audition and I get the sides and I’m, like, “She’s awful.” And I turned to my father and said, “She’s a b–ch.” And my father said, “What are you saying?” And then I read it for him. He starts laughing and says, “Don’t change a thing. Just do that.” I was hired on the spot. I always liked villains. I loved villains. And I thought, “Oh, I’m the villain.” And then when it escalated and she did more outrageous things, it got very funny and she was the comedy release. So, I’m very happy about the whole thing. I don’t teach acting, but if someone comes to me and asks if I can help them play an unlikable character, I say, “Yes. I will do villain counseling.” And so often they will balk at playing a villain and say, “I don’t want to do this” or, “I’m afraid to because I’ll be unlikable.” But I tell them that’s pretty much the gig that is absolutely required. That’s what they’re going for here. And it’s the people who really embrace the villain and are not overly concerned about whether people are going to like them that kick it out. I was able to really rid myself of any kind of negative emotions—it was a place to dump that. And what a gift to have an outlet for all of that and to have people applaud it and pay me to do so. I really couldn’t ask for more.
WW: What do you hope that fans can take away from this documentary?
DB: He [Jonathan] reinforces that Little House is a beautiful, safe space for people and no matter what your age, no matter where you live, no matter what your circumstances are, Little House is always a safe space.
Where to watch the new ‘Little House on the Prairie’ Documentary, ‘Little House Homecoming’
The new documentary, Little House Homecoming, is available to watch now by purchasing virtual tickets on its official website, LittleHouseHomecoming.com.
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