As we run down that grassy prairie hillside into a new era ofLittle House on the Prairie, there are a few things that the new creatives ought to keep in mind about the original source material. It’s no secret that the originalLittle Housetelevision series (as iconic as it was) is considerably different from the books penned byLaura Ingalls Wilder. There was one personality change that shifted our entire outlook on young Laura (played byMelissa Gilbert) that the Netflix project should probably avoid. While the character is still as lovable, curious, daring, and faithful as in the books, the original TV version is far more boy-crazy than her book counterpart ever was.
The Original ‘Little House on the Prairie’ Made Laura Obsessed With Boys
In addition to always fighting with Nellie Oleson (Allison Arngrim), Laura and her sister Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson) often found themselves at odds with each other, too — usually over some new boy who happened to stroll into town. Of course, sometimes the conflict is one-sided,as Laura struggles to prove herself valuable to another boy who may have eyes for her older sister. Season 1’s “The Love of Johnny Johnson” is the first major example of this, as Laura is drawn to the titular boy (played byMitch Vogel) who has recentlywandered into Walnut Grove, only for him to draw feelings for Mary instead. In the following season’s “The Talking Machine,” it’s Laura and Nellie who go head-to-head over the science-minded schoolboy Jason (Eric Shea). And let’s not forget about Season 4’s “The Rivals,” where Laura puts off her typical “tomboy-ish” charm in favor of a more Nellie-like appearance, all to impress her latest crush.
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These are only a few examples from the show’s earliest episodes, though there are certainly many more that we could pull from, including Season 5’s “Dance With Me” and Season 2’s “The Spring Dance.” Even her first interactionswithMatthew Labyorteaux’s Albertcontained a hint of “will-they/won’t-they,” though the pair would eventually become siblings when Charles (Michael Landon) and Caroline (Karen Grassle) adopted the orphan.So often was Laura infatuated with the opposite sex that it would control her entire being, and while this may be a reality for many young girls, it was not the case forLaura Ingalls Wilder’s semi-fictional counterpartfrom the originalLittle Housebooks. If anything, Laura was starkly opposed to a serious romance, until she was eventually overcome by it.
Laura and Almanzo’s Love Story Happened Quite Differently in the ‘Little House’ Books
In the novels, Laura is mostly apathetic to boys, as she (like Mary) wants to simply live with Ma and Pa forever. Even when Almanzo Wilder — who is quite a few years older anyway — first shows up in town (inBy the Shores of Silver Lake), there is no immediate interest, unlike what we see whenDean Butler’s Almanzo appears at the beginning of Season 6. In fact, it’s not until the penultimate novel,These Happy GoldenYears, that the two even begin their courtship, and even then it’s an arduous process. When Almanzo begins to shuttle Laura to and from her schoolhouse, she shows no real interest in giving him the time of day, let alone her hand in marriage. More than that, she actively tells “Manly” that she doesn’t want anything to do with him romantically, though this eventually changes and the two are soon married.This is in stark contrast to Laura’s character in the original TV series, where she often makes a fool of herself because of him. Though there is something endearing and sweet about that on the show (even if their first kiss was controversial), it doesn’t match with what we know about Laura from her semi-autobiographical tales.
With this in mind, it’s clear that, while the original TV Laura and the real-life Wilder shared many distinct traits, there were certainly differences made when adapting for television. Because the NBC series didn’t stick strictly to either the novels or the historical account —though some episodes like “The Lord Is My Shepherd"tackled historical elements that Wilder’s books didn’t — it had the freedom to explore other stories within the classical Walnut Grove setting. But when it comes to this upcoming Netflix reboot, well, it would probably be best if this project stuck to what made the original novels so great —particularly the characters themselves.We don’t need Laura to be seriously boy-crazy throughout this show, though her adventurous spirit, curious demeanor, and faithful attitude ought to remain as staples of what make hersuch a compelling character.
Netflix’s ‘Little House’ Needs To Be More Faithful to Wilder’s Books
In sticking closer to the flow and material from the books, Netflix’sLittle Housewill be able to bring new audiences to this age-old story while retaining audiences who don’t want to see the original television program replaced.As Melissa Gilbert herself has expressed,there is room for more than one version of the Ingalls story, and the streaming giant has the opportunity here to stick true to Wilder’s take on her own life (while incorporating other historical truths as well). Sure, this means that there are some characters —like Mrs. Oleson— will probably get a major facelift from what we remember of them in the books. But so long as the spirit of Wilder’sLittle Houseseries remains, Netflix could go boldly where the NBC series could not.
Little House on the Prairie
