‘Family…Faith’: Melissa Gilbert Says LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE Reflects What People ‘Crave’

Published: March 29, 2024

‘Family…Faith’: Melissa Gilbert Says LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE Reflects What People ‘Crave’

By Movieguide® Contributor

Melissa Gilbert is weighing in on why LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE still captivates audiences 50 years later.

“It’s a reflection of all the things that people crave in life: family, community, love, faith, and hope,” she told PEOPLE. “It’s all the good juicy things that make human beings so wonderful and different from animals. I mean, that connection. And LITTLE HOUSE is a reminder of that.”

Gilbert, who played Laura Ingalls Wilder, described the show as a “reminder of where we used to be,” adding, “It wasn’t just that cozy family show. We dealt with the issues of 1974, the recession, that’s coming home from Vietnam, chauvinism, equal rights for women, equal rights for people of color, antisemitism. We dealt with all of that, but we didn’t do it in an exploitive way.”

LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, and the show’s cast has been reflecting on what it has meant to its viewers.

“People are finding values, comfort and a message that they long for,” Karen Grassle (Caroline Ingalls) shared. “And I think, you know, it’s just simple human decency.”

Alison Arngrim, who played Nellie Oleson, added, “If you would have told us 50 years ago that this show would remain timeless, we would have thought you were crazy.”

“We had no concept that this show would still be airing on television 50 years later,” she continued. “We didn’t even know if there would still be TV in 50 years! We were stunned that this show became a hit.”

Movieguide® previously reported on LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE’s anniversary:

LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE stars Melissa Gilbert, Karen Grassle and Alison Arngrim are reuniting to celebrate the show’s 50th anniversary.

“When we did the show, we went, ‘Yeah, this is a really good show, Oh, it seems to be a hit, that’s nice.’ But the idea that 50 years later, people would still be excited about it, it’s absolutely mind-blowing,” Arngrim, who played Nellie Oleson, shared.

Gilbert, who starred as Laura, called the anniversary “overwhelming,” as “so much of my childhood and so many wonderful experiences and emotional experiences attached to all of these people.”