For a show about simple pioneer life, Little House on the Prairie had its fair share of production mishaps. One of the most glaring was the dummy used in a dramatic train scene – when Laura pushes an attacker off a moving train, observant viewers can clearly see it’s a stiff mannequin that lands awkwardly in the grass.
The timeline of the show also created some confusion. In the finale movie set in 1901, none of the characters had aged appropriately – the younger cast members should have been adults by then. And poor Albert’s fate was left strangely ambiguous after his leukemia diagnosis, with even the actor unsure if his character officially died.
Some of the most touching behind-the-scenes stories reveal the cast’s real relationships. While Michael Landon was like a father figure to many young actors, his affair with a makeup artist caused tension, particularly with Melissa Gilbert who wrote about her disappointment in her memoir. Still, the show created lasting friendships, like between Alison Arngrim and Melissa Gilbert who remained close long after filming ended.
