Little House on the Prairie, a 1974 NBC series set in mid-19th-century Minnesota, became an almost instantaneous fan favorite. Over the course of the show's nine-year run, the cast became as close as a family.
Since its conclusion in 1983 after nine seasons, the cast has reunited at numerous events over the years. One celebrity, however, is notorious for avoiding social gatherings.Here is what a co-actor on the show had to say about it.
Melissa Gilbert stated that this cast member wished to 'kill her'.Remember that Gilbert was 9 years old when she stated that her co-star Melissa Sue Anderson wished her dead. The actor portraying Laura Ingalls Wilder was briefing Alison Arngrim, who had been hired to play the villainous Nellie Oleson, on who to look out for on set.
In addition, Anderson topped her list.Arngrim quotes Gilbert as saying, "Whatever you do, watch out for that Melissa Sue Anderson," in her memoir Confessions of a Prairie B*tch. She is extremely hazardous. She is wicked, and I despise her."
Gilbert was conversing with Arngrim's aunt, who attempted to dissuade the child from her negative opinion of her co-star. Gilbert was not amused.Gilbert added, "Yes I do! I despise her, and she despises me. She attempted to murder me, as you may be aware. And if she gets the opportunity, she'll kill you, too!"
When she spoke with presenter Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live in 2014, the actor elaborated further on the incident.“Gilbert stated that [Melissa Sue Anderson was] "hateful, horrible, mean, terrible, mean, and difficult." "She despised me. She pushed me off the wagon at the age of nine."
Gilbert believed Anderson could be frigid and distant.Gilbert made a passing reference to the actor who portrayed her television sibling in her autobiography Prairie Tale
. Gilbert was disappointed that the two never became closer during the run of the program, but it was not for lack of effort on the part of the Laura Ingalls actor.She wrote, "There was a distance between us, a coldness, but sometimes I wonder if it was because I never knew how to get her to let me in."
Gilbert continued, "She was difficult to get along with. I believe her reticence was evident on-screen and certainly off-screen."Anderson was unwilling to attend reunions.
According to Nellie Oleson actor Arngrim's book, the cast of the show has had numerous occasions to gather and reminisce. And they do so with enthusiasm. Arngrim almost appears to shake her head as she observes that Anderson has never shown any interest in joining them.She wrote,
"Over the years, the cast of Little House had reunited multiple times, typically because a fan group or event planner wanted to fly us all out to speak and sign autographs (most of us were happy to comply, hang out, reminisce, and catch up)."Arngrim tabulated the gatherings she has attended, and it appears she has not missed a single one.
"The first one took place in Sonora, California, in September 1998, fifteen years after the show's cancellation... In June 2005, a large portion of this group, including [Almonzo Wilder actor] Dean Butler, would reunite in Beatrice, Nebraska."A month later, Melissa [Gilbert] brought her complete family to the Western Film Festival in Tombstone, Arizona. "This was a massive party," she remarked.
Arngrim remarked that she is reunited with her former friends "almost every year" at a Little House event, and that "we're all very grateful and look forward to it."She remarked dryly, "The only one who has never attended a reunion? Melissa Sue Anderson. Major surprise there!"
Four years after the publication of Arngrim's memoir, Today hosted a Little House reunion in their Rockefeller Center studios in 2014. There were many of the show's leading actors present, with Anderson standing out. And it appeared that she was having a great time.
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