‘I only want to remember the good times’: This Little House on the Prairie actor refuses to watch one of the show’s most important episodes, even 50 years later.

50 years ago, American viewers first discovered Little House on the Prairie, a historical series about a family of pioneers who managed to survive through the centuries. Proof of this is that some of the actors met a few weeks ago at the Monte Carlo TV Festival to meet the fans who came in large numbers.

A chance for them to reflect on the success of this family series and share some anecdotes. AlloCiné was lucky enough to be able to speak with Melissa Sue Anderson, who plays Sweet Maria, the boss of the Ingalls.

The 61-year-old actor still has a twinkle in his eye when he talks about Little House on the Prairie. It must be said that this role changed his life, even if it gave him some complexes. Her character follows an interesting trajectory: Mary loses her sight and leaves her family to join a school for the blind in a neighboring town. Where will she meet her future husband?

“I can’t stand myself…”

After experiencing traumatic events – such as losing her child in a tragic fire – Mary finally finds peace in caring for other blind children. Melissa Sue Anderson left the series in 1981, two years before its conclusion. That’s why he wasn’t on set when all the residents of Walnut Grove decided to blow up the town in the last episode.

“I didn’t want to watch this episode. I can’t stand the city in this state. I want to remember this show and Walnut Grove in good time… To be honest, I don’t even remember the last day of filming. I got to the end, played everything a blind woman should have played. First of all, I remember being torn between “I don’t want this to end” and “I have to move on”, but I want to remember only the good moments of this experience.

This cult series of the 70s and 80s has left its mark on entire generations… would a remake be a good idea?

We understand her choice even more because the teams really blew up the Little House on the Prairie set in the last episode. In her autobiography, Melissa Gilbert (Laura Ingalls) reveals that Michael Landon (Charles Ingalls) was unhappy with the cancellation of her series. And to prevent the channel from re-using the sets in another production, he preferred to… blow everything up.