Half a century is the current age of The Little House On The Prairie, an American series which entered homes around the world thanks to the small screen and which made the Ingalls family, whose adventures are told there, so familiar. Laura, Marie, Charles, Caroline, from their ranch in Walnut Grove, were part of each family, during the many years that the series was broadcast and rebroadcast.
To celebrate this anniversary, a large part of the cast gathered this weekend at the 63rd Monte-Carlo Television Festival, the annual meeting of TV series stars. Melissa Sue Anderson (Marie Ingalls), Karen Grassle (Caroline Ingalls), Alison Arngrim (Nellie Oleson), Matthew Laborteaux (Albert Quinn Ingalls), Wendi Lou Turnbaugh and Leslie Landon attended the Monaco event. Only Mélissa Gilbert, although announced on the poster for this edition, was ultimately not present.
Since last Friday, the actors of the family series have taken part in interviews on the Rock. But, more importantly, they met their most loyal fans there. Near the blue carpet, the obligatory passage for all stars to access the Grimaldi Forum, Véronique waits for her autograph under the sun. “I am very moved to see them. They have aged a little but, for me, they have not changed. They are always like in the series”, explains Lorraine who did not hesitate to travel 1000 kilometers to see her youth idols.
The elite of the small screen gathered on the Rock
Fans… from head to toe!
On Saturday afternoon, during a “Behind the Scene” dedicated to The Little House On The Prairie, a meeting during which fans can ask questions of the actors, it was Marie and Marine who attracted all eyes. The two friends from Béziers were dressed in dresses made by them and which resemble in detail those that the actresses wore in the series. “We are both huge fans of the series. Marine decided to represent Laura and me, Caroline. It took me hours and hours of work. I spent sleepless nights there. It wasn’t just about making a costume. We had to find the episodes where she wore the same outfit to reproduce it down to the last detail. From the sleeve to the collar to the fold of the skirt, everything is done identically with the right fabric,” explains Marie, whose work was not in vain since she received compliments from Karen Grassle. “She immediately recognized Caroline’s outfit. It was a great moment. ”
For her, as for other fans, this meeting was that of a lifetime. “The Little House On The Prairie, it’s a bit like the “soft toy” series of our childhood. It was broadcast in the middle of the day when we were at school but when we came back, we saw bits of it. And with the replays, we couldn’t miss it”, continues the 34-year-old young woman, remembers in particular the scene where Caroline almost amputated her leg after hurting herself with a wire.
The series in the skin
Later in the day, the show’s 50th anniversary was celebrated at a private dinner that a few lucky fans were invited to attend. And this in the company of the actors of the series. Photos, posters, DVD boxes, various media were ready to receive the precious autographs. And some were more original than others…
Originally from Saint-Raphaël, in the Var, Frédéric, a fan from the start, went so far as to have the ranch of Little House on the Prairie on the left arm. 13 years ago, after a meeting with Alison Arngrim, she left him an autograph under his tattoo, a memory that the man immortalized in indelible ink. This year, it was Melissa Sue Anderson’s turn to sign on Frédéric’s arm who has already made a new appointment with the tattoo artist.
An original cake
Finally, what would a birthday be without cake? To properly celebrate their five decades of existence, a marzipan cake representing the grocery store, the hotel and the Ingalls’ house in Walnut Grove, three reference buildings in the series, was presented to the actors and … machine-gunned with photos!
