Introduced in season 6 of The Little House On The Prairie, Almanzo Wilder is a character who was not immediately unanimous among fans of the series. Some viewers downright hated him and made it known at the time. Find out why.
It’s not always easy to introduce new characters into a series that has existed for several years, especially when it comes to the heroine’s love interest… Dean Butlerwho gave life to Almanzo Wilder In The Little House On The Prairie from season 6, knows something about it.
The actor, now 68 years old, remembers that his character was, at the start, far from unanimous with fans of Michael Landon’s series. In particular: the age difference between Almanzo Wilder and Laura Ingalls in The Little House On The Prairie.
Almanzo Wilder vs fans The Little House On The Prairie
Dean Butler has raised this issue many times over the years. “My first episode in season 6 was the introduction of Almanzo. That meant Laura was going to grow up, and some people didn’t like that.” he declared in 2016, as reported by the Herald Times Reporter.
During an interview with the author Patrick Loubatière, who is notably at the origin of the book Little House on the Prairie from A to Z (translation : “Little House on the Prairie from A to Z”) published in 2005, Dean Butler shared fan mail sometimes virulent against his character by Almanzo Wilder.
“We got letters from people saying, ‘How can you put these two together?’ I remember a letter that said something like ‘you should be barbecued’… Producers deserved to be barbecued over a couple » says the actor.
If Almanzo was older than Laura in The Little House On The PrairieDean Butler claims that the heroine of the series was “always in control of the situation” in relation to their history. And, for good reason, he remembers that the showrunner Michael Landon did everything to make their relationship as delicate as possible.
The bet is successful since, despite some reluctance from fans at the beginning, it is clear that Laura and Almanzo are made for each other. In addition to having the perfect love until the end of the series, the two become the parents of a little Rose Wilder. We cannot deny that this couple is now (almost) as emblematic as Charles and Caroline Ingalls in The Little House On The Prairie.
