Dean Butler rose to fame as Almanzo Wilder in the final five seasons of "Little House on the ... [+]
Admittedly, I have seen every episode of Little House on the Prairie probably at least 10 times. This 50-year-old family friendly tale of the Ingalls family - parents Charles (Michael Landon) and Caroline (Karen Grassle), and daughters Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson), Laura (Melissa Gilbert) and Carrie (Lindsay and Sydney Greenbush) at the inception - who live on Plum Creek near Walnut Grove, Minnesota in the 1870s still packs an emotional punch. And a punch, of course, each time Laura (aka “Half-Pint”) and “Nasty” Nellie Oleson (Alison Arngrim) get into one of their infamous brawls!
"Little House on the Prairie," adapted from the novels by Laura Ingalls Wilder, starred Michael ... [+]
Needless to say, it was never a dull moment on that prairie! Love, faith, poverty, alcoholism, blindness, prejudice...and those Olesons - aforementioned Nellie, parents Harriet (Katherine MacGregor, who also managed to get into a physical altercation every now and then) and Nels (Richard Bull), and bratty Willie (Jonathan Gilbert).
LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE — "The Campout" Episode 9 — Aired 11/19/1975 — Pictured: (l-r) Melissa ... [+]
When I heard that Dean Butler, who joined the cast as Laura’s love interest (and eventual husband) Almanzo Wilder in season six, was the latest Little House cast member to write a memoir, I could not wait to read Prairie Man: My Little House Life & Beyond. Once I did, there were two immediate observations. First, I could not put it down. Dean Butler comfortably invites you into his personal life, both before Little House, during the series, and after it. Secondly, it was obvious why Michael Landon cast him in Little House on the Prairie. Both Butler and his TV alter ego are genuinely nice guys and a natural fit for “Half-Pint” (who, by the way, was about eight years younger than her TV hubby Almanzo, which Butler’s addresses in Prairie Man: My Little House Life & Beyond).
What immediately caught my attention in Butler’s memoir was his gratitude for being cast in Little House and his willingness to hold his head high as a former resident of fictional Walnut Grove. In later years, in fact, Butler produced two documentaries, Little House on the Prairie: The Legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder and Almanzo Wilder: Life Before Laura. And, in 2012, he co-executive produced Pa's Fiddle: The Music of America for PBS.
Dean Butler considered his five season stint as Almanzo Wilder on "Little House on the Prairie" the ... [+]
Of particular interest for this Little House on the Prairie fan was Butler’s experiences getting to know his fellow cast members, and his ancestral connections and parallels to his Almanzo character. It was refreshing to read about all the back stories on on set, particularly those including Michael Landon, with complete candor.
As Dean Butler summarizes, there are two types of Little House on the Prairie fans. The first batch are the fans of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, which the series is loosely based on. And the rest of (like this writer) are the people familiar with the stories solely based on the TV series. Either way, the estimated 18,000 people who recently gathered in Simi Valley, California for the pre-50th anniversary celebration only magnifies the importance of a series like Little House. For many, myself included, these characters felt like family...and they still do.
Dean Butler and Melissa Gilbert at the "Little House on the Prairie" 50th Anniversary Cast Reunon & ... [+]
Before Little House on the Prairie, Butler remembers his childhood: his picture-perfect behavior that would make any teacher (even Miss Beadle and his sister, Miss Wilder, on Little House on the Prairie) proud. He wasn’t the most popular kid, struggling with bullying throughout much of his school life. And the relationship he had with his father was often complicated. But Butler discovered something that set him apart, acting, and his big break pre-Almanzo Wilder was in the 1978 TV movie, Forever, opposite Stephanie Zimbalist in 1978.
Dean Butler, 1979. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images)
Following his four-year stint on Little House (and three follow-up TV movies), Butler segued to comedy in the syndicated reboot of The New Gidget opposite Caryn Richman from 1986-88. More recently, he had the recurring role of Hank Summers, Buffy’s father in Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, appeared on the stage, and shifted to producing and directing, most notably for Golf Channel talk show Feherty, with David Feherty, from 2011-2020.
HOLLYWOOD, CA - JANUARY 25: Caryn Richman and Dean Butler attend Ten Most Exciting Faces of 1987 ... [+]
But it is Little House on the Prairie that is the core of Dean Butler’s career, which he recounts in entertaining detail in Prairie Man: My Little House Life & Beyond.
“I’m honored to support the Little House legacy. I’m honored to affirm the timeless appeal of the series, the genius of Michael Landon, my immediate and extended Little House family, and, of course, the brilliance of Laura Ingalls Wilder,” he writes. “There has been other work of which I’m proud, but Little House on the Prairie is my place in television.”
“There is more that I’m not sharing, partly for reasons of space, partly because of failing memory, and partly because some stories deserve to stay untold. I can’t begin to draw what conclusions you will draw about me after reading this volume.”
My personal conclusion is a proverbial “thumbs up” to Dean Butler for telling his story. I always appreciate when a classic TV star reflects on the series that he or she is known for in a positive fashion. And that is exactly what Dean Butler did in Prairie Man: My Little House Life & Beyond.
