The set of the beloved television series "Little House on the Prairie" was a far cry from its wholesome on-screen depiction, according to actress Alison Arngrim, who portrayed the cantankerous Nellie Oleson.
In a recent appearance on the "Here's What Happened" podcast, Arngrim, 64, detailed an on-set environment where adult crew members frequently drank alcohol and smoked cigarettes, likening their behavior to characters in the drama series "Mad Men."
"They came from an era where everybody smoked and everybody drank, like all the time," Arngrim stated. "There was no health food and no vegetarian options and gluten-free muffins."
She explained that the prop department was responsible for distributing alcohol, cigarettes, and candy, leading to frequent gatherings around their truck. While Arngrim clarified that child actors were not involved in these activities, some adult cast members, including Michael Landon, who played patriarch Charles Ingalls, "were puffing Marlboros all over the place."
According to Arngrim, the crew consumed "a couple cases" of beer daily, and Landon would "often have a shot of whatever he was drinking that day," typically whiskey. Despite the heavy consumption, Arngrim asserted that "no one was drunk on the set," observing that the crew members appeared capable of performing demanding tasks, such as climbing ladders and hanging lights, even while seemingly fueled by beer.
Arngrim recalled that when the beer supply dwindled, crew members would be dispatched to restock. She described the prop truck as having a "whole bar," where the crew would begin serious drinking at the end of each day.
Festivities such as Christmas and wrap parties were also described as "insane," though Arngrim noted that everyone had a designated driver. She expressed surprise at the crew's ability to party after such extensive drinking, attributing their high tolerance to their upbringing in the 1950s, an era where smoking and drinking were commonplace and not considered unusual.
"Little House on the Prairie," based on the book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, aired for nine seasons on NBC from 1974 to 1983. The series has previously been associated with other off-screen controversies, including an affair involving Landon and a long-standing feud between co-stars Melissa Gilbert and Melissa Sue Anderson. A reboot of the series premiered on Netflix recently.