'Little House on the Prairie' star says controversial storyline 'would not happen today' due to age gap

Alison Arngrim, who starred arsenic Nellie Oleson successful "Little House connected the Prairie," believes there’s 1 occurrence from the bid that wouldn’t beryllium made today.

On a caller occurrence of the "Little House 50" podcast, Arngrim spoke to big Pamela Bob, arsenic good arsenic "Little House" co-star Dean Butler, astir an occurrence from the show’s 4th play titled "Here Come the Brides," which aired successful 1977.

The occurrence tells the communicative of however Oleson is wooed by Luke Simms, a teen lad successful town. The 2 eloped aft a little romance. However, aft their parents recovered out, they were taken backmost to the Justice of the Peace to beryllium unmarried.

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Alison Arngrim starred arsenic "Nasty" Nellie Oleson successful "Little House connected the Prairie."  (NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

Olesen said she had conscionable turned 15 erstwhile they changeable the episode. Her quality was expected to beryllium 13.

"I was super… teenage [with] puberty insanity happening," Arngrim explained. "She’s conscionable hardly 13. This feline is, he’s playing I conjecture 16, 17. He’s successful his precocious 20s."

Bob Marsic, who played Simms, was 22.

Alison Arngrim and histrion Bob Marsic are joined by an unidentified histrion successful the elopement country from the occurrence of the tv bid "Little House connected the Prairie" titled "Here Come the Brides," circa 1977. (NBC Television/Courtesy of Getty Images)

"It’s young girls — children — accosting a grown man who they have not been introduced to," said Arngrim astir however the characters reacted to Simms’ appearance.

"That would not hap today, right?" Bob asked. "That casting a full-grown big to play oregon adjacent buss — and it was an guiltless kiss, but it's a buss — a minor."

Filming was awkward from the start, Arngrim recalled, noting that she hadn’t met her on-screen emotion involvement earlier they started filming.

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Bob Marsic, who played Luke Simms, was 22. Alison Arngrim was 15. (NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images)

"I deliberation we were similar kissing connected the archetypal time oregon something," she said. "Maybe the 2nd — time two? It was beauteous quick, it was like, 'Hi, present yourself, present you're successful love.'’"

Arngrim noted that if a akin country were filmed today, determination wouldn’t beryllium a important property spread betwixt the young actors. An intimacy coordinator, which didn’t beryllium astatine the time, would besides beryllium connected set.

The erstwhile kid prima described however astatine 1 point, Marsic brought his woman to the acceptable portion the occurrence was filmed.

Alison Arngrim said she and her on-screen emotion involvement kissed successful beforehand of cameras during the archetypal time of filming. (NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images)

"That was different of the weird moments," said Arngrim connected the podcast. "His woman shows up, and it was weird due to the fact that it was similar … determination was this vague happening of her wanting to beryllium determination for the romanticist scenes."

"I was like, does this pistillate deliberation that I americium a threat?" she chuckled. "Really? This 15-year-old pimply girl? No. No. I americium not a menace to your relationship. I americium not stealing your man."

Melissa Gilbert and Alison Arngrim be The Hollywood Show held astatine Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport connected July 2, 2022, successful Burbank, California. (Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)

Back successful June 2024, Butler spoke to Fox News Digital astir however helium had struggled with anxiousness aft discovering that helium would beryllium giving his co-star, 15-year-old Melissa Gilbert, her archetypal buss – some on-screen and successful existent life.

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Butler was 23 erstwhile helium was formed successful the fashionable TV show, which aired from 1974 to 1983.

"You conscionable couldn’t bash it today," the actor, who played Almanzo Wilder successful "Little House," told Fox News Digital. "There would beryllium mode excessively overmuch blowback. It’s singular that we didn’t get much blowback than we did. . . . But I deliberation it was handled truthful tastefully that radical … forgot astir the property difference."

"I deliberation the assemblage had been watching Melissa for years and loved her incredibly," Butler shared. "They wanted to spot erstwhile she, truthful honestly and innocently, declared her emotion for this young man. She fell successful emotion from the archetypal clip she laid eyes connected him. The assemblage was prepared to spell close on with that."

Melissa Gilbert arsenic Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder and Dean Butler arsenic Almanzo James Wilder successful "Little House connected the Prairie." (NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

According to Butler, the characters from the archetypal publication bid were expected to person a 10-year property difference. He noted that Gilbert had "complete trust" successful her TV dad, who cautiously supervised the scene.

"That was a precise almighty narration Melissa had successful her life, the 1 she had with Michael Landon," said Butler. "When Michael said, ‘This is the feline for you,’ she was prepared to suspend each of her anxieties and conscionable measurement into it. And Michael ne'er led anyone incorrect successful the series. He truly had it down. He knew what helium was doing. He believed precise powerfully successful his originative instincts. He trusted that it would work."

"I’m conscionable truly grateful that I was the feline that helium felt helium could spot with this," Butler added.

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Dean Butler told Fox News Digital that helium has large respect for Melissa Gilbert. (NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

Still, some Butler and Gilbert had to flooded their fears successful attempting to bring the country to life.

"I deliberation a batch of young actresses might’ve folded nether the pressure," said Butler. "Melissa had nary experience. She’d ne'er been connected a date. Never kissed anyone. Never did thing similar that. That was inactive each up of her. So to inquire her to measurement into that erstwhile she had nary existent beingness experience? It does talk to Melissa’s gumption and her courage. She conscionable did it. She enactment each of her anxieties speech and conscionable stepped in. She knew what she had to bash to beryllium the Laura that she was expected to be."

The brace smooched in the occurrence titled "Sweet Sixteen." Butler said that astir 100 radical surrounded them connected acceptable to marque definite the changeable was perfect.

Michael Landon is seen present directing Dean Butler arsenic Melissa Gilbert looks on. (NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

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"My occupation was to marque it arsenic casual for her arsenic imaginable by truly being the man I was raised to be," Butler shared. "There’s been nary casting pairing similar what they did with america since then. That casting could simply ne'er hap today. Certainly not connected a mainstream tv show."