There's been a short CiB hiatus while I attended an important family event, but now we are back in business with very important TV-watching
The Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder are a phenomenon: always in print, beloved by generations of young people. Then came a legendary TV series in the 1970s and the 1980s: 10 years, hundreds of episodes, forever being re-discovered - most recently during the pandemic, when they were massively popular.
So Netflix decided to make a new version: an 8-episode series
which has just landed, with a further series already commissioned.
I watched all the new programmes, reread some of the books, and
looked at some of the old versions, and wrote an article for the i paper with my
valuable, weighty perceptions. There were all kinds of interesting aspects: the Native Americans gaining Main Character Energy, the un-tradwifing of Ma, Michael Landon's hair in the original... and the key question of Laura's hat.
You can read it here:
Netflix's
moralising updates to Little House on the Prairie just don't work
(as
ever, I didn’t write the headline, and it doesn’t exactly reflect the content)
If you
don’t subscribe, you may be able to reach it with this link
This sounds even worse than the original TV show. I remember watching one episode with my mother in which Laura slapped Nellie Oleson. We looked at each other in disgust and my mother turned off the TV, never to watch it again. There are some good clothes in Little Town on the Prairie and These Happy Golden Years - those (and The Long Winter) were the ones I reread most frequently.
ReplyDeleteI seem to recall participating in a survey for HarperCollins last year about new packaging for the series to coincide with the Netflix release. I hope they keep the beloved Garth Williams covers and art. However, if children start reading the books again, it will be a good thing. Because of the portrayal of Native Americans, a lot of librarians stopped promoting the books in recent years.
Wouldn't that rule out most TV programmes 😀😀😀? The people I consulted (teenage watchers back in the day) loved the back and forth with Nellie.
DeleteAre the books out of copyright now, will there be lots of different editions of them?
I suppose we felt proprietary towards Laura and didn't want anyone misrepresenting her but, of course, that can happen with any adaptation. Apparently, there are new editions - they have been edited to remove things like: "The only good Indian is a dead Indian."
DeleteMaeve Binchy told a funny story at a book signing, which I might have shared before. She was invited to visit the filming of one of her books and the young woman who picked her up at the train station said enthusiastically, "They're filming the sex scene today!" and Maeve responded, "That's great!" although quite sure there wasn't one in the book!
That's an excellent story! In a novel I wrote about recently there was a young actress who is appearing in a film of Cranford, and who is fed up because the 'drunken sequence' is taking so long, which really made me laugh.
DeleteGot it. They told me, “you have access to this article thanks to someone you know.” That’s so nice.
ReplyDeleteGood! don't know how many people I'm allowed to know 😀😀😀
DeleteThanks for allowing access, Moira. This is such a thoughtful, interesting review of the reboot. You make some well-taken points about character depth and the series being a bit moralistic. But it's good to know that there are some things to really like about the series, too. I wonder now what the actors in the original series think about it...
ReplyDeleteOh that's a very good question. I didn't have room to go into this, but the early series was very much Michael Landon's project - no-one believed in it but he pushed it through, and turned out to be right beyond anyone's wildest dreams!
DeleteI confess that I have never run down a hill pretending to be Laura. I have a soft spot for the books but not so much the series, although it was a nice change from some of the other programming of the time. I didn't really care for Landon, but he obviously had an idea what would appeal to a wide audience. His second show, in which he played an angel no less, also had a pretty good run. As for the new series, I'm on the fence. If Netflix had really wanted an adult dr, the real-life story of the Ingalls family would have been a good start! It's always pleasing to see more fairness toward the First Americans, but it can get unrealistic in that direction as well as in the opposite one. I'd bet that the real Ma would've considered Laura's new buddy to be a "heathen" and put a stop to that friendship pronto. There were faults on both sides in those conflicts but of course the white guys, backed by the US government, had the most power (and firepower) and committed the greatest atrocities. (Attacks on pioneer settlements do sort of pale in comparison to attempted genocide.) I've wondered if there was an alternate saying "The only good paleface is a dead paleface"? Each side must have felt very threatened by the other.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's not a happy story all round.
DeleteI read my share of the original books, and watched some of the series. I was interested in the 'individual vs community' aspect, and read a lot about it 20 years ago for an article. What really entertained me was that I'd thought of them as living in the Little House her whole childhood in that settled, pioneer way - but the Ingalls family were moving round all the time, they lived all over, forever moving. One suspects Pa wasn't much of a businessman, but ever-hopeful, we know the type,
I also read that the settlers in general were forever proclaiming their libertarianism, independence and so on, but in fact took consdierable subsidies and benefits from the government they despised.
I think the story started in Little House in the Big Woods, possibly set in Wisconsin? I think you're right about Pa's business savvy. At one point he was actually bankrupt and was in debt quite a lot. Not all his fault, given the conditions of pioneer life, but he may have been a bit footloose. What I remember most about him from the books is his playing the fiddle. Don't remember if Landon ever did that, but to me that fiddle was the essence of Pa.
DeleteThere is a lot of fiddle-playing in the new series.
DeleteI saw one review of the new series which said this was part of the romanticizing of the story, and that pioneers didn't have time or capacity to sing and play music. This seemed to me entirely nonsensical. Scriptwriters really can't win....
Laura's daughter Rose was actually one of the original (formal) Libertarians. She wrote a book based (I think) on Charles and Caroline's early marriage which was a lot less "sanitized" than her mother's books. It was apparently Rose who got Laura started on writing the books. From what I've read, Rose was quite a character.
DeleteI agree that it's nonsense about pioneers not being "capable" of music, or of not having enough free time for it!
DeleteThe evidence is that Rose very much directed the way the books are: I don't think there are any Wilder writings that she did not edit.
DeleteRose Wilder was an extremely interesting woman. Not only was she a war correspondent in Vietnam at age 78, but she lived together with Helen Dore Boylston, author of the Nurse Sue Barton books. As a child I read all of the Little House books over and over again and loved them. I also read the Sue Barton books over and over again and loved them. Somehow I find it absolutely fascinating that the daughter of one of my literary heroes was more or less married to one of my other literary heroes.
DeleteWow, that really is a fascinating connection! She sounds like a force of nature.
DeleteI've just been thinking about those 'career novels' after it was mentioned here that (of all people) Gladys Mitchell wrote one about training as a PE teacher...
I enjoyed the books when I was a young guy. I am not sure there were many guys reading the series.
ReplyDeleteOver a decade ago Sharon and I had multiple experiences with the series on an American trip.
In Minneapolis we attended a musical based on the series. I thought the musical alright. What challenged us was that Melissa Gilbert, the Laura of the T.V. series, played Ma in the musical. We found it hard to see Laura as Ma.
As we drove through Minnesota we stopped at Walnut Grove. I visited the museum. We did not go to Nellie's Diner. Had we come a little later in the summer we could have attended a local re-enactment of life on the prairie in Walnut Grove.
When we visited my cousins in South Dakota I realized my grandfather had homesteaded within 25 miles of where the Ingalls family lived at De Smet. (My grandfather came to Canada after a few years in the U.S.)
I have not watched the Netflix series and doubt I will. Hollywood will always find ways to "adapt" books, rarely for the better.
Oh fascinating Bill, good to hear about a trip! Until I wrote this article I didn't know there were so many tourist possibilities (I should've guessed) - I am fascinated by them.
DeleteI'm sure you're right that they are and were primarily seen as girls' books - but I think that means boys miss out. As I was doing this piece, I was thinking that my own son would have absolutely loved them, a shame I didn't get him to read them. He is/was as boyish, sporty etc as you could ever imagine, but he loved reading all kinds of books. One of his great favourites was Anne of Green Gables, and he read every one of the long series. I think Wilder could have been the same.
I loved the books and I think I've commented before about the amazing clothes descriptions (Ma's delaine dress in Little House in the Big Woods, Mary's college dress in Little Town on the Prairie, and Laura's brown poplin and pink lawn in These Happy Golden Years).I didn't watch the 1970s series because I was a pedantic child and wanted the TV storyline to stick to the books properly. But I might give this new series a go. I think they are moving to the events from On the Banks of Plum Creek next season which is when Nellie Oleson appears, so I'm hoping she will turn up eventually. She's such a brilliant love-to-hate character they'd be foolish not to include her.
ReplyDeleteYes indeed, I've never got round to doing the books till now, but have always had your clothes tip in the back of my mind.
DeleteYes, Nellie is definitely going to be coming soon - they have cast an actress, and the series has been commissioned. I think they are sticking (roughly) more to the time and geographical line of the book.
My sister-in-law, a massive fan, was my consultant for the article, and she said exactly as you do about Nellie. I must say my mouth was dropping open when in my sampling of the old series, I came across an epi (apparently legendary) where Nellie pretends to be paralysed and Laura pushes her into the creek in her wheelchair....
Slight SPOILER for new series -
it ends with the family packing up and leaving the place (Independence Kansas) which we have spent 8 hours getting to know....
I was fascinated by the delaine dress. And was it Ma’s dress or one of an aunt that had buttons like blackberries? I read the books as a girl in the Fifties and started my daughters on them before I’d let them watch the television show; they had no interest in it as it varied so from the books. Margaret
DeleteIt was Aunt Docia: "Aunt Docia's dress was a sprigged print, dark blue, with sprigs of red flowers and green leaves thick upon it. The basque was buttoned down the front with black buttons which looked so exactly like juicy big blackberries that Laura wanted to taste them.
DeleteAunt Ruby's dress was wine-colored calico, covered all over with a feathery pattern in lighter wine color. It buttoned with gold-colored buttons, and every button had a little castle and a tree carved on it. "
Ah, thank you. I always loved the description of the dresses for that party, but although I remembered the blackberry buttons, I’d forgotten the much more exotic castles and trees. Margaret.
DeleteWhat lovely descriptions! Thank you for sharing these with us
DeleteLittle House on the Prairie feels familiar to me although I’m pretty sure I’ve never read any of the books and quite sure that I didn’t see the 1970s TV series. This would probably make sense if I lived in the US where both seem to be iconic, but as I don’t …
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like the new TV version is being adjusted to fit better with modern values, and I can see the logic in terms of making it more attractive to today’s audience; but having been brought up by an historian, I find it troubling.
Sovay
They were never as popular here as in the USA I think, but a surprising number of people have mentioned me that they did read/watch.
DeleteTo be fair, they do give some of the characters attitudes that you suspect they did not have at the time - but they do also show aspects of history which are real and factual and were not reflected in the books, so a useful corrective, and seems well-researched.
As with many other adaptations, I get the feeling that the writers wanted to have a certain kind of story which the original authors wouldn't have written, but they also wanted to capitalize on the cachet of a famous-name writer.
DeleteI meant by "a certain kind of story" one which would appeal more to contemporary audiences, and bring up more "serious" (and sometimes salacious) topics.
DeleteI'm sure they thought the name would be attractive to people, but it is also true, I think, that you couldn't do a faithful version of the books today, because of the attitudes.
DeleteMa might not have been so uptight if Pa had not had wanderlust - all she wanted was a settled home and a bit of civilization. Visiting all they locations they lived is popular among those who enjoy literary pilgrimages. I thought about going to DeSmet the last time I was in Minnesota (doing a Betsy-Tacy pilgrimage) but I did not have a few days to spare and I think it's about five hours each way, although I guess you can break it up in Walnut Grove. This is an entertaining book by a Betsy-Tacy fan whose first loyalty is LIW: https://littlehouseontheprairie.com/from-little-houses-to-little-women-revisiting-a-literary-childhood/
ReplyDeleteWhen I wrote the piece I got a message from a very old friend who was literally visiting the sites as she was reading the article! I was not fully aware of the Wilder tourist sites till now, and my own US travels have not taken in those areas.
DeleteI watched the TV series when I was a teenager and read the books afterwards. Very much preferred the latter. I might not have a look at this one after your comments.
ReplyDeleteThe new series may not be for everyone, especially those who are very fond of the books! But it will probably bring more readers to the books...
DeleteAnd that is always a great thing. The more people read the fewer stupid people there are.
DeleteWe live in hope...
DeleteGiven the somewhat-sanitized character of the new series, the books might come as a shock to some readers. Did the publishers already add a warning about racist attitudes?
DeleteHope dies last.
Delete@Marty. We shouldn't be surprised if we read racist remarks in older books. We should teach our children that this is what it was but that we know better now. Right?
I think there are warnings. whether there is editing is another question.
DeletePerhaps we all draw the line in different places, where we feel comfortable. I would edit out offensive slurs, but leave evidence of attitudes - but others will feel otherwise (and I have no power to decide that, strangely enough)
Not everyone is aware of the attitudes of the past, and not everyone in the past shared those attitudes. Not every young reader has a helpful adult on hand to explain matters. I know I wasn't prepared for the "casual anti-Semitism" of Golden Age mysteries even though I did realize that anti-Semitism did (and does) exist.
DeleteI suppose the question is, do you solely find it offensive to see such remarks, or do you think they serve a purpose to remind people of what those attitudes were, and then where they led? I think it has to be on a case-by-case basis, and we do all have differing lines.
DeleteI once said online that I thought a certain remark could be removed from a book, and was surprised by the onslaught of criticism - I had thought it was an unremarkable idea, but others think we have no right to mess with others' texts.
Looking at today's world politics, I think it is even more important than ever to leave the books as they are because so many people seem to want to forget. Tell them every day that this is not alright.
DeleteI respect the view, though it is not how I feel!
DeleteI also understand if someone doesn't want that in the books. So, we both respect the other view. That's great!
DeleteExactly, it's what I like about the discussions here.
DeleteYes, you don't get those awful comments like on other social media sites.
DeleteMy readers are so nice! 😀😀😀
DeleteMine, as well.
Deletelucky....
DeleteI think readers in general are quite nice.
Deletehope so
DeleteI was a "Little House" devotee as a child, and yet I credit the books with my first rumblings of literary skepticism, for lack of a better term. For context, the first U.S. presidential contest that I sort of grasped was Lyndon Johnson vs. Barry Goldwater. 1964. Bigger social safety net and civil rights vs. dismantling the New Deal and elevating "states' rights." In the series' third book, the Ingalls are back in Minnesota, locusts devour the wheat crop, Pa walks hundreds of miles east to get paid work, he is lost in a blizzard on his return, and Ma feigns an unconvincing cheerfulness while fearing the worst. "Why wasn't there any crop insurance?" thought rebellious 10-year-old Trollopian. "What would happen to Ma if Pa died?" There was no Social Security, and a widow with three daughters would have to remarry, at best to an honest widower with children, at worst...use your imagination.
ReplyDeleteI was by then old enough to learn more about the author's life and to learn the role of her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, in getting the books published and in advancing the American libertarian movement. Dimly I perceived that the books were serving An Agenda.
But they remain classics of children's literature. And have some great clothes passages! --your blogfriend, Trollopian
You put it very well! A nice summing-up. Also, all these independent libertarians were taking government benefits and subsidies with both hands, no qualms at all.
DeleteI like to think of the books introducing economic concepts and raising consciousness
I reread The Long Hard Winter a couple of years ago. One of the best in the series. Ma Ingalls often gets slated but what she did to keep her family alive was incredible - making button lamps, using a hand coffee grinder to grind the few grains they had to make bread and keep the family alive. Pa had to shovel the snow off of the girls' beds every morning.
ReplyDeleteI did keep remembering a book I read some years ago about pioneer life - in July the patriarch always dug a grave, because one of the large famliy was sure to die during the winter, and the ground would be difficult to dig. It would win a 'Bleak Moment Contest' which I am not about to invent or blog on because too depressing
DeleteI second the good words for Ma. I think she must have been a lot more practical than Pa, even if she was less likeable. The books definitely glossed over or softened the harsh aspects of their life, but the "real thing" would have been too intense for children's books (or anything *I* might read). Laura's autobiographical Pioneer Girl is more revealing about the hardships and dangers, although it still leaves out some facts. I hadn't thought about An Agenda, but I could see it once I really looked for it!
DeleteI keep forgetting to change my name from Anonymous.
DeleteI'm sorry when blogger makes life difficult! I feel bad...
DeleteI think Pa, full of ideas, and Ma, keeping everything going, is quite a familiar relatonship - we've all known, or read about, couples like that.
I'm thinking of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, too, which I haven't read in years. IIRC he was a drinker, and the daughter adored him, and felt the mother was a bit hard and difficult - but she was really the only one working for the famliy,
Some people have a problem to comment on my blogger. I have just noticed that's because I don't allow anonymous posts because I got a lot of spam. I enabled it now and two days later I get the same stuff. Someone always writes "Die! Die! Die!" over several pages. I guess it's someone who doesn't like my (liberal) political views. So, I will probably have to go back to "no anonymous comments" allowed because it doesn't just annoy me, it frightens me.
DeleteIt's very difficult to get it right isn't it? I tend to say that with blogger you get what you pay for, with its being free. But there are some very annoying aspects to it.
DeleteThat is true. If I had to start now, I probably would get another site but I don't want to start elsewhere.
DeleteThat's exactly how I feel - I just don't want to change now
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DeleteI suppose I will watch it at some point. Same as I can't avoid watching any Jane Austen adaptations even if I get mad afterwards.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favourite stories is The Long Winter.
I know exactly what you mean - they get us in the end.
DeleteA couple of people have mentioned The Long Winter - which I haven't read lately, if at all
If you haven't read it, you definitely should.
DeleteI will find it!
DeleteI have no doubt.
ReplyDeleteIt is on the Digital Archive
DeleteI thought it might be.
DeleteIt should have had illustrations, but they were missing! But I read it. My goodness that was a hard time for them...
DeleteFor sure. I admire people who make it through times like that.
DeleteIt's an extraordinary story: she doesn't hold back, I think it will stick in my mind
DeleteI read this about thirty years ago and I still remember so many details.
DeleteI can easily believe that
Delete👍
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