Celebrating its 50th anniversary and still airing in the U.S. and around the world, Little House on the Prairie is one of the most cherished family dramas in television history, and this smart, candid memoir from beloved star Dean βAlmanzoβ Butler, who played Laura βHalf-Pintβ Ingallsβ eventual husband, is a must-read for fans, filled with insider stories and anecdotes.
Cast just before his twenty-third birthday, Dean Butler joined Little House on the Prairie halfway through its run, gaining instant celebrity and fansβ enduring affection.Ironically, when the late, great Michael Landon remarked that Little House would outlive everyone involved in making it, Butler deemed it unlikely. Yet for four decades and counting, Butler has been defined in the public eye as Almanzo Wilderβa role he views as the great gift of his life.
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Butler had been cast as a romantic lead before, notably in the made-for-TV movie of Judy Blumeβs Forever, opposite Stephanie Zimbalist. But Little House was, and remains, one of the most treasured shows in television history. As the eventual husband of Laura βHalf-pintβ Ingallsβand the man who would share actress Melissa Gilbertβs first real-life romantic kissβButler landed as a central figure for the showβs devoted fans.
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Now, with wit and candor, Butler recounts his passage through the Prairie, sharing stories and anecdotes of the remarkable cast who were his on-screen family. But that was merely the beginning of a diverse career that includes Broadway runs and roles on two other classic showsβMoondoggie in The New Gidget and Buffyβs neβer-do-well father, Hank, in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Coming of age during a golden era of entertainment, Butler has evolved along with it, and today enjoys success and fulfillment as a director and producerβnotably of NBC Golfβs Fehertyβwhile remaining deeply loyal to Little House.
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The warmth, heart, and decency that fans of Laura and Almanzo fell in love with on Little House echo through this uplifting memoir, a story, in Butlerβs words, about βgood luck, good television, and the very goodβif gloriously imperfectβpeople who made it so.β