MUST-READ: See the Beloved ‘Little House on the Prairie’ Cast Then and Now Left to right: Melissa Sue Anderson, Lindsay Greenbush and Melissa Gilbert in Little House on the Prairie in the '70s ...

Based on the beloved series of children's novels by Laura Ingalls Wilder – portrayed by Melissa Gilbert in the series – the show premiere in September 1974 and ran for nine seasons.

Landon portrayed patriarch Charles Ingalls, and brought on Melissa Sue Anderson and ... began to dwindle in the early 80s when new material became more scarce. Anderson felt Landon was ...