LITTLE HOUSE: Reflected Affection
As I prepare to write and produce ALMANZO WILDER: Life Before Laura I am immersing myself more in Laura’s books with the goal of being able to capture the tone of her wonderful style in our documentary. While reading THESE HAPPY GOLDEN YEARS…the most powerful source material supporting my first season on the television series… I realize, more profoundly than ever, how important that book was in helping to create the high level of interest for what we did in front of the camera. While our episodes ran something less than an hour in length and covered the ground necessary to make an entertaining episode of the on-going series, readers of THESE HAPPY GOLDEN YEARS had a deeply personal connection to Laura’s largely unspoken romance with Almanzo. This was no more clearly covered in the series than in SWEET SIXTEEN which was a compressed telling of not only Laura’s time at the Brewster School (we made it much more pleasant…and warmer), but also of Almanzo’s very quiet courting of Laura during sleigh and carriage rides over a period of several years before matters came to a head following Laura’s resolve not to continue shared Sunday afternoon drives with Nellie Oleson. I think young girls reading this book can’t help but be touched by the dignity and quiet confidence that informed Laura’s reserve. And I think young men can learn a lot about being a gentleman from Laura’s representation of Almanzo’s unspoken, gentle determination to win her. More than twenty five years later, I wish we had done a better job of capturing Laura’s growing maturity in her transformation from girl to young woman in that arc of shows. I think we did nice job and I’ll always be proud of that work, but we could’ve told those stories much more thoroughly and I have no doubt that the audience would’ve absolutely loved it. Despite the relatively brief courtship we presented on television the audience was right there with us filling in all the blanks with their awareness of Laura’s beautifully written autobiographical story. Once again, I feel so fortunate to have been a part of this wonderful coming of age story and candidly I think I understand a little better the affection that was lavished on the show and on me by viewers and readers all over the world. At the same time I can also understand the sense of disappointment that some viewers felt as they longed to see the story as Laura lived it and wrote it. Fortunately Laura’s books will always be there for readers young and old who enjoy our show but want to know more. Our upcoming documentary will be much better because of the influence of Farmer Boy and the other Little House books. I have no doubt that readers of this blog have lots of opinions on this subject. Share as you desire…Dean
March 18th, 2008 at 4:39 am
hi Dean,
just read this post, I can’t wait for your doctumentary to come out, also very excited about you going back to New York, I’m hoping me and my family will be able to go. when I read the Little House books, I liked Pa and Almanzo. and later I read another series called The Days Of Laura Ingalls Wilder by T.L. Tedrow, you know the ones that I told you about, I thought Almanzo was so nice and funny in them. Laura is funny in them too, but I mostly liked Almanzo, then I decided to watch the series again,[I watched them before, but it was when I was allot younger] and I thought Almanzo was Cute and kind and funny. favorite episodes are The Nephews, The Inlaws and Divorce Walnut Grove Style, LOL I like the funny ones. then one day I started wondering about the person who played Almanzo……=) my family and I watched one of your interviews. the one where you talk about Katherine. then I found your site. and was excited as I wrote you an email, I have read the letter you sent back to me over and over, LOL I seem to remember every word now. your very sweet and nice. and I check your blog every day and read every post. I’m so happy that I found this site, your a great person Dean.
BFF,
me.
P.S. silly question to ask but, what’s your favorite food? LOL my webkinz named after you loves hot dogs.
March 18th, 2008 at 7:07 am
Hell From the Midwest!
I really enjoyed reading this particular blog. I agree that the work done on LHOTP showing Almanzo and Laura’s courtship was great. However, I also agree that I wish the story would have been told more throughly. Sweet Sixteen and the episodes surrounding Laura and Almanzo’s courtship remain my favorite, but to have the stories drawn out a bit more, would have been even better….I am anxious to see the documentary and enjoy hearing about the progress through you, Dean.
Jenny
March 18th, 2008 at 10:00 am
Dean - As different as the books and the show are, it is interesting how little things were incorporated into the TV Show that brought the two back together. Even though Nellie and Laura were rivals as children, Back to School reminds us that they were also rivals for Almanzo’s affection as young women. Wilder & Wilder incorporated the horse training that brought them closer together during their courtship.
The documentaries that you and others have done for the DVDs have also gone a long way in helping us “purists” better understand and appreciate why things happened the way they did on TV. Thank you for adding to Laura and Almanzo’s Legacy! Mary M-L
March 18th, 2008 at 10:54 am
Hi Dean!
The TV series and the books are very different media, but in the case of Little House they need and complement each other. The books are the basis and the TV show made them known to an audience who never even heard about the books of Laura Ingalls Wilder (like me, for instance).
Otherwise you can’t expect a TV show stick to the books word for word, live only from them and be successful. The audience is too demanding when it comes to thrilling entertainment and as we all are well aware Michael Landon knew his audience and always was anxious to give them what they wanted.
Michael and all of you did a good job, a very good job, the best job, to bring the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder on screen, loved and cherished by millions of viewers all over the world.
Martha
March 18th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Hi Dean,
It is really interesting to hear your thoughts on this and it looks like you have come to a similiar conclusion about the Laura and Almanzo story as many of us fans have.
The story of Laura and Almanzo, as it played out on TV, had to be done the way it was for the mere purpose of the audience of the 1980’s finding it hard to have a man pursue, no matter how innocent a courtship, an underage girl. I have found out that there are a lot of fans out there that watched the TV show first (and there are some that still haven’t read the books) and would have not known the story as it played out in the books and therefore understood that it was Almanzo who was interested in Laura first and not the other way around.
I have to say I am one of those book “purists” out there, but now understand why storylines had to be played as they were on TV. However, I do regret that the maturing of Laura and courtship of Almanzo and Laura was not done for a longer period of time. I am one of the viewers who saw the show on its first run, so I know that it was a whole summer between He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not, so it did feel like a long time from their engagement and the marriage. It seemed like they wanted to keep Laura as young as possible. Then it was almost a shock that she grew up, got engaged and married all within three episodes (albeit, two of them were two parters!). I think there was so much potential for really good storylines for an older Laura and the development of her relationship with Almanzo that it is a shame that they weren’t pursued.
Lynne
March 18th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Dean,
You’re a very wise man. You bring together in the way only you can–having played Almanzo on the show–a perspective on the show versus the books that we viewers and readers don’t have. The books and the show have always been very separate for me. It never bothered me that the show strayed so far from the books, perhaps because I had seen the show before reading them.
I, do, wish that we had seen more of Laura and Almanzo’s romance on Little House. One day Laura was a child playing pranks on Nellie, the next she was teaching school, engaged, and then married. But Laura’s feisty side remained, as we saw in “Divorce, Walnut Grove Style” when she brawls with Brenda Sue in the middle of the street. Never much cared for that, but with Melissa’s age I’m sure the writers had to be inventive.
The other thing I can say is that speaking with Kent and Susan McCray, and reading your blog entries has given me a whole new respect for the show and the talent of everyone involved. It is easy for me as a mere viewer to find flaws or inconsistencies in the show, not having the knowledge of all that went into creating and filming Little House. I was going through the script I have of the interview I performed with Kent at the end of January, and the things they did to create the show I have loved since I was a child, are amazing. Listening to the filming schedule for the two different locations, dealing with child labor laws and the challenges that animal talent presented, the way in which they made rivers and snow for certain episodes, it amazes me how much went into each show and how much Michael and Kent had to juggle.
Keep up the great work. I hope I’ll get the chance to interview you one day as well. I would love to help you promote all the fine work you are doing with Legacy Documentaries.
All my best,
Cheryl
March 18th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
I agree with Cheryl. For me, the books and the show are 2 different things and I love them each for their own reasons. I truly appreciate that you are reading the books to help you as you prepare to write your script for the new documentary about Almanzo. I am reading the Little House books with a group of friends and we are about to read Farmer Boy. It will be fun to discuss it and then watch your new dvd later on in the year. We all are excited about it and other LH projects that you are involved in.
March 18th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
You know what many of us would have liked to have seen on LHOP is something from “The Long Winter”. It would have been hard because there was no Cap Garland on the show, but Almanzo playing the hero and saving the town somehow would have been nice. Okay, I know I’m a bit biased. LOL!
Cheryl
March 18th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
What thoughtful, insightful comments you all made. One of the things that I wasn’t thinking about as I wrote this entry was the difference in Melissa’s and my ages twenty-nine years ago. When we started working together she was 15 and I was twenty three. Those years are nothing for Melissa and me today but in 1979 they were huge, and as Lynn so accurately pointed out in her post, Michael was very conscious that the audience would’ve been uncomfortable with a more deliberate, though necessarily chaste romance between Laura and Almanzo. Readers of THESE HAPPY GOLDEN YEARS would’ve gotten it, but for most, particularly parents of young girls there would’ve been justifiable concern.
Separated from the experience of making the show, GOLDEN YEARS is touching, insightful and charmingly romantic. Reading it fills in the circumstances of Laura & Almanzo’s emotional life that we could not fully reveal on screen. Viewers don’t need that knowledge to enjoy the show, but if they have it, and can merge what they’ve read with what they see, the show is better and the books are more appreciated.
Dean
March 19th, 2008 at 8:40 am
Yes Michael Landon was truly brilliant in knowing how to handle this very delicate situation without infuriating parents across the country. I suppose having been in the business as long as he had, and having a daughter almost Melissa’s age, gave him some insight as to how to present this innocent love story to we the viewers.
At the same time I would be lying if I didn’t say I felt some disappointment in the direction Michael chose to present their courtship. The entire “Little House” legacy is centered around Laura’s life, and Almanzo Wilder is a very important figure in her story. Having read the books myself, I can fill in the missing pieces and that has satisfied me to some extent. But I would have rather have seen more of you Dean in the leading man role. “Sweet Sixteen” and “Laura Ingalls Wilder” are just a couple episodes that have become a favorite to all Little House fans.
I do have to admit the “missing courtship episodes” sure has provided for some great fanfic stories though.
March 19th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Dean,
I guess most of these poeple commenting are older…. well i am only 13. In 2nd grade i joined a Little House club and read the books, ever since then any chance i got i played it. I never even really watched the movies until 3 or 4 years ago when we moved here to VA from California. When i first started watching them I saw everyone as the part they played… But now i can not watch it and think of the cast that way. You all made one of the best TV series ever made, but it was not the true life of Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder. Everyone i know could tell you that I am so crazy about Laura, I like the show, but it disapoints me, and I want to play Laura some day… the real Laura. I guess what I am trying to say is everyone has that picture of Melissa when she is older as what Laura was like- so pretty, everything always works out in the end for her. But that is not true. Laura worked it wasn’t easy, she did not have a whole closet full of lovely clothes-she and Manly had a hard life, but they trusted God and would not gove up…..
My dream is like I said to play Laura… I have always wanted that and i won’t give up… I tale acting/drama classes but never really get to many chances to preform. Do you have any ideas or thoughts? Well thanks for reading this, most poeple just shrug thier shoulders and think i could never do it. But no one would of guessed that little Half Pint would grow up to be one of America’s most loved and cherished authors…..
-Erica Lauraine Randall
P.S. I know you most get tons of letters and things from tons of fans but here is my email: teamrandall@earthlink.net
March 19th, 2008 at 10:52 am
Dear Erica:
You are very literate 13 year old. Thank you for your very interesting entry. I’m sure there are many regular readers of this blog who will be impressed and touched by what you’ve shared. I note that you think our show was one of the best ever made, but you also say that it disappoints you. There are many reasons our series could not stick strictly to Laura’s books - reasons that go beyond the necessities of story telling and into the business of making television. On balance all of us who worked on the series feel that Michael Landon did a wonderful job of balancing the many factors he had to consider on yearly, monthly, daily, hourly, minute by minute basis. Until you’ve been there you don’t realize how all consuming the process of making television can be for literally hundreds of people involved in the various stages of production, each of whom often must find ways to moderate their hopes and dreams in service of the whole project.
Most shows today are lucky to get a season or two of episodes produced. Little House was on the air for 10 wonderful seasons and has an opus of over 200 episodes. While the series didn’t unfold exactly in the way Laura wrote her books, I think we did successfully capture the spirit and tone of what she wrote.
Maybe someday there may be another Little House produced - and maybe you’re dream will lead you to be part of it in some way. Whatever happens Erica, I hope that your life adventures will fulfill and inspire you to always be your best. Its wonderful to have a dream. Nurture it and believe in it. The dreams we really believe in can lead us to the people and places that can help them come true.
Thanks for writing…
Dean
March 20th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Hi Dean,
I’ve been a “Little House” fan since the show began in the 70’s, and enjoyed the books.
“Sweet Sixteen” is one of my favorite episodes. As a teenager, I loved the story of Laura & Almanzo’s romance. I have to say the episode left me with wanting more! It was then that I began reading the books!
A few years back, CBS made two television movies called Beyond the Prairie I & II. These movies really captured the romance of Laura & Almanzo fairly close to the books. I wish that these movies were out on DVD. I have two very warn out VHS copies taped from the TV…LOL!
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Thank you so much for establishing this blog! I have been a fan of yours and of “Little House” for years! Many years ago I saw you on stage in Death Trap with Robert Reed. I love that play and it was so great to see you in it!
I’m enjoying reading your entries, especially when you remember the times working on “Little House.” I’m sure all of us would have loved to have been a “fly on the set” during those years!
Thanks for sharing your memories with us!
Shellie Ann
March 23rd, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Hi Dean
I am currently watching ‘Sweet Sixteen’ from Season Six of LHOP. A friend in the US sent me the season 6 set as a birthday gift recently (since I already own the first 5 seasons). I grew up on LHOP - it was the only show on TV we were allowed to sit up and watch during the week (Monday nights at 7.30 pm). I am currently watching Almanzo and Liza Jane talking about whether Laura is still a kid or not. Almanzo was just too cute for words!
I loved the Laura Inglals Wilder books when growing up and was also grateful for the opportunity to visit Laura and Alamanzo’s home in Mansfield, MO while in the US in October 2006. It was such an honour to see so many memories of the show come to life, from Pa’s fiddle to the family bible, and to see letters written in Laura’s own hand. I have now started giving Laura’s books away to the young girls in my own life - nieces and daughters of friends.
TV shows, movies and books are always different. They have to be because of the different types of audiences they reach, and because movies and TV shows only have a limited time frame to tell the story. As much as I love the books, I also enjoyed the show and have enjoyed rewatching it and sharing it with others.
Thank you for helping keep the story alive, but also telling the story as it is and showing so many people out there who don’t know the real Laura and Almanzo who they really were.
Regards
Margaret
Sydney, Australia
March 24th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Hi, Dean!
I’m so glad I found this website. I have been a fan of LHOP for years and especially a Dean Butler fan! I have always thought that the episodes with Almanzo were the best of the LHOP shows. You did a great job portraying Almanzo, and I’m sure lots of young girls fell in love with you besides Laura! I’ve enjoyed reading your comments and to see that you are grateful for the opportunity of Almanzo, and that you all had such a great time on the set. That just makes the memories all the more special for the fans to know that you enjoyed it that much! Do you have children, and do they enjoy LH also? Thanks again for the joy you brought to so many of us (and continue to bring in reruns). It’s great to read your thoughts and share your memories, so keep them coming!
Dana
March 27th, 2008 at 9:14 am
I’m late reading this post as I was on vacation, but I wanted to make a point to tell you how much I appreciate what you’ve shared here. You’re one of a kind, and fans of the book series both recognize and appreciate that.
March 27th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Sandra:
Thanks for you generous comments here and at your blog. Laura’s books are so charming and timeless its no wonder that they continue to be read and loved by generations of people seeking to understand and appreciate America’s pioneering past.
Through the series I am connected to this great legacy and its very rewarding to gain new deeper understanding of LHOP’s deeply felt appeal. BTW…I’m enjoying your blog.
April 3rd, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Hi Dean!
I’ve been a fan of Little House since I was a little kid and used to watch it with my family on television. I really appreciate the work you are doing with the documentaries and information you have provided for us here. I loved the Laura and Almonzo relationship and feel that somehow through only a series of 3 episodes it actually worked. Now a days you have romances going on for seasons with characters getting together, breaking up and then getting together again. It was nice to have a relationship come together quickly and remain strong until the end.
I do have a question for you and perhaps you may write an entry on the subject. Have you ever returned to Big Sky Ranch in Simi Valley and walked around the former town site and Wilder farm site? I understand that although no buildings remain on the land, the actual locations haven’t changed at all except for the grass growing up over the dirt roads. I’ve seen aerial maps of the location but hardly any pictures. I know Melissa Gilbert filmed a sergment for the documentary on Michael Landon in the early 90s and all that reamined was the wooded seat that went around the big tree by the Oleson’s Mercantile. The area looked so peaceful. It must be a unique experience to return to the area and walk around the land where so much took place so many years ago.
April 4th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Mike:
I’ve actually been back to Simi Valley a number of times…most recently with members of our cast…Karen Grassle, Charlotte Stewart, Katherine MacGregor, Richard Bull, Alison Arngrim, and Leslie Landon for a Where Are They Now segment of the Today Show. I’m sure you could find it on YouTube. Before that Melissa and I went back to Big Sky Ranch and shot a feature for an upcoming Little House DVD collection called Remembering The Last Farewell…Richard Bull narrates. You can see a brief segment of that package along with samples of other DVD bonus content created by Legacy Documentaries at my YouTube channel, DeanBLegacy.
Thanks for writing.
Dean
April 4th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Dean,
Thanks so much for the reply. I can’t wait to see the upcoming special Remembering the Last Farewell and interviews with the cast. It looks fantastic. How amazing to see what “Walnut Grove” looks like today with the grass so tall. Anyone could walk across the field and not even realize that they were standing on one of the most famous sets in television history. Is there any signs that there was once buildings standing there? Anything left at all? Do you know when the new documentaries will be available on DVD? I can’t wait to add them to my collection!
Thanks Dean and keep up the excellent work!
Mike
April 6th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Dean,
Just to add to the questions that Mike has asked, I heard that portions of the ranch were sold a few years back to developers to build houses. Is this correct and was any of the land part of the former Walnut Grove community? I saw the Weekend Today segment and the YouTube clip of your Remembering the Last Farewell production and what was shown still looks like ranchland.
Thanks
Lynne
April 6th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Hi Dean!
Just wanted to say that I have enjoyed the Little House TV series since it began in 1974. It really is one of those classic shows that will be with us forever, like I Love Lucy (another classic and favorite of mine). I am currently watching my Little House DVD collection (I have the pilot, seasons 1-9 and the three movies that followed). I am enjoying the show all over again. I plan on ordering your Almanzo documentary. It looks interesting. Although I was not born on the same day, the real Laura Ingalls was born 100 years before I was (she was born in 1867 and I was born in 1967). I was born in Watertown, South Dakota. The real Ingalls family stayed in DeSmet, South Dakota for a while. I have lived most of my life in California, which is the state where most of the show was filmed in. Interesting simularties between myself and the Little House saga.
Keep up the good work. I am currently on Season 6, a couple of episodes before Albert accidentally sets fire to the blind school. I will be watching my DVDs until the town gets blown up in the end (Little House is the only show that I can think of that can really say it went out with a bang!- A little humor here).
Take care,
Allen
April 10th, 2008 at 7:17 am
H Dean, I have always loved the Little House on the Prairie books and shows. Like you said though I was one that was dissappointed with how unlike the books the show is. It seems there are so many different takes on Little House on the Prairie these days. There was that movie beyond the prairie which showed Almanzo and Laura dating and getting married and moving to Minnesota and that was totally different. I love them all though. I would love to go visit the places she lived. Maybe some day.
Michelle
April 14th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Hi Dean,
You have reawakened my interest in the LHOP books, which I am now reading. Your upcoming documentary about Almanzo has me reading Farmer Boy first, even though it’s the third book in the series. I currently live in New York City, and perhaps watching and reading LHOP lately is my indulgent “escape,” since it so dramatically contrasts my current environment. I’ve been a lifelong fan of the show, particularly the Almanzo and Laura episodes; and I do wish there were more shows that focused on their courtship. Almanzo was a true gentleman, and you made every little girl viewer fall in love with his character. I am grateful to now have a broader knowledge of the show and characters, thanks to your blog. I’ve also been watching the interviews and commentary on the imavision dvds. I truly appreciate both the show and the books, and I am so grateful that you are continuing to build upon the legacy that Laura Ingalls Wilder and Michael Landon began. Saying that reminds me of the episode, “The Legacy,” where Charles designs a table that he hoped would be a way for him to be remembered, long after he was gone. You are certainly leaving your “mark,” with your wonderfully thoughtful and unique documentaries. Keep up the excellent work! I look forward to hearing more from you!
Shannon
April 28th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Dean, first of all, may I say what a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I’m a huge (read: raving lunatic) fan of the Little House books and loved the show as well.
I agree with your assessment of the courtship in the book vs. the show. I love the way Laura and Almanzo fell in love in the book and have always felt that would translate beautifully onto the screen. You did an awesome job, but I do sometimes wonder if there was a way to combine the two.
That said, I appreciate so much what you brought to the show and the work you’re still doing to keep the legacy alive. Little House is such a part of our American culture, and I love the way my mother read it as a girl, I read it as a girl, and I’m now sharing it with my daughter and we watch the show together all the time.
May 1st, 2008 at 11:21 am
Tristi,
Thanks for the nice write up about Dean and all the work he’s doing to keep Laura’s legacy alive at http://media.families.com/blog/television-actor-keeps-legacy-alive
I know I’m biased when it comes to Dean, but I think it’s wonderful the way that he’s stayed so in tune with the character he played on TV, and every time I hear something new about him, I admire his work even more.
I truly believe attention needs to be brought to Dean’s work with Peake Moore Enterprises and Legacy Documentaries. I thank you for taking the time to help with that.
Cheryl
May 15th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
HI DEAN
hello my name is sabrina but they call me shiphra and Iam 10 yaers old
and I watch little house on the prairi every night and I think you are a
wonderful actor and I hope you read the bible cause thats what I do and
I’m praying for you
reply
August 8th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Hi Dean,
It is really nice to be able to write to you since I have been a Little House fan since its beginning, and I will admit, like most pre-teen girls I had a huge crush on you when you started the show. Recently I have been watching some episodes surrounding the courtship of Laura and Almanzo and I agree it should have been drawn out more. There had to be more than a new hairstyle to make him stand back and notice her, and that is what it seemed like in SWEET SIXTEEN. It just seemed odd that Laura, who was so in love with him that she would do anything to secure his love in return, didn’t seem to treat him that well after she got him. Sometimes she seemed condescending to him or just plain unreasonable. That’s only my perception, but while I think you and Melissa played your parts well, I think the writers didn’t explore that relationship as well as they should have. I guess being a 30 plus housewife with 2 kids, I view relationships a little differently than a pre-teen school girl. Anyway, just wanted to throw that out to you. When I recently watched DIVORCE:WALNUT GROVE STYLE, I just wanted to yell at the TV. “Laura, Grow UP”. I think my husband would not be as understanding of a jealous tantrum as Almanzo was, so good for him.
September 13th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Although it may be true that Laura and Almanzo’ s courtship was altered and somewhat “streamlined” for the sake of the show, I don’t believe it affected the overall interpretation of their relationshop or it’s outcome.
There is a lot of very good work being done in this episode, by yourself, by Melissa and also by Michael Landon, that help the audience discover and accept Almanzo’s new feelings, and a budding new romance, right along with the characters. In particular I am quite fond of the scene at the Wilder house, between Eliza and Almanzo. They are having tea and he is so distracted and confounded by his feelings that he doesn’t even realize that he’s dumping spoonful after spoonful of sugar in the cup! It’s funny on top, but there’s a subtle underfeeling of longing and confusion that comes from Almanzo that is brilliant. It’s scenes like this, like the one where Almanzo picks Laura up for the first time and when he has his little talk with Charles about his feelings, that enable us to come on board with the courtship a little at a time, get excited about it and breathe a lovely sigh of relief when Laura and Almanzo are “officially” together in the end. It is (clearly) one of my very favorite episodes and one of your finest as the character of Almanzo.
September 15th, 2008 at 11:44 am
Wonderful insights into this Megan. I always felt that Charles’s change of heart begins in “Wilder and Wilder” when Almanzo forfeits the arm wrestling match to save Barnum and Charles gets to wintess firsthand what a proper suitor he could be for Laura versus the self-serving Perley Day. The humorous exchange between Charles and Almanzo when Charles asks him to stop calling him sir and Almanzo automatically calls him sir moments later and Charles replies, “You’re welcome son,” shows Charles’s acceptance of Almanzo in Laura’s life.
“Sweet Sixteen” is certainly one of my favorite episodes as well.
I hope you have a great day!
Cheryl