Dean Butler as Almanzo James Wilder and Melissa Gilbert as Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder in Little House On The PrairieFor legions of viewers, Little House On The Prairie was must-see television from the mid-1970s to the early ’80s. However,, Dean opens up about being cast as Almanzo Wilder on the show’s sixth season when he was 23 years old.
“They wanted to see when she, so honestly and innocently, declared her love for this young man. She fell in love from the first time she laid eyes on him. The audience was prepared to go right along with that.”At the time that the episode was filmed, Dean said, Melissa had “never kissed anyone” before.