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Representing a strong pioneer woman in the 1870s would not have been easy. Karen Grassle, who played Caroline Ingalls in Little house in the meadow, was a little-known actor from Berkeley, Calif. – far from the small town of Walnut Grove, Minnesota. Act opposite Windfall star, Michael Landon, who played Charles Ingalls, must have been intimidating. Yet despite the odds, Grassle made it work by becoming loved by children everywhere and affectionately known as “Ma”.
The NBC series was based on the Small house series of books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder about her life on the prairie. The television series ran from fall 1974 through spring 1982, starring much of the same cast throughout its nine years. Thereafter Little house: a new beginning aired for a year later, with a few key characters missing. Here’s how the series and the role of Grassle came about – and why she left.
Karen Grassle’s early acting years
After high school, Grassle attended the University of California, Berkeley, earning a BA in Drama and English in the mid-1960s. According to the Little House on the Prairie website, after receiving a Fulbright scholarship to study the arts from theater, Grassle attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. She made her Broadway debut in 1968, in The Vichy dog, which opened the doors to more roles on stage, according to Biography.
Over a decade later, upon her return from England where she worked with a Shakespeare production company, Grassle was asked to audition for a film which subsequently failed. Finding herself in Los Angeles and out of work, her agent suggested she read for the role of a new TV series, The Mother of a Pioneer Family set in the late 19th century.
Grassle admitted that he was not a big fan of television and knew little about Landon, who was starring in the new series, according to Fox News. However, she went to the audition. “They had seen everyone in Hollywood who was right for the role,” she exclaimed. “They were on the phone because they threw everyone out. After reading my second scene with Mike, he jumped up like a jack-in-the-box and said, ‘Take her to the closet!’ “
Once approved by NBC, Grassle was set to become one of television’s most beloved moms for a decade.
‘Ma’ representative
RELATED: ‘Little House on the Prairie’: Michael Landon Cheated on Guest Star By Eating Birdseed
Single at the time and childless, Grassle found herself in an on-screen family with her husband, Charles (Landon), and three daughters, Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson), Laura (Melissa Gilbert) and Carrie (Rachel Lindsay Greenbush and Sidney Greenbush.). Her character, “Ma,” later in the series gave birth to the Ingalls’ fourth daughter, Grace (Brenda Turnbaugh and Wendi Turnbaugh).
At first Grassle found Landon, who also directed nearly half of the show’s episodes, “a very hard worker and he could be pretty brooding,” she said. Although she saw pay inequalities, Grassle said she and Landon had become good friends.
Grassle based his role on his own mother. From reading the Small house books, she learned that Caroline was “tough and strong” just like her mother. “I took her character, her strength and her wisdom and imbued Caroline with it,” she explained.
She had an immediate connection with the actors who portrayed her daughters, especially Gilbert, making her role easier from the start. “The two Melissas [Gilbert and Anderson] were incredibly well chosen, ”she said. “The kids were all very good.”
‘A new start’
Despite its popularity, as the Ingalls family grew, Small house ratings have gone down. The Ingalls family members were each moving in their own direction and Landon decided it was time for him to quit acting on the show. ‘Pa’ and ‘Ma’ continued and a new name came to the show, Small house: a new beginning » with a focus on the younger generation.
The role of Grassle was withdrawn in 1982. Then Grassle could be seen in television appearance roles from time to time, but she wanted to return to the theater. She helped found a theater company in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and toured in a variety of shows, including a 2007 tour of Driving Miss Daisy. Now at 78, Grassle resides in the San Francisco Bay Area and remains involved in local theater.
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