For fans of Little House on the Prairie, the opening credits are as much a part of the experience as the episodes themselves. While the iconic theme song immediately transports viewers to Walnut Grove, the way guest stars and regular cast members were billed also evolved, becoming a topic of interest for dedicated watchers. Let’s delve into the nuances of how the credits rolled across different seasons, highlighting the transitions and occasional inconsistencies in character name billing, and how these elements contributed to the overall presentation of this beloved family drama.
Initially, during the first four seasons, guest stars received prominent billing right in the opening credits, a common practice to acknowledge their contribution. However, starting from Season 5 onwards, this changed. Guest star billing was shifted to appear during the opening scenes of each episode. A notable exception to this pattern occurred in Season 9 with “The Older Brothers” episode, where guest star billing returned to the opening credits, likely due to the limited presence of regular cast members in that particular installment. This shift in guest star presentation subtly altered the focus, perhaps emphasizing the regular cast as the series progressed.
The billing of “The Town” members, those familiar faces who populated Walnut Grove, also saw interesting adjustments. In the early seasons, from Season 1 to 3, “The Town” actors were all listed alphabetically on the same screen. As the ensemble of townspeople grew, Season 4 sometimes required two screens to accommodate all “The Town” credits if there were a sufficient number of actors featured. Season 5 marked a promotion for several actors: Alison Arngrim, Jonathan Gilbert, Patrick Laborteaux, and Hersha Parady, moving them from the closing credits to the opening sequence. This elevation reflected their growing importance to the narrative and fan recognition.
Seasons 5 and 6 adopted a “family groups” approach to billing. This meant the four actors portraying the Oleson family were billed together, followed by the three actors playing the Garvey family, before the remaining town members were credited. This grouping likely aimed to visually represent the core families within the Little House community. By Season 7, the presentation shifted again, displaying two names onscreen at a time for “The Town” credits. Starting from this season, Matthew Laborteaux, portraying Albert, consistently received the final billing in “The Town” credits, presented alone on screen. This was a clear way to highlight his character and effectively serve as an “and introducing Matthew Laborteaux as Albert” moment, even though he had been in the show for some time. By Season 8, the credits further streamlined to show one name at a time, and Katherine MacGregor, known for her portrayal of Harriet Oleson, began to receive billing before Richard Bull (Mr. Edwards), another subtle shift in credit hierarchy. The Turnbaugh twins, portraying Grace Ingalls, also began to be credited as Grace in the opening, explicitly acknowledging that two actresses played the role, unlike the Greenbush twins who previously played Carrie without such explicit distinction in the credits.
One peculiar detail that has caught the attention of viewers is the inconsistency in how married characters were credited. While Charlotte Stewart was correctly credited as “Mrs. Simms” after her character’s marriage, Alison Arngrim and Sherri Stoner continued to be billed as “Nellie Oleson” and “Rachel Brown” even after their characters married, with occasional instances of Alison Arngrim being simply credited as “Nellie.” This raises the question: why the hesitation to credit them as “Nellie Dalton” and “Rachel Oleson”? It seems audiences could have easily followed if they had opted for “Nellie Oleson Dalton” and “Rachel Brown Oleson” if clarity was a primary concern. This minor inconsistency provides a glimpse into the evolving practices and perhaps, occasional hesitations, in television credit conventions during that era.
