• Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Laura Ingalls Wilder
    • The Ingalls Family
    • The Books
    • The TV Show
    • The Mini-Series
    • The Musical
    • The Documentary
  • Lifestyle
    • Recipes
    • Crafting
    • Gardening
    • Family Fun
  • Learning
    • History
    • Recommended Reading
    • School House
  • Community
    • Share Your Story
    • Your Stories
    • Inspirations
    • Meet Our Contributors
  • Events
  • Store
  • Search

Little House on the Prairie

Navigation
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Laura Ingalls Wilder
    • The Ingalls Family
    • The Books
    • The TV Show
    • The Mini-Series
    • The Musical
    • The Documentary
  • Lifestyle
    • Recipes
    • Crafting
    • Gardening
    • Family Fun
  • Learning
    • History
    • Recommended Reading
    • School House
  • Community
    • Share Your Story
    • Your Stories
    • Inspirations
    • Meet Our Contributors
  • Events
  • Store
  • Search

Ed Friendly’s Life and Legacy

March 30, 2018 By Rebecca Friendly
This may contain affiliate links and we may receive a small commission on purchases.

About Ed Friendly

Ed Friendly was born in Manhattan on April 8, 1922. He spent his formative summers on a ranch in Idaho where he fell in love with horses and the American West. He served as an Army captain in the Pacific during World War II.

After the war, he worked in New York in advertising, produced and directed radio and television shows, became National Director of Sales for ABC Television and eventually Vice President for Special Programs at NBC. At NBC he worked with many of the great talents of the day like Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, and Julie Andrews and supervised such shows as the Hallmark Hall of Fame and event programming such as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Rose Bowl Parade, the opening of the World’s Fair, and the Emmy Awards.

In his unpublished memoir, Friendly writes that the position at NBC was a tremendous experience and a great launching pad for his subsequent career as an independent producer. In 1967, he started his own company, Ed Friendly Productions, Inc. and moved his family to California.

Ed Friendly as a young boy in Idaho

Ed Friendly as a young boy in Idaho

One of the first programs that Ed Friendly created, together with partners George Schlatter, Dan Rowan, and Dick Martin, and talented writers like Paul Keyes and Digby Wolfe, was Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, a weekly sketch comedy show that ran for 140 episodes on NBC. The groundbreaking show served up rapid-fire comic sketches that brought early acclaim to comedians Goldie Hawn, Lily Tomlin, Henry Gibson, Arte Johnson, Ruth Buzzi, Judy Carne, Jo Anne Worley, and many others. Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In became the #1 rated show on television in 1968-69 and 1969-70 and won an Emmy for outstanding variety program in 1968.

Friendly later created and executive-produced “Little House on the Prairie”, an adaptation of the beloved children’s books by Laura Ingalls Wilder based on her childhood in the late 1800s. The show, starring Michael Landon as the patriarch of the family and Melissa Gilbert as his plucky daughter Laura, ran on NBC from 1974 to 1983.

Ron Simon, curator of the Paley Center for Media, formerly the Museum of Television & Radio, said of Mr. Friendly, “With his programming expertise, Ed Friendly could both satirize the present and look back nostalgically at American history.”

Ed Friendly on the set of "Little House on the Prairie" in 1973

Ed Friendly on the set of Little House on the Prairie in 1973.

In 1979, Friendly produced the NBC mini-series Backstairs at the White House, a depiction of eight American presidents, Taft through Eisenhower, through the eyes of White House staff. The series received 11 Emmy nominations.

And in his eighties, Friendly decided to revisit the Little House stories by producing a mini-series based on the Little House on the Prairie novel. It aired on The Wonderful World of Disney on ABC in 2005.

Ed Friendly passed away on June 22, 2007.

The Creation of Little House on the Prairie

The story of how Little House on the Prairie came to television screens across America is quite interesting though not well known. It all started with Ed Friendly’s wife, Natalie, who grew up reading the books in the 1930s shortly after they were published. She fell in love with the books and read them to her own children as they were growing up. For many years she urged her husband to acquire the rights to create shows based on the books.

One day Ed went to check on his teenage daughter Brooke who was at home in bed with a cold. He noticed that she was reading one of the Little House books and asked her why she was reading something that her mother had already read to her as a child. Brooke explained that she re-read all eight of the books every year and asked if he would get her the ninth book, which had just been published. Her passion for these books struck a chord with him and he decided to take one of the books with him on a business trip to New York.

In his memoir, he describes how he bought a Time magazine and hid the book inside of it, so that no one would know he was reading a children’s book! He read the book on the flight and when the plane landed immediately called his attorney to find out if the rights were available.

The timing was perfect because Walt Disney had just inquired about optioning the rights to one of the books from the rights holder, a man named Roger Lea MacBride who had inherited the copyrights from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s daughter, Rose Wilder Lane. When Ed spoke to Roger, he explained that he didn’t want to develop just one book, but rather all of them. Roger flew out to California and they spent some time together. Ed explained that he wanted to produce a pilot and then a weekly series, and outlined how he wanted to lay it out. Roger shared Ed’s vision and they reached an agreement.

Ed Friendly on the set of Young Pioneers, a television movie based on novels by Rose Wilder Lane (Laura Ingalls Wilder's daughter).

Ed Friendly on the set of Young Pioneers, a television movie based on novels by Rose Wilder Lane (Laura Ingalls Wilder’s daughter).

Ed then engaged a talented writer named Blanche Hanalis to write a script for a pilot. They worked together closely over the course of two months to get it right and be as faithful as possible to Wilder’s novel. In his memoir, Ed describes how much he enjoyed the collaboration with Blanche. During that time Ed had conversations with all three television networks, but none expressed interest – they said it was “out of fashion and too soft a property.”

Enter Michael Landon. Ed and Natalie had seen a Bonanza episode that Michael had directed called “The Wish”. Ed decided to call Michael to let him know that he had a script that he wanted him to direct. He sent Michael the script in the early afternoon and by the late afternoon received a call from Michael asking if he could come by and talk about it. Michael said he loved the script and not only wanted to direct it, but also play the role of Charles Ingalls (“Pa”). Michael had an exclusive contract with NBC as an actor and a director.

Casting Melissa Gilbert

Below is an excerpt of Ed Friendly’s fond recollections of Melissa Gilbert’s audition.

Ed Friendly on the set of "Little House on the Prairie" with Melissa Gilbert in 1973

Ed Friendly on the set of Little House on the Prairie with Melissa Gilbert in 1973.

“When we were casting the show, we had done screen tests with about five or six different people for each of the children’s roles, and we first met with the kids in the office and then after we selected the five or six best ones we did screen tests… Melissa came in the office the next day and was absolutely charming. She won all of us over. When she went to leave, the NBC Casting Director asked how tall she was. Bear in mind that each one of these little youngsters came in with their casting summaries, which included their pictures, and vital statistics. As all of them had, Melissa’s had her height, age, etc. listed on it. So the question, “How tall are you?” was really unnecessary. I remember little Melissa looked at me and with half a smile put her hand on top of her head and said to the Casting Director, “Oh, so big.” She then exited. For my money, she had the part right then and there. We followed through with the screen tests and she was by far the best. What a great choice she was for the part of Laura Ingalls of Little House on the Prairie.

The following two tabs change content below.
  • Bio
  • Latest Posts
Rebecca Friendly
My Instagram profileMy Pinterest profile

Rebecca Friendly

Rebecca was one of the driving forces in developing and launching the Little House on the Prairie® website. She is committed to preserving Laura Ingalls Wilder's legacy and meeting fans from around the world. Currently she oversees Communications and Corporate Affairs at Age of Learning, Inc., helping to expand their Education Access Initiatives. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and enjoys hiking and gardening.
Rebecca Friendly
My Instagram profileMy Pinterest profile

Latest posts by Rebecca Friendly (see all)

  • Ed Friendly’s Life and Legacy - March 30, 2018
  • Interview with Judith Helton – Laura Ingalls Wilder Performer - December 4, 2015
  • Interview de Eric Caron, maquettiste de La petite maison dans la prairie - September 8, 2015

Filed Under: History, Learning Tagged With: About The TV Show, Ed Friendly, History, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House on the Prairie, Little House Trivia, Melissa Gilbert, Michael Landon, The TV Show

« Plants that Laura Knew and Grew
About Melissa Sue Anderson »

Comments

  1. AvatarDiane Clarke says

    March 23, 2018 at 7:13 pm

    Just amazing!! Thank you xxx

    Reply
  2. AvatarCarolina says

    April 8, 2018 at 1:02 pm

    I grew up watching LHOTP and the Walton’s, I love this era of life. I dream of going to the place that Laura grew up at. This article was really educational and I think knowing Me. Friendly and Mr. Landon would have been a dream come true. I also love your website.

    Reply
  3. Avatarcindy lahey says

    April 8, 2018 at 3:53 pm

    thank you to one and all for all the comfort and happiness I felt reading all the LITTLE HOUSE books and I was a grown adult at that time. read each one at least three times and just wanted more. Have always wanted to go down and see laura and almanzos farm, maybe one day. I am only 69 yrs old………many blessings to all of you especially the original author. good looking fella in his day too, huh? lol

    Reply
  4. AvatarKenny Benner says

    April 9, 2018 at 11:32 am

    Yes thank you Rebecca Friendly and your father Ed for getting this show on the road. Also I big thank you to the late Michael Landon. All of the shows were great and I would have loved it if Ed and Michael would have made the Long Winter for the series as it never really depicted the book that Laura wrote, that in itself would have been a great episode. But it never happened, I am just thankful that I have the book “The Long Winter” I love the show anyway and I have been to De Smet, SD. Walnut Grove MN. and Mansfield, MO. I am planning on visiting Independence KS. this summer and Burr Oak, IA. Sure would love to meet Melissa Gilbert and Melissa Anderson and Alison Arngrim some day before I die.

    Reply
  5. AvatarRosalie Davis Null says

    April 29, 2018 at 6:15 pm

    Thank your grandfather Edd Friendly, for giving us such a wonderful family show, as Little House on the Prairie . We watched every episode, when my son was growing up. I am 89, live alone, and still watch when I am able to find it on TV. I bought the books for my niece when she was a little girl. I was raised on a farm during the depression, and could relate to some of the episodes. I wish my grandchildren and great grandchildren could watch the series, and see what life was like in a much simpler an uncomplicated time. Thanks so much for giving us a behind the scenes look of how Little House was created.

    Reply
  6. AvatarRosalie Davis Null says

    April 29, 2018 at 6:25 pm

    A special thanks to your grandfather Edd Friendly for giving us such a wonderful family show, as Little House on The Prairie. We watched every episode when our son was growing up. I am 89, live alone and still watch when I am able to find it on TV. I grew up on a farm during the depression, and could relate to many of the episodes. I bought the set of books for my niece, when she was a little girl. I wish my grandchildren, and great grandchildren could watch the series, and see what life was like in such a wonderful uncomplicated time. Thanks for the memories, and giving us a look behind the scenes.

    Reply
  7. AvatarJeff Anderson says

    April 14, 2019 at 2:13 am

    Hello, I loved watching the show when i was a kid. Born in the mid 60’s it was my favorite show to watch.. No matter how many times i watched it through the years and still love watching it on insp, It will always bring tears to my eyes… What a great family show!!! I wish it still aired new shows to this day. But since not possible, I will reminisce in the reruns!! Thank you all who made the show possible and an absolute success!!!!
    This TV series can run for many many years to come!! Thank you….

    Reply
  8. AvatarYvonne Jeffords says

    May 22, 2019 at 9:04 pm

    Family entertainment..?…not many around anymore…so sad

    Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Connect Facebook Pinterest Twitter YouTube Instagram

Little House on the Prairie Newsletter

Perfect ideas for any Little House fan!

What will you learn next?

Learn essential life skills like the Ingalls family!

Little House Locations and Historic Sites See the world Laura lived in by visiting these historic Little House sites.



Learn more about Laura and pick up your DVD on Amazon.

LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE® and associated character names, designs, images and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks owned and licensed by Friendly Family Productions, LLC. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2015-2019 Friendly Family Productions, LLC

Contributors | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Licensing | Newsletters