“Little House on the Prairie” stars Pamela Bob, Alison Arngrim, and Dean Butler discuss the one recurring mistake the show made that took viewers out of the 1800s.
Little House on the Prairie’s Historically Inaccurate Detail
During the November 6 episode of the “Little House 50” podcast, the cohosts pointed out that French manicured nails would not have been common in the 1800s, when the show was set. However, the actors often had white-tipped acrylic nails while filming.
“The moment when we first see the nails, the French tips,â Bob recalled of the scene in which Mary Ingalls (Melissa Sue Anderson) accepts Adam Kendallâs (Linwood Boomer) marriage proposal.
“And you see them repeatedly through this episode,” Arngrim chimed in.
Bob continued, “It is so distracting. They’re French tips. Theyâre shiny, shiny new. Beautiful. They are shiny new acrylics.”
The episode featured many close-up shots of Mary’s nails, which Arngrim said, “They’re just in your face.”
“Now, you know I love doing my nails. Even during the show, I did not have any sort of acrylics during the show. I would often on the weekend paint my nails many interesting colors,” she recalled, adding that come Sunday night she’d have to remove the polish. âAnd I donât know. Because Melissa Gilbert had the acrylics. Melissa Sue had the acrylics. They all had the French tips. It was so in the early 80s. And they all did and I did not⦠I said, âIâm on a TV show and I have a full seven-year contract for a TV show where apparently I live in the 1800s and donât have nails.’”
Fans Have Made a Joke of the Mistake for Years
Bob joked that Mrs. Whipple (Queenie Smith) was running an “illegal mani-pedi place in the basement of her house.”
According to Arngrim, “If it was any later, I don’t know, maybe the 1930s, we would have gotten away with it.”
The manicured nails have not gone unnoticed by fans over the years either.
“How white everyone’s teeth are, lol. Blinding white at times, doesn’t mind who they are. And the french nails that got by Landon at times the women did,” one fan wrote via Reddit when asked about something in the show that negatively stands out to them.
“Mary is a blind woman and teacher in the 1800s but has a perfect face of makeup and manicured nails. Is Hester Sue doing her makeup and nails?” another wrote, adding, “Laura is way ahead of the times wearing 1980s makeup trends.”
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