Nellie Oleson Burns Down 'Little House On The Prairie'

By Ben Widdicombe Posted Jun 17th 2010 07:00AM

Alison Arngrim, familiar to a generation of TV viewers as the petulant Nellie Oleson of 'Little House On The Prairie,' is dishing the dirt on Walnut Grove. In her new book (released this week) and one-woman show, both called 'Confessions of a Prairie Bitch,' she tells tales and reveals who she liked (Melissa Gilbert) and who she didn't (Melissa Sue Anderson) on set.

"I tell all true stories," she told PopEater. "I talk about what it was like to be a bitch, and what it's like to be hated. What does it mean to be Nellie Oleson? It means somebody has called me a bitch to my face every day since I was 11 years old."

And were they right?

"Yes!" she said with a laugh. "Of course, I'm not really a bitch, I just played one on TV."

Alison's website doesn't make it easy to find tour dates, but the show will be in New York this Thursday through Saturday, and then moves to San Francisco and on to France, where (like Jerry Lewis) she is surprisingly popular.

"The French really love 'Little House on the Prairie,' and they love Nellie Oleson," she says. "I go to France at least twice a year for a month and perform my one-woman show in French. The show really resonated with the French for some reason, and [I learned the language because] I realized I could go back and cash in. They don't think Nellie's mean, they think she's French."

Arngrim was part of the first generation of TV actors to benefit from residual payments "in perpetuity," meaning she still gets checks from 'Little House.' "'The Waltons' don't get residuals," she says with an impish trace of Oleson smugness.

And she adds that almost without exception, the fans' favorite "Nellie moment" is the episode where she pretends to be crippled. The saintly Laura Ingalls finally breaks and pushes Nellie, in her wheelchair, into a pond. "It's the most beloved episode and it really vibrates with people," she says. "Nellie gets her come-uppance!"

But were there any real-life catfights on-set?

"One of the things that seems to shock people is that Melissa Gilbert and I are friends," she says, speaking at her book event at New York's Aspen Social Club. "We loved each other and we still love each other -- Melissa is very much like my sister. We had slumber parties. Yet, you had Melissa Sue Anderson, who played her sister, and they never went to each other's house. Melissa [Gilbert] has spoken in her book about how she did not have a very good relationship with Melissa Sue. I talk about how Melissa Sue was really the diva head cheerleader-type, the homecoming queen who we all were sort of in awe of. Melissa Sue admits in her book she did not become friends with the other girls. She said she was shy ... we think there's another word for it, and it's the one they call me."

Alison (whose tweets you can follow here) is also heavily involved with Protect.org, a child-protection advocacy group, in part because she was abused as a child. She even told Ann Curry, how she used her abuse as inspiration for Nellie. "When you live with abuse, you have a lot of rage and anger, and I had a place to actually take it and vent it as Nellie. "It's done me so much good, I can't even describe it."

Asked about her funniest fan interaction, she said she was at an autograph signing a few years ago at the LA County Fair, and a middle-aged women went red in the face when she saw her and finally blurted out "I forgive you!" before storming off.

"It was nice to be absolved after all these years," Arngrim says with a chuckle.

Tags: Alison Arngrim, little house on the prairie, melissa gilbert

Comments

(94)

Saturday 19 June

By scandog1

Vote down Vote up Report this

Hey Julie, You are a skank!

By Twink770

I grew up watching Little House, one of my favorite shows. Good family TV, not like the crap thats on today. Allison, I thought you played Nellie remarkedly well. Those facial expressions (wide eyed and mouth agape with hands on your hips) and the sneering, little snotty looks. You go girl. You convinced me you were one force to be reckoned with. I have to say I liked the whole cast, although Harriet was a bit much. Not really, she did as great a job as Allison playing her part. Glad I didn't have a mom like her though. I wish there would be a Little House reunion.

By Imaginethat

I watched this show for a while back in the seventies. It was okay, but I grew tired of it after a while. The character of Laura was just too saintly for my taste, and Nellie was too bratty, which was done to make Laura look all the more saintly. After a while that got old. I was never fond of Mrs. Olsen either, but I liked Nels. Anyway, I feel that Arngrim is kind of hanging on to her past laurels and she hasn't really done anything of note since LHOTP. Now, she's dishing the dirt, so to speak. I guess if that's how she wants to make money, fine, but after all these years, who cares?! I think it's a bit low to have written that Melissa Sue Anderson was not very likable. Perhaps she wasn't but to write that all these decades later, really, what's the point? And Arngrim can say whatever she wants, I suppose, and unless Anderson debunks it (she probably won't bother) it's a one-sided tell-all by Arngrim. Ho-hum.

By janna

I think she mispoke. She said "it really vibrates with people" when I think what she meant to say was "it really resonates with people". Saying it "vibrates" with people just makes no sense at all. (I'm surprised an editor didn't pick this up.)

By Jean

I have always liked Allison, and this is not the first time she spoke about the abuse from her Father. It must have been awful. I always watched "Little House" and it would not have been a good show without nasty Nellie, and Allison did a good job. If you read the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, you would know that there really was a nasty Nellie, and she did interfer with some of Laura and Almanzo's lifes. You go girl.... you got the chance to make your life better, you do it. It's everyone's dream to do something with their life while they are on this earth. God bless.

By Mistress Lisa

Ok! I swear! I swear! I swear! I swear! I swear!! Honestly? Where tha hell are the BIGGER locks, please? Geeeeezus!!!

By laurie

Wow--what bashers on here.Did you read the part where she says that she gets a paycheck everytime the show is aired? It's seen everywhere,all the time.She didn't need to write a book to get money.So there goes your theory.

By hobojoe

She has done so much good work with AIDS organizations when alot of actors wouldnt! I say THANK YOU! Allison!

Sunday 20 June

By Carly

I have to say, whenever my daughter throws an all out temper tantrum I say "ok Nellie Olsen" Not that she knows what it means but it always gets a giggle or laugh from either of my parents! It always seems to lighten the mood!!

By taylor

wow julie, you are not beautiful in any way, shape, or form. anyone that bashes others the way you do must have some serious issues. i am not buying for a second that you feel "fabulous" about yourself. you have the personality of a toad and now the cyber-world knows it. thanks for your opinion, i'm sure we all feel better about ourselves now...

By laura

What abuse has ACTRESS Alison Arngrim who played character Nellie suffered besides Melissa Sue Anderson not liking her? Aw geez.

By David

Jean,

Although Alison was abused she has specifically stated that it was NOT her father or her mother:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alison_Arngrim

Monday 21 June

By Cindy

We got a Boston terrier puppy a few years ago, and we were considering all these sweet little girl names for her. Then she showed us that she was not going to be the little dog who sits in the corner by chasing our chocolate lab who out weighed her by over 100 lbs and generally acting like a little princess. We named her Nellie!

Saturday 17 July

By Sherry

Think about this, troll...if she still wasn't insanely popular,she wouldn't be able to travel, do shows and sell books. I smell the stench of jealousy...

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