‘Little House on the Prairie’: Dean Butler Claims Michael Landon Threw Him on Set

Little House on the Prairie star Dean Butler recently made a bold claim about Michael Landon: The latter once threw him across a barn on set.

On the November 12 episode of his former Little House costar Matthew Labyorteaux‘s podcast, The Patrick LabyorSheaux, Butler recounted the humorous moment.

Butler played Almanzo Wilder, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s (Melissa Gilbert) husband, on the beloved historical drama series. For the sit-down, he was joined by several Little House castmates, including the stars behind Nellie Oleson (Alison Arngrim), Sarah Carter (Pamela Roylance), and Rose Wilder (Jennifer Donati). Meanwhile, Landon, who died at 84 in 1991, played Charles “Pa” Ingalls, in addition to directing, writing, and executive producing for the show.

“I wanted to test and see how strong Michael was,” Butler, 69, recounted. “So, we’re doing a scene together where I was supposed to go limp when I lunged at a guy, and I didn’t.”

Butler continued, “The first time, he said, ‘Go limp,’ I didn’t. The second time he said, ‘Go limp,’ I didn’t. The third time — this was the test of his strength — he picked me up and threw me across the interior of the barn as he yelled at me, ‘Go limp!'”

After his former costars laughed in disbelief, Butler called the incident a “signature moment.”

“I just remember saying, ‘What the hell?’ as I was flying through the air and landing on the ground and rolling across the barn,” he explained.

The Little House crew also erupted into laughter over the throwing situation at the time, he noted, adding, “It was totally my fault.”

Butler summed up the memory by declaring, “I got a flight lesson in one of the barns at Big Sky Ranch as Michael launched me across the barn.”

Little House on the Prairie aired for nine seasons from 1974 to 1983, followed by three TV movies.

Little House on the Prairie, streaming on Peacock, Prime Video, and Philo