about;the;books;;I;didn’t;know;about;the
series;before;I;was;hired;to;be;on;it.;But
I;remember;the;first;episode;I;saw;after
being hired. I turned on an episode that
featured;Ray;Bolger,;the;wonderful;ac-tor who had played the Scarecrow in the
Wizard of Oz. I was so moved by it because there was just a sweetness about
the thing that was unmistakable. Ray
was still dancing and charming and all
of;that.;I;just;remember;thinking,;Wow,
I am so glad that I am able to be a part of
this in some way, whatever way it would
end up being.
Then in the fall, when I premiered on
the;show,;I;started;making;appearances
for;NBC;because;they;always;get;requests
from stations around the country to have
talent from shows come and visit. They
might do a parade or go to some civic
event or whatever. I started going to these
events and seeing the response that people had to the show, learning that people
loved;the;books;and;loved;watching;the
television show. There was this nice con-nection.;I;think;that;really;sealed;for;me
that I was involved in something pretty
special.;By;the;time;it;was;over;five;years
later, I was fully vested in it and really
knew;clearly;that;I;would;attempt;to;stay
involved for the rest of my life.
Jumping;forward;to;early;or;mid-2000s
when;I;had;the;opportunity;to;make;the
first;bonus;content;for;the;television;se-ries DVDs—that was a great experience.
Having;the;opportunity;to;make;
Almanzo Wilder: Life Before Laura in conjunc-tion;with;the;Laura;and;Almanzo;Wilder
Association;of;Malone,;New;York,;was;a
great experience as we shot it on location
at the farm. Then, two years after that,
having;the;opportunity;to;make;the;Little
House on the Prairie: The Legacy of Laura
Ingalls Wilder documentary was really a
thrill, because that was the all-encom-passing Laura story.
I have loved being a part of this for the
more than thirty years since the series
ended.;I’ve;done;a;lot;of;other;different
kinds;of;things,;but;Little House always
stays with me, and I expect it to for the
rest of my life.
TOS:
;What;is;your;favorite;part;of;mak-ing the documentaries?
Dean:;I;think;the;favorite;part;for;me
(and I think it's really the thing that
turned me ultimately away from acting to
producing), is that you get to start with a
blank;page.;There’s;nothing;but;an;idea
in the beginning, and at the end there is a
fully;realized;vision.;You;have;been;a;part
of creating that with the team of people
that;you;partnered;with.;That’s;a;thrilling
part of it.
In;terms;of;specifics,;where;these;doc-umentaries are concerned, going to the
actual locations where Laura lived and
where;Almanzo;lived,;being;in;the;places
and;knowing;that;they;were;there,;and
knowing;that;this;is;a;representation;of
something;that’s;historic;and;fictional;is
really;fun.;Being;able;to;put,;as;a;produc-er, my little stamp on my interpretation
of that experience is a wonderful way to
remain connected to something that has
been very important to me.
TOS:;We;asked;some;of;our;Facebook
friends to share their thoughts and questions for you and about the legacy of the
pioneers. One of our readers wrote: “It
was;this;book;(meaning;the;Little;House
series), more than any other, that our
youngest son loved in our read-aloud
times.;I;have;such;happy;memories;of;it.”
When;you;hear;that;you’ve;gotten;to;be;a
part of treasured family memories, how
does;that;make;you;feel?
Dean:
;It’s;thrilling;;it;really;is.;It’s;magi-cal.;I;know;that;for;as;long;as;what;we
www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com
“Being;able;to;put,;as;a;producer,;my
little stamp on my interpretation of
that experience is a wonderful way to
remain connected to something that
has;been;very;important;to;me.”
Dean in Malone, New York, standing on the Trout River. Photo credit: Eric Caron
