Every actor has to start somewhere. For Hollywood star Sean Penn, that was the starting place Small house on the Prairie. The show ran from 1974 to 1983 and is a much-loved classic.
Since he first appeared on the show as a teenager, Sean Penn has starred in the movies Fast times at Ridgemont High, Walking Dead man, and All the king’s men. He has also won two Academy Awards.
What is ‘Little House on the Prairie’?
Small house on the Prairie is a television series that ran from 1974 to 1983. The show was based on the Small house book series written by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
The books are autobiographical fiction and focus on Ingalls Wilder’s childhood between 1870 and 1894. The TV series is mainly set in Walnut Grove, Minnesota.
Michael Landon played Charles Ingalls and he was also a writer, director and executive producer on the show. Karen Grassle played Caroline Quiner Ingalls, Melissa Gilbert played Ingalls Wilder, Melissa Sue Anderson played Mary Ingalls Kendall, and identical twin sisters Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush played Carrie Ingalls.
In the first season, the Ingalls family moves to a farm just outside Walnut Grove. For the ninth and final season, the show was canceled Little House: New Beginnings and focused on Ingalls Wilder’s relationship with Almanzo Wilder (Dean Butler).
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Sean Penn’s first acting role was in ‘Little House on the Prairie’
“The Voice of Tinker Jones” is the 11th episode in season one of Small house on the Prairie and it aired in 1974. Leo Penn directed the episode, and he cast his wife Eileen Ryan and son Sean Penn in the episode.
In the episode, Sean Penn appeared as an uncredited perk. According to IMDb, it was Penn’s very first TV role. Sean Penn was 13 years old at the time. Although the role was not mentioned, Small house on the Prairie served as Penn’s debut as an actor.
Over the years, Sean Penn has received praise for his work. He won Academy Awards for his roles in the 2003 film mystical river and the 2008 film Milk.
Little House on the Prairie almost got canceled
Sean Penn only appeared in season one of Small house on the Prairie, and the first season received decent audience ratings. In the second season, however, the viewing figures dropped drastically according to IMDb.
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NBC considered canceling the show, but moved it to Monday night. Thanks to the move, ratings for the show improved dramatically. IMDb reports that after the fourth season, NBC planned to cancel the show again.
Due to its high ratings, Small house on the Prairie was renewed for a fifth season and it was in the top 30 until it went off air.