It’s been over five decades since Melissa Gilbert first began starring as the precocious Laura Ingalls Wilder in the NBC adaptation of Little House on the Prairie.
The show ran from 1974 to 1983, spawning an entire franchise of TV movies and making a household name of its lead child star, who essentially grew up on set.
As it turns out, beyond the newly-released Netflix adaptation of the books, the show is a lot more relevant to Melissa, now 62, even in this current age. And it’s all thanks to the little spider that could!
“Yesterday we went to see the new @spidermanmovie , which we [thoroughly] enjoyed,” the actress recalled on Instagram alongside a throwback photo of her on the set of Little House at age 11.
She continued: “It got me thinking about doing stunts, when, all of a sudden, I had a memory of a very ‘Spiderman-esque’ maneuver I pulled off on the @lhprairie set.”
“I was around 11 years old-my age in the photo above,” Melissa explained, setting the scene. “I was in my full wardrobe and braids, sitting in a chair on the edge of the creek, near the little house, playing cards with one of the other kids.”
“I was in one of those metal folding chairs with the woven nylon back and seat. The whole cast and crew were nearby setting up the next shot and/or relaxing.”
“Well, I won whatever game we were playing, and I threw my arms up in victory,” she recalled, although that victory ended up being short-lived, as she added: “The chair tipped backwards and I went flying over the bank of the creek and back somersaulted into the water.”
What could’ve been a moment that ended in disaster somehow revealed the actress’ dexterity as a pre-teen. “I somehow landed on my feet while managing to hold my pigtails [straight] up in the air so they wouldn’t get wet.”
© Getty Images“Everyone saw and there was absolute silence for about ten seconds. Probably from fear that I’d been hurt,” Melissa remembered, noting that it all ended unexpectedly. “Then everyone roared with applause.”
“I was perfectly fine. I was submerged to about my waist, but from there up, I, and most importantly, my braids were dry,” she concluded. “Now that’s some prairie/spidey stuff if ever there was.”
Fans were clearly enthralled by the tale. “That’s awesome!! I’m glad you were ok but WOW!! I would love to see that!!” one commented on her post, with another adding: “Spider Laura!! What a stunt. Well done.”
© Getty ImagesA third also wrote: “What a fun unexpected stunt! Dry braids too!!!” with one fan gushing: “I always enjoy stories of your life during Little house. Thanks for sharing.”
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