‘Little House on the Prairie’: Why Sidney and Rachel Lindsay Greenbush Felt Close Connection With Other Cast Mates
With nine seasons, “Little House on the Prairie” aired for almost a decade. And many of the cast members were children who spent some of their most formative years on the set. So, it makes sense that the kids would form close bonds with their co-stars. That was certainly the case for twins Sidney and Rachel Lindsay Greenbush who played Carrie Ingalls on the show. The girls started acting on the show at the age of two. And they said they grew close to one of their onscreen sisters. During an interview in 2020, the Greenbushes opened up about their onset connections.
“Melissa used to come and read books to us,” said a Greenbush sister. “You’ll notice in a lot of scenes she’ll take our hands. She was very much an older sister.”
Alison Armgrim, who played “Nasty” Nellie on the show said she also missed the “Little House on the Prairie” on-set environment. She specifically noted the fudgsicles the kids received during lunch breaks.
“I miss going in with the sun coming up,” said Arngrim. “And the smell of the overly strong coffee and donuts. Going into the mill office, because they had a tub of Chasen’s chili with chopped onions and grated cheese. Running up to be first for lunch, because then you’d get fudgsicles. The atmosphere on the set and the hanging out with people. It was kind of fabulous.”
Sidney Greenbush Said That ‘Little House On The Prairie’ Wasn’t Always Fun
During an interview in 2009, Sidney Greenbush talked about her time on the “Little House on the Prairie” set. Although life on set seems like it would be a dream come true for a little kid, Greenbush said that she was required to act professionally at all times.
“As far as I remember, I always knew it was work,” said Greenbush. “You had to act like a little adult and be very respectful. When you grow up doing something like this, you never really know any different, so I don’t think I questioned things. I just accepted it.”
So, maybe being a famous child star isn’t quite as glamorous as it seems. Greenbush added that producers switched back and forth between her and her sister for the role of Carrie.
“When we were younger, we would both work each day,” said Greenbush. “It just depended on which one wasn’t napping, cranky, or would take instruction. Later, we traded off days, but I don’t remember there being a set schedule.”
