Dean Butler, who played Almanzo Wilder, said he was “testing” the late actor’s strength.

Little House on the Prairie star reveals he was thrown across a barn by Michael Landon: ‘What the hell?’

Dean Butler, who played Almanzo Wilder, said he was "testing" the late actor's strength.

By Daysia Tolentino

Daysia Tolentino

Daysia Tolentino is a writer at *. *She has written for * *since 2025. Her work has appeared in NBC News, Vulture, GQ, and InStyle.

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November 27, 2025 1:30 p.m. ET

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Michael Landon (Charles Ingalls) and Dean Butler (Almanzo Wilder) on 'Little House on the Prairie'. Credit:

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*Little House on the Prairie *star Dean Butler was humbled by his on-screen father-in-law after getting "too pumped" during a scene.

Butler and several of his castmates reunited on *The Patrick LabyorSheaux *podcast, hosted by their *Little House *costar Patrick Labyorteaux. The actors reminisced on their fondest memories with Michael Landon, who played Charles Ingalls.

Butler, who played Almanzo Wilder, recounted a moment on set when the Ingalls patriarch "launched" him across a barn.

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"I wanted to test and see how strong Michael was," he said. "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 refused to go limp on the first take, prompting Landon to give him the direction again. The same thing happened on the second take. But after the third?

Michael Landon, Matthew Labyorteaux, Victor French, Dean Butler, and Melissa Gilbert on 'Little House on the Prairie'.

Silver Screen Collection/Getty

"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,'" Butler said. "It was a signature moment. I just remember saying, 'What the hell?' as I was flying through the air."

Butler said this incident elicited some laughs from the crew present. After the "flight lesson" from the *Bonanza *star, Butler said his next take was "just fine."

*Little House on the Prairie *ran for nine seasons from 1974 to 1983. Landon died from pancreatic cancer in 1991. He was 54. Since his death, his castmates have often looked back on their time with him fondly, recalling how he fostered their talents and joked around on set.

Dean Butler as Almanzo Wilder and Michael Landon as Charles Ingalls.

NBCU Photo Bank

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Sometimes the jokes went a hair too far, such as when he pretended to drop a baby during a scene. On the* Patrick LabyorSheaux, *the *Little House* costars recalled how Landon had secretly swapped the real infant playing Grace Ingalls — which was Wendi Turnbaugh at the time — with a baby doll. Then, Landon tripped with the toy, which flew through the air.

"All you could hear was Wendi's mom screaming," Labyorteaux said.

Check out the full episode of *The Patrick LabyorSheaux *below.

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