Little House on the Prairie cast passed out from extreme heat on Simi Valley set, stars recall Former Little House on the Prairie stars recall brutal filming conditions that left cast members unconscious, including Alison Arngrim and Charlotte Stewart fainting from extreme heat in Simi Valley. Former Little House on the Prairie cast members are recalling the brutal filming conditions that left multiple actors unconscious during production of the hit NBC series. Alison Arngrim Recalls Fainting On SetAlison Arngrim, who played Nellie Oleson, and other stars shared their memories on a new Little House on the Prairie podcast. The show was filmed in Simi Valley, where summer temperatures regularly reached extreme levels. Arngrim described her very first day on location, which she said ended with her passing out. She explained that she had not known she was supposed to show up with her character's signature ringlet curls.The mistake caused a chaotic morning of panic and phone calls before her hair was massively curled. Once she arrived on set, Arngrim said she was so disciplined that she approached the director to warn him. She told him, Excuse me, I think I'm going to faint, before she completely lost consciousness and dropped.She joked that the cast and crew could tell when summer arrived because the first day of summer is when Alison hits the ground, because I was out like that. It was that hot. Arngrim said the challenge on set was basically how to not pass out. She noted that other people eventually began to pass out too, which proved it was not just her.The first of those was Penn, a child actor at the time. She said he did not wake up and come back to work, adding that was it, he was done for the day. Sporting event episodes were among Arngrim's least favorite because they required sitting in bleachers where it was 100 million degrees for hours while crew members filmed reaction shots.Child Actors And Crew Suffer HeatDuring one such shoot she recalled Charlotte Stewart, who played school teacher Eva Beadle Simms, sitting there and having in fact lost consciousness and fainted and blacked out, but just did not fall over, and they did not know she was out. Dean Butler admitted that you just had to do whatever strategy you could. He always felt sorry for the women on the set because the men were basically dressed in a shirt and pants and dog-eared boots.The female cast members had to wear dresses, petticoats, stockings, and sometimes wigs in the sweltering heat. Pamela Roylance said Stan Ivar, who played her character's husband, gave her a little fan that she wrapped around her leg and blew up her skirt.She also recalled that Michael Landon, who was executive producer, writer, and director in addition to starring as Charles Ingalls, let her film one scene with her blouse unbuttoned and her sleeves rolled up because it was just miserable hot that day. She admitted that kind of outfit just was not done, but it is in the shot and visible in the episode, and she was so grateful.Jennifer Donati, who played Baby Rose Wilder as an infant alongside her twin sister, joked that she did not want to brag but believed she was the most pampered cast member there. She said they did not let her get hot. Sidney Greenbush attended the podcast to discuss her experiences on the show and explain why she stepped away from acting.Little House Cast And Book DetailsGreenbush, who played Carrie Ingalls alongside her twin sister, is the author of a new children's book titled Seven Sisters, The Lantern of Humanity. The podcast also featured Dean Butler, Pamela Roylance, Jennifer Donati, and Tracy and Victor French, the children of late cast member Victor French. Little House on the Prairie was a Western family drama loosely based on Laura Ingalls Wilder's semi-autobiographical books.It followed the Ingalls family as they built a life in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, during the late 19th century. Michael Landon starred as family patriarch Charles Ingalls, Karen Grassle played his wife Caroline, and Melissa Gilbert portrayed their daughter Laura. The series premiered on NBC in 1974 and ran for nine seasons through 1983, followed by three television movies.Its cast also included Matthew Laborteaux as Albert Quinn Ingalls, Melissa Sue Anderson as Mary Ingalls Kendall, Linwood Boomer as Adam Kendall, and other actors. The show remains a beloved piece of television history, and its former stars continue to share stories about the difficult conditions behind the scenes.