What Do You Mean By Real?
Now that begs the question what are you talking about as THE real fiddle? There are a couple of fiddles that might be considered the real fiddle. The two most important are the fiddle that Michael Landon “played” on the Little House TV show and the real fiddle played by the real Charles Ingalls.
Will the Real Charles Ingalls Please Play the Fiddle?
The real fiddle that the real Charles Ingalls played is in the museum in Mansfield, Missouri. According to the story “Grandpa’s Fiddle,” Pa told Laura she was to have it after he passed when they left De Smet, South Dakota for Mansfield, Missouri. As the sisters were trying to deal with the stuff Ma and Mary had left behind when they passed they decided to donate Pa’s fiddle to the South Dakota Historical Society with the condition it be displayed prominently and played at least four times a year every year – it wasn’t. (See Note) When the Laura Ingalls Wilder and Rose Wilder Lane Home and Museum was established in Mansfield after everyone in the immediate Ingalls family passed Rose asked to borrow the fiddle for the Mansfield museum Rose was then supporting. SDHS didn’t value it so they let her have it and that was that.
Today it’s on display in the relatively new museum on Rocky Ridge Farm in Mansfield, Missouri. You can see the fiddle any day you visit in a case. During Wilder Days is the one set day for the fiddle to be played. You may come across them playing it.
As Seen on TV!
The real fiddle that Michael Landon pretended to play on the TV show is in the museum in Walnut Grove, Minnesota. Melissa Gilbert did have it and you might still find video of interviews or news stories where she talks about having them, especially the red dress that she had framed on her wall. When Gilbert moved to New York she and her current husband actor Timothy Busfield held an action. They said they needed the money and they not only sold things that were mementos from both of their careers, but also anything not nailed down in their Michigan home they weren’t taking to New York.
Gilbert sold 3 things she had from Little House on the Prairie:
- Pa’s fiddle
- Her little red dress costume
- A costume of Mr. Edwards.
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Walnut Grove was able to buy the fiddle (which is good that’s where it belongs) and Mr. Edward’s costume and they’re now on display. They also got a giant signed photo of the cast and they now sell copies of that in the museum gift shop.
Michael Landon couldn’t actually play the fiddle. The music was added afterward as a sound effect. It’s just an ordinary run of the mill fiddle. Most musicians say it’s painfully obvious that Landon isn’t playing that he doesn’t even fake it very well, but he convinced a lot of people. Seeing the TV real fiddle means a lot to people.
The last thing in the auction was the little red dress that was Gilbert’s costume on the show. The bid went way high at the auction and the museum couldn’t afford it. A fan bought the red dress and is known as Scary Closet on Instagram. It is now in their private collection. They’ve posted photos that they’d brought it to one signing event. They were hoping to get to Simi Valley. They didn’t make it, but I imagine you’ll see them at some future events.
Is It THE Fiddle?
One of the biggest Little House on the Prairie events of the 50th Anniversary year in 2024 was at Simi Valley, California where they actually did the major exterior filming for the show. Another part of the event were recreations of the sets as sets. In the Little House set they had A fiddle. There were a lot of questions asked in Little House on the Prairie groups after the Simi Valley reunion event in 2024. One that came up several times was “was that really THE fiddle on the Little House set rebuild?” No, it wasn’t.
Sarah S. Uthoff is a nationally known Laura Ingalls Wilder authority and has presented at five of the Wilder homesites, many times at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, many conferences and numerous libraries, museums, and events around the Midwest. She is the main force behind Trundlebed Tales fighting to bring the History, Mystery, Magic, and Imagination of Laura Ingalls Wilder and other greats of children’s literature and history to life for a new generation. How can you help? Attend one of her programs, schedule one yourself, watch her videos, listen to her podcast, look at her photos, and find her on Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn , SlideShare, and Academia.edu . Professionally she is a reference librarian at Kirkwood Community College and former director of the Oxford (Iowa) Public Library.
Sarah's Notebook 