Laura's lisp


OK, the little girl who plays Laura does a good job and is cute and all that but her lisp is really starting to get to me.

It's sort of Cindy Brady-irritating.

Did the real Laura have a lisp?

I'll still watch the show, though, it's good although I like TOS better.

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I don't know if the real Laura did, but Melissa Gilbert had one on the old show, right?

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Melissa Gilbert had a lisp? Really? I certainly don't remember that. All I remember is her big, buck teeth. But no lisp.

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I remember in the first season of the old Little House she had a lisp.

I hear a throat begging to be cut! - Legend

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Man, I simply do not remember Melissa having a lisp at all!

Now I really am wondering if Laura Ingalls Wilder had a lisp when she was younger since both girls had/have one or if it's just a coincidence.

(I hope I didn't offend anyone with my first post. See, my younger brother had a horrible lisp when he was little and I can pick up a lisp a mile away. Some people think it's cute, but trust me, it can really make a person very self-conscience because of it if they get teased enough.)

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a lot of little kids have lisps. I think its probably just coincidence.

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Yep. Melissa had a definite lisp in the Little House on the Prairie movie (often billed as the pilot episode) as well as through most of the first season.

Truthfully, Kyle reminds me a lot of Melissa in many ways, and the lisp is just part of it.

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I totally agree with you on this. I definetly feel that Kyle took a lot of Melissa's acting ways on the premier and put her styles in. Even Danille reminded me of Melissa Sue Anderson.

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I agree with you too. They cast kids that resembled Melissa Gilbert and Melissa Sue Anderson. Why? Who knows. Maybe they thought it would make a mediocre adaptation seem like the long running series.
The lisp drove me crazy too. I don't think the real life Laura had one. Also, the real Ma Ingalls had dark hair. (Karen Grassle was far and away a better Ma. This one sounded like someone in a grade school play. Yuck!) Carrie should've been there, but wasn't.
Bring back Michael Landon. I know he's dead, but he did a much better job than Cameron Bancroft did. He played the fiddle better too. He didn't have a horrible nose job either.
The guy who played Mr. Edwards did a good job. He, the character, claimed to be a "wildcat from Tennessee" so how could he call himself a "razorback"? Razorbacks are from Arkansas. Didn't the writer know that?
I never expected Disney to do such a horrible job. How could anyone ruin the Ingalls's story? This series was a major disappointment!!!

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I agree with you. At first, it didn't bother me, but after a while, I noticed it was starting to really grate on my nerves.

Regarding the other comments, I don't remember Melissa having a lisp even in the early episodes although perhaps it wasn't as pronounced (although she did have dental problems that were worked on throughout the years, during off-season times and also at one point wore braces on the back side of her teeth so as not to interfere with filming.)

Whether or not the real Laura had a lisp, I don't know, but it is a little unusual for a director to deliberately cast an actress with the a lisp for the very reasons we are mentioning, it grows distracting and irritating, particularly if the character is intended to have a lot of lines and a prominent part. But, maybe they were going for a "cuteness" factor, who knows.

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starjk - I couldn't have said it any better.

Thank you!

(But I certainly hope they're not going for the "cuteness" factor...there's nothing "cute" about it.)

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I've enjoyed the miniseries but have felt that the children's resemblances to the Melissas of the original series, not to mention the similar soundtrack, have somewhat detracted.

I have a major crush on both Mr. Edwards' though.

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Well, I'm glad to see someone else likes both Mr. Edwards'! So did/do I!

Did you ever see Victor French when he was much younger and without a beard (circa 1950's westerns)? He was so ruggedly handsome!

And this Gregory Sporleder is also cute. The first time I saw him was in A League of Their Own but he had just a bit part.

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I don't think that either actress had a lisp, but they both had/have big overbites - I was just about to post asking if the real Laura said that she had an overbite.
And yes, this recent Laura is very cute. And the Caroline actress is beautiful.

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She doesn't have a lisp in real life. And she's definitely had work done on her teeth. She's so nice!

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i think she is so cute. i think the lisp is a cute part about her. i am new here, but i love her and think the whole mimi serious was great. i taped all the episodes. Any ways i think she is socute and pa is really cute! For a older guy! i am 14! But i thought ma(Erin Cottrell) is so beautiful. i never saw the original serious will Mellisa Gillbert, but my Mom grew up with the show and loves it. Were can i get the origanal series?
Chana:D

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I looked into getting the original series because I grew up with it and loved it, too. But there were 9 seasons at about 18 hours a piece. That's expensive. I found the whole thing for $300 through Christian Book Distributors (Christianbook.com). A cheaper option is buying single seasons. CBD had them for $40 each. I've seen them cheaper other places on the net. Search "Little House DVD". You'll hit a lot of options.

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I didn't really notice the lisp after a while.

I am god to millions. Who those millions are, is up for debate.

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By now you should be able to find the early seasons for under $30. I recently saw season 1 for $15! You just have to look around.

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Melissa Gilbert annunciated perfectly, no lisp whatsoever, her voice over's and everything were clear as a bell.

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