"Almanzo Wilder: Life Before Laura"

I want to give a plug to a new DVD that has recently become available, focusing on the boyhood of Almanzo Wilder, husband of Laura Ingalls Wilder, who was of course the author of the famous "Little House" books. The "Little House" books have been among my favorite books since I was 9 years old. (The TV series was a big disappointment in that it did not stay faithful to the Ingalls family unit. I didn't care that they deviated from the books, but I *DID* care that they didn't stay true to the basic Ingalls family unit and began inventing relatives who never existed, such as Albert, James, Cassandra, Adam, and Adam Charles. Puh-leeze. But that's another story for another post.)

This new DVD, produced and narrated by Dean Butler, who portrayed Almanzo on the TV series, is a wonderful mixture of live-action recreations of scenes from Almanzo's boyhood (with a little boy who looks very much like photos of the real Almanzo as a boy), and the famous Garth Williams illustrations from the book "Farmer Boy." Mr. Butler's wife Katherine Cannon (you'll remember her from the early 80's series "Father Murphy" with Merlin Olsen) reads excerpts from "Farmer Boy" as well.

This DVD is delightfully done and very enjoyable. While it's too late to get it for Christmas, you can order it for yourself or a Wilder fan anytime through the website www.almanzowilderfarm.com.

Incidentally, I'm very pleased that they pronounce Almanzo's name correctly on this DVD. The TV series mangled the pronunciation of his name. It was never "Al-MON-zo" but rather "Al-MAN-zo." The middle syllable of his name was pronounced "man," which is where his boyhood nickname of "Mannie" came from. This is verified by a tape of Laura Ingalls Wilder herself that is available through the various Wilder memorial societies throughout the Midwest, on which she says her husband's name several times, each time saying "Al-MAN-zo." Since she was married to him for 64 years, I would trust her pronunciation of his name!