Behind The Mike Podcast
Behind The Mike Podcast is a Christ-centered show where host Mike Stone dives deep into inspiring stories and profound insights from guests who view life through a biblical lens. Each episode offers hope, encouragement and wisdom to help you navigate life's challenges with faith and purpose.
Tune in for conversations that uplift your spirit and strengthen your walk with Christ.
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Behind The Mike Podcast
Life Lessons from 'Little House on the Prairie': A Conversation with Wendi Lou Lee
Ever wondered what it was like growing up on one of America's most beloved TV shows? This episode brings you an intimate conversation with Wendy Lou Lee, the actress who played Baby Grace Ingalls on "Little House on the Prairie." Wendy isn't just reminiscing about the good old days; she's sharing heartwarming stories of her close-knit relationships with her co-stars, including Michael Landon, Melissa Gilbert, and Karen Grassle. Join us as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the series and uncover unforgettable behind-the-scenes memories that continue to resonate with fans.
Wendy's journey extends far beyond Hollywood. From her early churchgoing days to a transformative high school experience, Wendy opens up about her faith journey and how it helped her navigate the challenges of growing up as a twin. Her story takes a dramatic turn in 2015 when she faced a brain tumor, an experience that tested and ultimately strengthened her faith. Discover how Wendy's spiritual journey has empowered her to connect deeply with others and share her unique testimony through her beloved role on "Little House on the Prairie."
Life after the limelight has been just as fulfilling for Wendy. Now a speaker and author, she engages with fans through live discussions and her website, offering hope and spiritual growth. Hear how she balances her personal life, including a 25-year marriage and raising two children, with her mission to inspire others. Wendy's story is a testament to resilience, faith, and the enduring lessons from "Little House on the Prairie" that continue to inspire audiences today. Don't miss this heartfelt episode filled with wisdom, nostalgia, and hope.
Well, if that song brings back fond memories to you, then you're going to want to stick around and listen to my guest today. This is Baby Grace from Little House on the Prairie, better known now as Wendy Lou Lee. Be sure to stick around, watch or listen to this interview with Little House on the Prairie's baby Grace. All right, welcome back to the podcast today. My goodness, let's go back to the 70s. Why not right my guest today? I am so excited. We've not had anyone quite like Wendy Lee on the show and you've got some stories. Welcome to the show, wendy.
Speaker 2:Thank you, mike, so happy to be here.
Speaker 1:For those who don't know, because you may have changed just a little bit since they maybe last saw you back 50 years ago. Little House on the Prairie Everybody knows that show from the 70s, even though it was 50 years ago. You guys are doing a big tour or maybe you just finished with this tour of celebrating 50 years of Little House on the Prairie. You were a part of that. Tell us about who you are and what in the world. How are you associated with Little House on the Prairie?
Speaker 2:Yes, Well, I'm not quite 50 because I didn't start when the show started. I played the role of baby Grace Ingalls, Michael Landon's youngest daughter on the show the last four seasons of Little House. So yeah, this is 50 years we're celebrating this year and we have been all over the country, going to everywhere and we're celebrating Little House. And it's incredible. I was a child. I started when I was eight months old until about five, so that was my childhood running around the Prairie.
Speaker 1:So funny. I've been out there, not not on that particular set, but I've been out there um in that area. Um, I think it was like the Mash area. Is that the same general area?
Speaker 2:Big Sky Ranch, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, really beautiful country. And now that I know that that's where the set was, I'm like, well, of course, it just looks like Little House on the Prairie there, but yeah, how amazing is that? Now I know I'm just going to get these out of the way right up front, because I know in all of the tours that you guys have been doing, all of the events that you're doing, you're asked at least two very specific questions, so let's get those out of the way right away. First of all, do you remember anything? I mean, it was over when you were five. I remember five, not real well, but I remember it. The other question is what was it like working with Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert and others on the team there?
Speaker 2:Yes, almost everybody asks you were so little, what could you possibly remember? And I always explain this with I have like three sources. One is that I was actually there for those four seasons. I have tons of stories from my mom and she is very expressive, maybe I will say, with her stories. And also I've watched the show my entire life. So with those three sources my memories have been made. Now sometimes the lines blur and I'm not quite sure if I heard that story, if I've watched it or if I actually remember it.
Speaker 2:But I will say that from season eight I'm four and a half and my sister and I remember specific things from the show Chasing all the other kids around the prairie, feeding the chickens, playing in Bandit's doghouse.
Speaker 2:We remember the Christmas episode collecting snow because we'd never seen snow before and we thought all snow was plastic. So we have lots of memories but we also, you know, rely on my mother's memories and also watching the show. So that's that question. The second question is what was it like working with Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert? And I just have to say it was amazing. Michael Landon was this magnetic, warm, very father figure kind of person in our lives. My biological father had kind of exited the scene in the second season of Little House that we were on and so we kind of like he just kind of filled in the gap a little bit. Now I won't say that we realized that until we would watch the show later and be like, oh yeah, he was kind of like our dad, but he just never came home for dinner, like you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:Like it was kind of a strange thing.
Speaker 2:Um, he really set the stage of like what a dad is, like, which is so interesting, um, yeah, and then my step dad kind of entered this, entered the scene after little house was over and he just became this father, like literally like charles ingalls, like our family became the ingalls family, um, which was just the grace of god, I guess. So that was michael lannan, which was just the grace of God, I guess. So that was Michael Lannan. He was just, he was incredible brilliant in everything that he did and also he was just so good with the children on the set. He had to be. There's just too many kids around.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, melissa Gilbert was the other person that just, I don't know if you know anything about Melissa, but Melissa loves children and animals, and so if there is a animal or a child in the room, she is just drawn to them, and that was how it was with us. She used to sneak off the set and come to our dressing room and play with us when we were like 10 months old. She claims that she taught us her our first word. I don't not sure if that's really true, but she did teach us how to say the word bead, because we were stringing beads on a shoelace.
Speaker 1:Um.
Speaker 2:Melissa and Michael Landon and Karen Grassley, that's Ma Pa and Laura. Those were the ones that we were the closest to because we had the most scenes with them.
Speaker 1:Sure sure.
Speaker 2:Laura's always carrying Grace around, and Ma Pa are, you know, obviously, obviously, you know, very, very involved in Grace's life. So that is, those are the main, the main characters that we had a lot of involvement with.
Speaker 1:So you mentioned your sister. I forget what the credit is, how the credit is. I think it's both your first names and last name, but yeah, so a lot of people know that when there are babies on set, that most of the time there are twins. I think probably the next most famous would be Full House and the Olsen twins, but yeah, so that's actually another source is things that your sister may remember that you can kind of collaborate with and go. Yeah, I remember that.
Speaker 2:Yes, completely. And Brenda is not super involved with Little House but she was a wealth of knowledge as far as stories and what we remember. And yeah, there are lots of twins on Little House, like four sets of twins on Little House on the Prairie. So everyone thinks, oh yeah, the Olsons were the first ones. It's like, well, actually, not really. Michael Landon had it all figured out way ahead of time.
Speaker 1:Oh wow, very cool. So first of all I've got to ask how far was home away from the set? Was that a long jaunt when you had to do that?
Speaker 2:No, we were just like a half hour 45 minutes away. So yeah, I remember getting up really early when it was still dark and traveling to this set. If it was on location, it was even a little bit longer. But yeah, there's lots of you know, we used to walk into the set at MGM and you walk through those stores and there's a big, huge table full of donut boxes and I remember that as a three-year-old. Like that was are we going to work today?
Speaker 1:Because we would get to have a I want to work. Yeah, I want to go to work.
Speaker 2:That's how you speak to a three-year-old, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah very cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you have some really iconic people that you can look back to that you really started your life with, which is pretty cool. Not too many people can say that. And again, we're still watching Little House reruns and very cool Behind the scenes. You talked about some of that. Do you have any memorable moments, like things that really just stand out to you? One thing I will say is on your website there's a picture of you and Melissa Gilbert is holding you. It looks like you're maybe toward the end of the show because it looks like you were four or five years old at the time, which is a really cool picture.
Speaker 2:Well, I'll tell you about that then. Um, that picture was actually taken right after the like. It's a very iconic um episode in season eight calls days of sunshine, days of sorrow. This is when everything goes wrong to Laura and Almanzo. Almanzo gets a stroke or has a stroke and he also loses all of his crops in a tornado and also the whole house goes down.
Speaker 2:And so this is just one of those episodes and very big episode for baby grace because we walk to the house with Laura and Laura thinks that the house is okay and it's not, and she kind of flips out seeing that her house is completely destroyed. And then baby Grace runs away. And there's this. I remember this day my part was walking up with Melissa and Brenda's part was running away, and I remember Michael Lannan telling Brenda keep running and don't look back, like no matter what you do. And so he's yelling keep running, don't look back. And Brenda's just running and running and running and running, and Brenda's just running and running and running and running, and that picture is Melissa celebrating with us after, because we got it on the first take, which is amazing for a little kid.
Speaker 2:And so first take shots are always celebrated, because you save everyone a lot of money by not having to do it twice. Not only time, but film was very expensive back then. So that was the twirl with Melissa Gilbert, with us just being so excited that we did a good job.
Speaker 1:Yeah, how cool. Favorite episodes Do you have any?
Speaker 2:Do you have any? I do, so my favorite, okay, I'm going to say one. I'm going to say one that I remember and one that I don't remember, but it's still my favorite, okay. So my favorite episode from season five is with Ray Bolger.
Speaker 1:This is the scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz, he played the character of Toby Ngo and I just love this episode.
Speaker 2:There is a scene where baby Grace is outside in her high chair sitting with Toby no and he is telling her all about his woman troubles.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I love this episode. I obviously don't remember it because I'm about nine months old, but I just can't believe that I I'm about nine months old, but I just can't believe that I shared the screen with Ray Bulger and um actually made such an impact on me that I named my son Toby after Toby, no, in honor of Ray Bulger. So that is like one of my favorite episodes, um, that I don't remember filming, but the one that I do remember filming is the Christmas episode of season eight, and that is Christmas. They Never Forgot.
Speaker 2:This is a huge episode for Baby Grace, because we have like four or five scenes, which doesn't sound like a lot, but for Baby Grace it was a lot. Yeah, and we got to open up a present and lick a candy cane, fall asleep on Ma's lap and the best part was going up into the loft, because Baby Grace was never allowed in the loft because of all of the insurance and legal issues, and so we got to go in the loft and cheer for Pa with all the other kids, which was just amazing. For Pa with all the other kids, which was just amazing. I remember the day that we walked onto the set and it was transformed into this winter wonderland and snow was everywhere and we actually collected some of this plastic snow and took it home with us and we had it for like 25 years until it started to disintegrate. So that episode was super fun. That was way towards the end of our acting career, so we actually really do remember it, so that was very, very fun.
Speaker 1:Very cool. Ray Bolger, yeah, as soon as you said that, I knew, I knew who it was. And wow, to share the screen with all the ones that you did on a regular basis, but then some extras there Very special. Well, let's talk. So Little House on the Prairie was, I guess I'll say, loosely religious, or Christian, or faith-centered. Let's talk about your faith journey. Centered, let's talk about your faith journey because that's a big part of the reason that I ask you to be on the show is because, of course, it's a faith-based, family-based show. Everybody on the show has probably got to be very faith-based, but I was kind of surprised to find that you're the only one that I could find that was a professing believer. First of all, let's start with your faith journey. Can you tell us about how you came to know Christ?
Speaker 2:Yes, I was raised in the church so, like I said, my stepdad really brought us in and we, you know, when the church was open, we were there and um, but I would. I would say that not until I was about a freshman in high school did I actually make the decision for myself, and I think a lot of the. I talk about this in a chapter of my book and it's really about the moment where you surrender something and that is leads you to a real relationship with God, and mine was really surrendering my bitterness and unforgiveness for my biological father, bitterness and unforgiveness for my biological father, and that is really what led me to like, okay, how can God forgive me if I can't forgive my, my biological father?
Speaker 2:And so that was really the transformation that took place in me. Is this like realization of like I had to surrender everything? And that was the thing I was kind of holding back. And that happened right before high school. So that was when I kind of changed the way that I was living and had a real relationship with God.
Speaker 2:Now I will say that I grew up as a twin, and if you are a twin out there, you know like it's like the best thing and the hardest thing in the world to be a twin, and my sister is amazing and she's good at everything that she does and so I just dealt with a lot of comparison and a lot of insecurity because of that comparison, and so I never really felt like I had a story that was worth telling. I never felt like I had much to offer, which is so not true, but that was how I lived and God really got my attention in 2015. And he gave I won't say he gave me, but he allowed me to have a brain tumor, and that was when my faith was completely um transformed, because God really told me like okay, enough of this nonsense, like I really have a story that I want to tell through you. Okay, enough of this nonsense, like I really have a story that I want to tell through you. And um, that is when he challenged me, encouraged me, like pretty much said, um, okay, uh, we have some stuff to do and you're the one that's going to do it. And it was all had to do with the loss in the prairie, which is just incredible.
Speaker 2:So I say that faith journey, like you know, I grew up in the church and then I, you know, was serious about my faith, but then God did another, you know transformational thing with this tragedy or crisis, to kind of wake me up and put me on this different path of um, taking little house in prairie, taking my role as baby grace and making it become a ministry and a way that I could connect with a very unique niche audience. Um, and most people that watch Little House on the Prairie are not against Jesus because it's so faith-based, but that doesn't mean they're walking with Jesus. And so it's like a soft, a very soft landing and it's almost like an easy I don't want to say easy because it's not always easy, but it's an easy entry point for these people and to take them to a deeper walk with Jesus. It's just, it's yeah, so there's kind of my faith journey. I think I hope that answered the question.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it certainly did, and I think you know so many can relate to that.
Speaker 1:You know you said early on, you struggle with identity and trying to measure up. And I think today, 50 years later from Little House, 50 years later, we have social media. Kind of your experience as a twin is that we're constantly trying to fit into this social atmosphere where everything that's posted is typically all good stuff, you know, and how do I measure up to that? And so I think there's a lot of people right now that are in your shoes back then who are saying I don't know where I fit in, I'm lonely, I have this facade that I have to present and I'm tired of it. And I think that our generation now is really reaching out and going. I really want to know the truth, I really want to know I don't want this facade, I want to be who I am. And I think that's kind of an entry point as well for us today as believers to say I know where you're at, and so that's a great story.
Speaker 1:And every story that we tell on here about our faith journey is so different in how God reaches out or reaches down and uses us and what a privilege it is to be his son or his daughter and have him say I want you to be a part of my plan in touching people in your lives, in your daily walk, being the hands and feet of Jesus. So wow, wendy, that's a great story. The brain tumor is that over?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is, it's been. We're coming up on nine years and I am in the clear Good yeah, everything is totally great. I won't say that I don't carry some of those things with me, though. You know like Sure, yeah, say that I don't carry some of those things with me, though you know like sure there's a lot of trauma that goes on with brain surgery and a lot of fear, and but I think that God uses all of that just to continue the transformation that he's doing in us. You know, yeah.
Speaker 1:After 50 years, after Little House, what are you doing now with your time and your career?
Speaker 2:Well, you know, it's crazy because 20 years ago I started traveling with a cast and it was maybe once or twice a year and now this has turned into like a full-time gig and my husband finally said I think you need to stop doing everything else and just do this. So it's been quite crazy. I travel probably once or twice a month to some random small town with the cast. Um, I also do women's retreats, I speak at churches. Um, I lead an online group on facebook called big time grace. We've been going for four years now. We've read through the bible twice. We We've done a year through the spiritual disciplines. This year we're doing like a 365. I hang out with Little House fans Like that's literally what I do. I do a weekly live with just you know, talking about episodes and the lessons that we can learn and what God's trying to teach us through each episode. And yeah, that's kind of what I do now.
Speaker 1:That does sound like a full-time job. That's crazy. And so you do a lot of traveling. You're in churches we want to touch on that toward the end and let people know how they can get ahold of you, and you've got at least one book I know of out there. You've got your website. We'll talk about that in a little bit too. I want to make sure all that stuff is in our show notes so that people can go find you and get involved in what you're doing and maybe meet up with you at one of those events, which I would love to do as well. So, personal hobbies what do you do in the spare time that you do have?
Speaker 2:Well, my spare time, let's see Um I. I have a Bernie doodle named Mo, and she and I and my husband do a lot of walking, so that is kind of my hobby right there, hanging out with my husband. My husband and I um spend a lot of time together. We've been married 25 years this year Awesome.
Speaker 1:Congratulations.
Speaker 2:I have a 19-year-old son named Toby and a 17-year-old daughter named Reagan, and so they keep me busy. I say that my first job is wife to my husband, my second job is mother till my children and third job is baby grace to little house fans. So I try to keep that, uh, you know, in priorities. Um, and yeah, I also love to go paddleboarding at the beach, uh, although I don't go very often anymore.
Speaker 1:Yeah I wonder why? Um yeah, very cool. Um well, how, how was have you taken away? I mean, I know that there's there's only a certain extent that a five-year-old can do on a set, but has that acting career went on at all beyond Little House? You say you're at events, so I know you're speaking a lot. You're speaking in churches, you're writing books, you have a lot of things going on, but did that acting career do anything other than the obvious that we've already spoken about? Did it go anywhere beyond that?
Speaker 2:No, Well, I mean a little bit, but we left Little House and had one commercial and the commercial was kind of like a one and done so we did like. It was for a bank in Texas and it was for their new telephone banking feature. Do you remember, when that was new, where you would?
Speaker 1:call in and you would have to go to the bank. Yeah, that was really cutting edge. Yes, yeah, so that was what it was.
Speaker 2:My sister and I were dressed up like these little cowgirls. We had, like you know, the whole get up with these little little pistols and we just thought it was the best thing ever. There was a set of twin boys with headdresses and bows and arrows, and I'll let your imagination go. But, um, we thought the day was awesome, but my mom not so much. Uh, she was about seven months pregnant with my little sister and it was about a 10 hour shoot and the producers did not know our names. They didn't care if we were tired or hungry, and when we were done with the day, my mom called up our agent and said we're done so that was it, and she just wanted us to have a normal childhood.
Speaker 2:Um, she had four kids, so trying to get us to auditions didn't seem very reasonable, and shortly after that we actually moved away from Hollywood and away from any opportunities. So the only acting that I did after that was every school talent show and every church musical and choir performance that you could imagine, but other than that, nothing you know professionally, so you know when, when your resume at the top says Little House, baby Grace, it's hard to top that.
Speaker 1:So I get it. That that is just amazing and I love that. God is is using you where you're at right now, based on the first five years of your life. He's taking that and doing something really amazing with it and, like you said, how he brought you through some challenges and journeys along the way and adds to your story, which again is why I really wanted to reach out to you and say, hey, could you please join me on my show, and you were so gracious to do that and it's been really great having you on.
Speaker 1:Wendy, we do want to talk about where people can connect with you. Of course, social media, but are there any specifics? We will put all this in the show notes and on the screen as well, but you have a website. That probably is a good starting point. Can you talk about some of the things, that ways that people can connect?
Speaker 2:Yes, my website's probably the easiest place because everything is there. You can find the information about my devotional, a prairie devotional. You can also find my memoir, red Tail Feathers on there. You can see all the places when I'm online. I go live a couple times a week in the different pages. You can, you know, add your name to my email list to get a free chapter of my book. There's. Yeah, if you want to contact me about coming to your church or event, yeah, and also my whole calendar of where we're going to be next 2024 is super busy. There's lots of places that you can travel to come and meet me. Sometimes we're doing a church service at those events and you can even join me for church and we usually sing Onward Christian soldiers and bringing in the sheaves, because everybody wants to do that. That's right.
Speaker 1:Why, why can you? How can you miss that Right?
Speaker 1:So, very cool, wendy, I want to close with just asking you you know this this show is is about offering hope in a a challenging world. We all know that's the way it is. We don't have to ask people if they've ever had challenges, because we all have them pretty much on a daily basis. So I'm going to ask you if you can share with our audience just some encouragement, some nuggets of hope that they can take away, based on your story and just what you've experienced.
Speaker 2:Well, I would say that Little House on the Prairie is about a family that has so many challenges, so many ups and downs, and I think the reason why we all relate to it, love it and it inspires us is because it's not about a perfect family, it's not about perfect people, and we can see how the Ingalls family they kept going and they kept reaching out to God to help them continue on this journey and in the same way we we need a relationship with Jesus to help us through the hard times and to celebrate in the good times. So, if you are going through a you know, a valley, a season of hardship, then reach out to the God who cares and the God who loves you and you'll make it through.
Speaker 1:Amen, well said, well said Well, wendy, I always want to invite all my guests back, but this has been a special time and you're always welcome to come back and share, and I would love to meet up with you at one of the events, and I know my wife would. She, to this day, will turn on Little House on the Prairie, and I don't know how she hasn't memorized everything, but she still watches, along with millions of others. So thank you for being on the show. We appreciate it and sharing your story.
Speaker 2:You're so welcome. It's great to be here.
