PBS documentary looks at the life of ‘Little House’ author Laura Ingalls Wilder

Twin Cities PBS takes a look at the woman behind the “Little House on the Prairie” books in a new documentary, “Laura Ingalls Wilder: Prairie to Page.” The documentary, which focuses on the pioneer and author, will premiere Dec. 29 on PBS.

Releasing the same year as the 85th anniversary of “Little House on the Prairie,” the documentary will take an in-depth look at the Midwestern farm woman who published her first novel at 65.

Wilder’s famous book series, “Little House,” based on Wilder’s frontier childhood, follows a family struggling to survive on the American frontier.

“‘Laura Ingalls Wilder: Prairie to Page’ reveals the truth behind the bestsellers,” TPT and PBS said in a news release.

The documentary will include never-before-published letters, photographs, and family artifacts from Wilder’s life. Actors reading and narrating include Victor Garber, who appeared in “Titanic,” Academy Award nominee Tess Harper and Amy Brenneman from the film “No Country for Old Men.”

Original interviews from authors who have written about Wilder, including Caroline Fraser, who won a Pulitzer Prize for her Wilder biography, are also included the documentary. Melissa Gilbert, who played Wilder in the “Little House” TV series, as well as several other actors from the show, will make their appearance in interviews.

“Laura Ingalls Wilder: Prairie to Page” was co-produced by TPT with American Experience and PBS. The documentary is part of PBS’s American Masters series.

TPT and PBS’s documentary is set to premiere nationwide at 8 p.m. Dec. 29. For more information on the documentary or to check local listings go to pbs.org/lauraingalls.