But the series also left out or fictionalized scenes that Wilder deemed unsuitable for kids, including much of the time the family spent in Burr Oak, Iowa, and Walnut Grove, Minnesota, according to Pamela Smith Hill, a Wilder biographer and the lead editor on the autobiography.
Gilbert began her career as a child actress in the late 1960s appearing in numerous commercials and guest starring roles on television.
Scroll down for video Wilder and her daughter Rose Wilder Lane, herself a well-known author, tried and failed to get an edited version of the autobiography published throughout the early 1930s.
Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography - Wilder's unedited draft that was written for an adult audience and eventually served as the foundation for the popular series - is slated to be released by the South Dakota State Historical Society Press nationwide this fall.
Melissa Ellen Gilbert born May 8, 1964 is an American actress and television director.
Anyone auditioning was told the scenes would be rehearsed and performed from a script, with my casting director, Risa Bramon Garcia, present throughout the process to ensure a safe environment for all actors who auditioned.