debraran
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Posts posted by debraran
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6 hours ago, Katy M said:
While I always wonder why they were just standing around watching UNTIL the "wee ones" tried to help. I mean, really, who stands there watching an obviously not well man try to stack things as entertainment? I mean, they were under no obligation to help, but at least walk off like you have something better to do.
Yes, I know Mike wanted effect by pausing it, but who would watch little kids lifting heavy bags...I was expecting Charles to start yelling, "Did everyone lose their muscle?| I can't afford to have halfpint pull a muscle or get hurt". It was so nasty for an established merchant in WG to do that. Didn't he read the bylaws??
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2 hours ago, Blergh said:
It wasn't the only series that sanitized things. Even when The Waltons was at its grittiest trying to show the struggles of a large family working together to survive the Depression, while John, Grandpa and the kids were depicted as sweaty, dirty and even in patched clothes, neither Olivia or Grandma were ever seen so much with a hair out of place or with a smudged apron despite the two women having to constantly feed, clothe and clean their household of eleven!
True, re the guys, I appreciated how authentic and grubby they were and the kids were normal to me, disheveled at times, clothes not perfect in fit, hand-me-downs, hair looked cut at home. : ) Going to church was the fancier outfits.
I would have my hair falling out of bun, sweating in the heat, cuticles cracked, wrinkles etched in face from trying to feed so many and sew their clothes! I did appreciate from what I could remember, they showed actual cooking at times and the food was good. The actress who played Mary Ellen did a video on the dinner scenes. Their stove did work but they brought in some of course.
I realize with all the talk of outhouses once on forum, no one did go to the bathroom at all. No child but Carrie,not Charles and Caroline, no diapers changed. I guess bodily functions unless vomited narcotics were not "family friendly". ; )
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4 hours ago, Blergh said:
And keep in mind that their characters' RL counterparts lived rather sedate lives of constantly going to banquets, teas and the occasional ballroom dance compared to the RL Ingalls who'd have literally earned every morsel of food by sweat! Also, the wealthier (or with access to more funds) a woman was, the more times she'd have had her entire outfit changed on a DAILY basis whereas servants and pioneers would wear the very same clothes (and underwear) day-in/day-out sometimes for weeks and months AND the laboring classes sweated far more yet had far less access to bathing than their wealthy counterparts!
So true...LHOP was as Karen put it, a "sanitized" pioneer show where even the hands and nails had to be shown neat and clean and everyone smelled nice most of the time and changed clothes etc. When people would say "I wish I lived with them, she knew they meant "on the set" and not back then. One day of freezing cold temps, bathroom out of the house, no way to really wash your clothes adequately and just the drudgery of everything taking so much longer, they'd grow disenchanted. Now I'd love to visit the Ingall's where breakfast is done at sunrise, coffee always on and no one but Carrie ever used the outhouse. You can be be literally buried in snow and be fine. : )
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I'm sorry, should have read it over to make it clearer but I meant her character and I shifted from the real person of Richard Bull. I realize she didn't have children.
Yes Percival was funny and if they wanted, as I alluded too, to send Nellie to a women's college or teaching school, she'd be fine and probably find the one guy who isn't well off and fall in love but she did fine in WG. I wish they had them on more. The restaurant gift from someone who didn't cook and her mom didn't cook just seemed silly to me. My mom cooked but if she did that to me, they better like 3 meals and be happy. lol
I read many times by Allison if wasn't 100% her choice to go, they wanted everyone to keep same pay all the years it was on. “The network refused all requests from my agent for raises, extra episodes, or any type of concession he suggested, no matter how small,” she recalled. “Their offer was four years, same money, same conditions – take it or leave it.”
I'd leave it too but sad the repercussion was a quick goodbye, Nancy and one return with a very bad wig. : (
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Yes, I agree, re Richard Bull. I loved him. He was a second dad to Jon and even his only male mentor? He gave raves along with Katherine for his maturity, intelligence and fast learning. He said he was the smartest kid on the set. He also said he was ignored by his mom who rotated around Melissa and it was sad. I wish he stayed in touch with him. He might have for a while.
I loved Katherine's back story and how it effected her with her daughter although Nellie didn't need a restaurant for a beau. One semester in college in the city, she'd meet someone. But less funny. ; )
When Nels came back from his rendezvous with Mollie and selling things, I also loved how they took a walk at night and appreciated each other and I saw a glimpse of what they were like many years before. I agreed with Katherine in pushing her to be multi-faceted, hardly anyone is that mean and Nel's saw something nice years ago.
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8 hours ago, Blergh said:
I wonder if Miss MacGregor might have been the co-star Charlotte Stewart begged to keep secret their being in recovery from alcoholism from ML due to not wanting him to attempt to make them a laughingstock on the set for being in said recovery?
I thought that was one of the worst examples of his offcamera shadowside (and ironic since he played CI as a zealous teetotaler ).
Yes, the fact even the kids caught on the "coffee" wasn't coffee, made me wonder how bad it was on set to need that crutch. But alcoholism doesn't need stress, it's just an excuse at times. I can see one of his practical jokes being something along the lines with "fake" alcohol like the KKK with Moses Gunn. Not everyone appreciates the laugh but back then, you usually went along.
Karen bravely hit her "bottom" although not awful and gave up liquor too. The women were strong on that show in many ways. https://people.com/tv/little-house-on-the-prairie-karen-grassle-on-her-sobriety-tension-with-michael-landon
I remember Alison talking about "4 fingers of Wild Turkey" that Mike would have with room for coffee and although not funny, I laughed because Ma did need to give Pa a lot of coffee. : )
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I didn't realize (or forgot) she struggled with alcohol. I'm glad she found the right thing to help her with it.
I wish others on the set did too.
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27 minutes ago, Badger said:
I'm not sure the two new characters thing is all that relevant since it would mean there would be the same amount of characters there were when he came on the show.
Probably not but I never understood the rich guy with Trixie. I know she wants someone like that but it took away something to have a person who could just wave his money and have things happen. Their struggles were real and this felt too convenient but not totally unbelievable. I was probably in the minority but I groaned when his wife died, I remember saying "Oh no, they aren't going to hook them up? Is this a soap opera?" He seemed wooden to me but others loved him and I am glad but obviously they didn't love him or his character that much sadly.
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Yes some names are better changed.lol Katherine and Karen both loved the stage and that bonded them initially.
I loved her character, Harriet, and wished Michael did more where she wasn't so mean but showed her good side but she did have those. She also never hesitated to help when someone was in need and stuck up for women and was a strong force for that time. Karen had some chances to shine but she poured way too much coffee and probably felt envious at times of Katherine's meatier scripts.
My older sister rarely watches but when someone brought it up at lunch, she was like "I will never forget the "Make her a widow!!" episode. I laughed so hard. " That is one of my favs too.
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8 hours ago, Badger said:
He never said he thought they were going to write him out, just that you don't know what writers might want to do with your character.
I know, but my point (and I see yours too) is that the all the hullabaloo over the wedding and his character being like a "savior" which was a bit convenient, was talked about promoted a lot. Helen said "you never know" back in 2012, she didn't know if she'd stay or they'd want her, but lately her role has been very positive and obviously Trixie was beloved by most.
It's pretty drastic to me to just cut someone after a big wedding but we aren't privy to real meetings. Whether contract/money issues, or something behind the scenes, not having time for him with 2 new characters, I don't think he'll be as missed as others who left, but I wish they didn't have him get married if he wasn't as least going to make guest appearances. (those they don't seem to like)
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I'm having trouble loading the link at the moment but I feel that some stars know they are there for the long haul and some left because they wanted too but for him to say after a huge wedding that took way too much time, he thought they'd write him off? IDK, I think when you work anywhere, you hear gossip and you have meetings and for him to think a main and loved character would get married and then he'd be cut.....it's strange. Why do that to Trixie? Just leave her be to date unless they thought as someone mentioned, they didn't need him physically there. Still odd. Now if she wanted to leave or got pregnant again, that might bring new issues but I will hold off and see. Lots of gossip but an earlier interview saying that does give me pause. Most wanted to leave who left.
I couldn't imagine in an interview, Barbara's husband saying that after their wedding if she didn't die of course. ; )
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Yes, I was surprised since it was written like he was surprised (but by the Sun) when I read he said they never had the vision of seeing me in the cast for the next 2 years. So, they didn't like him or thought Helen wasn't staying. For them to say that BEFORE the wedding, he wasn't that popular or going to get a lot of air time. I'm probably in minority but I disliked the Trixie get the handy widower after a certain number of months, instant son and he was rich so he could be Santa to everyone if needed. Bleh
He said in article " Call the Midwife star hints at exit for Matthew after wedding to Trixie
“I don’t know if the show wants me until 2026. They might not want to go there. I don’t know,” he said.
From this article and I would bet a buck he knew something then. https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1740046/Call-the-Midwife-Matthew-Aylward-exit-Trixie-wedding
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46 minutes ago, AZChristian said:
We know that Trixie realized early on that she wasn't cut out to be a minister's wife, so they won't pair her off with Cyril.
This whole thing seems odd to me. It looks like the cast and crew were surprised and it was made to sound like it was Olly's decision. I wonder if he asking for too much of a pay raise to sign on for another season? Are they going to move Trixie back into Nonnatus House? What's going to happen to Jonty?
They can have Lucille ask for divorce, breakdown etc. They can never show Matthew or replace him. Killing him would be like killing the show, too ridiculous. If Trixie left or did parttime, easier. With new people it will be ok, if he decides to guest if possible, it’s all they need. He commented they didn’t seem to want him earlier in year for duration of show
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I never liked Matthews character but why marry and have him be savior to then write him out? Contract/pay issues?
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5 minutes ago, Superclam said:
The one where Harriet is judging Rev. Oleson for having a romance and the head priest is Patty Duke's father and he used to go out with Harriet? That one's ok. I've only seen it a few times.
As opposed to "Laura goes up the mountain with Ernest Borgnine" which is on right now, and I've seen 300 times.
That one doesn't hold the appeal anymore except Ernest was from my state/town and I like him. I did like seeing Harriet having a past and how it must have stung that he had a choice to marry but chose not to marry her. Nel's didn't seem to know but she did well with him too.
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1 hour ago, Superclam said:
The story is fairly mediocre, but the WAY over the top Irish stereotype of Nels' girlfriend gets me every time!
I meant the preacher one was "ehh", the Irish one was funny enough to make me smile too...her Irish sayings every other sentence. How could Nel's not be drawn in. Well maybe not THIS drawn in.
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4 hours ago, Superclam said:
I can skip the Blind Painter one, the Albert has a pen-pal in a wheelchair one, and the message in a bottle one.
I'm always down for the Nels has an Irish girlfriend one.
. I liked seeing the ending with him and Harriet too taking a walk. . I liked seeing her soft underbelly with Preacher takes a Wife with her old beau and some past history The rest of that episode was ehh though.
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7 hours ago, Egg McMuffin said:
I don’t remember seeing that one all the way through. So the painter was blind and an orphan? A Landon wet dream.
How did you know he helped write that one and The Silent Cry before it?? 😉
He must have been so excited....at least this young woman was adopted by a kind, albeit older couple who didn't mind she was going blind at 2. Usually they have to go through awful prospects first.
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6 hours ago, Zella said:
Yeah back in the 70s, one of my grandmother's brothers was not in a good place. He and his wife had 4 kids. Someone needed to take them, but nobody else in the family could afford to take all 4 of them or even had space for that many extra people. The compromise that was reached so that they could still be together as much as possible is one sister who had 3 girls took the 2 girls and the other sister (my grandmother) who had 2 boys took the 2 boys. All the cousins spent a lot of time together, so the siblings all still got to see each other a lot throughout the week. It wasn't as ideal as them all being together, but it was better than the alternative. During another family crisis with that same side of the family, my grandparents had moved into a bigger house and my grandfather's business had taken off, so they took all 4 kids then for a while.
I agree the potentially adoptive family in that episode is really insensitive and unrealistic to think the kid is going to get over that.
Yes and they weren't as mean and gruff as the usual adoptive family but I guess in LHOP, they normally don't get to keep the kids. They were I guess just clueless because they were.
The next episode had the blind painter and it wasn't horrible (although it was nice to see Ma sans kids the whole episode) Caroline was used a lot, traveled about and and no mention of Carrie or Grace. I think it was understandable what happened re the adoption but the bio mom's reluctance to tell her daughter she was blind was odd. I guess the show would have ended early but that drama to me was silly. Then everyone kept calling her the "mom" and I felt sorry for her adoptive mom. Maybe bio mom wasn't a term then but even the painting which was sweet of her and her bio mom at the end, nothing was said of the woman who raised her and they never showed her again. I'm sure she loved both but I wish they showed it.
Was nice to have no Laura, little of Charles and more Caroline.
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Watching the sweet one with the orphans. Seemed odd to my daughter, but I told her they separate families even today when adopting 3 might not be doable. Not ideal though. The thought that they felt the boy they wanted would ever just adjust knowing his mute brother was at the orphanage alone was head-shaking sad. So adorable though.
Houston to Mr Ingall's "You don't think separating orphans is right do you? Charles "Of course not" Never met one I didn't take (we'll forget the Sanderson's though)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0633124/mediaviewer/rm1440233472/?ref_=tt_md_6
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Thanks, I've heard her discuss that before, not sure why Michael wanted to get rid of her and the baby, (she could have been hurt but not killed) but I always skip that episode if on. Seemed more glaring than others (except rape) to get ratings boost that week. I didn't blame Melissa Sue for wanting to leave soon after, how much more was she going to do? She wasn't allowed a child, every time they got ahead, they fell back again. She couldn't even share her blindness with Adam anymore. Michael sometimes listened to costars but wouldn't on this one even though it made no sense at all.
Excerpt from interview with Melissa Sue on that horrible scene:
“Adam bursts through the bedroom door,” Anderson wrote in The Way I See It. “I am still sitting on the edge of the bed, cooing at the baby in the cradle. He urges, ‘Mary, come on. There’s a fire. We have to get the kids out.’ He pulls me with him.”
The Little House alum felt it was unrealistic that a mother would leave her baby’s side in the face of danger.
“I must of had some sort of discussion with Mike [Landon] about this scene because I am right in front of that cradle,” Anderson remarked. “Why don’t I grab the baby when Adam tells me about the fire?”
Despite Anderson’s opinion on the pivotal placement in the scene, Landon kept the original blocking in place.
“These are the kind of arguments you don’t win,” she said. “I must not have, because Mike did not move me to another part of the room where I wouldn’t have been so close to that baby.”
Anderson also disagreed with the scene where Alice goes in to save the infant but is distracted by cries from down the hall and “leaves the baby”.
“Again, I have a real problem with this,” Anderson wrote. “This just would not happen.”
When Alice goes back to rescue the child, she tries to break a window to escape. Some viewers thought she was trying to use the baby to shatter the glass — a scene that is still debated to this day. Both Alice and the baby boy perish in the flames.
After the devastating fire, Mary goes into a catatonic state from grief and spends much of the second part of the plot humming to herself. Anderson admitted she grew weary of the overly dramatic storylines.
“I could tell that the writers were having trouble coming up with ideas for Mary and Adam,” she explained. “You know you’re in trouble when your character is suffering more tragedies than on a soap opera. This was the problem: It was either feast or famine"
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9 hours ago, Blergh said:
Not unless his name's Methuselah!
lol, yes, but I meant and didn't write it well, that the father killed him when he heard what he did. Those dads all had the etched in gruff/mean look and said "boy" instead of "son" when talking and you could feel the pent up explosive anger. I didn't blame the kid for running and I didn't think you'd see him again.
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I'm off work and it's raining so sorting through clothes to give away and watching LHOP. The one where Albert runs away after helping burn down the blind school. I understand Jonathan saying he was wrong to blame God but why did he keep telling Albert it wasn't his fault, while he kept saying it was? Things happen, saying he forgave him, he didn't mean it, etc but he kept saying, "It wasn't" and he was as wrong as he was blaming God. Just odd to me. They were smoking, stole pipe and left it to smolder. It's not quite the same as when I almost (thank God realized it) put a plug in for Xmas tree and later smelled something fishy. The outlet was faulty and if it did make a fire, I didn't do it recklessly.
Just something I didn't quite catch before. A lot of unbelievable things in the episode but that seemed a bit too glossed over. Forgiveness is wonderful but accepting responsibility is too.
I found myself wondering about the other boy, he wasn't there at dedication from what I saw and his dad seemed the typical mean and gruff parent of other children in WG. He might still be alive.....
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Noah and Linda marching. Hope it ends soon
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Little House On The Prairie - General Discussion
in Little House On The Prairie
Well, it's hard to conduct business with Charles "cash on the barrel" unless he wanted something, Ingall's . : )
That was my only real pet peeve with the show, they never had Charles have a good year while others in WG seemed fine (except when they all moved) Jonathan was even getting a telephone for a bit. lol They didn't pay mortgage, electricity, cable, doctor bills were minimal unless someone got kicked in the gut by horse. They didn't need to be rich but just show them having something for all the work he did. Laura never struggled like that, Mary and Adam seemed okay, poor Caroline, had to have rumors of infidelity to get some nice but used dishes, that she never used. lol I always said she sold them to get something else.
Charles was so talented, he farmed well (thats maybe questionable) did mill work, he could make things, craft furniture, do woodwork, do high risk jobs etc. Make some extra money. |Caroline had to work at home, clean, sew, make meals, tend her garden, wash clothes and then work in a restaurant and take care of so many kids you brought home...she deserves the medal.