Blergh

Mr.William Daniels is having a milestone today-his 98th Birthday! Let's hope he and his spouse of 73 years Bonnie Bartlett are celebrating it with their loved ones! Happy Birthday ,Mr. Daniels !

I wonder if Wesley Eure (formerly of Days of Our Lives and Land of the Lost) will weigh in about his evident onetime friend Mr. Chamberlain's passing.

Yes, while I have to say that it's a testament to how layered and nuanced the script and performances of this episode was that made AA's interpretation of the Caleb-Mattie union feasible, IMO it wasn't the ONLY possible interpretation. Speaking strictly for myself, I got the impression that, rather than Mattie having married down and currently over her head not knowing any way out, I thought this was more of a case of birds of a feather flocking together- even with Caleb more openly displaying his plumage than Mattie was. However, the important thing is that both of this evidently previously grifting duo DID have the capacity for redemption and doing actual good works. Yep, I can't help but think that this was not entirely off the mark re the Cashes' offstage union (with both of them also 'getting' because by all accounts both of them were very intelligent). Good for MG somehow getting herself into a single shot despite all the previous efforts to TOTALLY shoot around her (and almost pretend that Laura had never existed- though of course had this been maintained how would the whole series have justified its continuing existence?). Yes, I agree that MG couldn't have carried ALL of the gamut of Caleb interactions on her own the way Miss Anderson did. However, I can't help but imagine that Miss Anderson HAS shown her . .. offended face to her own husband and offspring when they've done things to offend her down the years. It's interesting how Mr. Butler also somewhat nailed ML's control of the cast's individual purse strings as exec producer and likely had been strongarming not just MG and her agent but also MG's somewhat . .tenacious RL mom Barbara via having Laura[ almost ]totally absent from this Season opener. Yes, I thought Mr. Butler had good insight here despite the fact that it would be a few years before he'd join the show as Almanzo (thus ALSO missing out on meeting the Cashes).

Yes, I liked watching the Pod hosts open adoration of both Mr. Cash and Ms. Carter Cash as performers both in the music industry AND on LHOTP! Yes, indeed June had been part of country music from virtually its earliest recording roots! I have to admit I was taken aback by Miss Arngrim's interpretation of Miss Carter's Mattie as somehow having been a resigned if not abused spouse of Mr. Cash's Caleb. I'm not saying that that interpretation isn't a valid possibility re Mattie. However, I more or less viewed Mattie as someone who had known from the start re Caleb's clay feet and had embraced that about him even though she wasn't ready to shout her own knowledge about her spouse's shadowside from the rooftops! I also think by the fact that Caleb and Mattie appear to have been childless, that they DID have a mutual affection for each other to stay with each other in a time when Caleb could have used that as a legal excuse to end the marriage or at the very least to have abandoned her while Mattie could have early on 'visited' relatives for years at a time to end the union but neither of them considered doing that. I STILL think that Ms. Carter Cash's laughs seeing Mr. Cash in ministerial vestments when he was ready to dupe the trusting Walnut Grove citizenry went FAR beyond what the script called for. Yes, I agree with them that it was preposterous for Mary to have gone off with this complete stranger grown man to help him with 'charity' with neither of her parents making the slightest objection (and Miss Anrgrim went so far as to cite Mrs. Wilder's own passages re how protective the Ingalls parents WERE of their daughters in the 1870's). I know it was part of the script but Mary WAS taking a huge risk (not that it would justified any bad things happening to her on Caleb's part). Not surprising that one of the Cashes' six daughters had been a Little House fan and THAT was what motivated them to let the producers know they wanted to be in an episode (though Miss Arngrim didn't specify which of these daughters had lobbied for this). Interesting behind the scenes stuff with the whole Season Three debut evidently having been delayed solely due to contract disputes with MG,etc. (which AA had initially just speculated about before she finally texted and got MG herself to confirm). Yes, not only does it appear that Miss Anderson got an entire Mary-centered episode due to this (and herself has considered working with Mr. Cash a highlight of her life). I have to wonder if perhaps ML might have deliberately done this to attempt to strongarm MG and her agents to back down from some of their salary demands- citing that he COULD have made the whole show Mary-centered if Laura wasn't available. I wouldn't put it past him (and this somewhat leads me to believe that it's possible that he not only WAS aware of the MG's dislike for Miss Anderson but was willing to use it to try to intimidate her despite her believing him to be 'her Pa'). Yeah, too bad that not only was Laura barely even seen in this episode but AA herself was told Nellie wasn't needed (in spite of Harriet having been one of the duped citizens) to AA's chagrin at having never gotten to have met the Cashes. Anyway, I enjoyed the Pod -especially with Miss Bob's contributions and having done her homework from WAY back re June Carter Cash's and her original family's career trajectory (with everyone agreeing that she wasn't the best singer but DID have the most appealing onstage persona of the sisters).

And in other sad news, as per People magazine. Bobby Sherman's wife Brigitte Poublon has announced on Facebook that the 81-year-old performer now has Stage Four cancer (which is evidently why he hasn't been doing reunion tours or conventions of late). Mr. Sherman had been singing and acting idol in his 20's before acting upon his calling to become a paramedic after having inspired via a guest role on Emergency! and would become a medical training officer in the LA Police Academy staying a reserve officer as late as 2017. In addition to Ms. Poublon, he has two sons by his first marriage.

Agree! Of course, being a very charitable woman helped Catherine gain and maintain her popularity long after Henry's dumping of her. and even long after her death (and her daughter's . .. unpopular reign). I mean, even the pro-Tudor Shakespeare treated her with complete sympathy in his play Henry VIII as well as Henry himself and even Anne Boleyn (the mother of the beloved Elizabeth). .and somehow made the King's Great Matter and its outcome the entire 'fault' of the Catholic Cardinal Wolsey. Of course, Cardinal Wolsey having been born a butcher's son but had climbed the clerical ranks to become the 2nd most powerful person in England somewhat became villainized due to him making a very showy spectacle of his acquired new wealth (e.g. Hampton Court Palace).

I would agree that Miss Grassle "got her way" by getting to be front and center re the latter-aired episode. However whether it was due to ML suddenly getting generous on his own,Miss Grassle somehow prevailing after all or the network just dropping it into her lap is unclear-in no small part due to her autobio completely avoiding any hint of the latter episode's existence .Instead(as per said narrative),Ma is nothing more than a background character until the final two part episode with Charles miraculously healing James from the gunshot wound I know ML was often unfair to her and needlessly crude at times (and I agree he deserves the disses for those times when he unquestionably was that way) . However I'm not so keen that her narrative re the last regular season seemed to be making more of an effort to heighten(if not exaggerate) his unfairness to her rather than acknowledge that she somehow DID get at least one episode in the last regular season where Caroline was the focus. Maybe Miss Grassle might have later brought the latter episode in a Podcast or interview but since she had made the issue of negotiating her contributions on the show as a major part of her autobio, IMO it would have been better had she at least mentioned it instead of (at the very least) leaving it out altogether of that narrative.

OK, I looked it up on IMDB and noticed that AFTER 'Stone Soup' came the Caroline and Doc Baker episode 'A Faraway Cry' when they ventured to treat the plague afflicted folks in that mining camp and Caroline takes the live baby of her dead friend and creep spouse and gives it to the nice couple who had lost their own baby at birth. While Caroline may not have been so clearly in the right in this episode as she had been in 'Stone Soup', she DID essentially carry this episode and even went so far as to fight off the friend's creep spouse's attempted rape of her! However, Miss Grassle made NO mention of the latter episode whatsoever in her autobio (which I have kept) even though one would think that THIS would have fulfilled the contract instead of being another 'More coffee, dear?' episode.

I think we can agree that it happened sometimes in the 70's. Regardless, it wouldn't be too long before they switched to the 'Take the Nestea Plunge.' with folks falling backwards into pools with tan water. P.S. Let me guess: you and your friend would sing the earlier jingle during downpours on road trips many miles to the next rest stop.

In Bringing Up Baby (1938), Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn were walking along doing their scripted dialogue when suddenly one of Miss Hepburn's heels broke during the shoot which prompted Mr.Grant to ask if she was ok. Without missing a beat (or breaking character as the zany heiress), Miss Hepburn replied 'I was born on the side of a hill!' And, yes, they kept that nugget in there!

One odd 'hanging thread' of Spanish history has to do with Isabel I's younger brother Alfonso who, after some Castillian subjects became dissatisfied with their elder half-bro Henry IV, overthrew the latter to have the 15-year-old Alfonso be the new King of Castile. While young Alfonso showed some disturbing signs including supposedly torturing animals (like young Ivan IV 'The Terrible' of Russia), he nonetheless had at least a few surviving coins made in his image before he suddenly died of still uncertain causes. Then Henry was able re-assert his power while Isabel secretly negotiated with John II of Aragon a surprisingly lopsided marriage treaty which had John's only surviving son Ferdinand permanently move to Castile instead of the usual vice versa.

According to Aztec legend, when the tribe was seeking out a new home to build their capital city, they saw an eagle perched on a cactus eating a snake- and took THAT as a sign as the ideal spot for their new home! Regardless of the validity of that legend, it has remained a symbol of what's now Mexico City and even nation of Mexico itself with it being prominently featured on its flag!

Last night I dreamed that I had to go take a few classes back in my old high school but with the odd twists that my late Papa was still alive AND mobile. .as well as having my current supervisor at work happening to also be my high school principal. Oh, and oddly enough, I was worried that the other students would notice that I'm older than them and dis me for it!

OK, having not had a COVID shot since September, I decided to see if I could get one now and, after checking out my local supermarket's clinic and not wanting to pay the $100+ bucks for it, I checked out my pharmacy chain and discovered that they WOULD do it. Anyway, after doing the whole scan, then filling out the online form, I got it done yesterday morning for $0 which I'm rather grateful for due to worries about medicine and vaccine prices in these times. Moreover, since I've got recurring asthma and I'm caring for my 90-something Mama while working, I wanted to reduce the probability of getting this affliction to pass it on to her (and, yes, despite the disses I'm still masking anytime I leave the house or car- though hoping that there are invisible forcefields around me whenever I eat maskless with others). OK, it's DONE and I'm thankful that I should be covered for about six more months AND that I just have a slightly sore left arm that should be okay by the time I go back to work tomorrow morning!

I agree that it was a somewhat eye-opening Podcast (especially the behind-the-scenes stuff such as how they made the 'molten metal',etc). I suppose that the other performers and crew felt that young Mr. Penn's faint was legit instead of 'staged' due to him being a mere extra who could have easily been replaced for that episode instead of a permanent semi-regular AND since men and boys don't have reps for faining [unlike women and girls- regardless of how fair that was]. I agree that episodes in which everyone pitched in were some of the best (and that was also one reason why I disagreed with Miss Grassle's panning Caroline's role in 'Stone Soup' in her autobio as 'unimportant' since Caroline not only got to be seen being a teacher again but she DID rally her class to save Laura's orchard and even more importantly helped safeguard her stubborn daughter and unborn grandchild's health). Regardless, it was a good episode that showed how everyone in the town had the potential to change for the better- though, time proved that not everyone would do so.

The sad irony is that while the villagers all condemned Frankenstein's Monster [no other name given to the character in this 1931 movie] Boris Karloff (1887-1969) was sincerely befriended by little Maria (Marilyn Harris [1924-1999]) whose performer would cherish Mr. Karloff's memory and the friendship they had during the movie the rest of her life, offscreen Miss Harris would relate that it was her adoptive stage mother who was an abusive monster to little Marilyn. Thankfully, Miss Harris would have a child and two happy marriages before being widowed both times and seemed to have done her best to make her peace.

I hope no one watching (including possiblyMr. Foreman himself) took that as a safe medical treatment for a burn. Butter should NEVER be put on a burn due to the fats within causing it to hold the heat in and damaging the skin worse. If one doesn't have Neosporin or other burn ointments at hand, sliced or mashed raw potatoes (changed about every fifteen minutes) will work in a pinch due to the starch absorbing some of the heat beneath the skin's surface. Or if one has neither medical ointments or food starches at hand, then soaking the burn in ice-cold clean water can help [NEVER ice which can lead to frostbite of the already compromised skin].

I agree. He went from a one-joke side character to being a rather complex and deep character who had believably evolved to make the sacrifice of starting life anew with someone he loved in a place he had tried so hard to escape from while having little chance of ever returning home (due to her insisting they not leave until she found out what had become of her family- and some families in Korea to this day have NEVER learned the fates of all their members who might have been stuck behind the DMZ).

Here's an Oldie but Baddie: Back in the early 1970's there was a commercial for Nestea Iced Tea that had the jingle constantly repeating the lyrics of 'Tea,tea,tea,tea,TEA,tea Tea,tea,tea,tea,TEA,tea Tea, tea, tea, tea, TEA,tea Tea, tea,tea, tea, TEA,tea Tea,tea, Nestea Iced Tea' I mean, did they think the potential customers had to be constantly reminded of the eventual outcome of their product?!

That's a good question. Although it should be noted that Christy Kennedy's first appearance had her stand up for Mary against Nellie [of all people] . Hence, Christy at least hadn't become so intimidated by her upbringing so as to have been too timid to have stood up to bullying peers. Hence, it's possible Mr. Kennedy may have somewhat spared her from his worst (and it hasn't been unheard of for abusers to beat one family member like a carpet while treating another like fine China). Then,too, Christy didn't seem to try to spend as many waking hours as possible after school with the Ingallses to avoid going home (nor did she bring up her male DNA Donor's at least emotional abuse of her poor mother). For whatever reason/s, Christy's arc went from being Mary's new bestie to background character. ..to gone so who knows!

OK, in one of those 'you can't make this up' deals, recently a Tennessee legislator proposed that the state's capital city of Nashville, Tennessee to have its airport renamed for. .#45 which [at least for now] failed in a House committee on March 18. HOWEVER, there's an online petition that's been put out to have that city's airport named for one of its most world- famous (and beloved ) residents. .Miss Dolly Parton. Yep, it would be called the Dolly Parton International Airport. As of this writing, the online petition has garnered over 18,000 signatures.

Now you've got me wondering if perhaps Mary herself might have worn a portrait of her own mother Catherine on her person but somehow this never got recorded or preserved. While Henry did his best to rid his domain of images of his earlier wives once disavowed them, Catherine had had lots of Continental supporters and relatives who'd have kept her image alive- including her nephew the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V./Charles I of Castille&Leon and Aragon who'd wind being Mary's father-in-law (possibly gifting a portrait of his aunt to his cousin/DIL as a wedding present).

Interesting new Podcast with the trio of AA, Dean Butler and Miss Pamela Bob detailing the Season One episode 'Voice of Tinker Jones'. I mean, they covered everything from how the 'molten metal' was created [and was nowhere near the volcanic temps of the real McCoy] to how one of the extra 'background kids'/ director's son Sean Penn somewhat vindicated AA's early rep as a delicate flower via his own rather sudden faint- and how they'd only talk about it at a teen party some years later. Oh, AA mentioned one poignant note via the ending with Nels giving his preteen offspring a look of surprised, genuine pride due to their participation with the other Walnut Grove kids in creating this bell- drawing the feuding adult townsfolk back together. I mean, I think that would be the ONLY time he'd do that before their respective [permanent] marriages. Something else a bit chilling that barely got touched upon before it become a Little House cabin elephant was how Harriet's 'bell rival', Mr. Kennedy wasn't just overly harsh to the show's cardboard villain but worse to Mrs. Kennedy via not even allowing her to speak! Yikes- and this was Mary's bestie's male DNA Donor yet his harshness (if the probability of being a spousal abuser) never got addressed by anyone else- even Charles or Caroline there. Anyway, I agree with the others that, despite its flaws, it was one of the best early episodes.

Does anyone else recall when Mr. Foreman regained a good bit of fame in the 1990's via somehow attaching his name to a an electric burger indoor table grill that was supposed to get rid of all the meats' fats via how it drained away in channels? Also, he named ALL of his sons after himself as in 'George, Jr.,George III,etc.'! I wonder how their mother/s felt about that? Anyway, he definitely was memorable. RIP, Mr. Foreman!

Yeah, I know that these performers wore makeup despite their characters having ostensibly been makeup free. However, with the harsh kleig lights and reflectors used, if the performers had used any makeup, they'd have appeared rather pasty-faced and peaked oncamera. BTW, one of the few behind-the-scenes observations that Melissa Sue Anderson made in her autobio was that ML insisted that the performers playing the Ingalls daughters ALL had to wear darker-than-usual makeup on camera so as to not appear downright ghostly compared to ML himself who not only was no WASP but also spent a great deal of time out in the sun.