Little House On The Prairie - General Discussion

[alegtostandon]

Saw for the first time the episode where Adam wins an award & he & Mary travel via stagecoach somewhere to accept it.  In the stagecoach, they meet the future Ms Plum.  A wheel breaks and the stagecoach rolls down the hill. Mary is the only one not hurt so blindly finds her way to the road. Along the way, her glasses fall from her pocket and they start a, fire, alerting Pa as to where they were.

1.  Mary & Adam's trip was funded by Laura and Albert selling a bee hive to Mrs Oleson & Nellie, who came to pick it up. Albert told them that the bees napped during the day & the buzzing was their snoring or something. While driving, Mrs Oleson, Nellie & their  horses were attacked by hundreds of bees, while Albert & Laura stood there laughing. All I could think of was one of them dying from the number of bee stings.

2. Why did Mary have her glasses. I saw when they were getting on the stagecoach, Ma made sure to give them to Mary, but why?

[sistermagpie]

3 hours ago, alegtostandon said:

2. Why did Mary have her glasses. I saw when they were getting on the stagecoach, Ma made sure to give them to Mary, but why?

I remember this. Adam or Mary was going to give a talk and he was going to tell some story about Mary when she first got her glasses. So he was bringing the glasses to use as a prop. This somehow metaphorically tied into the glasses being the thing that saved them.

[alegtostandon]

1 hour ago, sistermagpie said:

I remember this. Adam or Mary was going to give a talk and he was going to tell some story about Mary when she first got her glasses. So he was bringing the glasses to use as a prop. This somehow metaphorically tied into the glasses being the thing that saved them.

Thank you Sistermagpie! It makes no sense at all, but that's LHOTP!  Good thing she shoved them in her pocket rather then Adam putting in his. 

I was also amazed at how she was able to maneuver her way out of that overturned stagecoach with out stepping on the future Miss Plum or falling on top of Adam when she jumped to the ground.

Mary always sounded so angry, no matter what the setting or what she was saying...when she was calling for the driver, if he had not died, I would not blame him for ignoring her.  

[VCRTracking]

Watching  "Sylvia" part 2  on COZI. Her dad just called her a whore.

Edited June 29, 2018 by VCRTracking

[VCRTracking]

Jason Bateman mentions working on Little House in these two videos:

[penguinnj]

Had to share

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2018/09/13/prairie-dresses-yes-prairie-dresses-are-the-most-provocative-thing-in-fashion-right-now/?utm_term=.401dcc4dd3af

[VCRTracking]

On 9/13/2018 at 4:34 PM, penguinnj said:

Had to share

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2018/09/13/prairie-dresses-yes-prairie-dresses-are-the-most-provocative-thing-in-fashion-right-now/?utm_term=.401dcc4dd3af

Just googled and found this article from last July:
Crocs, bum bags and prairie dresses: how anti-fashion went mainstream

*shrug* I mean these past couple of years I've seen hipster guys trying to pull off 19th century bushy mustaches and beards and clothes like suspenders, top hats, frock coats, vests, and pocket watches!

Edited September 15, 2018 by VCRTracking

[Jacqs]

Prairie Revival was definitely A Look in the eighties:

[Maherjunkie]

The Godsister is about to come on.  Is this the one about Alyssa and giant strawberries?

[Mr. Sparkle]

Sad to report that Mrs. Oleson, Katherine MacGregor has passed away at the age of 93. She brought so much to that role, you could tell she really enjoyed playing her. 

https://deadline.com/2018/11/katherine-macgregor-dies-little-house-on-the-prairie-actress-93-1202501937/ 

[Jacqs]

How many of the adults are still alive? Not the younger ones like Almanzo etc.

[Mr. Sparkle]

Caroline is still alive, if I'm not mistaken. I believe Nels, Dr. Baker, the Reverend and of course Garvey & Mr. Edwards have left us. Not sure about Mrs. Garvey. 

[wanton87]

Last I checked (though it’s been a little while) all of the adult men (with the exception of the young men such as Adam and Almanzo) were gone, but all of the adult women (Minus Harriet now) were still with us. I just checked on Hersha Parody (Mrs Garvey) and she’s still alive.

Sorry to hear that we lost Mrs Oleson. I’ve been watching through the episodes again, and have been thinking about her, since I knew that she must be getting on in years, having been middle aged at the time the show started.

[jird]

I was watching "For My Lady" (Pa hangs out with the Widow Thurman and lies badly about it) when I found this out. This makes me sad.

[alegtostandon]

Katherine McGreggor did an amazing job with Harriet Oleson.  She was a first class Prairie Bitch, but fiercely loved her kids...and in her own way, Nels. I was watching the episode the other day with the little person whose wife died in child birth & she refused to hire him at the mercantile & stopped him from getting a job at the bank. I was furious with her. I then thought that it takes a very talented artist to evoke these type of emotions on a TV character.

RIP, Mrs. Oleson?  

[Blergh]

On 11/14/2018 at 7:54 PM, alegtostandon said:

Katherine McGreggor did an amazing job with Harriet Oleson.  She was a first class Prairie Bitch, but fiercely loved her kids...and in her own way, Nels. I was watching the episode the other day with the little person whose wife died in child birth & she refused to hire him at the mercantile & stopped him from getting a job at the bank. I was furious with her. I then thought that it takes a very talented artist to evoke these type of emotions on a TV character.

RIP, Mrs. Oleson?  

Yeah, but let's not forget by the episode's end, she does a big mea culpa and apologizes. Yes, of course she was completely in the wrong for her earlier behavior and NEEDED to apologize but I have to admit it was fun watching her try to sabotage things yet Mrs. Oleson getting her just desserts. 

   Speaking of Miss MacGregor, she'd been a theater performer for many decades before the show (and it reflected in her yelling to the back balcony delivery) and had a small cameo in On the Waterfront among other things. Oh, and she loved fans giving her their support to the extent that she actually had her personal phone number listed in the LA directory and often talked to hithero strangers who called her up about Mrs. Oleson for hours. Lastly, she had been briefly married but preferred spending most of her free time teaching acting and on spiritual quests (she was a Hindu most of her adult life) . What I'm trying to say is that it's too bad she didn't write her bio because it sounds as though she had an interesting life. 

[BlancheDevoreaux]

On 11/14/2018 at 3:14 PM, wanton87 said:

Last I checked (though it’s been a little while) all of the adult men (with the exception of the young men such as Adam and Almanzo) were gone, but all of the adult women (Minus Harriet now) were still with us. I just checked on Hersha Parody (Mrs Garvey) and she’s still alive.

Sorry to hear that we lost Mrs Oleson. I’ve been watching through the episodes again, and have been thinking about her, since I knew that she must be getting on in years, having been middle aged at the time the show started.

I think you are right.  I just looked up Charlotte Stewart (Miss Beadle), Lucy Lee Flippin (Eliza Jane), Bonnie Bartlete (Grace Snider), and Ketty Lester (Hester-Sue).  They are all still around.  But I think all of the men are gone. 

[maggiemae]

I don't understand how Mr Edwards went from a nice house to a shack. Can anyone fill me in?

[alegtostandon]

On 11/29/2018 at 10:12 PM, maggiemae said:

I don't understand how Mr Edwards went from a nice house to a shack. Can anyone fill me in?

The only time I remember him living in a nice house was when he & Grace were married.  The episode where Charles and Laura visited after a tree fell on Mr Edwards, they lived in a nice house,  it was a completely different place when Fake Grace kicked him out for his drinking.  Otherwise, he always lived in shacks. 

[merylinkid]

On 11/16/2018 at 11:37 AM, Blergh said:

Oh, and she loved fans giving her their support to the extent that she actually had her personal phone number listed in the LA directory and often talked to hithero strangers who called her up about Mrs. Oleson for hours.

That is fucking awesome.   Especially given what some of those opinions of Mrs. Oleson must have been.   

Mrs. Oleson is mentioned just once in the books, and is very nice.   From that Ms. McGregor had to build a whole freaking character.   Absolutely amazing lady.

She was very protective of her family and their place in society.    My favorite line of hers "Nels, make her a widow."

[VCRTracking]

This is off topic but I had to post this. 80s All Over is a movie discussion podcast that reviews every movie that was released theatrically in the 1980s, month by month. The recent episode focused on August 1984 and among the films that came out that month was Sam's Son Michael Landon's semi-autobiography he wrote and directed. For anyone who hasn't seen it's on YouTube and you could tell five minutes in ML directed it. It has all the trademark over-the-top melodrama and cheesiness of his Little House episodes. It's looks and feels like such a TV movie that I can't believe this was on the big screen. What's really funny is the two hosts after watching it realizing what Little House fans have known for years, that the Michael Landon was INSANE!  They talk Sam's Son at the 25 minute mark at this link.

Edited December 19, 2018 by VCRTracking

[alegtostandon]

I saw the episode recently where The Ingalls were heading home from Sleepy Eye or wherever & encountered some Indian Hunter, who warned Pa of an upcoming storm, which Pa dismissed.  They, of course,  ran right into a storm, which they were completely unprepared for.

Pa braved the elements to hunt for food for his family. As they showed him in the windy, freezing snow storm,  the wind fan blew snow right into his mouth, which Pa spit out, in full snowflake pieces!

I was raised in Chicago and lived through many, heavy snow storms.  I do not remember ever having snow blow into my mouth that did not melt the second it hit my tongue. 

I'm sure ML left that in to show how dangerous the storm was...instead, it looked like a wind fan blowing fake plastic snow into his mouth

Edited December 24, 2018 by alegtostandon

[Aethera]

This topic replaces the old Little House On The Prairie forum which has been vaulted at the location below:

http://forums.previously.tv/forum/359-little-house-on-the-prairie-v/

[Jacqs]

Wish the Turnbaugh Twins could have shined. Maybe if the Greenbush Twins had also been blonde, Carrie might not be Scrappy Doo?

[wanton87]

Season 1 Episode 24 Founder's Day

Just watched this episode again the other day. And who do they have judging the pie contest? The one town resident that certainly doesn’t need any extra calories, Reverend Alden :D Give it to the malnourished mine worker with 6 kids, and let him take the remaining pies home (Which is how I suspect it might have gone down in real life).

I must say, I’m generally not a big fan of Chuck (Charles). But he really shined in this episode. It was kind of classy the way that he explained to Laura that being younger, he had an unfair advantage over Mr Tyler (Played by Forrest Tucker) and was just evening the odds, without outright suggesting that he threw the contest.

Not much to say today, and this is my first post since we have been reduced from a subforum to a thread. I hope this thread doesn’t die off as a result.

Edited January 24, 2019 by wanton87
punctuation

[BetyBee]

On 1/24/2019 at 9:48 AM, wanton87 said:

Not much to say today, and this is my first post since we have been reduced from a subforum to a thread. I hope this thread doesn’t die off as a result.

I hope it doesn't either.  This has always been a creative subforum, even before PTV.  As for Charles, it's easier to concentrate on his life lessons  when he keeps his shirt on!

[VCRTracking]

The Settler Fantasies Woven Into the Prairie Dresses

Excerpt:
 

Quote

 

The dresses evoke a certain nostalgia, a throwback to a time when femininity and women’s identity was sharply defined and didn’t have to be individually conjured or chosen. One was a homemaker, in the literal sense of making a home from scratch, and a wife, mother, and defender of the family. There’s a comforting familiarity to it. Lena Dunham told the New Yorker, “They really look like […] the dresses that characters in your favorite book would have worn.”

It’s a pleasant thought. But in Dunham’s likely “favorite book,” Ma is also startlingly, overtly racist, in ways that are inextricable from her brand of frontier femininity. “Why don’t you like Indians?” Laura asks her over corn cakes and molasses on the steps of their covered wagon, which Ma had laid out like a table, complete with a centerpiece of flowers in a tin can. “I just don’t like them,” Ma replies. “And don’t lick your fingers, Laura.”

Anyway, Ma assures her, “the Indians would not be here long.” The government would soon push the Native people west, she explained, once white settlers arrived. In moments like this, Ma is as active in developing her daughters’ racism and sense of ownership over the land—land that we now know the Ingalls family had no legal, let alone historical, right to claim—as she is in shaping their notions of how women should act, work, and dress.

This is no contradiction. Clothing is a civilizing force in Ma’s mind, one that serves to separate her children from the Native people they encounter. The bonnets she makes her girls wear are intended to protect their skin from darkening in the prairie sun. “I declare,” Ma says, “if you girls aren’t getting to look like Indians! Can I never teach you to keep your sunbonnets on?” When she interacts with Native people, Ma is first and foremost horrified at the perceived inappropriateness of their dress. “They wore fresh skunk skins,” she tells Pa, “and that’s all they wore.” One evening, as she prepares dinner in her newly-built house on land the Osage retained in a Reconstruction-era treaty with the federal government, Ma complains without irony, “Indians are getting so thick around here that I can’t look up without seeing one.”

 

[Jacqs]

We are still a family even though we are now just a thread. Just imagine us as now being Pa's two room shanty which he never bothered expanding, despite Grace, Albert, James, Cassandra etc...

[wanton87]

This was before my time here, but it’s my understanding that the little house topic was reduced to a single thread over at the television without pity site (The predecessor to this site as I recall) and that it was an immensely popular thread none the less. I came from IMDB, and we had a fairly active little house forum over there, and I was really sorry to see it go. The members from the IMDB little house forum went on to a variety of different sites, but those that didn’t disappear altogether following the closure of IMDB, either ended up here, IMDB 2, or at MovieChat. IMDB 2 has a single thread, but no one ever posts there. MovieChat has some activity, but very little. That site doesn’t seem to have much of a future either.

I’m going through the little house series again, as I recently purchased the complete DVD set, so I’m hoping to be posting here more often as time goes on.

[VCRTracking]

On 2/2/2019 at 10:37 AM, wanton87 said:

This was before my time here, but it’s my understanding that the little house topic was reduced to a single thread over at the television without pity site (The predecessor to this site as I recall) and that it was an immensely popular thread none the less.

The title memorably called: "Ma, Pa and the mime who raped Sylvia: Little House on the Prairie"!

A counterpoint opinion from New York magazine to the article on the "prairie dress trend" I posted above:

The Pleasure of Sitting Out a Trend

[Jacqs]

The real life tragedy of Riley Ann Sawyers forever ruined the name "Baby Grace" for me. 😢

[Cowgirl]

Holy cow!  I hadn't heard about the Baby Grace case, so I looked it up.  How horrible!

[alegtostandon]

I was watching the episode, I think it was called The Reincarnation of Nellie.  It's the episode where the Oleson's replaced Nellie with Nancy.  Nancy is jealous of Albert's girlfriend, who is getting the lead part in the annual spring fling or whatever it was called.  So, she "accidentally" locks her in the ice house overnight.  The poor girl had to be hospitalized at Doc Baker's office & miss school because of how cold it is in the ice house. What I did not understand is went was it so dangerous for her to be locked down there but not dangerous to be used as a jail. I can remember 3 men being locked down there as a jail, the racist barn burner, the little person who stole food and a doll & the land schemer.  

[halfpint ingals]

Has anyone seen the last farewell on Amazon video? I watched it last night but it lowers the volume for the final scene during Onward Christian Soldiers.   I assume because it's a Christian song?  

Alegtoststandon , the actress in that episode who got locked in the ice box was Melora Hardin,  who played Jan on the Office. 

[Jacqs]

@halfpint ingals Yeah that's probably why it was muted. I "fondly" remember many stations in the South and Lower Midwest muting the "Jesus" in Professor Farnsworth's "Sweet Zombie Jesus" in Futurama. Same sort of principle for these places as their "Nig Urh free" edits of television shows that featured blacks that weren't servants, criminals or fools in the 1950s and 60s.

[alegtostandon]

Inconsistencies drive me nuts. Was watching the episode where James and Cassandra move into the 'Little House', making it the 'Tiny House'.  James wants to try Albert's razor but Albert informs him that it was a gift from Pa and James was to not ever touch the razor. 

Next day, the Ingalls-Cooper kids are kept after school so 'Sister' Laura can lecture them on making more of an effort helping out around the Tiny House.  Afterwards, Albert meets some snobby girl who demands to know why James is tagging along with Albert.  While Albert takes off with the snobby girl, James rushes home to play with Albert's razor.' ...in the barn...next to the cow. Of course James drops Alberts prized straight edge blade and the cow steps on it & the pearl handle breaks.

Next day, Albert is looking for his razor and insists that James knows where it. No luck finding it or getting a confession from James..

Next scene, the Ingalls/Cooper kids are at the mercantile trying on new shoes.  Ma and Pa cannot afford to pay for all of the shoes so Albert is asked to wait till next week to get his. 

While this is going on, James is staring at a case with 2 razors in it, one identical to Albert's.  Camera pans back to Pa & Albert then back to the razor case, minus the pearl handled razor. 

Back at the 'Tiny House', James is filling the wood bin by the fireplace and discovers Alberts razor!  Cheers & apologizes until Albert notices that this is not his razor, his pearl handle razor had a bad knick on the blade.  Pa checks and declares this one to be brand new.  James admits to breaking Alberts then stealing this from the mercantile to make it right. James was sent up to the loft and Albert was sent outside to cool down.  Pa went up to talk with James, who kept muttering "I didn't mean it, Pa.".  I have no idea what that means.

Pa is now outside talking with Albert, who demands that James be punished.  Albert then begins complaining about how rough its been on him since the 2 extra kids have been crammed into the "Tiny House" and wishes that they had never come live with them. Pa stops Albert and said "it's a good thing Laura and  Carrie never felt that way when you moved in with us.". James obviously over hears this conversation and runs away.

I guess that both Pa and Albert forgot about the episode shortly after Albert moved in and Pa bought him a calf to raise.  Laura was very resentful of Albert taking up all of Pa's time & even cried that Albert is now calling him 'Pa', he's Her Pa!  Albert over hears this conversation and runs away.

[Samwil]

What in tarnation is going on around here? 

I had to search for this thread.  Does no one realize how iconic this subject has been? 

Where is everyone?  I'm here, I'm here!

I still hate James. 

[Mr. Sparkle]

I'm kind of disappointed that the old threads aren't continued. The one about how terrifying this show is was my favorite! 

[libgirl2]

On 2/26/2019 at 5:02 PM, Cowgirl said:

Holy cow!  I hadn't heard about the Baby Grace case, so I looked it up.  How horrible!

Good God, I barely remembered it so I looked it up. My heart breaks, my stomach is sick...... both those animals should be dead. 

[andidante]

I'm just wondering what happened to the podcast that Kim was doing. Has anyone heard why they stopped?

[Jacqs]

Watching the Turnbaugh Twins sometimes total disconnection from the fact they are playing a role and the other actors having to ad-lib at times so the scene can continue is always fun.

Oh, and will Grace take that high chair to school? 

[wanton87]

On 4/23/2019 at 6:31 PM, andidante said:

I'm just wondering what happened to the podcast that Kim was doing. Has anyone heard why they stopped? 

I had forgotten all about the podcasts until this post reminded me. I remember the last time I went to play some of the older files, the link was broken. Some of them were actually pretty entertaining though, and it would be nice to see it make a comeback.

[Jacqs]

You have to wonder about Baby Grace Ingalls still being seen on-screen in that high chair long after she's um too old to be Baby Grace anymore. A few more years like that and it would remind viewers of those grown adults who get adult sized baby furniture made for them.

[VCRTracking]

Bringing back from the old board a clip of Melissa Sue Anderson and Victor French along with many other TV stars of the day at a roller disco in this 1979 CHIP's episode:

[catlover79]

I actually know Brenda and Wendi (Grace Ingalls). Both are the sweetest and kindest ladies on earth. Both are married and the mothers of teenagers (!!!). Here are recent photos of them - Brenda is on the left and Wendi is on the right in both pictures.

[libgirl2]

How neat to see! 

[Cheezwiz]

Oh, how I miss the original thread from back in the TWoP days!

Y'all are my people, and mimes will never not be scary or traumatic!

[Jacqs]

@libgirl2 Brenda and Wendi Turnbaugh are two of the most beautiful women i have ever seen. They stated on their old joint website that they are Christians. I hope no one holds that against them. I lost friends when i found a spiritual/religious purpose. @catlover79

[catlover79]

Yes, they are Christians but NOT the type that you are talking about. They really do walk the walk as well as talk the talk. They are kind to everyone and are not judgmental. Both Brenda and Wendi are as gorgeous on the inside as they are on the outside.

[Jacqs]

@catlover79 Oh, no, I'm religious like the Turnbaugh Twins and I'm really happy the Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of a Christian cross,.