Little House On The Prairie - General Discussion

[Blergh]

Among the more intriguing tidbits in the above mentioned Podcast:

1. As per Mr. Butler, it appears that he and Miss Flippen just randomly pronounced his character's name 'Al-MOHN-zoh' at the spur of the moment and no one challenged it (and it wouldn't be until many years later that it would be known that the RL Mr. Wilder and his circle had always pronounced it 'Al-MAHN-zoh' which made more sense re 'Manley').

2. Both he and AA agreed how over the top Miss MacGregor's delivery was re showing off that stove to have Harriet attempt to spur the sullen Nellie to gain enthusiasm for her gift.

3.Oddly ML had attempted to have Harriet garble Almanzo as Del-MAHN-zoh but Miss MacGregor preferred, held out and eventually prevailed with Zaldamo! Yeah, Miss MacGregor's  rendering WAS funnier than ML's so no surprise that he let her win that contest.

4. Mr. Butler STILL regrets having eaten an apple with his mouth open instead of closing it while chewing -on camera during his first episode. I can't help but think that he likely never heard the end of it from his own RL mother(e.g. ' How dare you eat like that on television and let viewers think *I* raised you to eat like a pig in a trough!'

5. Yes, I agree that Mr. Butler's and AA's acting while Almanzo's and Nellie's mouths were on fire was spot on! Not only did they realistically race to the sink pump but they did look as though they were ready to have their eyes water and their noses get stuffed.

I was glad to see the three of them back again (Miss Bob included) and relieved that they and their respective loved ones are safe but it was sad to learn the Matthew Labyorteaux home and all his belongings were lost in the conflagration. Oddly enough, I don't recall his elder brother Patrick mentioning that in his own podcasts but maybe they were taped before all those disasters.

[debraran]

I ididn't realize before Matthew's home was destroyed and there is a Go Fund Me but I don't recall Alison mentioning it on FB page. It says they are sheltering in a friends guest house and all his voice over equipment and belongings were destroyed and the school Waldorf his wife worked at for 10 years. It said in part:

My name is Susannah Blinkoff, I live in Los Angeles Calif, and I am the organizer of this page for Leslie Stevens Labyorteaux - a close friend for the past 24 years. Yesterday, Leslie, her husband Matthew, and their kids Sue and Truman Suhy suffered a devastating loss due to the tragic fire in Altadena Calif. Everything they own is now gone - destroyed by the fire. Besides that, the Pasadena Waldorf School where Leslie has worked for the past 10 years (and that Sue and Truman attended) has also been destroyed. The pain of these losses is beyond comprehension, and completely overwhelming. They are sheltering at a friend's home now, reeling with the shock of what has happened over the last 48hrs

 I know the fires and insurance can take a very long time, 2 homes near me that had fires a year ago, are finally being worked on.

Matt has always been very private and I hope he is doing better now and they can as many others, find a new reality to live in.

Thanks for doing a great recap.

 

 

Edited February 7 by debraran

[Snow Apple]

I just watched Sweet Sixteen and during the dance scene at the end, my opinion is that Laura oddly looks younger with her hair down with the giant hair bow than when she wore braids. Should have had the bun with the kissing scene in an attempt to look older. 

[CountryGirl]

On 2/5/2025 at 1:43 PM, mustbeme said:

Watching Sweet Sixteen........it always bothers me that Pa says I don't believe a girl should get married until 18......when Mary was engaged at 13 to be married at 15, living alone in Wanoka 16 and married to Adam at 16/17.  If Mary is like 2ish years older than Laura, that makes her 18ish and married for a while.  This drives me crazy every time it.    rant over..... 

Sweet Sixteen is also troublesome for Ma telling Pa that she just couldn't wait to call him Grandpa. And he replies, "Same to you...Grandma!" and they laugh hysterically. 

When Adam Holbrook Barbecue Kendall Jr had literally perished in episode 19 and Sweet Sixteen was episode 22. Three episodes prior, folks.

[Mr. Sparkle]

As long as we're on the subject, remember when Albert beat up Andy because a girl Albert liked was into Andy? That was the episode right after Albert fried Andy's mother (and his nephew too). 

[tearknee]

4 hours ago, CountryGirl said:

Sweet Sixteen is also troublesome for Ma telling Pa that she just couldn't wait to call him Grandpa. And he replies, "Same to you...Grandma!" and they laugh hysterically. 

When Adam Holbrook Barbecue Kendall Jr had literally perished in episode 19 and Sweet Sixteen was episode 22. Three episodes prior, folks.

Three episodes and she's wiped grief and trauma off like makeup. 

Tiffany Brissette was taking down notes.

[debraran]

10 hours ago, Mr. Sparkle said:

As long as we're on the subject, remember when Albert beat up Andy because a girl Albert liked was into Andy? That was the episode right after Albert fried Andy's mother (and his nephew too). 

 That along with a few others, is very hard to brush off. LHOP was a story, it wasn't standalone to this degree. What's next, they forget Mary is blind?

[tearknee]

49 minutes ago, debraran said:

 That along with a few others, is very hard to brush off. LHOP was a story, it wasn't standalone to this degree. What's next, they forget Mary is blind?

 

[Blergh]

One thing that I've never seen discussed is whether the RL Almanzo Wilder considered his very unusual given name to have been a burden to him even considering how it somehow supposedly hearkened back to his family's medieval past.

I mean, I  had an African-American friend whose sister had been named for an Inuit character in a children's book- and the poor sister wound up having to explain her name origins for the zillionth time at my friend's funeral to a somewhat nosy congregant.  Yes, imagine having to explain one's name origins virtually every time one would be introduced, etc. (and why this congregant felt the need to pester that poor sister at the funeral on top of having to deal with her grief,etc., is beyond me).

Then again, my own mother has a rather unusual given name that's a family surname  but is tricky to spell (even though it's easy to pronounce).

FWIW, Mr. Wilder's middle name was James so I suppose he could have opted to ask others outside his immediate family to have called him that had he wanted.

[tearknee]

And James Wilder would be a lot more credible. It is the whole "Supreme Court Justice Kaylee" issue.

[The Wild Sow]

On 1/26/2025 at 4:26 PM, debraran said:

The closest ML came on LHOP was the blind painter who's mom saw her when paintings were displayed. I never understood why it was a "secret" going blind is nothing to be ashamed of.

That was on this morning. And the Mom didn't actually "see" her, you know.

And I think it was just the DUMBEST storyline ever.

OK, the daughter thinks Mom abandoned her because daughter was going blind. Nope, Mom left her at the orphanage because she HERSELF, the Mom, was going blind! So why not TELL her?  "I didn't want her to come to me out of pity..." WHAT?? Giving her information that she didn't have, the fact of her Mom's blindness, isn't asking for "pity" -- it's explaining a situation that the daughter was unaware of. 

Freakin' TALK to each other, people.

[debraran]

1 hour ago, The Wild Sow said:

That was on this morning. And the Mom didn't actually "see" her, you know.

And I think it was just the DUMBEST storyline ever.

OK, the daughter thinks Mom abandoned her because daughter was going blind. Nope, Mom left her at the orphanage because she HERSELF, the Mom, was going blind! So why not TELL her?  "I didn't want her to come to me out of pity..." WHAT?? Giving her information that she didn't have, the fact of her Mom's blindness, isn't asking for "pity" -- it's explaining a situation that the daughter was unaware of. 

Freakin' TALK to each other, people.

Yes, that's why I didn't like it, the mom did nothing wrong really but maybe could have written her a note but being sick and blind isn't a sin and "pity" is so much better than thinking your mom dumped you. Geez

[Blergh]

3 hours ago, debraran said:

Yes, that's why I didn't like it, the mom did nothing wrong really but maybe could have written her a note but being sick and blind isn't a sin and "pity" is so much better than thinking your mom dumped you. Geez

IMO, it would have worked better had let's say the late father's relatives deemed the mother unfit due to her illness and blindness and the courts agreed THEN the paternal relatives dumped her in an orphanage because they didn't want to be bothered with her. .then(with no other information) the girl grew up thinking that ALL of them had dumped her there.

[jason88cubs]

This is probably the longest I have gone without seeing a second of LHOP lol. It's been over a month for me now

[Mr. Sparkle]

I haven't seen one since yesterday afternoon. 

But I went from 1986 to 2020 without watching, so that's my longest streak. 

[jason88cubs]

23 minutes ago, Mr. Sparkle said:

I haven't seen one since yesterday afternoon. 

But I went from 1986 to 2020 without watching, so that's my longest streak. 

what got you back into it?

[Mr. Sparkle]

The pandemic. I was working from home full time, and I noticed LH was on two stations (Hallmark and UPTv) for a total of at least 6 episodes a day. With nothing else to do, I started watching again. Now that it's on Roku 24/7, I watch it way too often. 

[Snow Apple]

I've been watching on COZI working from home three days a week. It's on right after Highway to Heaven so a nice comforting double dose of ML to get through the day.

[debraran]

I find it funny (but not odd) that the cast doesn't watch it often. Matthew said recently he might catch it on while going up and down the numbers on TV and stall a bit to see which one, but doesn't like to watch himself. Karen and others said they rarely see it and MSA said her kids thought it was "cool" and that their teachers loved the show but didn't want to watch too much. I think MG might try to get her grand kids interested. ; ) 

They lived it and I feel it's wonderful they try to remember 50 years ago and all the various episodes fans bring up. Charlotte will just say she doesn't have a clue sometimes but does remember the "big" ones and she's very grateful for the 4 years she was given and it was fun to learn she knew Lukes dad off the set and got to spend time with him again. I felt bad she said, her last show was just the last show, no party, no fanfare, you just moved on. We missed you Miss Beadle!!

 

What was your favorite episode(s)?
“Here Come the Brides,” in which Miss Beadle marries the pig farmer, Adam Simms. No one knew that Adam was played by a dear friend, Joshua Bryant, who had gone to the Pasadena Playhouse with me in the late 50s!

Edited Thursday at 11:36 PM by debraran

[Snow Apple]

Speaking of Charlotte, I recently saw an episode of My Three Sons and there was a cute girl playing a teenage reporter for the school paper that Mike worked on. She wanted her articles in dramatic poetry LOL. I happened to catch the credits and she was played by Charlotte Stuart. So young!

[Blergh]

2 hours ago, Snow Apple said:

Speaking of Charlotte, I recently saw an episode of My Three Sons and there was a cute girl playing a teenage reporter for the school paper that Mike worked on. She wanted her articles in dramatic poetry LOL. I happened to catch the credits and she was played by Charlotte . So young!

Yep, and her crush on 'Mike' wasn't solely due to the script. Miss Stewart and Tim Considine were starting their bond which would wind up with them getting married, divorced . ..then airing out their misunderstandings and  eventually becoming platonic friends (along with his 2nd wife).   Miss Stewart was upset over his unexpected death (which she said happened after a fall at his home)!

[tearknee]

An aside: I miss M3S being on the local free to air station at 6 in the morning back in the day. Even if it was The Babs and Dodie Show period.\

 

[Blergh]

One thing occurred to me re Laura and the wheelchair: even though Nellie had been cruel to Bunny and deceptive to Laura (and everyone else) via faking paralysis, Laura DID literally put Nellie's actual mobility if not her life at risk via shoving her down that hill in that breakaway wheelchair- yet at NO point did Laura ever show the slightest contrition for having risked Nellie's literal limbs and life that way!

Even when retelling the tale over Christmas NO ONE calls Laura on having done that to Nellie not even Caroline 'We don't HATE anyone' Ingalls! Yeah, awful to fess hating someone but shoving someone down a hill in a wheelchair is fine and dandy!

[tearknee]

Yes.

Daniel in "Mrs. Doubtfire" was educated enough to trigger an allergy and thus also educated enough to know that Stu could just have as easily died. But, hey, nanu nanu guy, so it's all okay to not think about it!

[debraran]

6 hours ago, Blergh said:

One thing occurred to me re Laura and the wheelchair: even though Nellie had been cruel to Bunny and deceptive to Laura (and everyone else) via faking paralysis, Laura DID literally put Nellie's actual mobility if not her life at risk via shoving her down that hill in that breakaway wheelchair- yet at NO point did Laura ever show the slightest contrition for having risked Nellie's literal limbs and life that way!

Even when retelling the tale over Christmas NO ONE calls Laura on having done that to Nellie not even Caroline 'We don't HATE anyone' Ingalls! Yeah, awful to fess hating someone but shoving someone down a hill in a wheelchair is fine and dandy!

That always bothers me too, she could have tumbled out, hit her head and try explaining to Doc Baker, well I saw her walk and decided this was the best way to address it. Dramatic but I never thought it was funny. She could have yelled "fire" with the same effect. 

[Blergh]

2 hours ago, debraran said:

That always bothers me too, she could have tumbled out, hit her head and try explaining to Doc Baker, well I saw her walk and decided this was the best way to address it. Dramatic but I never thought it was funny. She could have yelled "fire" with the same effect. 

Or Laura could have done what Albert would later do to spook Nellie from the switchboard- find a mouse and toss at her (with both the Oleson parents present)! THAT would have showed up Nellie and been funny to boot !

Yet, NO ONE called out Laura for having done the wheelchair throwdown including Ma, Pa or EITHER of the Oleson 'rents (even when  she openly bragged about it years later)!

 

[tearknee]