Little House On The Prairie - General Discussion

[VCRTracking]

I couldn't take being an Ingalls or a Walton. Every week there's like a crazy dramatic incident that would traumatize a regular person.

[Blergh]

I couldn't take being an Ingalls or a Walton. Every week there's like a crazy dramatic incident that would traumatize a regular person.

 

 

 Who says no one was traumatized? Carrie grew to become  a rather withdrawn and uptight child- especially compared to older sis Laura at the same ages so perhaps she was!

[Ubiquitous]

Caught the second half of the "Stone Soup" episode. My preschool teacher told us that story and had us make it. I never knew it was such a thing.

I just had to love that Ma took over for Laura at the school. I had to laugh when Willie poured the water over replacement-Nellie. Poor Willie. His mother only loved her daughters, it seemed.

I also wondered how it was that only the children helped water the orchard and why they were so enthusiastic. I can't get my sister to do anything. Kids these days.

I saw this one yesterday and it annoyed me, especially everyone acting like the "stone soup" story was inspirational when in fact it was about a man who tricked a small village into feeding him.

[VCRTracking]

I want a fanfic of Mariette Hartley's Widow Thurman hooking up with Gil Gerard's Chris.

[Blergh]

I saw this one yesterday and it annoyed me, especially everyone acting like the "stone soup" story was inspirational when in fact it was about a man who tricked a small village into feeding him.

 

 

 Not a bad bit of storytelling on Caroline's part. However; I wonder if she could have persuaded/guilted the class to bail out Laura just by stating that she was suffering from heat exhaustion , was ' in the family way' AND needed that orchard tended to keep a roof overhead?

[jird]

Watching "The Man Inside," yet another episode where we learn it's not nice to make fun of fat people unless they're Mrs. Oleson, and there's a lingering close up of Mr. Bevin's hand. He has remarkably well-groomed, shinily buffed nails for a handyman. Maybe there's a blind school manicurist.

[Blergh]

jird,

 

 Maybe he was hoping to be a Sears-Robuck catalogue glove  hand model in case the overnight carpentry career didn't work out.

[VCRTracking]

Just watched the rerun of Madeline Stowe as a very talented blind artist and I still find it ridiculous. Look,  a person is still capable of a lot of things, painting incredibly accurate and realistic looking landscapes is NOT one of them! I don't care how good your memory of what a tree is, you still need to see to paint!

Edited March 7, 2016 by VCRTracking

[Maherjunkie]

Is this the one whose mother rejected her?

[VCRTracking]

Yes.

[Runningwild]

Great choices today. Mary goes mline on Hallmark or Albert withdraws from morPHINE on INSP. 

[Maherjunkie]

I'd go with the rabid dog.

[Zanzibar]

One of my favorite moments is in "Divorce, Walnut Grove Style," the one where Laura is convinced Almanzo is in love with Brenda Sue.  Laura starts a fight with Brenda Sue outside the schoolhouse and restaurant, and Ma has to come out to break up the fight and send the schoolchildren home.  Laura is still yapping about Brenda Sue ("I should have scratched her eyes out!") when Ma yanks her arm and sternly snaps, "You will be SILENT!" I rewind and watch that part a couple times every time that episode is on, because I just enjoy stern Ma putting Laura in her place.  I'm evil like that.

[Blergh]

On ‎9‎/‎14‎/‎2016 at 5:14 PM, Zanzibar said:

One of my favorite moments is in "Divorce, Walnut Grove Style," the one where Laura is convinced Almanzo is in love with Brenda Sue.  Laura starts a fight with Brenda Sue outside the schoolhouse and restaurant, and Ma has to come out to break up the fight and send the schoolchildren home.  Laura is still yapping about Brenda Sue ("I should have scratched her eyes out!") when Ma yanks her arm and sternly snaps, "You will be SILENT!" I rewind and watch that part a couple times every time that episode is on, because I just enjoy stern Ma putting Laura in her place.  I'm evil like that.

  Yep, it's funny to see (but not always funny to have it happen) when a technical adult gets chastised by their parent.

I recall reading that there was a time when Eunice Shriver was having a disagreement with her octogenarian mother Rose Kennedy with neither side giving an inch before Mrs. Kennedy declared "Eunice! Be still!" and not only did the 50-something Mrs. Shriver drop her end of the argument but seemed to temporarily revert to being a tiny child on the verge of being sent to her room.

[jird]

I finally caved and bought the first season on Amazon instant video.  Totally worth it -- all of the scenes that are cut from tv, including some I'd totally forgotten about. I'd always get all irritated at Hallmark when we didn't get to see Laura's total amazement at Willie erasing the blackboard.

[Ubiquitous]

On ‎2‎/‎3‎/‎2016 at 1:09 PM, Blergh said:

 Not a bad bit of storytelling on Caroline's part. However; I wonder if she could have persuaded/guilted the class to bail out Laura just by stating that she was suffering from heat exhaustion , was ' in the family way' AND needed that orchard tended to keep a roof overhead?

Back in those days, they'd just order the children to do it.

[jird]

Watching "The Election" today and wishing that we could all vote for Elmer Dobkins.

[oceanblue]

He's looking pretty good now isn't he?

[Maherjunkie]

Even Nellie Olson would be a step up.

[oceanblue]

If I were willing to vote for a celebrity for President. Alison Arngrim wouldbe a great choice.

[psychoticstate]

Last weekend I found Season 8 of LHOTP for $15 so I snapped it up.  

First episode I watched was "A Wiser Heart."  Don't know why but I love that one; Laura and Almanzo somehow find the money to send her off to a summer school type thing in Arizona; Eliza Jane is also attending and she falls head over heels for the smarmy professor who is not only married (Eliza Jane!) but has the hots for Laura.

Last night I needed some comfort tv so I watched "Wave of the Future."  Silly in a lot of aspects.  When do all the food deliveries come in for the pan fried steak, roasted chicken and beef stew?  And all that Mrs. Sullivan's chocolate cake?  And where are ALL those restaurant patrons coming from?  Did it never enter Mrs. Oleson's mind that if the restaurant was going to be open 7 days a week from breakfast through to dinner, she needed more employees than Caroline and Hester Sue?  Who was washing all the dishes?  Why would an Ingalls child (even faux ones like Albert, James and Cassandra) ever be allowed to run around the restaurant like banshees?  How did Mr. Oleson manage to get all that food for the short lived Oleson's Restaurant?  And man, did he get the short end of the stick, having to prepare all the food . . . and I assume, take the orders and serve as well since Charles was busy playing his fiddle. 

That said, still love the episode for whatever reason.   I may watch "Days of Sunshine, Days of Shadow" next, where I can watch Laura refuse to scream or yell during her labor pains, Almanzo turn into Grumpy Cat because of his illness and Eliza Jane reappear to suggest a nice office job for her crippled brother.  Good times! 

[psychoticstate]

So last night I watched "A Christmas They Never Forgot," followed by "Family Quarrel." 

I love the Christmas episode.  It was nice to see the flashback to Mr. Edwards from the premiere as well as stories on the childhoods of Caroline, Almanzo and Hester Sue.  (Although the child actress playing Caroline was horrible.)   Watching shows like this where the extended family is snowed in at the Ingalls' place, I can't help but wonder where everyone is going to sleep.  Could Adam, Almanzo and Charles really have slept with their heads resting on the table?  My back hurt just viewing.  Ma in her rocker, check.  They all seemed to think it was great and dandy that opening the front door revealed a wall of snow.  Sure, Pa could walk across to the barn where the presents were but what if someone needs to use the outhouse?  Yes, I think about these things.   I also wondered how Almanzo had his present for Laura since they weren't scheduled to stay at the Ingalls' homestead that night.  Bygones.

"Family Quarrel" was fun.   We got to see yet more characters crowd into the store we'd never seen before and wouldn't see again (kind of like those people crowding into the restaurant in "Wave of the Future").   Would the town really leave church and all wait around outside to see if Reverend Alden had any luck playing marriage counselor with the Olesons?  Awkward.  And, naturally, I don't think we saw Mr. Oleson's hunting dog again. 

[oceanblue]

Quote

 

Maybe the dog was hunting for the never seen again Mrs. Alden.

[Maherjunkie]

I saw most of today's episode with the fat man but missed the beginning.  What did Laura say that was so traumatic?  Was it so terrible this man would withdraw from his family and court death?

[halfpint ingals]

While we may not have seen the dog again, Alicia did get one of the dog's puppies in a later episode. 

[jird]

Was that one of the missing dog's pups? Good catch, Halfpint, I never realized that?

[Quof]

I'm watching "Author, Author", when Caroline's parents come to visit to see Mary's baby.  Ma Holbrook dies on the way, and they put her body in the back of the wagon.  What the Hell?  Caroline runs to the back of the wagon to greet her mother and sees the coffin, understandably freaking out.  Her father or husband didn't think to stop her?

[BatmanBeatles]

Not even sending telegram for Pete's sake.

[Quof]

She died on the train to Walnut Grove, no time for a telegram, but they could have stopped poor Ma from going to the back of the wagon.

[rags]

Sylvia was on FAME...who knew?

[sistermagpie]

On 3/7/2016 at 4:21 PM, VCRTracking said:

Just watched the rerun of Madeline Stowe as a very talented blind artist and I still find it ridiculous. Look,  a person is still capable of a lot of things, painting incredibly accurate and realistic looking landscapes is NOT one of them! I don't care how good your memory of what a tree is, you still need to see to paint!

Actually, that's not true. I don't know how they do it but I have met an actual blind artist who can paint.

But as far as I know she never painted an ugly picture of her mother.

On 3/3/2017 at 4:43 PM, Quof said:

I'm watching "Author, Author", when Caroline's parents come to visit to see Mary's baby.  Ma Holbrook dies on the way, and they put her body in the back of the wagon.  What the Hell?  Caroline runs to the back of the wagon to greet her mother and sees the coffin, understandably freaking out.  Her father or husband didn't think to stop her?

But then she'd miss the fun of the surprise corpse.

[Ubiquitous]

At least they didn't tie her dead mother's body seating in one of the wagon seats!

[CeeBeeGee]

On 3/14/2017 at 7:15 PM, rags said:

Sylvia was on FAME...who knew?

Thylvia was also in the '80s cult film Tuff Turf (she gives blow job tips to a bunch of girls in the country club).

[Blergh]

Speaking of lost loved ones, why was there no funeral for Charles and Caroline's only son? I mean they had one for Laura's only son who never got named but her brother did indeed get the name of Frederick yet they still had no funeral for him.

[greekmom]

Was home due to Victoria Day and caught Times are Changing Part 1.

Things that bothered me are:

1. The backstory changes about Royal and family. Where is Millie? Where are Jenny's brothers? Why couldn't they take her? Did they all die in a fire set off by a pipe? 

2. The scene with Willie and Laura when she said by to the class.  Melissa and Jonathan were only 4 years different and at the beginning pretty much treated as the same grade/age. So when Laura changed her hair to the 'bun of maturity' and put on the dumpy dress she all of a sudden grew by 10 years?

3. The storyline that Jed (the older Carter boy) doesn't know how to swim. I can believe if the younger one didn't but how did young Carter know how to swim but older Carter did not? 

I just cannot believe how I was able to take this stuff at face value when I was younger!

[Blergh]

Good questions , greekmom.

I'll just say with #3 that it could be that their father had tried to teach both sons to swim and while the younger one took to it like a fish, Jed absolutely refused (and may have even argued that he'd never be a fisherman or sailor) and their softie dad didn't want to push it.

[blindschool]

Rewatching season 6 I've noticed every time Almanzo breaks up a fight, he falls on his ass and takes the fighter down with him. It's like he has no coordination at all, like the Scarecrow trying to walk in If I Only Had a Brain.

[Mrs. Hanson]

On 9/17/2016 at 2:50 PM, Blergh said:

I recall reading that there was a time when Eunice Shriver was having a disagreement with her octogenarian mother Rose Kennedy with neither side giving an inch before Mrs. Kennedy declared "Eunice! Be still!" and not only did the 50-something Mrs. Shriver drop her end of the argument but seemed to temporarily revert to being a tiny child on the verge of being sent to her room.

I saw footage of JFK being told what to do on a campaign stage by Rose Kennedy and it was very funny.  You could hear him:  "Yes, Mother....okay Mother."  

Today is the episode where the kids, in Walnut Grove MINNESOTA take a friend to see the ocean.  The ocean.  Hate to break to everyone but Minnesota is landlocked.  Yep, they traveled 1500 miles.  On their own.

Love this show, love the reruns!!!!

[mmecorday]

I watched the episode in which Mary and Adam move away from Walnut Grove so that Adam can actually have a law career. When Laura is saying goodbye to her sister, she says that she will write letters in Braille so that Adam can't read them. Um, Adam can read Braille, Half-Wit. He taught Mary how to read it at the mline school.

I forget just how bad some of the newer episodes are.

[Snow Apple]

I'm watching the episode where the criminals are at the blind school. One of them is about to attack Mary and Pa takes him out. Then he grabs Mary without first letting her know it's him and she's safe! WTF Pa!

[VCRTracking]

"May We Make Them Proud Part 1" is on now. RIP Alice Garvey and little Adam Jr.

I'll always wonder if ML had Mary have a baby knowing she didn't in real life so he could kill him off or if somebody told him it wasn't historically accurate and that's when he decided Adam Jr had to go.

[Jacqs]

5 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

"May We Make Them Proud Part 1" is on now. RIP Alice Garvey and little Adam Jr.

I'll always wonder if ML had Mary have a baby knowing she didn't in real life so he could kill him off or if somebody told him it wasn't historically accurate and that's when he decided Adam Jr had to go.

Isn't that the two parter where MSA is sitting up in bed with a full face of make-up including quite a bit of orange-ish rouge?

Edited April 5, 2018 by JacquelineAppleton

[scowl]

I started watching season seven. Whenever I see Eliza Jane, I always think I'm seeing a man in drag. 

[Jacqs]

23 hours ago, scowl said:

I started watching season seven. Whenever I see Eliza Jane, I always think I'm seeing a man in drag. 

"I saw Mrs. Doubtfire! This is a man in drag! [struggles with nanny] stupid, phoney broad!"

[Jacqs]

They should have aped Blackadder: "Carrie makes a fine yellow wine, and you will be glad to know that there is an inexhaustible supply of it!"

[BlancheDevoreaux]

On 7/26/2014 at 12:43 PM, BatmanBeatles said:

I'm so evil. I just thought of the Benny Hill theme during the school fire.

So I didn't know what the Benny Hill theme sounded like so I went to trusty old youtube and found it.  As soon as it started playing, I imagined the fire set to that music and was laughing so hard I had tears rolling down my cheeks.  Really needed a good belly laugh today.

[VCRTracking]

On 5/1/2018 at 8:14 PM, scowl said:

I started watching season seven. Whenever I see Eliza Jane, I always think I'm seeing a man in drag. 

Speaking of Lucy Lee Flippin, here's a video from 2013 of the Wilder siblings reunited!

[halfpint ingals]

Quote

 

I watched the episode in which Mary and Adam move away from Walnut Grove so that Adam can actually have a law career. When Laura is saying goodbye to her sister, she says that she will write letters in Braille so that Adam can't read them. Um, Adam can read Braille, Half-Wit. He taught Mary how to read it at the mline school.

I forget just how bad some of the newer episodes are.

 

 

 

 

Mmecorday,  I saw your post from January 5th.   This came up on the old nitpickers guide. 

To be fair to the show,  this can be explained.  If Halfpint wrote a letter to Prisspot in regular English, Mary could not read it. Adam would have to read it to her,  and it would lose its privacy.   

But if Laura wrote in Braille, Mary could read it by herself,  and it could stay private between the two sisters .

 

 

Here is the link to the nitpickers guide.

 

Quote

 

Mary & Adam left Walnut Grove and as they were saying their goodbye's, Laura said to Mary something along the lines of: "I'll be sure to write to you in Braille so Adam can't read them." Ummmmmmmm........wasn't Adam the one who taught Mary to read Braille in the first place. I highly doubt that regaining his sight as he did would block out his ability to read Braille!!! Maybe I'm overanalyzing, but.......

Contributed by Nathan, June 1, 1997.

Additional: I think Laura means she'll write in Bralle so that Mary can read it herself and not have to have Adam read it.

Additional by Jennifer R, July 1, 1997.

 

Edited May 31, 2018 by halfpint ingals
add link

[VCRTracking]

On 5/1/2018 at 8:14 PM, scowl said:

I started watching season seven. Whenever I see Eliza Jane, I always think I'm seeing a man in drag. 

And whenever I see her, I think all she needs to lighten her spirits is watching a great dance routine:

[MissAlmond]

After watching "Perry Mason" reruns, I'm shocked to discover the Rev. Alden went on a killing spree upon leaving Walnut Grove for Los Angeles.