Little House On The Prairie - General Discussion

[Snow Apple]

Laura caught Nellie's wedding bouquet, but yeah, I think that was it.

I don't remember which episode, but I remember Harriet gleefully telling Nellie that Laura and Almanzo were breaking up. Nellie looked horrified for them, but I don't think there were any interaction even then.

Such a waste of the two character's chemistry and history. They were hilarious together.

[CountryGirl]

Grown-up Laura and Nellie was definitely a wasted opportunity.

Could you imagine how much Nellie would have livened up the boring and annoying Brenda Sue episode with Nellie coming up with revenge schemes and temporarily forgetting about her being tamed by the power of the Percival peen?

[alexa]

I guess I always felt a growing relationship was inferred as Nellie became nice, and Caroline had many interactions with her.  I feel like Laura was in some of those interactions, but maybe not.  But in some ways it all makes sense as the focus was on the couple relationships they were starting, and it wasn’t long after Nellie still being mean to Laura.  And then when Nellie left, I can see how time apart and growing up would lead to that later happy reunion.  

[Blergh]

54 minutes ago, alexa said:

I guess I always felt a growing relationship was inferred as Nellie became nice, and Caroline had many interactions with her.  I feel like Laura was in some of those interactions, but maybe not.  But in some ways it all makes sense as the focus was on the couple relationships they were starting, and it wasn’t long after Nellie still being mean to Laura.  And then when Nellie left, I can see how time apart and growing up would lead to that later happy reunion.  

But then again, did either of them have any actual friends after the Daltons/Cohens left Walnut Grove? I mean, Laura was civil to her teaching replacement Miss Plum and Mrs. Carter but she surely didn't go out of her way to spend what little free time she had with either of them. And it's unclear whether Nellie had anyone in NYC besides her in-laws to talk to.  

[BigBingerBro]

I also found it odd that Nellie and Mary never had much or any interaction after they grew up.  Even in Winoka, I don't think there was ever a scene with the two of them in the same place.  Did the Olesons attend Mary and Adam's wedding??

I know that the two were never "friends" when children, but you'd think they would have at least had some civil exchanges as adults.  Please enlighten me if I missed any episodes where they are in scenes together as adults.

[Blergh]

45 minutes ago, BigBingerBro said:

I also found it odd that Nellie and Mary never had much or any interaction after they grew up.  Even in Winoka, I don't think there was ever a scene with the two of them in the same place.  Did the Olesons attend Mary and Adam's wedding??

I know that the two were never "friends" when children, but you'd think they would have at least had some civil exchanges as adults.  Please enlighten me if I missed any episodes where they are in scenes together as adults.

The only scene I recall in Winoka with them in the same place was when the whole Walnut Grove gang celebrated Mary's birthday (along with Adam but none of their students) at the Winoka Hotel. There was no direct dialogue between Nellie and Mary at that time- just a few platitudes from Mary addressing the whole group. 

As for any scenes after Mary (and Nellie) got married? After the Blind School Fire, Mary and Adam stayed in Nellie's Hotel for X number of weeks with Mary in her catatonic and 'irrational' state- and ONE time she was depicted as throwing something at Adam  while having a 'fit' and Nellie peeking into to see what the commotion was- but Adam told the understandably startled Nellie to get out (and there was no dialogue whatsoever between Nellie or Mary). Of course, the issue of whether Nellie and/or Percival were charitable enough to be willing to 'eat' the Kendalls staying there for weeks on end went completely unaddressed (and I don't recall even any of the Ingallses thanking them). 

[jason88cubs]

1 hour ago, BigBingerBro said:

I also found it odd that Nellie and Mary never had much or any interaction after they grew up.  Even in Winoka, I don't think there was ever a scene with the two of them in the same place.  Did the Olesons attend Mary and Adam's wedding??

I know that the two were never "friends" when children, but you'd think they would have at least had some civil exchanges as adults.  Please enlighten me if I missed any episodes where they are in scenes together as adults.

no Nels and Harriet did not go to wedding. Nels gave Charles a gift and said he hoped Mary would remember him

[Snow Apple]

2 hours ago, jason88cubs said:

no Nels and Harriet did not go to wedding. Nels gave Charles a gift and said he hoped Mary would remember him

I think almost everyone moved back to Walnut Grove by the time Mary and Adam got married. Laura and the other children stayed home because they couldn't afford train tickets for all of them.

I imagine the Olesons would be invited if they were still in Winoka.

[Pirpana]

On 4/19/2021 at 1:37 PM, debraran said:

It's been said he went crazy toward he end with what he thought would be ratings boosters. What happens though is you get a lot of people for that episode but as time goes on they fall off watching. What got to them to watch is a train wreck but who wants to see that on LHOP? A writer with no children had to write that or drunk and the angst with Albert and the pipe and music box. Way too much.

And ML wrote that episode himself (as you probably already knew). I recall on Blu-ray documentary Charlotte Stewart told that Landon sometimes wrote next episode in-between the takes of episode being shot at the time. She presented it as a good thing, like "oh, what superman!" but I think this one has to be one of those and it would have benefitted of writing in it's own time.

[debraran]

59 minutes ago, Pirpana said:

And ML wrote that episode himself (as you probably already knew). I recall on Blu-ray documentary Charlotte Stewart told that Landon sometimes wrote next episode in-between the takes of episode being shot at the time. She presented it as a good thing, like "oh, what superman!" but I think this one has to be one of those and it would have benefitted of writing in it's own time.

I really didn't know, thought he directed it. He really wrote it too quickly and probably without much insight from others. He had children and must have known how that would look to most fans but the drama of it, maybe outweighed it. I think he was involved with Cindy then and a year or so later, married her. People knew and saw it, some were upset and didn't speak to them, no need dragging that out now. I do believe being human we can't always compartmentalize things and I wonder if that script would have been better another time.

[Pirpana]

^Nice to be able to enlighten you. 🙂 Yeah, he wrote and directed it. And was executive producer, behind-the-scenes material of Outlander series has taught me about the power of that position. Sometimes it really feels like ML had too much power.

[Blergh]

1 hour ago, debraran said:

I really didn't know, thought he directed it. He really wrote it too quickly and probably without much insight from others. He had children and must have known how that would look to most fans but the drama of it, maybe outweighed it. I think he was involved with Cindy then and a year or so later, married her. People knew and saw it, some were upset and didn't speak to them, no need dragging that out now. I do believe being human we can't always compartmentalize things and I wonder if that script would have been better another time.

Not a bad theory but there were other scripts he wrote and/or approved of earlier in the series that were quite disturbing/traumatizing when he supposedly was still happily (and presumably monogamously) wed to his 2nd wife Lynn (e.g. Mrs. Whipple's son's morphine death, 'Gold Country' in which an old miner burns himself to death in his cabin after Laura blabs about him burying his stash beneath his beloved wife's resting place to a classmate with a greedy,thieving father,etc.).

[Blergh]

BTW, I guess this is as good a time and place as to mention the Fading Bandit.

Yes, after Laura's beloved, faithful dog Jack went into the great kennel in the sky in 'The Castoffs'(1977), the remarkably well-groomed stray dog Bandit showed up and was initially rejected by Laura until she finally changed her mind and took him . He was a steady character and even went with the family to Winoka but then got used less and less until maybe once a year by the time of his final appearance in 'He was Only Twelve (Part 2)' (1982). Presumably, he accompanied the Ingallses  Senior to Burr Oak during the Final Season but this was never stated. Yet, one wonders why Laura and Manly couldn't have taken in what been HER dog. Surely, he'd have been happier living with her, Manly, Baby Rose and even Jenny  on their spacious  farm than having to somehow endure staying cooped up in some tiny  city apartment with   Carrie, Grace, Albert, James and Cassandra while the Senior Ingallses worked zillions of hours and Albert became a morphine 'fiend' (the contemporary term).  

 

BTW, I'm sure 1980's residents of Burr Oak, Iowa got a good laugh at their tiny community being depicted as having   been a big,bad dangerous city in the late 19th century when it never has been more than a small village whose main claim to fame has been Carrie Ingalls's birthplace ( contrary to LIW's LHOTP chronology). 

[CountryGirl]

Ah, Burr Oak, the town where Charles skipped out of town in the middle of the night so he could avoid paying his debts.

[Zella]

4 hours ago, Pirpana said:

^Nice to be able to enlighten you. 🙂 Yeah, he wrote and directed it. And was executive producer, behind-the-scenes material of Outlander series has taught me about the power of that position. Sometimes it really feels like ML had too much power.

I'd agree with this. I think Michael Landon had good general TV instincts. Even when he was on Bonanza and started writing and directing episodes, other people on the show complimented his skill with writing and directing. I think he also usually had a pretty good track record of figuring out what people liked and wanted to watch. 

But I think he, like many writers, has some very bad habits that he falls back on, and I am sure actively working on a TV show versus, say, working on a novel at one's leisure, made him even more likely to collapse into that. And in ML's case, the things he falls back on are things like really trite, shrill melodrama and that if nothing bad is happening, then nothing is happening. It would have been to the show's advantage to have someone with equal power to balance him out. And it even seems like some of the performers on the show could have provided this if he had been more collaborative. But I don't think he would have been interested in sharing power. 

[Egg McMuffin]

10 hours ago, Zella said:

It would have been to the show's advantage to have someone with equal power to balance him out. And it even seems like some of the performers on the show could have provided this if he had been more collaborative. But I don't think he would have been interested in sharing power. 

No, he wasn’t. Ed Friendly was the other executive producer for the show’s pilot. Landon forced him out when the show went to series. Friendly had a credit at the end of every episode and financial interest in the show. But he had nothing to do with the production after the pilot/first few episodes. Friendly also held the TV rights to the books, so he was producer of the 2005 miniseries.

Edited April 23, 2021 by Kyle

[Egg McMuffin]

I watched “The Collection” this morning. I like to snark on the show as much as the next person, but this was a really solid entry. It’s the one with Johnny Cash as the grifter who impersonates a minister and attempts to fleece the townspeople. A simple story - as opposed to all the crazy theatrics we like to make fun of - and good performances from Cash and especially real-life wife June Carter, who could really act. Nice to see Melissa Anderson’s Mary get to be in the spotlight for a change.

Yeah, there are some gooey moments at the end, but it’s surprisingly restrained for a Landon production. Too bad they couldn’t turn out more episodes like this. Of course, in the very next episode, Nellie fakes paralysis and Laura pushes her down a hill in a wheelchair.😄

[Blergh]

4 minutes ago, Kyle said:

I watched “The Collection” this morning. I like to snark on the show as much as the next person, but this was a really solid entry. It’s the one with Johnny Cash as the grifter who impersonates a minister and attempts to fleece the townspeople. A simple story - as opposed to all the crazy theatrics we like to make fun of - and good performances from Cash and especially real-life wife June Carter, who could really act. Nice to see Melissa Anderson’s Mary get to be in the spotlight for a change.

Yeah, there are some gooey moments at the end, but it’s surprisingly restrained for a Landon production. Too bad they couldn’t turn out more episodes like this. Of course, in the very next episode, Nellie fakes paralysis and Laura pushes her down a hill in a wheelchair.😄

I agree with you on this!

My fave part of the episode? When Caleb (Johnny Cash) first puts on the preacher garb and his wife Maddie (June Carter Cash) has a hearty laugh! While I know it was scripted, I couldn't help but imagine that Mrs. Cash herself (knowing fully well Mr. Cash's offstage shadowside) likely had her own fun getting to do this in contrast to the usual lovey-dovey stuff! No doubt Mr. Cash truly could RELATE to that role but it was so powerfully done, there was no way it could have been anything but a one-shot character without all the regulars getting permanently overwhelemed. 

And, yes, I agree that it's actually good to see Mary get to do something besides being the bossy, goody-goody sister, have romances and go blind! 

[debraran]

28 minutes ago, Blergh said:

I agree with you on this!

My fave part of the episode? When Caleb (Johnny Cash) first puts on the preacher garb and his wife Maddie (June Carter Cash) has a hearty laugh! While I know it was scripted, I couldn't help but imagine that Mrs. Cash herself (knowing fully well Mr. Cash's offstage shadowside) likely had her own fun getting to do this in contrast to the usual lovey-dovey stuff! No doubt Mr. Cash truly could RELATE to that role but it was so powerfully done, there was no way it could have been anything but a one-shot character without all the regulars getting permanently overwhelemed. 

And, yes, I agree that it's actually good to see Mary get to do something besides being the bossy, goody-goody sister, have romances and go blind! 

That was one of my favs and MSA liked it too. Johnny Cash said that and Columbo were fun but he was a fish out of water but they were nice to him. I thought he did a fine job. If you catch his Columbo episode it was very good and he sings of course too. ; )

[Zella]

2 hours ago, debraran said:

That was one of my favs and MSA liked it too. Johnny Cash said that and Columbo were fun but he was a fish out of water but they were nice to him. I thought he did a fine job. If you catch his Columbo episode it was very good and he sings of course too. ; )

After seeing posts about the Cash episode of LHOTP, I was just getting ready to come on here and say that the Johnny Cash episodes of both LHOTP and Columbo are personal favorites of mine. I thought he did a great job on each one. 

[debraran]

2 hours ago, Zella said:

After seeing posts about the Cash episode of LHOTP, I was just getting ready to come on here and say that the Johnny Cash episodes of both LHOTP and Columbo are personal favorites of mine. I thought he did a great job on each one. 

I downloaded his I Saw the Light version since he never formally recorded it. Superb job on both.

https://columbophile.com/2020/04/04/5-best-moments-from-columbo-swan-song/

Edited April 24, 2021 by debraran

[alexa]

13 hours ago, Kyle said:

I watched “The Collection” this morning. I like to snark on the show as much as the next person, but this was a really solid entry. It’s the one with Johnny Cash as the grifter who impersonates a minister and attempts to fleece the townspeople. A simple story - as opposed to all the crazy theatrics we like to make fun of - and good performances from Cash and especially real-life wife June Carter, who could really act. Nice to see Melissa Anderson’s Mary get to be in the spotlight for a change.

Yeah, there are some gooey moments at the end, but it’s surprisingly restrained for a Landon production. Too bad they couldn’t turn out more episodes like this. Of course, in the very next episode, Nellie fakes paralysis and Laura pushes her down a hill in a wheelchair.😄

I loved that episode.  But I also love Laura pushing Nellie down the hill, lol.

[JAYJAY1979]

The season 2 episode 'A matter of faith ' was one of my favs..and gave Caroline a rare showcase dealing with a life threatening infection.

[debraran]

9 hours ago, JAYJAY1979 said:

The season 2 episode 'A matter of faith ' was one of my favs..and gave Caroline a rare showcase dealing with a life threatening infection.

I know when Karen wanted more meat to her roles (she was saying "coffee?" a lot) Michael gave her this episode, a reprise of a Bonanza one and Handyman. She loved both and thought the latter let her ""lean into her femininity." I also thought the one with Dirk Blocker was more about Caroline too but not as much of a stretch from being a mother/teacher. There were a lot of episodes where Michael was dominant and she was the food preparer and coffee maker and reacted to what he did or the chidren. When you think about it even when Mary goes blind, it's 90% Pa and Ma is just there. She cries when he tells her, but he takes her to the docs twice, he notices her squinting, he talks to her by the creek, she calls for Pa when her eyes give out. Finally it's Caroline telling her she's going to the blind school.

We loved her but many times she wasn't prominent and I'm glad he threw her some crumbs although toward the end it started again I guess and she wanted to leave.

Edited April 26, 2021 by debraran

[alexa]

1 hour ago, debraran said:

I know when Karen wanted more meat to her roles (she was saying "coffee?" a lot) Michael gave her this episode, a reprise of a Bonanza one and Handyman. She loved both and thought the latter let her ""lean into her femininity." I also thought the one with Dirk Blocker was more about Caroline too but not as much of a stretch from being a mother/teacher. There were a lot of episodes where Michael was dominant and she was the food preparer and coffee maker and reacted to what he did or the chidren. When you think about it even when Mary goes blind, it's 90% Pa and Ma is just there. She cries when he tells her, but he takes her to the docs twice, he notices her squinting, he talks to her by the creek, she calls for Pa when her eyes give out. Finally it's Caroline telling her she's going to the blind school.

We loved her but many times she wasn't prominent and I'm glad he threw her some crumbs although toward the end it started again I guess and she wanted to leave.

It is funny because I think she was the prominent parent in many cases, so it always looked weird when she wasn’t very involved in Mary’s blindness.  I am sure that was due to ML, but it always seemed strange.  

[Egg McMuffin]

I agree. Since Halfpint was so close to Pa, I assumed Mary was closer to Ma and she would have been more involved in supporting Mary when she went mline.

But I don’t think Michael Landon was willing sacrifice a prime opportunity chew the scenery. And if he could have somehow tripped over Mary and broken his ribs so he could bare his chest, all the better. I think even if Nellie had gone blind, they would have found a way, somehow, to make it all about Charles.

[CountryGirl]

ITA ML wasn’t about to share the spotlight with KG, especially when she was his equal, if not his better, in the acting department. And didn’t have to show off her chest either to give a scene a boost. 

[debraran]

3 hours ago, alexa said:

It is funny because I think she was the prominent parent in many cases, so it always looked weird when she wasn’t very involved in Mary’s blindness.  I am sure that was due to ML, but it always seemed strange.  

Yes since Mary and Ma were close and he favored Laura. I think he wanted more time but it seemed odd 

[Egg McMuffin]

Landon had the showier role, by design, but it’s telling that we remember Grassle’s work so well especially since you can argue that she was marginalized throughout the series.

I’d love to know what went down behind the scenes when she left. I’m guessing they didn’t know she was leaving when they did the season finale for season 8. And then she didn’t show up for a farewell episode at the beginning of season 9. Was she not asked, or did she refuse? She did eventually come back for the series finale, but her abrupt departure without an onscreen farewell is odd.

[Pirpana]

^Just like her absence from the episodes where her son suffers from morphine addiction and later dies of leukemia. You'd think Caroline would be interested of his situation(s).

[Egg McMuffin]

Great point. Charles got to be close to Laura and Albert, who had the biggest roles of the Ingalls children overall. Caroline got to be close to Mary, whose role noticeably declined over her last three years; Carrie, who wasn’t even toilet trained and whose one episode where she got to be the lead was a creative disaster; and Grace, who couldn’t figure out how to get food in her mouth.

[jason88cubs]

Greta observations. I always found it weird that Caroline wasnt their for the premier of season 9. I guess Charles took em all to Missouri then came back to say goodbye?

[jason88cubs]

Back then it was very taboo for men to be seen crying, they just didnt do it in front of others or at all

 

but Charles had no problem lol

 

 

[Blergh]

16 hours ago, jason88cubs said:

Greta observations. I always found it weird that Caroline wasnt their for the premier of season 9. I guess Charles took em all to Missouri then came back to say goodbye?

  When did they go to Missouri? I thought the Senior Ingallses went to the big bad city of Burr Oak, Iowa!

Still, I thought it was odd that not only were no goodbyes from Caroline to Laura or any of her friends and others depicted but it seemed they were avoiding having her seen when she, Charles and the others were leaving. My guess is that ML didn't want to pay the former regulars any one-time salary for a 'goodbye' but had no problems paying himself! 

FWIW, I know it was the LIW and her own nuclear family who settled in Missouri to get a break from those brutal Minnesota winters (that barely got a mention on the TV LHOTP).

[jason88cubs]

7 minutes ago, Blergh said:

  When did they go to Missouri? I thought the Senior Ingallses went to the big bad city of Burr Oak, Iowa!

Still, I thought it was odd that not only were no goodbyes from Caroline to Laura or any of her friends and others depicted but it seemed they were avoiding having her seen when she, Charles and the others were leaving. My guess is that ML didn't want to pay the former regulars any one-time salary for a 'goodbye' but had no problems paying himself! 

FWIW, I know it was the LIW and her own nuclear family who settled in Missouri to get a break from those brutal Minnesota winters (that barely got a mention on the TV LHOTP).

maybe it was IOWA, I cant recall

[Zella]

8 minutes ago, Blergh said:

FWIW, I know it was the LIW and her own nuclear family who settled in Missouri to get a break from those brutal Minnesota winters (that barely got a mention on the TV LHOTP).

Yes, they ended up moving maybe about 3 hours from where I live in Arkansas. I have never visited the Laura Ingalls Wilder House in Mansfield, but it isn't too far from where my dad lives. After the pandemic subsides, I'd like to go visit it now.

I actually know the guy who gets to play Pa's fiddle yearly. (He was one of my English professors in college. He's originally from Mansfield, and there are some nice videos of him playing it on YouTube, I think.) I had never watched the show or read the books at that time, so I didn't pay much attention when another professor told me that tidbit about him. 

[Blergh]

I guess this is as good a place as any to mention it but, as of April 20,2021, Ketty Lester (Hester-Sue Terhune)  has released her autobio on Amazon entitled  Ketty Lester: From Arkansas to Grammy Nominated "Love Letters" to Little House on the Prairie: A Memoir.

No, I haven't read it yet. However, this is only the 2nd  then-adult castmember (the 1st being Charlotte Stewart) to release a memoir that at least touches upon their experiences of working on the show.  Oh, it also needs to be mentioned that she had some notable success as a singer in the early 1960's and she was born in Hope, Arkansas (yes, President Clinton's birthplace- though I have no idea whether she details whether she/her family crossed paths with his).

FWIW, I understand that Karen Grassle (Caroline) is due to release her own autobio  in November (Bright Lights, Prairie Dust: Reflections on Life, Loss and Love from Little House's Ma). Again, I've haven't read it but it does have a more succinct title than Miss Lester's bio. 

[Zella]

I didn't know Hester Sue's actress was from Arkansas! 

[Blergh]

6 minutes ago, Zella said:

I didn't know Hester Sue's actress was from Arkansas! 

Yes. it's true. She didn't hide her Southeastern US accent in the character.

[Zella]

3 minutes ago, Blergh said:

Yes. it's true. She didn't hide her Southeastern US accent in the character.

Yeah for sure! I am in a different part of Arkansas, so her accent doesn't sound like what I hear up here, but she definitely was Southern. 

[Egg McMuffin]

I’ve always liked Ketty Lester in whatever she showed up in, even if Hester Sue helped kill Mary’s baby by flinging open the cellar door when the house was on fire.

I wonder if she touches on Hester Sue’s downward mobility, from blind school principal and teacher, to hash slinger at Nellie’s.

[BigBingerBro]

4 hours ago, Blergh said:

Ketty Lester: From Arkansas to Grammy Nominated "Love Letters" to Little House on the Prairie: A Memoir.

I ordered it!  Thanks.  Now why did I think she had died? I must have her confused with someone else.

[jird]

I need to read that, too!

I've always had a soft spot for her because she reminds me of my mom.

[debraran]

6 hours ago, Blergh said:

I guess this is as good a place as any to mention it but, as of April 20,2021, Ketty Lester (Hester-Sue Terhune)  has released her autobio on Amazon entitled  Ketty Lester: From Arkansas to Grammy Nominated "Love Letters" to Little House on the Prairie: A Memoir.

No, I haven't read it yet. However, this is only the 2nd  then-adult castmember (the 1st being Charlotte Stewart) to release a memoir that at least touches upon their experiences of working on the show.  Oh, it also needs to be mentioned that she had some notable success as a singer in the early 1960's and she was born in Hope, Arkansas (yes, President Clinton's birthplace- though I have no idea whether she details whether she/her family crossed paths with his).

FWIW, I understand that Karen Grassle (Caroline) is due to release her own autobio  in November (Bright Lights, Prairie Dust: Reflections on Life, Loss and Love from Little House's Ma). Again, I've haven't read it but it does have a more succinct title than Miss Lester's bio. 

Since Karen was on show for a long time, I'm sure there will be more tidbits. She resisted doing one in the past, usually better within a certain length of time, but knows some fans will buy it. So many are dead now, it's sad. Maybe thought with so many coming out at once, it was better to wait. Ketty's book will have much less on LHOP but an interesting career. She will bring a new pair eyes as a black actress and singer which will be different.

https://www.amazon.com/Bright-Lights-Prarie-Dust-Reflections/dp/1647423139/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=karen+grassle&qid=1619733233&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/KETTY-LESTER-Nominated-Letters-Prairie/dp/0578662337/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=ketty+lester&qid=1619733301&sr=8-1

 

Edited April 29, 2021 by debraran

[Zella]

I wonder if we'll get anything as juicy as Mr. Edwards and Miss Beedle were boinking after hours, like from Charlotte Stewart's memoir, from either of these books. I've still not recovered from that revelation. LOL

[Blergh]

13 hours ago, debraran said:

Since Karen was on show for a long time, I'm sure there will be more tidbits. She resisted doing one in the past, usually better within a certain length of time, but knows some fans will buy it. So many are dead now, it's sad. Maybe thought with so many coming out at once, it was better to wait. Ketty's book will have much less on LHOP but an interesting career. She will bring a new pair eyes as a black actress and singer which will be different.

https://www.amazon.com/Bright-Lights-Prarie-Dust-Reflections/dp/1647423139/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=karen+grassle&qid=1619733233&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/KETTY-LESTER-Nominated-Letters-Prairie/dp/0578662337/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=ketty+lester&qid=1619733301&sr=8-1

 

Well, while Miss Lester's career sure has had twists and turns I doubt few if anyone in her Arkansas hometown could have predicted (and it should be interesting to see her viewpoint of how things went on LHOTP), let's not think Miss Grassle's life didn't have unexpected twists.

To begin with, she had been such a dedicated theater performer ( and noted Shakespearean) tha,t according to Miss Stewart, Miss Grassle had no idea who this Mr. Landon was who called the latter  to audition for the part of Caroline since evidently had been she'd been too busy to have ever seen Bonanza! One odd thing that ML complained about in interviews was that he claimed that critics said she was too plain to play his wife(?!). If true, what were these critics smoking since (on a shallow note), I always thought she was quite attractive while being as believable (despite what the scripts often threw at her) as possible playing this iconic pioneer wife and mother. I wonder if Miss Grassle will address that claim (or will she possibly say that he concocted that to stoke his own ego). 

Edited April 30, 2021 by Blergh

[Zella]

Whaaaaat? I also thought Grassle was a really attractive woman who still looked believable in a 19th century setting. I wouldn't be surprised if Landon and his manly chest felt a little threatened/intimidated by her background and threw that shade at her out of spite. 

[Snow Apple]

I admit I thought Karen Grassle was ordinary looking when I was watching as a kid. Remember this was the 70's with all the glamorous actresses dominating the airwaves, with Farrah Fawcett as reigning supreme.

As I grew older, I realized she was pretty but not "in your face" pretty. She was perfect in  looks and acting as the prairie wife Caroline. She was warm, loving, tough, practical, and gently humorous. 

I was quite disappointed when I discovered the real life Charles and Caroline didn't look like the actors. Yeah, shamefully admit that I was a shallow child.

Edited April 30, 2021 by Snow Apple

[Mr. Sparkle]

2 minutes ago, Snow Apple said:

I admit I thought Karen Grassle was ordinary looking when I was watching as a kid. Remember this was the 70's with all the glamorous actresses dominating the airwaves, with Farrah Fawcett as reigning supreme.

As I grew older, I realized she was pretty but not "in your face" pretty. She was perfect in  looks and acting as the prairie wife Caroline. She was warm, loving, tough, practical, and gently humorous. 

I agree, I would call her "not my type," but she's perfectly fine looking and looked appropriate for the role she played. 

She did look kind of hot with her hair down in a few episodes. This is not a show I watched for the "eye candy." 

[Mr. Sparkle]

1 hour ago, Zella said:

I wouldn't be surprised if Landon and his manly chest felt a little threatened/intimidated by her background and threw that shade at her out of spite. 

If you read even the wikipedia article about him, my boy was neurotic as hell, and it sounds like his mother had a lot to do with it.