Little House On The Prairie - General Discussion

[debraran]

A composting toilet would be easy with all the sawdust. I would leave pail  outside back porch. They did silly things not to mention any of them but Carrie had a bladder or ever had to go. The longest trips were just fine. 2 days with snow up to windows, we are just fine.    

[Blergh]

25 minutes ago, debraran said:

A composting toilet would be easy with all the sawdust. I would leave pail  outside back porch. They did silly things not to mention any of them but Carrie had a bladder or ever had to go. The longest trips were just fine. 2 days with snow up to windows, we are just fine.    

Yeah, even Baby Grace (Carrie's younger sister) never seemed to have been mentioned as having any need to go!

Edited September 27, 2021 by Blergh

[debraran]

On 9/27/2021 at 2:38 PM, Blergh said:

Yeah, even Baby Grace (Carrie's younger sister) never seemed to have been mentioned as having any need to go!

Maybe it was an Ingall's recessive gene that they never had to go to the bathroom and it skipped Carrie. ; )

[Blergh]

15 hours ago, debraran said:

Maybe it was an Ingall's recessive gene that they never had to go to the bathroom and it skipped Carrie. ; )

Even in the 'wives and mothers strike' episode. Charles is depicted having trouble feeding Grace but NOTHING about dealing with the outcome at the other end. 

Poor Carrie is such winds up being so blah and bland that even Baby Grace winds up having a toddler flirtation (at Nellie Oleson's Wedding no less) while Carrie has no hint of being interested in anyone or anything past toddler stage despite being twelve when her character exited LHOTP!

[debraran]

The only poop episode was a stupid one when Almonzo told Laura the smell she smelled ( foreign to her) was Rose not smelling like one. She quickly took diaper rolled up and went outside for a moment and God knows what she did with it. No mention on return.  

Edited September 29, 2021 by debraran

[Pirpana]

2 hours ago, debraran said:

was Rose not smelling like one

LOL!

[Egg McMuffin]

I wish that orangutan that Nancy hated threw poop at her. Does that count?

[jird]

Watched the first part of Mary going mline, and I forget how incredibly mad I always get that Pa didn't tell her for so long. Like maybe it didn't occur to him that if she was going blind, every single day of sight she had would be really precious and she would want to make the most of them?

[debraran]

1 hour ago, jird said:

Watched the first part of Mary going mline, and I forget how incredibly mad I always get that Pa didn't tell her for so long. Like maybe it didn't occur to him that if she was going blind, every single day of sight she had would be really precious and she would want to make the most of them?

Their denial. That's why the doctor looked so upset when Charles lied. He knew it would be quick and she'd be frightened.

[Blergh]

15 hours ago, debraran said:

Their denial. That's why the doctor looked so upset when Charles lied. He knew it would be quick and she'd be frightened.

Of course, what's odd is that a few years earlier when Mary got her glasses(that she fake lost)  in 'Four Eyes', no one mentioned that she'd had any problems besides becoming more than slightly nearsighted - much less that she'd ever had had Scarlet Fever as a child. However, by the time of the whole blindness  episodes arc, not only had the vision worsened but the doctor was able to predict that her vision was going to   ski slope to total blindness in a very short time.

And yet even though it seemed from the time of her worsening vision to becoming a blind school teacher happened in roughly a year's time (as had the pregnancy, birth and death of Baby Frederick Ingalls), even with these two episodes alone supposedly adding at least  two years to the timeline, somehow no one else aged more than a couple of weeks- especially Laura and Toddler Carrie.  

[debraran]

1 hour ago, Blergh said:

Of course, what's odd is that a few years earlier when Mary got her glasses(that she fake lost)  in 'Four Eyes', no one mentioned that she'd had any problems besides becoming more than slightly nearsighted - much less that she'd ever had had Scarlet Fever as a child. However, by the time of the whole blindness  episodes arc, not only had the vision worsened but the doctor was able to predict that her vision was going to   ski slope to total blindness in a very short time.

And yet even though it seemed from the time of her worsening vision to becoming a blind school teacher happened in roughly a year's time (as had the pregnancy, birth and death of Baby Frederick Ingalls), even with these two episodes alone supposedly adding at least  two years to the timeline, somehow no one else aged more than a couple of weeks- especially Laura and Toddler Carrie.  

Yes, the doc did say "You never told me she had Scarlet Fever" which maybe he should have in history but doc also didn't ask about past illness's first time. Probably thought she just had bad eyes. I did think those 2 episodes, although rushed in her acceptance and learning, were some of the best. Of course Adam was the one who clicked with her. Having a crush on your teacher and mentor helps. "I don't want to leave, don't leave me here" to "I want to stay and follow Adam". ;)

I felt her anger, depression and sadness fit more than the real Mary's reaction that I remember being quiet acceptance in the books. Melissa Sue did try to visit blind schools and talk to blind people to get the look and walk etc down. How they treated her as an actor later wasn't good and I agree, she didn't have much to stay for, but she did a good job overall with what she had

[Pirpana]

I think they missed an opportunity on season 3 when Mary was hospitalized for that abscess in her stomach or whatever it was. They could have had her had scarlet fever there and make THAT so that she only just survives that and everyone sighs for relief... Only to discover later it still had one serious repercussion.

But of course they couldn't think that far ahead. And this time I don't mean this as a criticism towards ML & Co. Just sad for a missed opportunity.

[BigBingerBro]

3 hours ago, debraran said:

I felt her anger, depression and sadness fit more than the real Mary's reaction that I remember being quiet acceptance in the books.

It's been years since I read the books, but didn't Ms Ingalls write that Mary never complained or cryed when she went blind?  I know that she said she had to become Mary's eyes by describing everything all the time and that it got tiresome after a while.   I feel that whole idea was a missed opportunity in the series.

[debraran]

I remember them saying that too but she did go to school and then came home to live with parents and then Grace it said.

I feel if they changed it a bit and didn't have the marriage which was silly, we could have been spared killing off her kid and pregnancy to keep the idea they could raise the baby alone back then. Then they had to give Adam back his sight because they were running out of ideas but of course not Mary. Easy to Monday morning quarterback, but they could have had some great stories without the marriage.

[Egg McMuffin]

After Adam got his eyesight back via an explosion, I kept expecting the family to try to lure Mary to some building filled with dynamite.

[debraran]

7 hours ago, Kyle said:

After Adam got his eyesight back via an explosion, I kept expecting the family to try to lure Mary to some building filled with dynamite.

I think that's why Melissa Sue left as quickly as she could! 😄

In all the years it was on, sadly her acting when she turned blind was given the only Emmy nod. Then they practically wrote her out with lame scripts. Can't figure it out but I know that must have been hard on some of the egos.

[Blergh]

On 10/4/2021 at 5:28 AM, debraran said:

I think that's why Melissa Sue left as quickly as she could! 😄

In all the years it was on, sadly her acting when she turned blind was given the only Emmy nod. Then they practically wrote her out with lame scripts. Can't figure it out but I know that must have been hard on some of the egos.

I'm not sure if Miss Anderson fled or was just shown the door since they simply didn't seem to know what to do with Mary once she went blind and was on the verge of running out of tragedies to inflict upon her. 

It seems that Miss Anderson did manage to work steadily in TV and movies in supporting parts as recently as 2018 but in recent years appears to have had other means of support (and I seriously doubt her royalties from her autobio has netted her daily caviar omelettes ). 

[debraran]

4 hours ago, Blergh said:

I'm not sure if Miss Anderson fled or was just shown the door since they simply didn't seem to know what to do with Mary once she went blind and was on the verge of running out of tragedies to inflict upon her. 

It seems that Miss Anderson did manage to work steadily in TV and movies in supporting parts as recently as 2018 but in recent years appears to have had other means of support (and I seriously doubt her royalties from her autobio has netted her daily caviar omelettes ). 

She asked to leave and they didn't beg, she said she didn't want to keep doing blind stares without a plot. Mike was bringing in the extra kids and it was a mess.

She felt bad for the guy who played Adam but as she said in her book, he did just fine. ; )   She married a writer, one who wrote one of her favorite episodes of Columbo, and they lived happily in Canada raising her family as normally as most could. That's why she couldn't do and still can't, many gatherings.

 

[Zella]

28 minutes ago, debraran said:

one who wrote one of her favorite episodes of Columbo,

As a huge Columbo fan myself, this is one of the most compelling reasons I've ever heard for marrying a specific person. 😁

[ctlady]

Can’t believe I never caught The Werewolf Of Walnut Grove  Finally did this morning. All I can say is “!@&$ you, Carrie!”

[debraran]

15 hours ago, Zella said:

As a huge Columbo fan myself, this is one of the most compelling reasons I've ever heard for marrying a specific person. 😁

I know! He is Michael Sloan and he got his first American television script read and produced. He came up with a television story for the TV series, Columbo which was eventually called “Now You See Him” with Jack Cassidy as a magician. He wrote for McCloud too. I didn't realize he had a book. Might look into that.

https://www.michael-sloan-equalizer.com/biography.html

[Mr. Sparkle]

1 hour ago, ctlady said:

Can’t believe I never caught The Werewolf Of Walnut Grove  Finally did this morning. All I can say is “!@&$ you, Carrie!”

That's on my "must skip" list. Overall it's dumb, and I hate how mean that kid is to Eliza Jane. 

[Blergh]

On 10/9/2021 at 9:42 AM, Superclam said:

That's on my "must skip" list. Overall it's dumb, and I hate how mean that kid is to Eliza Jane. 

Not to mention, the ONE time Carrie is shown having any smarts (being able to differentiate between a paper mache shell from a real rock- unlike Laura and Albert's one-shot bullying classmate), she blabs this in front of the total stranger(the bully)! ARGHH!  Of course, why did Laura and Albert think they could trust her to tend to Grace? She panicked after Baby Grace didn't eat her food in five minutes- as though the younger well-fed sib was in danger of starving to death in that amount of time.  Yeah, this was one of Carrie's top 10 annoying moments (and that's saying a lot)!

OTOH, until Carrie blew it for them, it sure looked as though young Mr. Laborteaux, and Miss Gilbert were having their fun pretending that Albert had turned into a preternaturally strong werewolf- and even the one-shot performer bully 'acting' scared looked as though he was having fun. 

Well, if Laura and Albert could have pulled off a '100 percent off' sale to be believed by virtually all the Walnut Grove adults, pulling the wool over a dim-bulb one-shot teen bully naive enough to believe   werewolves weren't fictional and dumber than Carrie in thinking that a gigantic 'boulder' was real, it could have worked but for Carrie. 

Edited October 10, 2021 by Blergh

[Blergh]

Did Carrie's blabbing about Albert the Wolfman being a fake shut down this entire subthread?

Surely, there's more about LHTOP we can discuss! 

 

Has anyone had the chance to get a sneak peak at Miss Grassle's auti bio due to be released next month? I wonder what she will have to say about her experiences working on this show as well as the other performers.  Oh, and  I wonder if she'll discuss in any detail about the rather chilling TV movie Battered (1978) that she starred in and cowrote about three  women from different backgrounds who had become victims of spousal abuse. 

[Mr. Sparkle]

Two terrible things happened to me: 

1. I am back in the office full time. 
2. My cable package changed, and to have either of the stations with LH would cost me an extra $30. 

To be honest, after watching up to 8 episodes a day for over a year, I believe I've seen every episode. 

Now I can only watch streaming, which isn't too bad. If anyone wants to watch & discuss a particular episode, let me know. 

[ctlady]

On 10/18/2021 at 4:54 PM, Blergh said:

Oh, and  I wonder if she'll discuss in any detail about the rather chilling TV movie Battered (1978) that she starred in and cowrote about three  women from different backgrounds who had become victims of spousal abuse. 

Oh, I remember that - back when ABC had the Monday Night Movie Of The Week!  I remember the older woman got it the worst.

On 10/10/2021 at 12:08 PM, Blergh said:

Yeah, this was one of Carrie's top 10 annoying moments (and that's saying a lot)!

Everytime the actress said her lines it was annoying.  Especially in the early years.  She always shouted them.  I remember the end of The Richest Man In Walnut Grove when the entire family went to the mercantile to pay the bill, then afterwards went down a list of things they needed, Carrie shouts "and I want some white sugar!"  Guess they had to make sure she had a line or two every episode

[jird]

On 10/20/2021 at 11:11 AM, ctlady said:

 

Everytime the actress said her lines it was annoying.  Especially in the early years.  She always shouted them.  I remember the end of The Richest Man In Walnut Grove when the entire family went to the mercantile to pay the bill, then afterwards went down a list of things they needed, Carrie shouts "and I want some white sugar!"  Guess they had to make sure she had a line or two every episode

"WHAAS CHRISMAS?"

Edited October 21, 2021 by jird

[libgirl2]

6 hours ago, ctlady said:

Oh, I remember that - back when ABC had the Monday Night Movie Of The Week!  I remember the older woman got it the worst.

 

I used to love  Monday Night Movie of the Week! 

[CountryGirl]

On 10/20/2021 at 12:11 PM, ctlady said:

Oh, I remember that - back when ABC had the Monday Night Movie Of The Week!  I remember the older woman got it the worst.

Everytime the actress said her lines it was annoying.  Especially in the early years.  She always shouted them.  I remember the end of The Richest Man In Walnut Grove when the entire family went to the mercantile to pay the bill, then afterwards went down a list of things they needed, Carrie shouts "and I want some white sugar!"  Guess they had to make sure she had a line or two every episode

So THAT'S what she said.

I could never understand anything she said, except for the awful "Alyssa! Alyssa!"

[debraran]

14 hours ago, CountryGirl said:

So THAT'S what she said.

I could never understand anything she said, except for the awful "Alyssa! Alyssa!"

Just remember she didn't write the scripts! Someone, an adult writer, made her do that. I always thought the rumor it was a way to keep her from other scripts by making it bad, just might have been true. Remember, she tried out, she read or acted with others, they picked her. Lots of cute actress twins, he liked her from commercials they did so she must have had more talent.

[Blergh]

Let's not forget that the Greenbush twins had done a fairly good job playing the toddler daughter of the protagonist in Sunshine (1973). This was  a rather sad TV movie about a young mother (played by Cristina Raines) who did her best to try to make the most of what little time she had left with her daughter and husband while dying of cancer while recording her observations for her daughter to hopefully listen to as an adult all of which was based on a true account. 

[jason88cubs]

It's been awhile since I watched LHOP

 

I saw it on tv the other day though. "Family Quarrell " had to stick around for michael's laughing

[Egg McMuffin]

Isn’t there an episode that ends with the entire family in the house just laughing for a good 30-45 seconds? It’s as if the script was short and they were just vamping to fill out the rest of the episode. It’s a very odd moment, right up there with the episode that has Michael Landon’s executive producer credit in an enormous font size (perhaps he was feeling insecure that week). 

[Pirpana]

14 hours ago, Kyle said:

Isn’t there an episode that ends with the entire family in the house just laughing for a good 30-45 seconds? It’s as if the script was short and they were just vamping to fill out the rest of the episode. It’s a very odd moment, right up there with the episode that has Michael Landon’s executive producer credit in an enormous font size (perhaps he was feeling insecure that week). 

Hah, funny. Which episode was that?

[CountryGirl]

44 minutes ago, Pirpana said:

Hah, funny. Which episode was that?

The High Cost of Being Right (S4:E9). No need to go to marriage counseling (I know, it didn’t exist back then). Just guffaw your way through the problems. Easy peasy. 

[Mr. Sparkle]

In true Landon tradition the judge in that one was in 7 different episodes as 7 different characters (usually a "geezer"). 

He also did one Bonanza, one Father Murphy and 2 Highway to Heavens. 

[jird]

14 minutes ago, Superclam said:

In true Landon tradition the judge in that one was in 7 different episodes as 7 different characters (usually a "geezer"). 

He also did one Bonanza, one Father Murphy and 2 Highway to Heavens. 

My favorite was the one where Charles gave him a ride and took a stupid shortcut racing Almanzo, and Geezer Guy later snitched on him and repeatedly called him "Mr. Smart Brains"

[Pirpana]

Oh yeah, he was basically same character, only with different name. Very funny, though!

[ctlady]

My favorite LHOTP binge - 'Sweet Sixteen' all the way up through 'Laura Ingalls-Wilder Pt 2'

When I'm fortunate enough to catch these in succession, all I have to do is tell Mr. Ctlady, "it's a Beth & Manly marathon"!

[CountryGirl]

It really was silly. 

Even Carrie got to escape the high chair.

[BigBingerBro]

8 hours ago, CountryGirl said:

It really was silly. 

Even Carrie got to escape the high chair.

Carrie was even abe to climb the ladder to the loft in the early first season!

[Mr. Sparkle]

Here's a story about everyone's favorite tv parents:

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/karen-grassle-grateful-she-mended-131402160.html

[Blergh]

On 11/4/2021 at 8:22 AM, CountryGirl said:

It really was silly. 

Even Carrie got to escape the high chair.

Yeah, but Baby Grace got to have a puppy love flirtation at Nellie Oleson's wedding while Carrie didn't seem to ever speak to a non-related boy the entire time she was on the show even when on the verge of teenhood. 

[debraran]

9 hours ago, Superclam said:

Here's a story about everyone's favorite tv parents:

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/karen-grassle-grateful-she-mended-131402160.html

Yes he was known to be crude and tell off color jokes etc. Some of it was common but I'm sure on some other sets less so.

Melissa Sue never stopped talking to him but Melissa G made up before he died too. I don't think I would have liked the real Michael Landon as much as Charles and Jonathan. I don't like being around heavy drinkers smokers or people who do practical jokes all the time, just not me. I can enjoy the show without concentrating on those things. I'm glad many spoke up later, because no one should be considered perfect, if he made a good show (until he killed it) but wouldn't pay people well or you had to walk on eggs to suggest something, it's okay to say that. The solid things stand on their own.

Edited November 5, 2021 by debraran

[Blergh]

Debraran,

 

I have to agree that while I admire the hard work, skill and dedication that ML put into LHOTP and other productions, I can't say he sounds like someone I'd like to have had more than a passing acquaintance with had we had reason to have met. 

Oh, and   IMO it was vile and inappropriate for him to have called Miss Grassle that term especially at the workplace! 

One can be sure Pa (in Real Life and on the show)  would have flattened any male who dared use anything close to salty terms around his wife or daughters!

[debraran]

I felt bad when people like Kevin Hagan said they couldn't get a raise after years on the show and Bonnie (Grace) said "He was] very pleasant. “Very nice. He was always wonderful to me. He didn’t pay very well, but he was wonderful.” He didn't seem to want others to share the wealth but something would have been nice. It was such a popular show he probably knew they wouldn't leave. It was a mixed bag over the years. The twins (Carrie) were scared of him at times, but loved "Mr Edwards".  His anger was noted by many. He had a lot on his shoulders but that was also an ego thing of not wanting anyone else to help.

I think that's why I loved Katherine, because she didn't care, lol. She encouraged others to suggest things (with trepidation) and was not a wall flower. : )

[ctlady]

Every time I watch Laura Ingalls Wilder Pt1 , I want to immediately search the ‘net for a replica of that chunky, lock diary Eliza Jane writes in 

[Brn2bwild]

One random thing I noticed watching the episodes: characters will order eggs and coffee for *dinner*, even at a fine dining restaurant (see the one Charles took Mary and Almanzo to after he "won" the bet with Almanzo). Was that really a thing during that time period in that part of the country?

[Egg McMuffin]

On 11/6/2021 at 7:26 AM, debraran said:

I felt bad when people like Kevin Hagan said they couldn't get a raise after years on the show and Bonnie (Grace) said "He was] very pleasant. “Very nice. He was always wonderful to me. He didn’t pay very well, but he was wonderful.” He didn't seem to want others to share the wealth but something would have been nice. It was such a popular show he probably knew they wouldn't leave. It was a mixed bag over the years. The twins (Carrie) were scared of him at times, but loved "Mr Edwards".  His anger was noted by many. He had a lot on his shoulders but that was also an ego thing of not wanting anyone else to help.

I think that's why I loved Katherine, because she didn't care, lol. She encouraged others to suggest things (with trepidation) and was not a wall flower. : )

The cast should have banded together and gone on strike for better pay. But I suspect Landon would have just recast them all with “lookalikes” a la Nancy and Ma and Pa Carter.

Edited November 7, 2021 by Kyle

[Blergh]

On 11/6/2021 at 6:26 AM, debraran said:

I felt bad when people like Kevin Hagan said they couldn't get a raise after years on the show and Bonnie (Grace) said "He was] very pleasant. “Very nice. He was always wonderful to me. He didn’t pay very well, but he was wonderful.” He didn't seem to want others to share the wealth but something would have been nice. It was such a popular show he probably knew they wouldn't leave. It was a mixed bag over the years. The twins (Carrie) were scared of him at times, but loved "Mr Edwards".  His anger was noted by many. He had a lot on his shoulders but that was also an ego thing of not wanting anyone else to help.

I think that's why I loved Katherine, because she didn't care, lol. She encouraged others to suggest things (with trepidation) and was not a wall flower. : )

I think Miss MacGregor had been a 'starving actress' for virtually her entire career to the point that she believed that she could survive just fine on any pittance and believed she'd be okay if she was let go. Of course, she was divorced and childless so she had no family to support so that may have helped. But it seems she DID earn enough on LHOTP to essentially live comfortably the rest of her life without performing in any movies or TV shows after the show ended but maybe she had somehow learned to save and  invest very well from early on.  Yeah, it must have irked ML to have someone  who didn't fawn all over him and even openly debated him on the set- yet whose contributions were vital for the show's chemistry to succeed.