Little House On The Prairie - General Discussion

[Egg McMuffin]

24 minutes ago, Pirpana said:

^ I've read she was on a pilgrim journey in India being a Hindu religion exerciser. But maybe Karen gave a somewhat different explanation. I'm also interested, debraran.

Maybe she was having an affair with Michael Landon!

[Zella]

4 minutes ago, Blergh said:

Yeah, I'm wondering if, originally, the producers gave Miss MacGregor an earlier end-date than it wound up being and she made her pilgrimage plans based on the initial date!

I'm pretty sure I've read something along this line before--that she left the country on her pilgrimage because she was under the impression they wouldn't be filming at the time. 

[debraran]

Karen said she had had it with Michael and all the stress. She wrote when doing the "blow up finale" (she also thought was strange) Scotty refused to appear, her bitterness over Mike lack of appreciation had bled so deeply into her spirit, she couldn't bear to be there."

Mike was not nice to many on the show with money or appreciation and Scotty didn't like his affair either but no one did. It was unseemly, not that he fell, but had her there, gave her different jobs, her age, 18, she said at first (?) and other things. Mike wasn't an angel like many men but it was the disruption on the set just watching it. When you are in that infatuation stage, it's hard to not have it spill over I suppose. Many were loyal to his family and felt out of sorts.

I remember an interview with Kevin Hagan and he mentioned not getting much money either. It was steady work though.

I'm glad Karen and Michael made peace with each other before he died. Mike called her to do finale, they talked before he died, she admired how he handled that amid the paparazzi etc.

Mike liked complete control, even her great movie on domestic violence, it had the time slot after LHOP which she loved, and he in his power, had it changed because he thought LHOP fans (being dense I guess) would be confused why "ma" was being hurt. It still did well, but he should have left it there. Charlotte Stewart's book said he liked unknowns or people from the play/broadway world, since most fans wouldn't know them and they were cheaper. He didn't want the set reused or even the clothes! Old western costars and workers were very loyal to him. Charlotte's book touched on her admiration but also the drinking, philandering and you see the whole picture in a way. Everyone had their lens, their reality, their perspective depending how they were treated, how they were brought in and what was expected of them. Some of the best shows were when he allowed another writer to give input or took an idea from them. He was very talented but like all of us, far from perfect. I feel bad so many passed now and so many had drinking/smoking habits that quickened that death. I'm glad the show will be on a long time. Even if unreal in it's depiction, it gives you the warm feeling most of us yearn for. Karen once asked if her hands could be aged to match the work in the heat/fields etc. for a part, they looked so beautiful and Mike was aghast, "Then we'd have to do your face!" Not really, women hid that under bonnets but hands, even today, are the signs of age. I see both points though. It wasn't supposed to ever be real.

Another tidbit was The Award, was all Caroline because Mike was in the hospital. He admired how well she did it and she liked the drama of the fire, the fight with Mary, stretching her abilities a bit. She wasn't the "star" but I realize how boring it was to be given "Coffee?" episodes when he got more time. I'm not glad he was sick, but I'm glad she got to replace him and do a wider part.

 

Edited November 23, 2021 by debraran

[Blergh]

Interesting take that Miss Grassle had re Miss MacGregor's absence. What's odd that is virtually everyone else (including Miss MacGregor herself in post-show interviews) stuck with the 'she was away on a pilgrimage to India and THAT was the only reason she wasn't there' spin.  Perhaps over time Miss MacGregor decided that it was better to let go her earlier angst over ML's treatment than to keep nursing that wound when addressing her absence from the last part of the show. Oh, it's interesting that, all three 'adult' surviving cast members who've left behind bios have sung Miss MacGregor's praises as a friend  on the set as well as a performer. It's also interesting that Miss Grassle and Miss Gilbert  referred to her as 'Scottie' in their accounts while Miss Anderson, Miss Arngrim, Miss Lester and Miss Stewart all referred to her as 'Katherine'. Of course, it should be noted that, prior to LHOTP she was billed as either 'Katherine' or 'Scottie' but her original given name was Dorlee Deane McGregor. I wonder if she asked some to call her one name while asking others to call her the other OR did those who referred to her as 'Katherine' only do so for the readers to better keep track.  

Yes, it's too bad that ML's insistence of favoring his evidently barely legal flame at the workplace made it awkward for everyone else. One of the few circumstances that I sympathized with Miss Gilbert in her autobio was when she said that at work she had to be 'pro Mike' (to not rock the boat or the gravy train) while in her family home she had to be 'pro Lynn' (since her mother with her OWN unconventional marital history seemed more sympathetic to the 2nd Mrs. Landon ). 

It's also interesting that Miss Grassle tried to insist on aging her hands to reflect the toil of a homesteading pioneer woman yet ML wouldn't have it for Caroline. I admire her dedication to wanting to be realistic- but OTOH, it saved her from having to put prosthetic gunk onto her hands (and working with said gunk on them) so it's just as well! 

Yes, I have to agree that the 'blow up finale' was rather strange and counter to the whole 'work hard and put pride into your work even if you have to start all over again' message. Miss Stewart went so far as to say that she has never watched it and never WILL because she can't bear to see the destruction of a place she'd loved so much.  For Miss Stewart's sake, it's just as well that Miss Beadle had long since departed and would have had no reason to have been invited back to have to witness it. And, all it accomplished was to make it that much easier for the railroad company to put whatever they wanted on the property while leaving the townsfolk scattered to the winds and homeless (even Mr. Oleson couldn't have so easily 'bounced back').

I wondered why Miss Grassle got to shine nearly solo in 'The Award' but, even though it took a hospitalization on ML's part to achieve this (who was running the show during that time?), she sure DID shine on this. The only thing that's frustrating is that we got very few scenes of Ma and Laura bonding in the whole series and it would have been nice had there been an episode for them doing so. 

 

 

[debraran]

3 hours ago, Blergh said:

Interesting take that Miss Grassle had re Miss MacGregor's absence. What's odd that is virtually everyone else (including Miss MacGregor herself in post-show interviews) stuck with the 'she was away on a pilgrimage to India and THAT was the only reason she wasn't there' spin.  Perhaps over time Miss MacGregor decided that it was better to let go her earlier angst over ML's treatment than to keep nursing that wound when addressing her absence from the last part of the show. Oh, it's interesting that, all three 'adult' surviving cast members who've left behind bios have sung Miss MacGregor's praises as a friend  on the set as well as a performer. It's also interesting that Miss Grassle and Miss Gilbert  referred to her as 'Scottie' in their accounts while Miss Anderson, Miss Arngrim, Miss Lester and Miss Stewart all referred to her as 'Katherine'. Of course, it should be noted that, prior to LHOTP she was billed as either 'Katherine' or 'Scottie' but her original given name was Dorlee Deane McGregor. I wonder if she asked some to call her one name while asking others to call her the other OR did those who referred to her as 'Katherine' only do so for the readers to better keep track.  

Yes, it's too bad that ML's insistence of favoring his evidently barely legal flame at the workplace made it awkward for everyone else. One of the few circumstances that I sympathized with Miss Gilbert in her autobio was when she said that at work she had to be 'pro Mike' (to not rock the boat or the gravy train) while in her family home she had to be 'pro Lynn' (since her mother with her OWN unconventional marital history seemed more sympathetic to the 2nd Mrs. Landon ). 

It's also interesting that Miss Grassle tried to insist on aging her hands to reflect the toil of a homesteading pioneer woman yet ML wouldn't have it for Caroline. I admire her dedication to wanting to be realistic- but OTOH, it saved her from having to put prosthetic gunk onto her hands (and working with said gunk on them) so it's just as well! 

Yes, I have to agree that the 'blow up finale' was rather strange and counter to the whole 'work hard and put pride into your work even if you have to start all over again' message. Miss Stewart went so far as to say that she has never watched it and never WILL because she can't bear to see the destruction of a place she'd loved so much.  For Miss Stewart's sake, it's just as well that Miss Beadle had long since departed and would have had no reason to have been invited back to have to witness it. And, all it accomplished was to make it that much easier for the railroad company to put whatever they wanted on the property while leaving the townsfolk scattered to the winds and homeless (even Mr. Oleson couldn't have so easily 'bounced back').

I wondered why Miss Grassle got to shine nearly solo in 'The Award' but, even though it took a hospitalization on ML's part to achieve this (who was running the show during that time?), she sure DID shine on this. The only thing that's frustrating is that we got very few scenes of Ma and Laura bonding in the whole series and it would have been nice had there been an episode for them doing so. 

 

 

I forgot who told Karen  he was sick but He approved it having little choice. I forgot who writer was. Katherine told her to call her Scotty, they were close and maybe others a little less so. I doubt Katherine wanted to spread gossip but she always had her moments with Michael.  Never afraid to say what she wanted.  She got Hersha to confront Mike once ( and she got change) and offered advice for free to anyone ;)  Many knew what Karen was going through but there was one boss and it took a lot to muster courage for many. 
Karen also mentioned how Carrie was “under developed” as a character. I guess that sums it up. 

On a different note, no one ever mentions "Mr Hansen" really and I liked what she said about him here.

Edited November 23, 2021 by debraran

[Pirpana]

What's interesting is that The Award was in fact ML's first solo writing credit. For this show, I mean.

[debraran]

33 minutes ago, Pirpana said:

What's interesting is that The Award was in fact ML's first solo writing credit. For this show, I mean.

She never outwardly said he wrote it, She said John Hawkins the producer called her (which was unusual) and said Mike was in the hospital with spinal meningitis and on ice and they were rewriting the script so she could play it. I can't see him now at all in it, but I guess he'd yell at Mary, Laura would walk. ; )

She really enjoyed it and she asked John Hawkins if she could change a scene and he agreed. It was the Rev Alden one and she said John seemed thankful because the scene hadn't been flowing. She also heard Mike's fever broke then too.  She said when he returned he thanked her for the contribution and said it took years for him to do things like that on Bonanza. She told him she had a lot of theater and was older than he was on Bonanza. He liked that. The first year was good.

[Egg McMuffin]

Thanks debraran for the answer about Katherine MacGregor and the final two-hour episodes. I never bought the whole “pilgrimage to India” reason. Even if she only appeared in the finale, it would have only taken her about 2-3 weeks to shoot, so you’d think she could have worked her trip around the shooting. I had read that she’d had previous tension with Landon; at one point he wanted to let her go but he knew that she was too important to the series. So Karen’s reason for Katherine’s absence in the final episodes make sense.

[Blergh]

What's sad is that it seems that Miss MacGregor's experiences with ML seemed to permanently turn her off from attempting to participate in movie or television productions of any kind after LHOTP's end- although she DID teach acting classes on for some time thereafter.  I don't know how 'educational' they may have been but I can't help but think that the students never forgot the time or experiences they had with her!

[Egg McMuffin]

I watched the interview Katherine MacGregor did about 10-15 years ago on Youtube. My guess is that she didn’t let her experience with Landon prevent her from doing any other jobs she wanted to do. She had done a number of TV guest roles in the 60s and early 70s, and then she did her nine year stint as a series regular - and did it brilliantly. And then she wanted to go off and do other things. She seemed like a person who really knew what she wanted to do, and wasn’t afraid to forge a new path.

Edited November 24, 2021 by Kyle

[debraran]

She discusses The Award about 11 minutes in and her chance to play a larger part.

[Blergh]

7 hours ago, debraran said:

She discusses The Award about 11 minutes in and her chance to play a larger part.

Interesting take on her part, yet sad that so much of the middle years seem to have been strained due to her wanting to be better compensated and him refusing to consider this. Ironically, Miss Grassle seems as though she'd be a bit shy if one wasn't in her circle of friends, yet she definitely is someone who will NOT back down from what she believes is fair! 

[debraran]

4 hours ago, Blergh said:

Interesting take on her part, yet sad that so much of the middle years seem to have been strained due to her wanting to be better compensated and him refusing to consider this. Ironically, Miss Grassle seems as though she'd be a bit shy if one wasn't in her circle of friends, yet she definitely is someone who will NOT back down from what she believes is fair! 

Yes, she fought quietly for what she wanted. She mentioned when he was really treating her badly, even "Missy" Melissa Sue, whom she played backgammon with seemed to withdraw, no one wanting the wrath on them but she understood. He would tell her she had an "Emmy" performance one day but then refused to let her do something like the mom in the "Boy in the Bubble" movie. We know there were weeks she wasn't in it or barely, but back then he had power or what anyone did on contract. She did Movie, Battered, about domestic abuse on break but he still had last word on when it aired on their channel. She's very proud of that movie and the change it evoked in homes and police dept used it as training film.

You can tell his decisions about bringing Cassandra and James in and Nancy were not run by others.....he wanted the show to have youth but it wasn't just that. The 2 part episode with James being shot was done when things were really bad and it was like he did it pretty much alone and took the last 2 episodes that year. For some reason, the magic with little Laura and Mary couldn't' be duplicated with James and Cassandra and Albert all in that house. Plus Carrie and Grace were not shown often or even missing at times.

I would have loved to see a spin off show with Nellie and Laura and kids or Jonathan if he didn't want to still leave. Even for 2-3 years it would have been fun and not trying to replicate what they had before.

 

Edited November 26, 2021 by debraran

[Egg McMuffin]

Landon was a hard worker and a talented man, but clearly was a flawed leader. When you are alienating some of your best team members (Grassle and MacGregor) and letting them walk away, you’re doing something wrong as a leader.

Grassle, a really lovely onscreen presence, was criminally underused. Imagine how many more episodes they could have gotten out of the series had they used her a bit more. I also don’t think Landon was great at long term vision and was so locked into the old school mentality of absolute self-contained episodes even as the industry was changing. Nellie and Percival are a great example of this; the show could have gotten so much more mileage out of their courtship had it taken place over the course of an entire season. Even the Winoka arc, unusual for LHOTP in that it took place over four or five episodes, could have been milked for a lot longer, and it would have generated more emotion when the families returned to Walnut Grove.

[Pirpana]

^I agree completely. That Winoka stint was very much a missed opportunity. They utilized their bigger town setting only in three episodes out of five. Football and fat man episodes could have easily taken place in Winoka with minimal rewriting. Those had absolutely nothing in them that required them to be in Winoka.

[Zella]

That Winotka excursion was so infuriating. It had so much potential and then just went nowhere. 

[Brn2bwild]

7 hours ago, Kyle said:

Grassle, a really lovely onscreen presence, was criminally underused. Imagine how many more episodes they could have gotten out of the series had they used her a bit more. I also don’t think Landon was great at long term vision and was so locked into the old school mentality of absolute self-contained episodes even as the industry was changing. Nellie and Percival are a great example of this; the show could have gotten so much more mileage out of their courtship had it taken place over the course of an entire season. 

I agree 100 percent.  Grassle rocked nearly every scene that she was in -- in addition to using her more, imagine if Landon had written her reactions so that they were always in character.  I hate those scenes where the women overreact to bad news, their eyes wide, clawing the air, and screaming.  I just don't see Grassle's Ma reacting that way, even to the worst news.

[Blergh]

Of course, it needs to be mentioned that Miss Grassle's co-star in Battered (1978) Mike Ferrell had a LOT more to risk than did ML.  I mean, he had become famous playing B.J. Hunnicut in M*A*S*H - Hawkeye's dedicated sidekick who was the closest thing the show had to a Boy Scout- and in this movie he was playing the charming,cleancut and  professional but VERY abusive husband to Miss Grassle's character! Not only was he willing to buck the squeaky-clean typecasting but he also was willing to play an abuser who was neither an overt, brutish ogre nor a comical Punch-and-Judy type but as someone who was a street angel and house devil that no outsider would have pegged for being an abuser! In 1978, this was a rather daring venture for a performer to be willing to accept (and be willing to risk alienating his M*A*S*H fanbase)  but he was willing to do this and did it quite effectively!

[debraran]

2 hours ago, Blergh said:

Of course, it needs to be mentioned that Miss Grassle's co-star in Battered (1978) Mike Ferrell had a LOT more to risk than did ML.  I mean, he had become famous playing B.J. Hunnicut in M*A*S*H - Hawkeye's dedicated sidekick who was the closest thing the show had to a Boy Scout- and in this movie he was playing the charming,cleancut and  professional but VERY abusive husband to Miss Grassle's character! Not only was he willing to buck the squeaky-clean typecasting but he also was willing to play an abuser who was neither an overt, brutish ogre nor a comical Punch-and-Judy type but as someone who was a street angel and house devil that no outsider would have pegged for being an abuser! In 1978, this was a rather daring venture for a performer to be willing to accept (and be willing to risk alienating his M*A*S*H fanbase)  but he was willing to do this and did it quite effectively!

I agree, I remember before The Burning Bed etc came out, this was a big deal and Mr Farrell survived quite well. It seemed to an outsider like me, that "maybe" Mike was afraid she'd get more popular and want to leave or do more. If he kept her there on the set, making coffee, than she was safe. To have her turn down a play or show or even the mom in the Bubble movie, that's control. Of course when Victor left, he was mad at him but they made up over a cup of their special coffee at a later time. ; ) Mike  said once that she over estimated her popularity but she didn't. Her and Marion on Happy Days were always favorite moms and when given an opportunity, she would have shined more on show as stated by many fans.

I must say though, the "popcorn" scenes will never be the same to me now. Sure some were fine, they had laughs, but others had those crass jokes and sexual references. They were always filmed when the kids went home. He never made a pass at her, but "Ms Beadle" said she knows he opened the door for her but she wouldn't go through it. He was her boss. Of course Charlotte and Mr Edwards were another thing........

Edited November 26, 2021 by debraran

[jason88cubs]

On 11/26/2021 at 10:22 AM, Zella said:

That Winotka excursion was so infuriating. It had so much potential and then just went nowhere. 

Agree

It was so random

[Blergh]

11 hours ago, jason88cubs said:

Agree

It was so random

I could be wrong but I think it was a case of them either renovating their old indoor sets or moving to an entirely new indoor studio altogether that prompted this but, once the renovation/move was done, they were right back in Walnut Grove!  

Of course, they glossed over the fact that the Ingalls , Garvey  and even the Oleson families appeared to each be sleeping in a single room each- with ONE bed during their times in Winoka (and there was barely any acknowledgment of Mary's move  to her new blind school much less what HER sleeping arrangements were). 

Edited November 29, 2021 by Blergh

[jason88cubs]

Though I make fun of this show, I honestly believe watching this made me a better person. Just nicer, more helpful all that

[jason88cubs]

I would have enjoyed a spin off of Nels and Harriet lol

[jason88cubs]

I woke up last night to the original movie playing. Such a fantastic movie

[Blergh]

10 hours ago, jason88cubs said:

I woke up last night to the original movie playing. Such a fantastic movie

I fully agree! IF it had been a single stand-alone movie, it would still gone done as a classic for viewers from all walks of life from all corners of the world to have drawn inspiration from! Not a single false performance in that movie (even the Greenbush twins seemed to be totally believable as a pioneer toddler joining her family in exploring their new homes). It's tough to top that the scene between Charles and Laura with them agonizing over Jack's uncertain fate with Charles feeling guilty but trying to act tough and Laura angry but wanting to forgive Charles with their bond frayed but not broken and them finally clearing the air & making up! 

[Egg McMuffin]

Yep - pilot is excellent. Makes you wonder how different the series would have been had Landon not forced out Ed Friendly, the other executive producer, after the pilot. Friendly wanted to stay faithful to the tone of the books.

[debraran]

9 hours ago, Kyle said:

Yep - pilot is excellent. Makes you wonder how different the series would have been had Landon not forced out Ed Friendly, the other executive producer, after the pilot. Friendly wanted to stay faithful to the tone of the books.

I understand "just the books" would have been boring but The Long Winter was so interesting. That could have been a GREAT 2 part episode, the cold, the twigs, the "roughness" Mike didn't want but was real. Showing how the town people dealt with the blizzard vs the Ingall's. (it had to be different) I would like to live in town, lol, near the store. ; )

Karen mentioned many people offered script ideas, her work with equality for women spurned on the episode with women's rights and property and taught how little they had then. Paid almost nothing, no rights, they were property really. Sure Charles might be nice, but another guy, no. I think Charlotte suggested the "teacher can't handle the boys" episode from something her relative told her. I think if he welcomed more ideas, they might have been better than Cassandra, James and God help us, Nancy. Then you just knew it would be awful. He seemed to keep the door open but slightly open.

She also mentioned his wanting to bring in more names to guest star for ratings, which is fine. Patricia Neal was great, I loved The Collection with Johnny Cash and wife, Mariette Hartley, Anne Archer, etc. It might have lessened the time of others but did bring in some fresh air. The repetition of some lesser known like  E.J. André (Zaccariah, angel, Zeb etc) was a bit much but he liked him obviously.

I think tiredness in any job happens, which is why the "fresh eyes" idea is used many times in business. You are too close, let someone give ideas from the outside, so what if they get credit, if it benefits the business or show. Control can be good and bad.

 

[Egg McMuffin]

Didn’t Melissa Francis (Cassandra) do a book too? Has anyone read it? I think her mother was quite the stage mother, to put it nicely.

Also what’s up with all the actresses named Melissa on this show? Did they get renamed Melissa when they joined, a la Peaches from Peaches and Herb?

[jason88cubs]

I have said it before but "Survival" as a 2 part episode would have been great. It was great as a 1 hr episode but you really could have gotten down and dirty doing a 2 part episode

Edited December 3, 2021 by jason88cubs

[Pirpana]

^ Oh, really? I found it a bit boring to be frank. Like an idea stretched too thin, too many quiet parts where no one talks and story stands still. Maybe it was also their way of using sound effects that got a bit annoying for me after a while. That constant wind howling and very on-your-nose and underlining use of music, both products of time, of course. And despite of that wind howling, ma and the girls didn't seem to suffer that much of cold. The sheriff dude was very convincing, tough.

 

But then again, maybe you're right and as a two-parter they could have develop it further and it would have had more grittier content. But I think the "previously" part at the beginning of part 2 would have been interesting, just showing them being cold and trying to stay warm... for 5 minutes before getting on with part 2.

As a side note, it's funny how those have evolved. Nowadays there's like half-of-a-minute worth of recapping at the beginning of episodes. No one who hasn't watched previous few episodes can get up to date what's happened by those. And those who have are just annoyed by them. And back in the '70s they did it like there's no tomorrow.

[CountryGirl]

2 hours ago, Kyle said:

Didn’t Melissa Francis (Cassandra) do a book too? Has anyone read it? I think her mother was quite the stage mother, to put it nicely.

Also what’s up with all the actresses named Melissa on this show? Did they get renamed Melissa when they joined, a la Peaches from Peaches and Herb?

I think she has authored 5 books. I read the one about her younger years (Diary of a Stage Mother's Daughter). Her mother was a piece of work. 

[Blergh]

2 hours ago, CountryGirl said:

I think she has authored 5 books. I read the one about her younger years (Diary of a Stage Mother's Daughter). Her mother was a piece of work. 

Yep! I read it. The true tragedy was what happened to Miss Francis's older sister Tiffany who did NOT get out from their female DNA Donor's thumb and seemed to be punished more for not being as successful in the industry as Melissa was. The elder Miss Francis wound up dying at age 33 in 2002- and, if Miss Francis   made any effort to try to help her sister after they both were adults, she didn't mention it in her book. .

[debraran]

Watched the movie today and first show puppy sitting. ; ) One thing I noticed in the movie, only thing that stuck out, was they had Caroline say AFTER Charles settled on land and she seemed happy, "What about church and school?" I would think that was better suited to when he said "This is it" and nothing was around and I mean nothing.  She was also helping him and feeling it until he found Mr Edwards. She said the walls wont go up themselves. Did they ever address how he built the 2 story house and stone fireplace by himself with Caroline not being able to do as much? The barn I guess was just there and the house not, maybe the other owners lived in the sod house?

Just questions after seeing it 100 times but that building without help is unrealistic especially since they now had a floor and loft and door and key. ; )  And I still laugh at Caroline thinking a key keeps a wolf out. lol

My favs though. I remember Karen in her book saying he thought Caroline was too rigid but she changed later. She did like it was more gritty than later though.

Edited December 6, 2021 by debraran

[jason88cubs]

Does anyone know if New Years eve was a big deal back then? Did they stay up till midnight?

[debraran]

1 hour ago, jason88cubs said:

Does anyone know if New Years eve was a big deal back then? Did they stay up till midnight?

I never saw much but this has a little mention and a LHOP reference at the bottom.

https://westernfictioneers.blogspot.com/2017/01/new-year-traditions-in-1880s-by-edward.html

[mustbeme]

I am finally seeing the God Sister 1 1/2 hour craziness I have heard about for years!  Half an hour in and I cannot believe this is a real episode........and why have I never seen this crap in 30 year of watching reruns.   that is all, please Carrie on....lol

 

[Mr. Sparkle]

1 hour ago, mustbeme said:

I am finally seeing the God Sister 1 1/2 hour craziness I have heard about for years!  Half an hour in and I cannot believe this is a real episode........and why have I never seen this crap in 30 year of watching reruns.   that is all, please Carrie on....lol

 

I kind of like the part of the episode where they're putting up the telephone poles, featuring Dolph Sweet. That could have filled up most of the episode, with a small part about Carrie missing Pa. No idea why they made it an extra long episode with all that extra Carrie crap. 

I remember I watched it once as a kid, and every other time it was on I would watch something else. I think they cut a lot out of the part with Pa, because it was always an hour long. 

[debraran]

I was always angry at MIke for letting this episode be. I heard a rumor (forgot where) that their mom wanted them to have more time and he did that awful script like "Here, how do you like this?" He could have just given them a line here and there. I think he made it 90 min because he knew it would not be shown much. The twins liked it so I don't want to bash but someone wrote that Alyssa crap and directed it. One of the twins said Mike did everything in one take and thought it was fine....something fishy there. They could have had a cute show and been 60 min. The picking on her in the episode, by everyone, all of it fell flat. They never did that

Edited December 9, 2021 by debraran

[Egg McMuffin]

On 12/7/2021 at 6:00 PM, jason88cubs said:

Does anyone know if New Years eve was a big deal back then? Did they stay up till midnight?

It was. They’d stay up until midnight and then leave the next day for a class reunion vacation trip. Or a river rafting trip.

[Egg McMuffin]

Here’s Ma, cheating on Pa (and Chris) with Joe Namath.

[Blergh]

1 hour ago, Kyle said:

Here’s Ma, cheating on Pa (and Chris) with Joe Namath.

So was there any duel between 'knees and ribs' between the two men?

BTW, it's astonishing how drastically bangs changed Miss Grassle's appearance- even more than  wearing contemporary 1970's clothes instead of pioneer garb! 

[jason88cubs]

was at the bar and I heard a guy say the tv show "What will happen to Mary next?" and everyone was quiet and he said "You have never heard that! from the 70s! Little House on the Prarie! Michael Landon!!" then everyone was like "oh yea of course" and he was like "Yea I call it "What will happen to Mary next?" She goes blind, gets kicked by a horse"

lol I found it pretty funny

[jason88cubs]

ANyone watch the pilot movie every year for Christmas? I watch that and Christmas at Plum Creek

[jird]

5 hours ago, jason88cubs said:

ANyone watch the pilot movie every year for Christmas? I watch that and Christmas at Plum Creek

Yep! I also watch Blizzard. 

[debraran]

10 hours ago, jird said:

Yep! I also watch Blizzard. 

I have watched it a lot and even when my girls were young got them a LHOP kit I found that had the tin cup (one still around) a penny and peppermint stick. ; )  I'm in the minority that Plum Creek was perfect, I really liked it but didn't like the horse/stove story. It was so unrealistic to me for a lot of reasons (some discussed earlier on thread) and it spoiled it a bit for me. I also noted that except for that stove, Ma never really got anyone making or doing anything for her on Xmas or even birthday. Pa would get PJ's and shirts and hats etc but Ma would sit there and look sweet.

I did love Mary working and the Xmas store at Oleson's and Carrie even getting a toy. For me the end was just sad and didn't make any sense to me. I always hoped for a different Xmas show. The one telling stories was okay but Hester Sue's was sad, reminded of a slavery time made more saccharin for the show, Almonzo's brother being without toys (some might feel good about that but still) Caroline's was the best but still sad.

So for me, the pilot is the best, always love it and Plum Creek, I try to take the other parts and ignore the horse debacle they try to remedy later.

[CountryGirl]

The pilot Christmas is my favorite as it's the most true to the books. I love the inclusion of the now-iconic gifts of mittens, tin cups, peppermint sticks, Christmas cakes, and shiny new pennies. Laura's "We each get our own cups now!" still warms my heart as does her "Not me!" in response to Mary saying she'll save her candy stick because of course Mary would save hers. Although I doubt book Ma and book Edwards shared such smoldering looks between them, with Edwards in his longjohns of all things. 

I liked the family pulling together in Christmas on Plum Creek but hated the loss of Bunny (even though it was only temporary). It was one of the few times I did not like Nels (Bunny being "Laura's" - come on, she's a little girl!). Ma would have been thrilled with a picture of a stove, knowing one was on order. I also find it odd that Mary wouldn't have made a gift for Ma or Laura or Carrie. Just Pa. And did Carrie get anything? Even Jack got a gingerbread man.

The Christmas They Never Forgot had some nice moments with a bit of Caroline's backstory as well as that of Almanzo and Hester Sue. But they could miss me with the attempts to sanitize slavery or the "kindly, white master." 

Which brings me to the most depressing of all - the Blizzard episode. Nothing says Christmas like kids being sent out in a snowstorm and one of the parents of said kids dying from hypothermia. 

 

[jason88cubs]

7 hours ago, CountryGirl said:

The pilot Christmas is my favorite as it's the most true to the books. I love the inclusion of the now-iconic gifts of mittens, tin cups, peppermint sticks, Christmas cakes, and shiny new pennies. Laura's "We each get our own cups now!" still warms my heart as does her "Not me!" in response to Mary saying she'll save her candy stick because of course Mary would save hers. Although I doubt book Ma and book Edwards shared such smoldering looks between them, with Edwards in his longjohns of all things. 

I liked the family pulling together in Christmas on Plum Creek but hated the loss of Bunny (even though it was only temporary). It was one of the few times I did not like Nels (Bunny being "Laura's" - come on, she's a little girl!). Ma would have been thrilled with a picture of a stove, knowing one was on order. I also find it odd that Mary wouldn't have made a gift for Ma or Laura or Carrie. Just Pa. And did Carrie get anything? Even Jack got a gingerbread man.

The Christmas They Never Forgot had some nice moments with a bit of Caroline's backstory as well as that of Almanzo and Hester Sue. But they could miss me with the attempts to sanitize slavery or the "kindly, white master." 

Which brings me to the most depressing of all - the Blizzard episode. Nothing says Christmas like kids being sent out in a snowstorm and one of the parents of said kids dying from hypothermia. 

 

I still chuckle at the end of The Christmas They Never Forgot with all the snow and them all laughing and Charles saying "It's a beautiful morning for a walk" or something along those lines, and no concern for the animals or how they are going to get food to eat or get the milk or go to restroom or anything!!!

 

I know it's just a show but it always gives me a laugh

[Egg McMuffin]

I always watch the anthrax episode for Christmas. So festive. It’s really one of the top two mutton-centered TV episodes ever, I think.

Did anyone have any lingering after effects from eating the bad mutton, I wonder? “Salad’s got nuttin on this mutton!”

 

[Katy M]

30 minutes ago, Kyle said:

I always watch the anthrax episode for Christmas. So festive. It’s really one of the top two mutton-centered TV episodes ever, I think.

Are there more than two mutton-centered TV episodes?  LOL.

[Mr. Sparkle]

I can only think of LH & Seinfeld.