Little House On The Prairie - General Discussion

[jird]

I will never stop being mad at Harv Miller.

[BigBingerBro]

57 minutes ago, Prairie Rose said:

It's kind of skeevy that non-blood-related Laura and Albert are both sleeping up there

Especially when they made others sleep in the soddy most of the time.  At one point Charles put somone up in the barn loft too.

[Prairie Rose]

19 minutes ago, Egg McMuffin said:

The post-series TV movies moved the timeline way up anyway.  Times Are Changing, the 9th season premiere, took place in 1887 and The Last Farewell from a year later took place in 1901. Somehow Rose and the other kids were only a year older than they were in the last season.

The reviled Bless All the Dear Children was set in 1896. I honestly don't know which was worse at continuity, this show or The Golden Girls.

[Prairie Rose]

On 2/24/2022 at 2:03 AM, Blergh said:

IIRC, during a later part of the show, Linwood Boomer got interviewed and said that ML was planning to relocate the Blind School to . . .Johnstown, Pennsylvania where a horrific flood would drown over 2,220 people in 1889. Now whether he was joking with Mr. Boomer at the time or was serious but somehow the idea got vetoed, I'm not sure.     

Well, since ML put in episodes about the James brothers, the Younger brothers AND Colonel Sanders - NONE of whom had anything whatsoever to do with the Ingalls or Wilder families, I'm not surprised if he really was planning on doing this. Thank goodness it never happened.

[Prairie Rose]

On 2/19/2022 at 12:46 PM, Egg McMuffin said:

What can she possibly remember, other than not being able to get Grace’s food off her spoon and into her mouth?

Wendi and Brenda, as adults, have formed some very deep friendships with the other cast members due to the annual reunions/meet and greets with fans. They were doing the reunions ever since 2004, the last one to date was in 2019 and they have yet to hold another one since the pandemic.

Both twins have said that they sometimes don't know if they really remember certain things or if their mom has just told them so much about those certain things! Wendi's YouTube channel and blog are both full of great anecdotes.

[Zella]

51 minutes ago, Prairie Rose said:

Well, since ML put in episodes about the James brothers, the Younger brothers

Of all of the show's crimes against history, the one that actually pissed me off the most was them having Bob Ford as some longtime sworn enemy of the Jameses rather than a partner in crime who idolized Jesse James. 

[Prairie Rose]

1 minute ago, Zella said:

Of all of the show's crimes against history

There were plenty of them, for sure!!

[crazy8s]

On 3/1/2022 at 7:12 AM, jason88cubs said:

He made Rev Alden  realize there's not good in everyone-Bully Boys

Had the US Marshall(I think) decide not to turn in the Indian he was hunting (Survival)

The kid who stole and beat up his Grandpa (The ANgry Heart) "I don't wanna hit you son"

The spoiled kid that Nels had Charles watch and Charles ridiculed the Grandpa for not knowing anything about the kid

Someone Please Love Me, Charles repairs the marriage after the wife falls in love with him

Made Jon cry tears of happiness when Olga was playing with kids

Broke the teacher's whipping stick, "You're lucky my wife told me to be nice to you"

Saves the pride of the aging lumberjack in Founder's day

Made a racist become unracist in The Long Road Home

Saved Mary, Adam and the lady that would become Etta Plum from the stage coach wreck and fire. (how lucky it was Ma reminded blind Mary not to forget her glasses)

Saved the town by swimming into a quarantined town to fetch dr baker.

[Prairie Rose]

Pa also saved Nels' neck by not ratting him out to Harriet after catching him (Nels) in a kiss with the lovely Maggie Horton Kiriakis, ahem, Molly Reardon. - "Second Spring"

[ctlady]

On 3/2/2022 at 2:18 PM, Prairie Rose said:

On 3/2/2022 at 12:23 PM, Egg McMuffin said:

Remember the episode where Albert and Laura competed over who would get the attic room?

Maybe they would have a buggy-driving competition for it.

Or build a house of sticks to determine who gets to spend the a mysterious pouch of quarters found buried in the property.  Laura wants to buy a new fishing pole and Albert wants gear to play football.  Bandit knocks over the house of sticks during Albert's turn, making Laura the defacto winner.  She winds up buying a dictionary for the entire family to enjoy.

[Blergh]

OK, but, as long as we're trying to go for  recreations, does anyone think that either John, Jr. or Adam imagined fireworks exploding when kissing Mary the way Bobby Brady did someone named Millicent? 

IMO, more like wet firecrackers if not wet blankets.

Edited March 4, 2022 by Blergh

[Prairie Rose]

24 minutes ago, Blergh said:

OK, but, as long as we're trying to go for  recreations, does anyone think that either John, Jr. or Adam imagined fireworks exploding when kissing Mary the way Bobby Brady did someone named Millicent? 

IMO, more like wet firecrackers if not wet blankets.

HA!! Well, both Pa and Mike Brady had a tendency to go off on long-winded lectures soliloquies. 😉😂

[CountryGirl]

John Jr (Radames Pera) definitely didn't see "skyrockets" as MSA didn't like him (I'm not sure why, he was easy on the eyes). There was zero chemistry between them as a result and she basically refused to work with him. He left the show and was eventually killed off off-screen in the "Chicago" episode.

ML had planned to postpone, possibly indefinitely, Mary's blindness in order to make her a romantic lead but her refusal to work with RP changed his mind and she went blind later in the season. 

[Blergh]

35 minutes ago, CountryGirl said:

John Jr (Radames Pera) definitely didn't see "skyrockets" as MSA didn't like him (I'm not sure why, he was easy on the eyes). There was zero chemistry between them as a result and she basically refused to work with him. He left the show and was eventually killed off off-screen in the "Chicago" episode.

ML had planned to postpone, possibly indefinitely, Mary's blindness in order to make her a romantic lead but her refusal to work with RP changed his mind and she went blind later in the season. 

Of course, the crazy thing is that he's said that he actually visited the 'Chicago' set while it was being filmed - and after seeing for himself Mr. Landon having forgiven Mr. French (and, thus, reinstating Mr. Edwards from limbo)for seeking out Carter Country, he thought it was surreal they were mourning 'John, Jr.' while he was THERE! 

 

[Egg McMuffin]

9 hours ago, CountryGirl said:

John Jr (Radames Pera) definitely didn't see "skyrockets" as MSA didn't like him (I'm not sure why, he was easy on the eyes). There was zero chemistry between them as a result and she basically refused to work with him. He left the show and was eventually killed off off-screen in the "Chicago" episode.

ML had planned to postpone, possibly indefinitely, Mary's blindness in order to make her a romantic lead but her refusal to work with RP changed his mind and she went blind later in the season. 

Well, that backfired on Melissa Anderson, because once Mary went blind, she had very little to do. She got to be in that stagecoach wreck, and there was a memorable episode where she thought her sight was coming back. Other than that, she got to teach the blind kiddies, and then in her last season, some animal crawled on top of her head and died.

[Pirpana]

6 hours ago, Egg McMuffin said:

Well, that backfired on Melissa Anderson, because once Mary went blind, she had very little to do. She got to be in that stagecoach wreck, and there was a memorable episode where she thought her sight was coming back. Other than that, she got to teach the blind kiddies, and then in her last season, some animal crawled on top of her head and died.

Ha, ha! 🤣 I first started going through her last episodes in my head trying to remember where that had (literally) happen. I thought, "well, that goes within the lines of a miscarriage and baby dying in a fire but I don't remember that one"... and then I realized you were referring to her ridiculous wig!

[debraran]

Maybe it was her age, MG didn't like Almonzo either. She couldn't have had too long or it would never have happened before she went blind but it also would effect any relationship she had and that would have seen even more away from the books (but I guess we were there anyway)

She explains it herself here well.                                                    https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/melissa-sue-anderson-said-this-little-house-love-interest-of-hers-didnt-rank-on-my-hunk-list.html/

[Blergh]

3 hours ago, debraran said:

Maybe it was her age, MG didn't like Almonzo either. She couldn't have had too long or it would never have happened before she went blind but it also would effect any relationship she had and that would have seen even more away from the books (but I guess we were there anyway)

She explains it herself here well.                                                    https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/melissa-sue-anderson-said-this-little-house-love-interest-of-hers-didnt-rank-on-my-hunk-list.html/

While I know that IRL, Laura married while Mary never did (and at least one of the role models of Nellie did but divorced) , it seems a bit ironic that Nellie's performer was the only one of the three who adored her spouse even more offscreen than her character did onscreen while the Ingalls Sisters, at best, tolerated theirs. 

[Prairie Rose]

Speaking of which, here's a great pic I found of Alison with Steve Tracy in an image search. 

[Blergh]

23 minutes ago, Prairie Rose said:

Speaking of which, here's a great pic I found of Alison with Steve Tracy in an image search. 

 Thanks! I thought it interesting how Miss Arngrim said that the day 'Percival' was due to arrive on set, she and Miss Gilbert sat by the  perimeter waiting for him as though she was a bride who'd had an arranged marriage with a stranger and was in her village waiting for her intended to show up.  Even though she'd known in advance that he was to help her with the show's comic relief AND ML had told her that he was short, she was downright relieved when she saw him at first sight that she considered him  handsome instead of  homely/dorky- and, thankfully, intelligent, friendly and easy to talk to . Hence, their friendship quickly took off! She also said she felt quite a bit of guilt when she decided to NOT return after Season Seven as she knew Percival wouldn't be kept as a character but Mr. Tracy FULLY supported her decision (and they'd stay friends to his death) despite it taking away his steady gig. 

Edited March 5, 2022 by Blergh

[Prairie Rose]

10 minutes ago, Blergh said:

 Thanks! I thought it interesting how Miss Arngrim said that the day 'Percival' was due to arrive on set, she and Miss Gilbert sat by perimeter waiting for him as though she was a bride who'd had an arranged marriage with a stranger and was in her village waiting for her intended to show up.  Even though she'd known in advance that he was to help her with the show's comic relief AND ML had told her that he was short, she was downright relieved when she saw him at first sight that she consider him  handsome instead of  homely/dorky- and, thankfully, intelligent, friendly and easy to talk. Hence, their friendship quickly took off! She also said she felt quite a bit of guilt when she decided to NOT return after Season Seven as she knew Percival wouldn't be kept as a character but Mr. Tracy FULLY supported her decision (and they'd stay friends to his death) despite it taking away his steady gig. 

We should all be so blessed to have a friendship like Alison's and Steve's. He went way too young.

[Blergh]

2 minutes ago, Prairie Rose said:

We should all be so blessed to have a friendship like Alison's and Steve's. He went way too young.

If nothing else, this bond   helped inspire her calling of educating the public (before ANY other  celeb including Elizabeth Taylor was doing so)  and doing all she could to eradicate AIDS. .and may have also helped inspire Miss Argrim's other  calling of protecting victims of childhood sexual abuse AND prosecuting their rapists!

[Prairie Rose]

1 minute ago, Blergh said:

If nothing else, this bond   helped inspire her calling of educating the public (before ANY other  celeb including Elizabeth Taylor was doing so)  and doing all she could to eradicate AIDS. .and may have also helped inspire Miss Argrim's other  calling of protecting victims of childhood sexual abuse AND prosecuting their rapists!

Yes, exactly. Who knows what would have happened to Alison had she not been cast as Nellie? 

[Blergh]

Just now, Prairie Rose said:

Yes, exactly. Who knows what would have happened to Alison had she not been cast as Nellie? 

Yep! One reason she has said that she has FULLY embraced having been Nellie and been downright grateful for that part is that, via Nellie's tantrums and rants, she got to unload a GREAT deal of tension that she'd built up from the horrific ordeals she went through as a child! She also said that she actually had been a rather shy young girl but Nellie helped her overcome that AND that she's been able to use Nellie's er. .. witchiness  to be able to fight for what she's believed in! 

[Prairie Rose]

Here's Alison with the Gilbert siblings:

[debraran]

I always liked how Melissa Sue gave Alison kudos for how shy she was to becoming what she was later.They were both shy but she said Alison blossomed and was funny. There is a certian class in not throwing stones or returning insults but saying something nice. I think MSA was always shy and had a mom hovering on the set all the time. I'm happy to see she married well and has a nice family in Canada, stayed out of trouble and seems still happy today. That is success in a different way.

daughters wedding few years ago

sons graduation 2016

[jason88cubs]

[Blergh]

13 hours ago, jason88cubs said:

 

In retrospect, one wonders if ML actually knew of the full extent of Miss Grassle's bond with Mr. Gerard  at the time the episode was being filmed- and, if so, was his reaction to have been irrationally jealous or would it have been  closer to  completely not giving a . ..flying Wallenda? 

Considering that the bond in question stayed totally under the 'rag radar AND no other cast member commented on it until Miss Grassle's own declaration in 2021, I think it's  more likely than not that few if anyone else knew about it at the time. 

[debraran]

Probably not, he was friendly and everyone liked him. Michael flirted too so that wouldn't seem odd. A friend did say to her he wasn't the "marrying kind" in case she thought otherwise. I was surprised to read he was second choice when another guy couldn't do it.

Did anyone know about Miss Beadle and Mr Edwards? Probably not and they were single or almost single. The biggest was Mike's because of who he was and who she was and he was married. I also don't think kids see or care about those things so a 6 or 8 year old seeing adults talk wont think about it. MG was vindicated later when she was right right about ML but that was a bit older but something was different, "off" with relationship and she knew but her Mom others said she was wrong. I think that was early though and by the time the lovely tabloids had it, everyone was taking sides or gabbing.

[Blergh]

Well, William Randolph Hearst (who ML oddly seems to have admired as evinced in the dying teen seeing the ocean episode) stayed wed to his wife in New York but openly lived with his mistress Marion Davies for decades in Florida and California- yet he was known to expel OTHERS who'd had adulterous trysts from his properties so it wouldn't have surprised me if ML had that same kind of double standard re others fooling around that he did re alcohol with his iconic character being a strict teetotler who beat up others who drank while ML himself  was a 'functional' alcoholic. Hence, that's why I was wondering if he'd known and/or had a reaction to Miss Grassle's fling with Mr. Gerard. 

[Prairie Rose]

6 hours ago, Blergh said:

Well, William Randolph Hearst (who ML oddly seems to have admired as evinced in the dying teen seeing the ocean episode) stayed wed to his wife in New York but openly lived with his mistress Marion Davies for decades in Florida and California- yet he was known to expel OTHERS who'd had adulterous trysts from his properties so it wouldn't have surprised me if ML had that same kind of double standard re others fooling around that he did re alcohol with his iconic character being a strict teetotler who beat up others who drank while ML himself  was a 'functional' alcoholic. Hence, that's why I was wondering if he'd known and/or had a reaction to Miss Grassle's fling with Mr. Gerard. 

Well, I don't know how much ML interacted with GG. They didn't share any scenes, and ML did not direct "The Handyman" (William Claxton did). 

[Blergh]

1 minute ago, Prairie Rose said:

Well, I don't know how much ML interacted with GG. They didn't share any scenes, and ML did not direct "The Handyman" (William Claxton did). 

Interesting points. Yet, regardless who they might have brought in as the 'director of the day', it was ML's show and set the same way all those Lucy series (plural) and sets were HERS even though she only was credited for directing a single episode! IOW, I think very little went on there that ML didn't have at least some inkling about.

[Prairie Rose]

14 minutes ago, Blergh said:

regardless who they might have brought in as the 'director of the day', it was ML's show and set the same way all those Lucy series (plural) and sets were HERS even though she only was credited for directing a single episode! IOW, I think very little went on there that ML didn't have at least some inkling about.

This is very true, especially in light of Alison's account of "Town Party, Country Party". ML completely bullied the episode's director, Alf Kjellin (who never directed another episode of LHOP). 

I did some looking and found an interview with Gil Gerard, who mentioned that he was attached to an ML pilot before Buck Rogers that didn't sell.

https://www.collectors-club-of-great-britain.co.uk/articles/interview-with-buck-rogers-actor-gil-gerard/

[debraran]

I thought I saw a pic of ML and Gil but I like this one   Laura looks hungry. ; )

 

[debraran]

I just knew he had to get his 2 cents in somewhere, directing or not.  lol

[Zella]

49 minutes ago, debraran said:

I just knew he had to get his 2 cents in somewhere, directing or not.  lol

He also can't resist baring his chest for Gil. LMAO

[Blergh]

6 hours ago, Prairie Rose said:

This is very true, especially in light of Alison's account of "Town Party, Country Party". ML completely bullied the episode's director, Alf Kjellin (who never directed another episode of LHOP). 

I did some looking and found an interview with Gil Gerard, who mentioned that he was attached to an ML pilot before Buck Rogers that didn't sell.

https://www.collectors-club-of-great-britain.co.uk/articles/interview-with-buck-rogers-actor-gil-gerard/

Of course, the funny thing is the difference between the two eyewitness accounts.    Miss Arngrim's recollection include a blow-by-blow account of insults and f-bombs these two rutting rams dropped in front of the performers before ML finally pulled out the Exec Producer card and checkmated Mr. Kjellin who was compelled to hightail himself and his visiting children OFF THE SET via a company car- the entire time while ML was holding a heavy bucket loaded with green slime to plop onto the young Miss Arngrim for Nellie to emerge covered in after falling in the water when fleeing the [freshwater?]crab. However, in  Miss Anderson's account, she vaguely states that there was a dispute during the production in which Mr. Kjellin wound up leaving the set with said offspring but seemed unable to recollect its particulars in the same detail as Miss Arngrim. This, despite the fact that Miss Anderson was evidently in the same scene in the 'pond' as Miss Angrim who had had the two men arguing the particulars literally on both sides of Miss Arngrim while it was being filmed!

[Egg McMuffin]

Movies are a director’s medium, but television is a producer’s medium. If you’re directing TV, you do what the producer tells you to do.

[Prairie Rose]

I was watching the Winoka episodes and just wondered what exactly the point was of being in Winoka. It was just five episodes. It seemed a bit anticlimactic.

[Mr. Sparkle]

Did I read somewhere there was a problem with the Walnut Grove set? 

[Prairie Rose]

1 hour ago, Superclam said:

Did I read somewhere there was a problem with the Walnut Grove set? 

Was there? I guess that explanation makes sense.

[halfpint ingals]

Does anyone listen to the Walnut Grove Cast or a member of the Facebook group on it ?   A man named Mark Phillip does the podcast and recaps episodes with other people.  This week's episode is Author, Author.  This week's guest host is Matilda Smith-Thompson.  Near the beginning, she talks about the old boards on TWOP and the message boards and what it was about.  She mentions the episode was called Ma's Ma is a little stiff from the trip.

[CountryGirl]

5 minutes ago, halfpint ingals said:

Does anyone listen to the Walnut Grove Cast or a member of the Facebook group on it ?   A man named Mark Phillip does the podcast and recaps episodes with other people.  This week's episode is Author, Author.  This week's guest host is Matilda Smith-Thompson.  Near the beginning, she talks about the old boards on TWOP and the message boards and what it was about.  She mentions the episode was called Ma's Ma is a little stiff from the trip.

I still SMH at Pa just letting Ma run out to the back of the wagon to find her mother dead in a coffin.

That podcast sounds right up my alley.

[Blergh]

1 hour ago, CountryGirl said:

I still SMH at Pa just letting Ma run out to the back of the wagon to find her mother dead in a coffin.

That podcast sounds right up my alley.

Did they ever have a funeral for Mrs. Holbrook or even show her Walnut Grove grave? If not, then are we supposed to believe that her widower just kept her coffin in the back of his wagon until he went to this own wagon train in the sky?

[Egg McMuffin]

That’s one of the dumber moments of LHOTP, and that bar is pretty high (or low) to begin with. Hey I’m Charles - maybe I should park the wagon a little down the road so I can intercept Caroline before she peeks in the back and sees the coffin. Nah, let her be surprised instead - it’ll make for better melodrama!

[Prairie Rose]

I still remember that moment from when I was a kid watching the reruns in syndication and it completely freaked me out. It still freaks me out to this day!!!

[Blergh]

8 minutes ago, Egg McMuffin said:

That’s one of the dumber moments of LHOTP, and that bar is pretty high (or low) to begin with. Hey I’m Charles - maybe I should park the wagon a little down the road so I can intercept Caroline before she peeks in the back and sees the coffin. Nah, let her be surprised instead - it’ll make for better melodrama!

Not to mention Caroline's stepfather Mr. Holbrook died in 1874 while her mother Charlotte  would survive to 1884 so this went QUITE contrary to the RL events ! BTW, Caroline's father Mr. Henry Quiner had died at age 38 after having evidently drowned on a boat  'lost at sea' that he was the 2nd mate on  in Lake Michigan in 1845. How ML managed never to reference or dramatize Mr. Quiner's death is astounding. Moreover, despite the fact that Caroline's original surname in the series was clearly Quiner, they never spelled out that Mr. Holbrook was her stepfather rather than her father (despite the inclusion of a story in his bio of her having removed her own diaper as a baby). 

[Prairie Rose]

7 minutes ago, Blergh said:

Not to mention Caroline's stepfather Mr. Holbrook died in 1874 while her mother Charlotte  would survive to 1884 so this went QUITE contrary to the RL events ! BTW, Caroline's father Mr. Henry Quiner had died at age 38 after having evidently drowned on a boat  'lost at sea' that he was the 2nd mate on  in Lake Michigan in 1845. How ML managed never to reference or dramatize Mr. Quiner's death is astounding. Moreover, despite the fact that Caroline's original surname in the series was clearly Quiner, they never spelled out that Mr. Holbrook was her stepfather rather than her father (despite the inclusion of a story in his bio of her having removed her own diaper as a baby). 

It's just as well that ML didn't melodramatize Mr. Quiner's life, given his track record. It's bad enough what he did to the fictional characters!!

Right now, I'm watching the flashback episode "I Remember, I Remember". I can't get over Sorrell Booke as the sadistic schoolmaster. I kept expecting him to yell, "Them Dukes! Them Dukes!" 😂 A pre-Albert Matthew Labyroteaux and Katy Kurtzman did good work as the preteen Charles and Caroline. It was also fun to see Nicolas Coster, veteran of many soap operas and primetime episodics, as Charles' Pa. It's one of my favorite episodes of the show's early years.

[CountryGirl]

I watched the "I Remember, I Remember" episode recently as well and was struck by how handsome Nicholas Coster was. A fact that was lost on me as a kid.

Here he is with Boss Hogg, I mean, Mr. Watson.

[Blergh]

5 hours ago, CountryGirl said:

I watched the "I Remember, I Remember" episode recently as well and was struck by how handsome Nicholas Coster was. A fact that was lost on me as a kid.

Here he is with Boss Hogg, I mean, Mr. Watson.

Mr. Coster was born in London in 1933 (and is still living) but raised in the US from an early age while Charles's RL father Lanson had been born in  (of all places) Quebec, Canada but would raise Charles and his other children in rural New York state (and RL Almanzo was actually born right smack next to the Quebec border). Yet, oddly enough no one mentioned on the show (or in the books) whether Lanson Ingalls might have somehow been previously acquainted with the Wilder Family before Almanzo met Laura!  Oh, and of course, neither the the LHOTP Lansons nor Almanzo spoke with any traces of Quebec or Upstate Rural New York accents!