Little House On The Prairie - General Discussion

[Blergh]

It was interesting how Albert somehow wound up being friends with Willie despite how their respective sisters had been mean to them down the years. I suppose after Andrew left town Albert realized that Willie wasn't to blame for Nellie's stunts- and was less whiny than Andrew. Perhaps Willie might have liked that Albert somehow had managed to spare him alone when trying to take down Nellie and Mrs. Oleson ( e.g. Willie was the sole Oleson untargeted by Albert's poison pen re Harriet's Happenings).

[jason88cubs]

On 12/22/2022 at 6:44 PM, debraran said:

Yes, that is why seeing them always so clean and shining and well pressed and never dirty wasn't real. Most want the set of LHOP in Simi Valley. Let them feel the cold through the logs, have to get up in below zero weather without parkas and very warm clothing to go get wood, feed livestock, etc. Wash clothes that are dried frozen and can't be worn yet, take all day to make one meal with a fire place and stretch out potatoes and food. Have Charles come in dirty and sweaty and stink up the cabin but its not wash day yet. Have your period with an outhouse, rags and freezing temps as your friend. I'll take penicillin thank you and vaccines for things that killed in the simple life. No thanks, I'll take a cabin in the woods with composting toilet for one night and running water but I'll stop there. I'd like to do the reenactment for fun but not for life.

Yep, I have always said though that people back then were smarter when it came to surviving though. If you threw me in the middle of the woods for a month in a cabin and I had no electricity, no plumbing,no transportation. I wouldn't survive.

 

We are spoiled nowadays

[Snow Apple]

2 minutes ago, jason88cubs said:

Yep, I have always said though that people back then were smarter when it came to surviving though. If you threw me in the middle of the woods for a month in a cabin and I had no electricity, no plumbing,no transportation. I wouldn't survive.

 

We are spoiled nowadays

Yes we are. Our heat stopped working and the house went down to around 40 degrees fahrenheit for a few days and I was miserable even with space heaters. It was in the 20's outside. In the book, 20 below meant the cold snap was over. We also had plenty of food and didn't have to survive on one potato per day.

[debraran]

It's all they knew though. We would have done it too if need be. Some that had "real homes" had it a little easier or those that lived in the city. Today some live 'off grid"  but have better built homes, composting toilets, running water, solar panels, etc. Roughing it varies.

I just would have liked once to see how hard it was, a 2 part winter episode. You never really saw Ma do laundry, everyone was "hanging laundry" in nice weather. you never saw dinner from start to finish, she got a turkey and then it was done and on the table. You never saw cleanup really. That's fine but it did seem ideal most of the time. You saw berry picking a lot but never getting veggies from garden or things like that. Most of us are exhausted with help, I know I'd have to have a lot of coffee to do the 12-14 hour days they did.

Edited December 24, 2022 by debraran

[jird]

22 minutes ago, debraran said:

I just would have liked once to see how hard it was, a 2 part winter episode. You never really saw Ma do laundry, everyone was "hanging laundry" in nice weather. you never saw dinner from start to finish, she got a turkey and then it was done and on the table. You never saw cleanup really. That's fine but it did seem ideal most of the time. You saw berry picking a lot but never getting veggies from garden or things like that.

I thought the pilot did a much better job of that. The house they built with the rough logs, the kids gathering firewood in cold weather, etc. It was a lot less sanitized than the series after that. I think they even showed Ma plucking a turkey at one point.

[debraran]

1 hour ago, jird said:

I thought the pilot did a much better job of that. The house they built with the rough logs, the kids gathering firewood in cold weather, etc. It was a lot less sanitized than the series after that. I think they even showed Ma plucking a turkey at one point.

You are correct. After that Karen said he changed from that concept. She liked the pilot. (although her hands had to look better they said) I thought the pilot movie was the best of the bunch.

[Egg McMuffin]

Ed Friendly was the one who optioned the books and co-produced the pilot along with Landon. After the pilot, Landon forced him out because he wanted to do the show his way. Friendly later produced the 2005 miniseries which was more realistic.

[Blergh]

18 hours ago, Egg McMuffin said:

Ed Friendly was the one who optioned the books and co-produced the pilot along with Landon. After the pilot, Landon forced him out because he wanted to do the show his way. Friendly later produced the 2005 miniseries which was more realistic.

Ironic that Mr. Friendly's most famous previous producing experience was Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In (1967-1973) yet it was ML who was known to veer off the rails re pioneer and  biographical authenticity- AND was LHTOP's most notorious prankster!

I can recall around the time of its debut, an entertainment newspaper column interview with ML in which he was gung-ho about wanting to be authentic and that the books had about five years worth of stories  in them. Also, in this interview he said he'd become enthralled with Mrs. Wilder's books due to having read them with his mother as a child. That was a rare  if not the only positive recollection he or anyone in his nuclear family would make for public record about about Peggy O'Neill Orowitz.

Edited December 25, 2022 by Blergh

[jason88cubs]

Merry Christmas everyone!

[Egg McMuffin]

I second that. And in the new year may you all be free of anthrax, typhus, blindness, house fires, psychopathic orphans, and being orphaned yourselves.

Edited December 25, 2022 by Egg McMuffin

[CountryGirl]

Happy Burfday, Baby Cheezuz!!!

Carrie speak for Merry Christmas 🎄🎁 

May the new year be as bright and shiny as the Fool’s Gold Ingalls.

[Mr. Sparkle]

I've bought 3 cent foil stars for all of you! No pot-bellied stoves, they were sold out. :( 

[jird]

I hope everyone is wearing their very special angel necklace they got from their stepfather, like Ma. She wears it every Christmas. Except for every other Christmas we see on the show.

[Snow Apple]

My boss gave us new laptop bags for Christmas and put a penny in one of the pockets! Of course I thought of Laura and Mary's stockings. No new tin cup and peppermint stick, but we did have cake during our team holiday dinner.

[jason88cubs]

This may have been brought up before but what DID Caroline get Charles for Christmas when she saw Mary made him the same sweater Caroline had for Charles

[CountryGirl]

53 minutes ago, jason88cubs said:

This may have been brought up before but what DID Caroline get Charles for Christmas when she saw Mary made him the same sweater Caroline had for Charles

Popcorn

[debraran]

When she had Chris wear the shirt, I thought, just tell Mary it's the one you made. Such a waste of material to just hide it. Those little infuriating things like the dishes that have no consistency.

2 hours ago, jason88cubs said:

This may have been brought up before but what DID Caroline get Charles for Christmas when she saw Mary made him the same sweater Caroline had for Charles

And did Charles ever buy Caroline anything with that 7.00 credit???

[Blergh]

Remember how Mr. Edwards bringing in those tiny Christmas presents across the creek in the dead of winter was considered a major, life-risking sacrifice on his part?

Yet, soon the Ingallses became as complacent about their stuff, with it popping up out of nowhere as logically as on Gilligan's Island!

BTW, scholars are still unsure whether Mrs. Wilder based Mr. Edwards on any one person, a composite character. ..or even a totally fictional one.

[jason88cubs]

4 hours ago, debraran said:

When she had Chris wear the shirt, I thought, just tell Mary it's the one you made. Such a waste of material to just hide it. Those little infuriating things like the dishes that have no consistency.

And did Charles ever buy Caroline anything with that 7.00 credit???

That's true!! I don't even know how Nels explained afterwasrs"well i didnt even put in the order because i knew!"

[jason88cubs]

On 12/26/2022 at 2:51 PM, debraran said:

When she had Chris wear the shirt, I thought, just tell Mary it's the one you made. Such a waste of material to just hide it. Those little infuriating things like the dishes that have no consistency.

And did Charles ever buy Caroline anything with that 7.00 credit???

Do you remember off hand what Nels was trying to get Charles to buy instead? Wasn't it a clock or lantern?

[debraran]

1 hour ago, jason88cubs said:

Do you remember off hand what Nels was trying to get Charles to buy instead? Wasn't it a clock or lantern?

Something totally inappropriate and if he spent that much money on it, she'd kill him. Never showed her any "womanly" items to my recollection. Maybe a cameo? Might be blurring two shows.

[jason88cubs]

3 hours ago, debraran said:

Something totally inappropriate and if he spent that much money on it, she'd kill him. Never showed her any "womanly" items to my recollection. Maybe a cameo? Might be blurring two shows.

I'm going to have to go look now

 

China lamp,knick knack shelf or a clock

[debraran]

9 hours ago, jason88cubs said:

I'm going to have to go look now

 

China lamp,knick knack shelf or a clock

Yes, just want Caroline needed, a place to put useless things, lol. That is our legacy, not hers. : )

I loved when they got to do things that were nice but Michael always had to put a sad spin on it. Maybe exception was her depression about menopause and not having a child with Laura and they got remarried etc. even though that was only with a kind couples okay. The "grange" trip went downhill, the trip when Mr Edwards babysat was awful, no gifts, play was awful, it was too much. Even taking Mary to town turned sour but Ma never got much of a break. I know she was "perfect" loved most, stayed up all night without dark circles to make dresses from her own, baked and cooked constantly, always keeping coffee for Charles ready but just showing a nice trip, one without illness, bad weather, sadness or drama was always something I hoped for. You knew inheritance would be fake, like Laura's gold, but just let Ma have something nice when that one episode where he farmed well, had extra. There must have been one where Mary didn't get kicked by horse or tornado just hit their home?

 

[jason88cubs]

I thought the clock was pretty nice to be honest. I probably would have gotten that

[Blergh]

16 hours ago, debraran said:

Yes, just want Caroline needed, a place to put useless things, lol. That is our legacy, not hers. : )

I loved when they got to do things that were nice but Michael always had to put a sad spin on it. Maybe exception was her depression about menopause and not having a child with Laura and they got remarried etc. even though that was only with a kind couples okay. The "grange" trip went downhill, the trip when Mr Edwards babysat was awful, no gifts, play was awful, it was too much. Even taking Mary to town turned sour but Ma never got much of a break. I know she was "perfect" loved most, stayed up all night without dark circles to make dresses from her own, baked and cooked constantly, always keeping coffee for Charles ready but just showing a nice trip, one without illness, bad weather, sadness or drama was always something I hoped for. You knew inheritance would be fake, like Laura's gold, but just let Ma have something nice when that one episode where he farmed well, had extra. There must have been one where Mary didn't get kicked by horse or tornado just hit their home?

 

I suppose Charles taking Caroline to the anachronistic high school reunion ( of 1856!)  was as close to a 'nice trip' as Caroline got. I mean, she got to tell that married, rich, boorish classmate who tried to flirt with her that he was a 'pain in the butt' (!?!) AND got to see Charles punch him out after said classmate slapped his abused and alcoholic wife in front of the whole reunion.

[debraran]

7 hours ago, Blergh said:

I suppose Charles taking Caroline to the anachronistic high school reunion ( of 1856!)  was as close to a 'nice trip' as Caroline got. I mean, she got to tell that married, rich, boorish classmate who tried to flirt with her that he was a 'pain in the butt' (!?!) AND got to see Charles punch him out after said classmate slapped his abused and alcoholic wife in front of the whole reunion.

 Yes, they must have been all "city folk" for Pete's sake. Every woman wants Charles but at least he had someone like Caroline too. Of course any other path they took would have been awful, the moral of every story. Even her "good friend" during the epidemic had one of the worst husband's around and made switching babies with another palatable.  My point was could anyone they knew just be happy? Caroline talked of giving up dreams once to Laura, teaching and other things, her life wasn't what she thought it would be, but she loved them etc. I never got why they seemed so poor compared to other farmers AND he worked at the mill during the show. He could woodwork, etc. Just wanted to see Ma have more than a few dollars in the tin. I mean Laura and Albert had an obnoxious amount of money, (50?) for just honey! They gave it for a wasted trip, of course Mary couldn't get to destination,but money flow was always something I found depressing. Grace and others seemed to live well, warm homes, food, but they always struggled.

Edited December 30, 2022 by debraran

[methodwriter85]

On 12/17/2022 at 11:23 AM, Egg McMuffin said:

So it’s almost Christmas and no sign of an airing of that very Christmasy movie where Zaldamo loses Rose, a heatwave hits Minnesota, and the Wilders dump an orphan boy onto a crazy woman?

I do seriously wonder what misery and trauma Michael would have cooked up for Rose Wilder's childhood and young adulthood if he had lived because I'm sure there would have been a reboot attempt in the mid-1990's, late 90's at the latest given how popular the syndication was (It still has to be, given that it's never gone off the air) and Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman being a big hit in the 90's.

Quote

Ed Friendly was the one who optioned the books and co-produced the pilot along with Landon. After the pilot, Landon forced him out because he wanted to do the show his way. Friendly later produced the 2005 miniseries which was more realistic.

I liked it purely because of Cameron Bancroft. The girl playing Laura was trying waaaaayyyy too hard to copy Melissa Gilbert that she didn't feel natural at all. Kind of a shame the series didn't get picked up as a regular show, but it's probably for the best. Erin Cotrell wound up doing a lot of Hallmark Westerns, so good for her? The girl who played Mary does a lot of Hallmark-esque romantic comedies, I believe.

Hallmark has their "When Calls the Heart" series so they wouldn't be interested in a Little House reboot, and I think Disney owns the rights to any further series. Probably can't see it happening with Disney. Any potential  Little House series by Disney would probably be slammed for promoting the displacement of Native Americans and I don't think they'd touch the subject.

Then again, I could be wrong. I thought Westerns were over and here we are right now with Yellowstone being the biggest show on T.V.

Edited December 30, 2022 by methodwriter85

[debraran]

Wasn't there a LHOP movie that never got off the ground a few times? Not the TV series, which I don't think would do well, but an actual movie. Covid might have curtailed plans but this was before.

[jason88cubs]

11 hours ago, debraran said:

Wasn't there a LHOP movie that never got off the ground a few times? Not the TV series, which I don't think would do well, but an actual movie. Covid might have curtailed plans but this was before.

This is all I found

 

https://ew.com/tv/little-house-on-the-prairie-reboot-paramount-exclusive/

I think it's form end of 2020

[methodwriter85]

9 hours ago, jason88cubs said:

This is all I found

https://ew.com/tv/little-house-on-the-prairie-reboot-paramount-exclusive/

I think it's form end of 2020

I'm really interested in seeing how they'd make this work now. If it's owned by Paramount maybe they'd try to make it like a PG Yellowstone?

I'd rather get a continuation though. I mean, at this point Melissa Gilbert is old enough now that she could play Laura writing her memoirs with her daughter in the 1930's. Melissa is 58 and Laura wrote her first memoir at 65- we're getting close. Ginifer Goodwin or Anna Chlumsky could play Rose! 

Edited December 31, 2022 by methodwriter85

[jason88cubs]

2023 Resolutuons

 

Charles-Only pay cash on a barrel , Play violin enough to where it doesn't sit and collect dust

 

[Mr. Sparkle]

Use the bed for nothin' except eatin' popcorn and makin' (more) babies! 

[jason88cubs]

44 minutes ago, Superclam said:

Use the bed for nothin' except eatin' popcorn and makin' (more) babies! 

Charles-Make it to Jan 2nd without breaking a rib

 

Caroline-more alone time with Chris

[jason88cubs]

Watching "Blizzard" and i wish they had gone into more detail on how far all the families lived from the school

 

Miss Beadle, who I feel awful for in this episode, said they left 30 mins ago before it got bad.

 

At a brisk walking pace of 3 mph (4.8 kph), you'll walk 1.5 miles in 30 minutes (2.4 km). At 4 mph, you'll go 2 miles (3.2 km)

 

I understand the kids got slowed down by the storm but I wish we knew how far everyone was.

[Mr. Sparkle]

49 minutes ago, jason88cubs said:

Watching "Blizzard" and i wish they had gone into more detail on how far all the families lived from the school

This is a debate we've had on here over the years. In the first or second episode, Ma says you can hear the mill whistle from their house. In later episodes it's either a 15 minute or 3 hour walk into town, depending on the plot point. 

[jason88cubs]

32 minutes ago, Superclam said:

This is a debate we've had on here over the years. In the first or second episode, Ma says you can hear the mill whistle from their house. In later episodes it's either a 15 minute or 3 hour walk into town, depending on the plot point. 

I also wonder what they would have done, if kids hadn't left school. Charles said it looks like everyone was staying in town at the school, so I imagine they would have used blankets from the Oleson's but I don't know about food

[Blergh]

BTW, why was Carrie at the school anyway? It would be a few years before she'd get depicted as a fulltime student.

[debraran]

10 minutes ago, Blergh said:

BTW, why was Carrie at the school anyway? It would be a few years before she'd get depicted as a fulltime student.

I suppose they needed to have her there so she wasn't alone during the storm. There was an episode Caroline & Charles went to see Mary at blind school to tell them something in excitement ( in WG )and they left the little ones at night....kind of odd if they got up but didn't want to write them in. Here I felt you were to not think about it or think they asked her to come to decorate.

Nels and Harriet always had tons of blankets and lanterns to loan or give in case of illness and food, I bet they'd make it to store for candy and coffee for sure. ; )

Edited January 2, 2023 by debraran

[jason88cubs]

1 hour ago, Blergh said:

BTW, why was Carrie at the school anyway? It would be a few years before she'd get depicted as a fulltime student.

I would imagine it was because Caroline was doing Christmas stuff with the other mother's and they didn't want Carrie to be involved since they were probably doing presents.

12 hours ago, Superclam said:

This is a debate we've had on here over the years. In the first or second episode, Ma says you can hear the mill whistle from their house. In later episodes it's either a 15 minute or 3 hour walk into town, depending on the plot point. 

From what I saw online they lived 1.5 miles away from Walnut Grove which is about a 30 minute walk

[Blergh]

7 hours ago, debraran said:

I suppose they needed to have her there so she wasn't alone during the storm. There was an episode Caroline & Charles went to see Mary at blind school to tell them something in excitement ( in WG )and they left the little ones at night....kind of odd if they got up but didn't want to write them in. Here I felt you were to not think about it or think they asked her to come to decorate.

Nels and Harriet always had tons of blankets and lanterns to loan or give in case of illness and food, I bet they'd make it to store for candy and coffee for sure. ; )

Sadly,  it's well-documented how many OTHER RL stores and mercantiles would jack the prices of vital necessities during life-threatening blizzards, I always admired Nels for volunteering the resources at his disposal to help his customers and neighbors in need.

Yes, the Olesons may have shrewdly made up for the inventory loss via charging for coffee and/or hot chocolate (which both had to be imported and the latter especially was quite expensive) but I think Nels especially didn't want to chance WG resenting then boycotting him for having profiteered during times of duress!

[jason88cubs]

1 hour ago, Blergh said:

Sadly,  it's well-documented how many OTHER RL stores and mercantiles would jack the prices of vital necessities during life-threatening blizzards, I always admired Nels for volunteering the resources at his disposal to help his customers and neighbors in need.

Yes, the Olesons may have shrewdly made up for the inventory loss via charging for coffee and/or hot chocolate (which both had to be imported and the latter especially was quite expensive) but I think Nels especially didn't want to chance WG resenting then boycotting him for having profiteered during times of duress!

Yep , Nels even went to go help look for the children during the blizzard even though Nellie and Willie were safe at the school

[Quof]

Ms. Beadle commented "Thank you, Carrie, we're so happy you could come spend the day with us".  Before sending them out into the SnowStorm of Death.

[jason88cubs]

2 minutes ago, Quof said:

Ms. Beadle commented "Thank you, Carrie, we're so happy you could come spend the day with us".  Before sending them out into the SnowStorm of Death.

I assume there was no one in Walnut Grove getting weather updates?

[jird]

On 1/1/2023 at 5:25 PM, jason88cubs said:

Miss Beadle, who I feel awful for in this episode, said they left 30 mins ago before it got bad.

 

I may be misremembering, but I recall a couple of the moms saying that their kids couldn't have gotten home in time even before Miss Beadle said how long ago they left.

And yes, I felt awful for her too. Willie coming to comfort her is one of my favorite moments in the whole series.

[jason88cubs]

5 minutes ago, jird said:

I may be misremembering, but I recall a couple of the moms saying that their kids couldn't have gotten home in time even before Miss Beadle said how long ago they left.

And yes, I felt awful for her too. Willie coming to comfort her is one of my favorite moments in the whole series.

yes the moms did say that. Which is why I wish they had said how far away they were

[Blergh]

23 hours ago, jason88cubs said:

I assume there was no one in Walnut Grove getting weather updates?

 

Unless one had access to a telegraph receiver (usually via rail lines), there was no such thing as 'weather updates'- and even then those telegraph lines frequently blew down during bad storms. IIRC, WG had no rail line or telegraph office around and its post office just dealt with snail mail.

Edited January 3, 2023 by Blergh

[Snow Apple]

23 hours ago, jason88cubs said:

Yep , Nels even went to go help look for the children during the blizzard even though Nellie and Willie were safe at the school

And I think it was Harriet who told Mr. Edwards to take warm clothes from the store. She's pulled crazy and mean stunts but she pulls though when it really matters.

As for Carrie, I agree with the poster that since Ma was with the other ladies doing Christmas stuff, it makes since for Carrie to make her own gifts with her sisters just across the road.

I always laugh when Mr. Edwards came back and said he gave booze to his children to stay warm, but then it got sad when the camera panned to the other family who lost the husband/dad.

[jason88cubs]

If you think about it, it could have been way worse. If all the mothers had been at home they would have thought the kids were still at school. I suppose Charles and Edwards would have gotten everyone together anyway but it's lucky that that the mothers knew as well

[crazy8s]

2 hours ago, Snow Apple said:

As for Carrie, I agree with the poster that since Ma was with the other ladies doing Christmas stuff, it makes since for Carrie to make her own gifts with her sisters just across the road.

Which makes one question - if the children knew their mothers were at the Oleson's making decorations, why would they not have stopped in to say they got out of school early and were heading home?

Fun fact the actor who played Jim Bowers (Joey's father) in the Blizzard episode was also in the Christmas They Never Forgot episode as Master Hayes, who owned the plantation and gave Hester Sue's father the angel/doll gift from santa.

[jason88cubs]

3 hours ago, crazy8s said:

Which makes one question - if the children knew their mothers were at the Oleson's making decorations, why would they not have stopped in to say they got out of school early and were heading home?

Fun fact the actor who played Jim Bowers (Joey's father) in the Blizzard episode was also in the Christmas They Never Forgot episode as Master Hayes, who owned the plantation and gave Hester Sue's father the angel/doll gift from santa.

You just started up a whole new topic

What's better than gettign home from the bar tipsy and  turning on tv and hearing Charles tell you "any job a man can do in this world is  decent job"

 

Edited January 4, 2023 by jason88cubs