Little House On The Prairie - General Discussion

[crazy8s]

I watched Country Girls the other day. Things that were interesting.

They have supposedly lived in Walnut Grove how long since ep 1?  The girls were in town for Harvest of Friends.

But in Country Girls Caroline has not met the Olesons or Miss Beadle, so Caroline hasn't been to town or church yet? Really??

Caroline takes eggs to sell at the mercantile for the first time, but some how amasses enough credit from selling eggs to buy the expensive yard goods for a dress? (minus any days she sold the brown eggs to the invisible men at the mill)

Ma sews not one, but two smaller dresses in the evenings and no one notices the smaller size?

 

 

[debraran]

I think it was a sweet episode (again Ma gets nothing) but not being a seamstress at all, can you make 2 long girl dresses from one adult? I know Ma was a whiz, but hand sewing 2 dresses and all the trim in one evening, well a little LHOP magic.

I admit though, I know little, since I'd be wearing burlap sacks being all thumbs with a needle and thread : )

Mike wasn't great with any consistency and seemed to forget what was written before. Having shows a week apart and reruns only in the summer or holiday's helped some not notice.

I was laughing at "cash on the barrel" Ingalls always forgot that when he wanted too and then saw this on Reddit. Might be a laugh for some of you. I laughed outloud at the the comments about poor Harriet not being moved enough to give Charles credit, "I guess the tight pants didn't do it for her"

 

Edited January 15 by debraran

[Mr. Sparkle]

Controversial opinion: other than the cringey dream sequences, "The Godsister" is a decent episode. The telephone line construction storyline is pretty good. 

[Blergh]

48 minutes ago, Superclam said:

Controversial opinion: other than the cringey dream sequences, "The Godsister" is a decent episode. The telephone line construction storyline is pretty good. 

Though, I somewhat call into question Miss MacGregor's later claim that she ad libbed Harriet SHOUTING 'WALNUT GRO-OH_OVE!!! at the top of her lungs which caused the poor lineman to fall off the tall telephone pole.

I mean, if it hadn't been scripted (and he wasn't supposed to fall off), what would the point of having had a stunt person climb up to the top of the telephone pole have been with the camera rolling?

 Maybe they had him climb the pole and fall off after deciding to keep Miss MacGregor's alleged ad-lib but I have my doubts.

[The Wild Sow]

I CAN'T be the only one who noticed the irony of Home Again airing back-to-back with Once Upon A Time!

Laura's "writer's integrity" causing her to refuse her publisher's instruction to include more drama and excitement in her books - to the extent that they end up not being published for another 40 years.

Followed by Laura's entirely fictional, non-existent adoptive brother (added to the show for drama!) - causing all sorts of excitement with his entirely fictional, non-existent morphine addiction!

[debraran]

5 hours ago, Superclam said:

Controversial opinion: other than the cringey dream sequences, "The Godsister" is a decent episode. The telephone line construction storyline is pretty good. 

The subplot was fine, I felt bad for the Greenbush twins when I read (maybe falsely) that ML did that 90 minute show to hush up their parents who wanted a little more air time. I thought it odd to do 90 but then was reminded that they weren't shown often, I hardly ever see them in the rotations. He knew they wouldn't rerun a 90 min show on summer time when the slot was 60. If that is true, it's not nice and the script was horrible for Carrie, Someone wrote that dribble. They also had Ma and the girls unusually angry with Carrie. I'm not a writer but I think any of us could have written her script better. The twins also said in an interview they were proud he only did one take for some scenes, he said they didn't need to do more. Was that to make it bad?. Was it her age? I think as you said, the show is made worse than it was.

That said, I do believe Katherine had the idea for the phone, she gave Michael ideas ALL the time. She pushed others to do the same, although they did it usually only once. (Charlotte Stewart, Hersha and Karen were 3) She had some good ideas, like falling in the stream with the blind children and other things. I don't think it happened all at once, but rehearsing she might have thrown it in even if he nixed it before. I so wish I could read her bio. ; )

Edited January 15 by debraran

[jason88cubs]

On 1/14/2024 at 2:46 PM, crazy8s said:

I watched Country Girls the other day. Things that were interesting.

They have supposedly lived in Walnut Grove how long since ep 1?  The girls were in town for Harvest of Friends.

But in Country Girls Caroline has not met the Olesons or Miss Beadle, so Caroline hasn't been to town or church yet? Really??

Caroline takes eggs to sell at the mercantile for the first time, but some how amasses enough credit from selling eggs to buy the expensive yard goods for a dress? (minus any days she sold the brown eggs to the invisible men at the mill)

Ma sews not one, but two smaller dresses in the evenings and no one notices the smaller size?

 

 

good catch!

[jason88cubs]

Also regarding the comment above about Caroline not meeting  miss Beadle wouldn't she have gone to the school to introduce Laura and Mary to Miss Bedale before their first day?

 

I can't imagine they just sent Luara and Mary off to school without telling anyone they would be going there

 

(in walks Mary and Laura)

Miss beadle: who are you

kids: i'm mary and i'm laura we just moved here after Pa traveled us all over the place

miss beadle: oh ok well come on in

 

laura: my pa believes in cash  on a barrell!

 

miss beadle: oh does he now!!!

mary: and my ma makes some mean apple fritters

miss beadle: OH WELL I HOPE TO TRY THEM!!!

 

[crazy8s]

They did actually apparently send them off on their own.

When the are hanging in the back Miss Beadle says "do come in" and then you must be the new girls who live by Plum Creek. (possible she says Ingalls girls)

Laura and Mary go to the desk and give their names to be written in the school book. They tell her Ma has been teaching them. Mary "But I can read!",  Laura "I can't, but know my abc's".  They show her Ma's books.

Also I expect had the Ingalls parents met Miss Beadle ahead, they would have known the girls needed a slate and slate pencil before day one of school.😂

Also Laura goes into much detail describing Miss Beadle to her parents. It doesn't seem like either had met her.

I just found it interesting that Caroline, who's biggest things while crossing the prairie were wanting to go to town and see people, the Sabbath and to have the girls in school. But in the whole time Pa worked two jobs in town, built an entire house, broke his ribs and saw doc Baker etc, Ma had apparently not been to town even for church services where she would have met the Olesons and Miss Beadle. 😀

I have seen the episode many times and never thought about any of that until I saw it last week.

 

 

Edited January 17 by crazy8s

[jason88cubs]

wow

 

I can't imagine parents not at least meeting the teacher before sending them to school

[Blergh]

FWIW, I think it's possible Miss MacGregor might have suggested Harriet screaming' WALNUT GROAH_OHVE!! ' into the switchboard mouthpiece before the actual filming (and ML agreed it would have helped the scenes and added it in) but not so much ad-libbing  during the actual filming as both the lineman falling off the telephone pole and the switchboard installer's actions and dialogue wouldn't have fit Harriet's scream had their dialogue/directions not been previously altered to have their reactions to it match.

[jason88cubs]

I can't help but laugh everytime I think of Charles walking into the mercantile asking for stuff with no cash and Nels has a perfectly good reason why he can't help Charles without cash and Charles storms out of the store lol

 

:I UNDERSTAND!!!!" (THROWS OPEN THE DOOR)

[CountryGirl]

Not "Cash on the Barrel Charles!"

[crazy8s]

No plow and seed for 10 acres on credit for you Pa.

Then the very next episode has his child in same store saying "Pa always says cash on the barrel", over a penny slate pencil. 😂

Edited January 17 by crazy8s

[Egg McMuffin]

I really think they should have renamed the show something flashier when Charles and family decamped to Burr Oak. And not that “New Beginning” crap - how boring. How about:

• The Dark Secrets of Walnut Grove
• Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Place
• Laura Loves Manly

[debraran]

13 hours ago, crazy8s said:

No plow and seed for 10 acres on credit for you Pa.

Then the very next episode has his child in same store saying "Pa always says cash on the barrel", over a penny slate pencil. 😂

Hard to believe the first episode had the girls getting a penny and then soon after they are so poor they can't afford a pencil. Something I noticed years ago was just about every other person in Walnut Grove was better off. They were always buying things at the store, widows especially, but Charles working (sadly) as a farmer, working at the mill, being able to fix wheels and build cupboards and all that. It seemed they lived on Ma's brown eggs sometimes.   Luckily the other well off people in WG could buy them. : )

I didn't mind the "little house" it wss the focus of the show for many years but it was odd as he added kids etc. that everyone else's home was nicer and bigger and had "rooms". The Garvey's had doors to their room too! Mrs Whipple's home was nice and she kept that up with just sewing. The Sanderson's had a nice home, just about everyone but Mr Edwards. lol  The very rich had the homes like the Widow Thurman or Harriet but even the pig farmer had a nice house.

I know there were taxes to pay , but they grew a lot of their food or caught it, they needed money for fabric and yarn, Charles needed his coffee, animals but their level of poverty seemed odd compared to others. Maybe if he made it more even.

Edited January 18 by debraran

[Zella]

5 hours ago, debraran said:

Hard to believe the first episode had the girls getting a penny and then soon after they are so poor they can't afford a pencil. Something I noticed years ago was just about every other person in Walnut Grove was better off. They were always buying things at the store, widows especially, but Charles working (sadly) as a farmer, working at the mill, being able to fix wheels and build cupboards and all that. It seemed they lived on Ma's brown eggs sometimes.   Luckily the other well off people in WG could buy them. : )

I didn't mind the "little house" it wss the focus of the show for many years but it was odd as he added kids etc. that everyone else's home was nicer and bigger and had "rooms". The Garvey's had doors to their room too! Mrs Whipple's home was nice and she kept that up with just sewing. The Sanderson's had a nice home, just about everyone but Mr Edwards. lol  The very rich had the homes like the Widow Thurman or Harriet but even the pig farmer had a nice house.

I know there were taxes to pay , but they grew a lot of their food or caught it, they needed money for fabric and yarn, Charles needed his coffee, animals but their level of poverty seemed odd compared to others. Maybe if he made it more even.

I think it makes sense within the context of the real Pa apparently making a lot of poor financial decisions, to the point he wasn't above fleeing in the middle of the night to avoid paying debts. It would have been an interesting facet to explore of Pa being a beloved husband and father by his family but, as to quote my Granny, "unable to manage a setting hen." 

I don't think Landon was interested in depicting that, though, because it would have made him less of an idol. So, we get the consequences of his bad decisions while skirting around the causes. 

[jason88cubs]

I never understood the whole adding on to the house for  a kitchen but couldn't make a extra bed for Laura or Mary?

[CountryGirl]

20 hours ago, jason88cubs said:

I never understood the whole adding on to the house for  a kitchen but couldn't make a extra bed for Laura or Mary?

Priorities.

Ma needed more room to make Pa's meals and coffee and popcorn.

[Blergh]

10 hours ago, CountryGirl said:

Priorities.

Ma needed more room to make Pa's meals and coffee and popcorn.

Where? That kitchen looked barely big enough to singe a Pop Tart!

[debraran]

9 hours ago, Blergh said:

Where? That kitchen looked barely big enough to singe a Pop Tart!

Well didn't Chris get cut off from finishing? He would have designed Ma a much better kitchen for sure. ; )  While he was at it, probably would have added an additional room for the many guests that stop by the Ingall's.

[Blergh]

On 1/17/2024 at 9:59 PM, Egg McMuffin said:

I really think they should have renamed the show something flashier when Charles and family decamped to Burr Oak. And not that “New Beginning” crap - how boring. How about:

• The Dark Secrets of Walnut Grove
• Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Place
• Laura Loves Manly

How about  other titles such as:

Walnut Grove Makes Peyton Place Look Like Walton's Mountain

Laura Ingalls Wilder's  Even Wilder Bunch

Laura Loathes Manly [Who Wonders If He'd Been Better Off Giving Nellie His Robe  Instead of 'Beth']

 

Edited January 20 by Blergh

[jason88cubs]

"Cash on a Barrel" --Charles refuses to buy anything on credit. Can he get through a week without using credit?

"Late night walks" Laura sneaks out again to go into walnut grove after midnight. A storm pops up and Laura gets caught in it, can she make it back home before she's busted?

"Broken Ribs" Charles gets his ribs broken at work. Can Charles tend to his crop with broken ribs to avoid bankruptcy?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Blergh]

'Rolled Out the Barrel'- When Charles pays for a new barrel in cash, Harriet celebrates by trying to roll it out to his wagon- only to have it crash into his target ribs!

[jason88cubs]

"the intruder" Charles gets involved in a family quarrel. Can the family solve their problem without Charles help? Find out next week on a special Little House on the Prarie

[jason88cubs]

Watching "A Matter of Faith"

 

Really like this episode

[Mr. Sparkle]

Probably Ma's best acting. 

[Blergh]

'Fiddle-Dee-Don't'- After the Colonel opens a branch at Nellie's Hotel in  Walnut Grove (despite it being set roughly the same time as his birth in Kentucky), he invites Charles to perform with his violin at the Grand Opening and all goes well until Charles stomps off and refuses to play the Colonel's fave song- Hank William, Sr.'s 'Mind Your Own Business'!  While Charles makes his churlish exit, the whole town eagerly serenades him with it, though!

[jason88cubs]

"Storm without warning" Nels and Edwards go to Winoka but worried a storm may be coming. Charles tells them it's impossible , spring is here. A massive winter storm hits and Nels and Edwards are trapped!Charles feels guilty after Harriet screams at him and calls him a "weatherman wanna be" Can Charles find them in time to save them?!?!

[crazy8s]

4 hours ago, jason88cubs said:

"Storm without warning" Nels and Edwards go to Winoka but worried a storm may be coming. Charles tells them it's impossible , spring is here. A massive winter storm hits and Nels and Edwards are trapped!Charles feels guilty after Harriet screams at him and calls him a "weatherman wanna be" Can Charles find them in time to save them?!?!

Well, most likely neither of them would be randomly carrying a pair of useless glasses in their pocket to accidentally cause a signal fire that leads Charles to them. So their best hope for survival would be Edwards has a gallon of moonshine in the wagon. 🤣

Edited January 24 by crazy8s

[Blergh]

1 hour ago, crazy8s said:

Well, most likely neither of them would be randomly carrying a pair of useless glasses in their pocket to accidentally cause a signal fire that leads Charles to them. So their best hope for survival would be Edwards has a gallon of moonshine in the wagon. 🤣

Or maybe Black Bart will find them. ..or at least find Mr. Edwards alone.

[Mr. Sparkle]

My two least favorite back-to-back episodes? "The Angry Heart" followed by "The Werewolf of Walnut Grove." Two episodes I can almost always skip. Season 6 has some real clunkers. 

[Blergh]

On 1/24/2024 at 7:02 PM, Superclam said:

My two least favorite back-to-back episodes? "The Angry Heart" followed by "The Werewolf of Walnut Grove." Two episodes I can almost always skip. Season 6 has some real clunkers. 

Ironic that the city thug Todd calls Albert 'the village idiot' first thing in Walnut Grove (in 'The Angry Heart') but I can't help but think that the bully who [but for Carrie's blabbing) actually bought that Albert WAS 'The Werewolf of Walnut Grove' was a much better candidate!

Edited January 27 by Blergh

[jason88cubs]

"Not his fault" Albert steals over 50.00 from Nels and gets caught red handed. He runs away to avoid punishment. Can Charles find him and let him know he is loved and won't be punished?

[debraran]

Just watching Handyman while I had a day off. Mary, the B***ch telling her Mom "I saw you!!" Good Lord. What a drama queen. She tells an adult to leave that her mom hasn't paid yet for his work. Then "it's all a mistake" It's a mistake because your mom tells you she fell? The tears from her pretty blue eyes. I'll tell him to come back...a bad script but I guess Mike didn't know how to get rid of Chris before he got back on the show full time saving people.  Chris made a great almost room, made toys for Carrie, gave her more attention than Ma and left saying she didn't have to pay him. Hopefully he found more gracious people in the future. : )  I know some were off the set but I wont go into that. lol

[Mr. Sparkle]

Mary could really overreact and overact. 

[Blergh]

14 hours ago, debraran said:

Just watching Handyman while I had a day off. Mary, the B***ch telling her Mom "I saw you!!" Good Lord. What a drama queen. She tells an adult to leave that her mom hasn't paid yet for his work. Then "it's all a mistake" It's a mistake because your mom tells you she fell? The tears from her pretty blue eyes. I'll tell him to come back...a bad script but I guess Mike didn't know how to get rid of Chris before he got back on the show full time saving people.  Chris made a great almost room, made toys for Carrie, gave her more attention than Ma and left saying she didn't have to pay him. Hopefully he found more gracious people in the future. : )  I know some were off the set but I wont go into that. lol

Correct me if I'm wrong but IIRC, the episode closed with them seeing Pa coming home (from a distance since ML wasn't there) and saying that they couldn't wait to tell him about Chris No Surname!

Yeah, I get that Ma and Chris had done nothing shameful to hide [no comment on their performers] but exactly why would they have thought that Pa would have thought Chris's stay had been good news?

[debraran]

3 hours ago, Blergh said:

Correct me if I'm wrong but IIRC, the episode closed with them seeing Pa coming home (from a distance since ML wasn't there) and saying that they couldn't wait to tell him about Chris No Surname!

Yeah, I get that Ma and Chris had done nothing shameful to hide [no comment on their performers] but exactly why would they have thought that Pa would have thought Chris's stay had been good news?

Charles came home once inbetween where Mary begs him to stay and he acts like she has 3 heads. She missed him telling Ma that Mrs Oleson couldn't wait to tell him about the handsome man taking care of the family and thought he'd be jealous (Ma looked a slight bit disappointed) Caroline assumes Chris went to town.He stepped aside not wanting to interfere with their family time and some said, Mike didn't want them both in a scene.  Yes Chris was always just "Chris" Hard to look him up later. Did a hunky handyman with a great tool belt pass through here?

Then at the end, Charles comes home and they are happy and he finally notices Ma with hair down and says it looks pretty (like every night he didn't see her brush it) and they tell him Chris left and couldn't finish and he's like "I can do it" and Carrie excitingly tells him about toy Chris made for her etc. I liked that she had more air time in a nice way, he really gave her more attention than Pa. Off set, Karen said he really was great with the kids and they loved him, I think it showed, Mary excluded.  : )

No mention of paying him to Charles or not paying him and I assume Ma kept that money for a rainy day fund : )

Edited February 10 by debraran

[jason88cubs]

Did Chris compliment the apple fritters?

[debraran]

10 hours ago, jason88cubs said:

Did Chris compliment the apple fritters?

Everything and said he could tend to his own shirt...and he couldn't find anyone who would want him?? Great carpenter, probably could cook, he sews, he is good with kids.

In another show, Charles wasn't being attentive either but I forgot why. She had the new white shirt and he didn't notice. Was that the widow/dishes one?

[Blergh]

Does anyone think Mary's dislike of Ma being more the cordially civil to Chris No Surname may not have been entirely her being the Absent Pa's Avenging Angel but with the possible contributing factor of Mary upset that Chris No Surname wouldn't have considered her someone worth . . .at least being more than  cordially civil to? And may not have wanted to believe that Ma may have been more attractive to him than she was?

Yeah, with no surname given, it would have been next to impossible to look him him - to say nothing of 'Chris' possibly being short for everything from Christopher, Christian to even Kris Kringle!

Edited February 12 by Blergh

[debraran]

6 minutes ago, Blergh said:

Does anyone think Mary's dislike of Ma being more the cordially civil to Chris No Surname may not have been entirely her being the Absent Pa's Avenging Angel but with the possible contributing factor of Mary upset that Chris No Surname wouldn't have consider her someone worth . . .at least being more than  cordially civil to? And may not have wanted to believe that Ma may have been more attractive to him than she was?

Yeah, with no surname given, it would have been next to impossible to look him him - to say nothing of 'Chris' possibly being short for everything from Christopher, Christian to even Kris Kringle!

Well Carrie and Mom got most of the attention...Mary was the belle of WG and the boys buzzed around, they all liked her even if she didn't like them. I imagine if he complimented her a little (probably sound sleazy now) she might have warmed up a bit.

[Blergh]

2 minutes ago, debraran said:

Well Carrie and Mom got most of the attention...Mary was the belle of WG and the boys buzzed around, they all liked her even if she didn't like them. I imagine if he complimented her a little (probably sound sleazy now) she might have warmed up a bit.

I'm NOT saying that he should have done so to the underage Mary. However, it likely might have had her not be so frosty towards him- although in doing so, he'd  have opened another can of worms.

Edited February 12 by Blergh

[jason88cubs]

On 2/11/2024 at 4:49 AM, debraran said:

Everything and said he could tend to his own shirt...and he couldn't find anyone who would want him?? Great carpenter, probably could cook, he sews, he is good with kids.

In another show, Charles wasn't being attentive either but I forgot why. She had the new white shirt and he didn't notice. Was that the widow/dishes one?

yea it was because didn't he compliment her and she got all excited..or was it this episode?

[debraran]

10 hours ago, jason88cubs said:

yea it was because didn't he compliment her and she got all excited..or was it this episode?

She was getting insecure about the time Charles was away doing chores for the Widow. Mary forgot she told her dad her Ma would like the dishes and he was just trying to get them so she could sell them later. (never to be seen again)

Then Ma sees Widow with Harriet and of course she has wonderful taste and picking out fabric and Harriet loves her taste. So instead of something "serviceable" Harriet suggests, Caroline buys nice fabric. Then she makes white blouse (really a bit nice for prairie living) Laura offers her lemon verbena to really wake him up. ; ) He doesn't seem to notice and later after she changes, says "that's a nice blouse you had on"  Photos below

Edited February 13 by debraran

[jason88cubs]

Charles with the "why did you have to mention Ma" look

[jason88cubs]

LHOP now on pluto 24/7

[Mr. Sparkle]

It's got its own Roku channel, showing the entire series back to back, from the pilot movie to the one where they blow up the town. I think it repeats every 10 days or so. At this point I may have too much prairie. 

[jason88cubs]

(town throws a celebration)

"We need some to provide food"

Charles" WE GOT IT!

"and wood"

Charles" here!"

"decorations"

"The Ingall family would be proud to!!!"

"tables need made"

"Right here I got all the tools!"

"chairs"

"If I'm doing tables might as well do chaairs!!"

"Fireworks"

"Just my luck, I can do that as well!"

"Drinks"

"Oh come on we are doing food why not us!??!"

"Alright Chalres is taking care of it all"

"That's right! Now let me talk to Nels about extending my credit for all this!"

[Egg McMuffin]

It’s also on Prime Video. We can get all the Little House we’d ever want.

I watched Harriet’s Happenings yesterday. It’s a ridiculous episode, really. Would all those people in WG be transfixed by a scandal sheet? Aren’t they too busy working from dusk to dawn in order to stay alive?

That said, it’s still great fun because of Mrs. Oleson. The scene where she confronts Caroline and demands that Laura and Albert be horsewhipped is great. And Caroline’s snark as she parrots back Harriet’s earlier dialogue about printing retractions almost verbatim is classic.

A few goofs: The name of the paper is The Pen and Plow. Pa keeps calling it The Pen and the Plow. Also, Jon Garvey talks about getting a loan at the bank to buy Alice an anniversary gift. He can’t, because the bank is gone and the Pen and Plow replaced it.

Edited February 24 by Egg McMuffin