Little House On The Prairie - General Discussion

[shipmate]

Blizzard in my neck of the woods, too, starting today and all I can think of is sweet Miss Beadle killing kids!

just saw the Laura Ingalls wilder episodes and the absolutely beautiful acting choices of Lucy Lee Flippin. I’m sure James Cromwell has had decades of people going up to him saying “that’ll do pig, that’ll do” but I also wonder how many people have told him off for how Harv Miller led on Eliza Jane!

[debraran]

12 hours ago, shipmate said:

Blizzard in my neck of the woods, too, starting today and all I can think of is sweet Miss Beadle killing kids!

just saw the Laura Ingalls wilder episodes and the absolutely beautiful acting choices of Lucy Lee Flippin. I’m sure James Cromwell has had decades of people going up to him saying “that’ll do pig, that’ll do” but I also wonder how many people have told him off for how Harv Miller led on Eliza Jane!

He played it completely clueless though. I've lived long enough to see that many men if they aren't "into a woman" in any way, like her in that way, they don't see how much she likes them. I've seen a guy tell me a person who adored him was "just a friend" and I was crazy to think she liked him that way.He was very popular for some reason. She did and it was obvious but he thought she was nice, a little on the heavier side of what he liked, so invisible. He was a jerk and it was for the best. Then he said he liked me and thought I was talking to him because I liked him and it was the furthest from the truth. I can't get into his brain but I feel many women are invisible if a guy doesn't like the way they look.

So I see that episode as he knew Eliza liked him and was helping him "like a sister" and he already had his heart and cap on for the other woman and that was his focus. Later Eliza is made to do the same thing to the guy at the conference who sent her flowers and she liked the awful professor. Why would the flowers be from Mort,  she made herself think they were from the professor.

Edited Sunday at 12:33 PM by debraran

[The Wild Sow]

On 1/4/2025 at 6:40 PM, shipmate said:

Blizzard in my neck of the woods, too, starting today and all I can think of is sweet Miss Beadle killing kids!

I think Ted McGinnis (an adult) was the only actual death in that one, wasn't he?

Since that's my maiden name -- Ted could have been an uncle somewhere along  the line!  I know my great-grandpa James & his family came over sometime  between 1871  (when his youngest brother was born in Scotland) and 1889, when his oldest child, my grandpa Bill, was born in the US.  Have to check family records and see if there's a Ted in there -- I know we have quite a few Henrys!

Blizzards really do come up that fast on the plains.  Read about the Schoolhouse Blizzard of January 12, 1888, for more stories about that.  An unusually warm day, about 60 degrees F at noon, people out and about without their heavy winter clothes -- and the storm just hit like a WALL about 3:30 PM.  Terrifying!

[debraran]

16 hours ago, The Wild Sow said:

I think Ted McGinnis (an adult) was the only actual death in that one, wasn't he?

Since that's my maiden name -- Ted could have been an uncle somewhere along  the line!  I know my great-grandpa James & his family came over sometime  between 1871  (when his youngest brother was born in Scotland) and 1889, when his oldest child, my grandpa Bill, was born in the US.  Have to check family records and see if there's a Ted in there -- I know we have quite a few Henrys!

Blizzards really do come up that fast on the plains.  Read about the Schoolhouse Blizzard of January 12, 1888, for more stories about that.  An unusually warm day, about 60 degrees F at noon, people out and about without their heavy winter clothes -- and the storm just hit like a WALL about 3:30 PM.  Terrifying!

That was horrible ! 400 deaths, 213 kids 50 inches of snow.  NYC had it the worst they say.  Not many photos online but chilling in more than one way 

[crazy8s]

On 1/4/2025 at 6:40 PM, shipmate said:

Blizzard in my neck of the woods, too, starting today and all I can think of is sweet Miss Beadle killing kids!

Miss Beadle got the blame. but at the mercantile McGinnis himself tells Joey's dad that Henry and Joey stopped by after school let out. He seemed to have seen no danger in letting them continue on towards home.

McGinnis would also known his wife was at the Olsen's because he was shooing her out of the shop to keep her from looking at the books. So he knew no one was home.

I always wondered what happened to the Harris girls and little Tommy Spencer Doc brought in and the children Nels and Lars brought in?? Nowhere in sight Christmas day when Edwards appears. Certainly they did not head for home in the middle of the night in a blizzard. Also the other ladies that came to the church to decorate and were shown there later just vanished.

The school house expanded quite a bit so the benches could be moved out and Charles can be shown sleeping off to the side with that heavenly glowing light on his head. Where was that light even coming from with the windows shuttered and the lamps turned very low?

[debraran]

Found this Blade article. Does anyone think her memoir was thrown out when her assisted living apartment was cleaned out? I do think she at least kept a journal. She was an only child, no husband or children or heirs it seems. What a shame if so. Would have been the best book of the bunch and nice income if they asked her too. I also wish I knew where to write her then. ; ) One piece of trivia Alison mentioned was Richard Bull was in the same place with his wife and when he passed, she had lunch with her and said they both lost a wonderful husband.

https://www.washingtonblade.com/2018/11/27/katherine-macgregor-remembered/

Edited 5 hours ago by debraran

[Blergh]

Thanks for the link,@Debraran!

Interesting that the author claims Miss MacGregor wrote him that she had already finished her autobio (evidently their correspondence took place a few years before she entered the Motion Picture Home) ! I wonder if she might have attempted to shop it around to have it published before she moved from her apartment? Also, I wonder if either AA or Dean Butler [both of whom, by all accounts, stayed in close touch with her to virtually the end] might have seen a manuscript and/or knows its ultimate fate? I'm wondering how many personal affects she was able to  bring with her TO the Home since many assisted living places have very strict guidelines (e.g. a family friend donated quite a few tons of books due to only being allowed FIVE books in her retirement home). Maybe it didn't even make it to the Home. Perhaps we could see about asking AA or Mr. Butler and see if they might respond.

Yes, I heard about Miss MacGregor's joint dinner with Mr. Bull bona fide widow and that was touching. IIRC a few years before his death, the relocated to his hometown of Chicago but evidently this didn't work out and they wound up at the Home in LA. I wonder what might have spurred their return (and why they didn't seek out any Chicago area retirement homes).

Anyway, thanks for the article!