Little House On The Prairie - General Discussion

[debraran]

On 5/5/2020 at 4:38 PM, jird said:

I've been watching a ton of this lately too, and I'd never noticed before that Mrs. Oleson was a good cook in the first season or 2 (she was even a finalist in the pie contest on Founder's Day!), and then in later seasons became incapable of even opening an oven door without setting things on fire.

Edited to add that no many how many times I see it, Harv Miller ENRAGES me. He's so dumb and clueless. You can see the exact moment when Eliza Jane's heart shreds into pieces.

I was watching that episode with my 20 something daughter yesterday and she was sweet when she said, "Eliza is pretty, they make her dowdy, it wasn't that strange that Harv wouldn't like her" I agree, that was one of the saddest shows, her diary, the voice-overs, the heartbreak, even more than the fires and deaths he had in before because so many could relate. He was clueless but they make most men like that. He wasn't as dull as they made Garvey many times.

I wish they showed she did meet a nice man, maybe an accountant or banker, and got married. I don't know what her story was in the books. There wasn't a reason why she was a spinster but Harriot found Nels ; ) 

I started not to like the show as much now because he didn't take more ideas from the books but redid things he did before.  Laura hates Dr Baker but he decided he wasn't good many shows before when someone died, Eliza Jane couldn't handle the "boys" but Miss Beadle also couldn't and the SAME conclusion was decided, the kids would help (did Laura forget??)

One of the funniest was when Nellie married the pig farmers son and they chased after them to the hotel they were staying in. Harriot yells to Nels "Make her a widow!"  lol I laugh out loud every time.

 

[CountryGirl]

That cracks me up every time re Nellie and Luke's five-minute marriage.

[debraran]

3 hours ago, CountryGirl said:

That cracks me up every time re Nellie and Luke's five-minute marriage.

When she shoots and he runs out in his long underwear past his dad and Miss Beadle. ; )   Poor Nels, his face.  Later he had to keep reminding her someone was marrying their daughter when Percival wasn't her cup of tea either and poor Willie, he had a nice girl too and she didn't like her. At least she was even. Katherine was such a good actress.

Remember her corset incident when she went flying into the restaurant when Nellie was pulling and the ties broke. I can't find the final scene. ; )

Edited May 7, 2020 by debraran

[CountryGirl]

And when she sat on the bacon and eggs to hide them when a then-pregnant Nellie came into the switchboard room and remarked that she could swear she smelled bacon and eggs.

I also loved Nellie and Percival. Nellie still kept her edge but my, my, what a little lovin' from Percival did for her. 

[debraran]

3 minutes ago, CountryGirl said:

And when she sat on the bacon and eggs to hide them when a then-pregnant Nellie came into the switchboard room and remarked that she could swear she smelled bacon and eggs.

I also loved Nellie and Percival. Nellie still kept her edge but my, my, what a little lovin' from Percival did for her. 

Yes, and her hiding her food from him when pregnant. They were very close off the set too until his untimely death, he had a great sense of humor. I would have loved to seen more of them together and not have him go to NYC than Cassandra and James, etc. Some interesting stories with those twins. ; )

[jird]

9 hours ago, debraran said:

I started not to like the show as much now because he didn't take more ideas from the books but redid things he did before.  Laura hates Dr Baker but he decided he wasn't good many shows before when someone died, Eliza Jane couldn't handle the "boys" but Miss Beadle also couldn't and the SAME conclusion was decided, the kids would help (did Laura forget??)

I watched the second one of those episodes the other day -- how did Laura not say, "Hey, when this happened before, we all just beat him up together"?

The duplicate episodes really were out of control: outcast boy named Elmer teaches the kids the true meaning of friendship; the same guy loses his wife and son to typhus, and then to anthrax just a couple of years later, the blatant effort to make Jenny be Laura 2.0, etc.

[debraran]

20 hours ago, jird said:

I watched the second one of those episodes the other day -- how did Laura not say, "Hey, when this happened before, we all just beat him up together"?

The duplicate episodes really were out of control: outcast boy named Elmer teaches the kids the true meaning of friendship; the same guy loses his wife and son to typhus, and then to anthrax just a couple of years later, the blatant effort to make Jenny be Laura 2.0, etc.

I'm watching the "I do again" episode where Caroline is suddenly devastated to be in menopause when 2-3 years ago, she was fine with it when she thought she starting it with Grace's pregnancy. The emotional turmoil made me sad watching but how long did she think she'd still have children? Her daughters are having kids, but in that time, even my Mom's era, uncles and aunts the same age as a daughter's child wasn't totally unusual. The fact any woman who had 5 children would think she was useless as a wife and mother if she couldn't have any more is a sign of those times but very disturbing to watch. I did like ending though. ; )

I skipped the Sylvia episodes, rape and crazy clowns aren't part of Little House books and should not be part of the show. The "boys will be boys", shaming of Sylvia and the whole Albert debacle was just a "let us forget this" part of the series.

Edited May 8, 2020 by debraran

[Snow Apple]

It's fun to make fun of the Sylvia episodes but I can't watch reruns of them either.

[Mr. Sparkle]

Y'know I watched the series through several times over the years, as they showed it every weekday at 5 where I lived. I don't remember ever seeing the Sylvia episode, I wonder if it was cut from rotation, or I just happened to miss it. Maybe I just don't remember. 

[debraran]

1 hour ago, Superclam said:

Y'know I watched the series through several times over the years, as they showed it every weekday at 5 where I lived. I don't remember ever seeing the Sylvia episode, I wonder if it was cut from rotation, or I just happened to miss it. Maybe I just don't remember. 

It was pretty bad, so was the Nancy episodes. They made her a sociopath, worse than Nellie and no redeeming qualities. Watching that made me think the specialness of the show was gone.  I read in some of the bios that Melissa Sue Anderson got in trouble for voicing her concerns over that double episode show where she leaves and Nancy comes. Michael Landon put her name as "special guest" that time and I'm not sure she was ever shown again. She saw the downturn and felt bad about it. I liked the Xmas episodes and when the girls were young and can always count on them for a pick me up when needed. If that house was ever made as an airbnb with a real toilet hidden in the back, I'd rent it for sure. ; )

It's easy to monday morning quarterback but I feel after all the years it was on, everyone was tired and kind of writing in their sleep. Michael never wanted to do specials either since he felt people looked at them to see how everyone aged. (that was his insecurity though I feel) I think they could have made more LHOP products like a dollhouse with characters. That would be a nostalgic toy going high bids on ebay. ; )

Edited May 9, 2020 by debraran

[Snow Apple]

On lord. I never minded all the orphans they keep adding to the cast but I hated Nancy. She had no problem trying to kill Albert's girlfriend! I never felt she loved or respected Mrs. Olesen and was just using her. And I wanted to slap her every time she screeched "You hate me!"

I think even Mrs. Olesen hinted that she knew Nancy was a sociopath after a while and probably regretted adopting her.

Edited May 9, 2020 by Snow Apple

[debraran]

Yes, when someone is that totally cruel, with no nice thoughts, you really can't love them. She loved a memory of her daughter who supposedly was nice before Harriot ruined her but Nellie wasn't going to kill something. (I think Nancy killed an animal, starved it to death?) It just wasn't funny, more like a criminal minds episode.

 

Edited May 9, 2020 by debraran

[BigBingerBro]

Nellie was just a spoiled brat.  Nancy was seriously disturbed.  I also agree that Harriet never really loved Nancy.  She picked her because she was a feisty, problematic child that she could mold into another tyrant like Nellie.  She wanted an extension to herself, which is what she got.   

[CountryGirl]

I'm thinking Harriet regretted adopting Nancy. She was pure evil. 

[libgirl2]

Nellie was fun, Nellie had moments.... she was a spoiled brat. I loved her. Nancy was disgusting. I found nothing redeeming about her. 

[debraran]

I saw the one yesterday with influenza and Carolyn went with Dr Baker to help her old friend who was pregnant at a gold prospectors camp. Hearing Dr Baker talk about isolation and how they could carry this back with them even if they don't have symptoms, sounded so familiar. ; ) Doc Baker used quinine which they thought helped back then but not really.  Was pretty close to how they did things back then though and refreshing to see accuracy.

Quinine

Made from the bark of the cinchona tree in South America, quinine had been used for centuries by indigenous people to treat malaria (and still is!). It was brought to Europe by the mid-seventeenth century and continued to prove effective in reducing fevers associated with malaria. During the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918, doctors attempted to use it to stave off the fevers associated with the flu. Unfortunately, the reason quinine reduced malaria's fever was because it actually treated malaria by attacking the parasites cause it. The treatment is useless against viruses like flu.

[Snow Apple]

15 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

Nellie was fun, Nellie had moments.... she was a spoiled brat. I loved her. Nancy was disgusting. I found nothing redeeming about her. 

Nellie had moments of empathy even for Laura, like when Laura sold her horse Bunny.

Nancy was soulless. Like she could grow up to be a serial killer to get what she wants. I wonder if her character was based on the girl in The Bad Seed.

[libgirl2]

2 hours ago, Snow Apple said:

Nellie had moments of empathy even for Laura, like when Laura sold her horse Bunny.

Nancy was soulless. Like she could grow up to be a serial killer to get what she wants. I wonder if her character was based on the girl in The Bad Seed.

That's who she reminded me of! 

[debraran]

She was awful, something I was surprised Michael Landon did. I think maybe he was having his own issues then with divorce etc. and trying to get ratings up by bringing in darker themes. He lost touch with fan base who didn't want to be reminded of sociopaths and suicide and people wanting to burn in fires etc. I remember thinking if Harriot for some reason had a baby or young child in the house too, Nancy would find a way to get rid of it and maybe permanently. Willie should have been used more and I'm glad he had some standout moments with his Mom and new bride, etc.

[CountryGirl]

For something fun, how about discussing our Top 5 best episodes and Top 5 worst episodes.

Best:

#1: Country Girls (S1, E2) because it was one of the truest to the books of any episode, including "snipes, snipes!" re Mary and Laura's outgrown dresses, the intro to Nellie Olsen and her being snooty about their lack of being able to pay for a slate pencil, only the slate and remembering their Christmas pennies (and Mary remarking how mean Nellie was and Laura saying she could be just as mean, if Ma and Pa would let her), and Laura having had enough of playing Ring Around the Rosy.

#2 - Town Party, Country (S1, E7) because it was another episode that had some of my favorite moments from BTBOPC. Obviously the best was Nellie and the crab, but I also loved Laura's "I don't play with dolls, I play in the creek." I could have done without Olga and Pa making her a magical shoe and getting into a somewhat erotic fight with Olga's father over it. 

#3 - The Pilot - I sound like a broken record but again, this was probably as true to the books as we would ever see. And I'm a softie for Mr. Edwards delivering the Christmas presents, even if he and CaroLYNN (it was CaroLINE, dang it!) were making eyes at each other. 

#4 - Christmas at Plum Creek (S1, E15). I loved all of the scenes of the family working to make everyone else's Christmas special. Even Carrie didn't grate as she usually did and was super-cute getting the star for Baby Jeebus. But man did my heart break watching Laura sacrifice her beloved Bunny to Nellie so she could buy Ma a stove. 

#5 - Remember Me (S2, E7 & E8) - yes, I have a non-S1 episode on my list. The tale of family friend Julia Sanderson (played by Patricia Neal) dying and leaving Charles to find her 3 children a home was pretty great. It had a sworn-off-love/commitment after losing his wife and daughter Isaiah finally showing Grace his true feelings and the two of them marrying not simply to give the children a home but because they loved each other. I also love the poem ML, who wrote and directed the two-parter, shared as part of Julia's goodbye to everyone:  "Remember me with smiles and laughter, for that's the way I'll remember you all. If you can only remember me with tears, then don't remember me at all." It was written by LIW.

Worst:

#1 - Sylvia (S7, E17 & E18). The town blacksmith puts on a clown mask and stalks and rapes a teenage girl, impregnating her. Her father accuses her of being a whore (and more than once). Harriet basically does the same thing because God forbid Willy be a creepy jerk peeping at her. Albert falls in love with her and is all ready to be a teenage father. They decide to run off together but the rapist tracks her down first and in running away from him, she falls to her almost-immediate death. WTAF, ML?

#2 - The Godsister (S5, E14) - it was nice that the Greenbush twins finally got thrown a bone and got a Carrie-centric episode but giant strawberries, enormous spiders, and "Alyssa! Alyssa!" and OMG, that was painful.

#3 - The Halloween Dream (S6, E7) - Albert has a dream that he and Laura are kidnapped by Indians and mistaken for Indians from a rival tribe. Chock full of racist stereotypes, it boggles the mind at how ML came up with this.

#4 - May We Make Them Proud (S6, E18 & E19) - I've already expressed my disdain for this episode upthread, but to reiterate, no mother, blind or otherwise, would have walked away from their child when they knew the house was on fire. No father, blind or otherwise, would have walked away either, much less dragged their wife away to help the blind students. They would have picked up their own child first. Add in it appearing that Alice was using Adam Jr to break through the window, Hester Sue pulling open the door to the cellar, where the fire was contained, and LEAVING it open, the constant "mmmm mmmm mmmm" from Mary,  Albert being the culprit and being insta-forgiven!!!, and OMFG, forget it!

#5 - Am I allowed to say the entire final season? Okay, okay, I'll toss it up to the final two episodes. The first being where they blew up the town and other houses, etc. (but of course NOT the LH) for reasons I can't recall. Not that I would care either way. Then we have the Rose gets kidnapped episode. Except they're still living in Walnut Grove in the home that was supposedly blown up so...and then insta-forgive the crazy women who kidnapped Rose and then fob off an orphan to her and peace out.

What say you?

 

[debraran]

I would have the same favorites , especially the pilot. I gave my girls the tin cup, penny and peppermint stick one year. : )

I also liked The Handyman and I'll be waving as you drive away" and that might replace "Remember Me" for me but it's close. Both were very good. I hated how Mary acted at the in Handyman at the end, but it gave "Ma" something else to do but pour coffee.

Worst:

SYLVIA!!

Godsister! (horrible script and acting)

May We Make Them Proud (Awful for so many reasons)

Halloween Dream (wish it was a dream)

Troublemaker (just watching kids getting hit for an hour)

He was only 12 ( runner up horrible)

 

 

[BigBingerBro]

I have way too many episodes that I dislike, so i'll only list my favorites:

Christmas at Plum Creek - Season 1 - So heartwarming anytime of the year.

Country Girls - Season 1 - M Gilbert was a bit cloying in this one, but one i could watch over and over.

A Matter of Faith - Season 2 - Great acting by Karen Grassle. Well written also.

Little Women - Season 3 - Great scenes with Nellie and her wig - "I want CURLS!"

The Racoon - Season 1 - I would love to heard more about how Melissa Gilbert handled that raccoon.  I'm sure there was a professional animal trainer nearby, but she really did great with it.

The Gift - Season 2 - Good story about the girls trying to buy a better bible by selling medicinal tonics.  Rev Alden's handling of it was excellent.

The Collection - Season 3 - Johnny Cash as a fake preacher was quite good.

My Ellen - Season 4 - Sad storyline, but just psycho enough to make it good.

Whisper Country - Season 4 - Who could forget Miss Peel and Mary's epic dressing her down.

[debraran]

I LOVED Johnny Cash! I was thinking of Colombo, re a song he sung there but he was great on that episode. Seeing him slowly change and come around to honesty and being touched by everyone. He spoke fondly of how the cast was kind to him not really knowing about acting. Later his Columbo episode was great too.

 

Edited May 12, 2020 by debraran

[CountryGirl]

3 hours ago, BigBingerBro said:

I have way too many episodes that I dislike, so i'll only list my favorites:

Christmas at Plum Creek - Season 1 - So heartwarming anytime of the year.

Country Girls - Season 1 - M Gilbert was a bit cloying in this one, but one i could watch over and over.

A Matter of Faith - Season 2 - Great acting by Karen Grassle. Well written also.

Little Women - Season 3 - Great scenes with Nellie and her wig - "I want CURLS!"

The Racoon - Season 1 - I would love to heard more about how Melissa Gilbert handled that raccoon.  I'm sure there was a professional animal trainer nearby, but she really did great with it.

The Gift - Season 2 - Good story about the girls trying to buy a better bible by selling medicinal tonics.  Rev Alden's handling of it was excellent.

The Collection - Season 3 - Johnny Cash as a fake preacher was quite good.

My Ellen - Season 4 - Sad storyline, but just psycho enough to make it good.

Whisper Country - Season 4 - Who could forget Miss Peel and Mary's epic dressing her down.

Really great list! 

Whisper Country - so iconic. Especially the dialogue  

“Soap AND Water.”

”Jezebel.”

“A sinful stench in the nostrils of the righteous.” The aforementioned soap and water  

“You WILL burn.”

And don’t get Mary’s dander up because you’ll be sorry  

 

 

 

[debraran]

Fun fact on show with raccoon, at the end Michael Landon was sick and couldn't film the ending as directed.  This trivia site also said the dog Michael loved and although he was supposed to be a bulldog, they let him play Jack until he died in season 4.

"The scene with Mary and Pa in the barn when Mary confesses that Jasper bit Laura too was supposed to have cross cut images of Pa. Michael Landon got ill during this shoot and couldn’t record close-ups of his dialogue. The producers decided that Melissa Sue Anderson’s acting was strong enough to carry the scene. The final cuts featured only close-ups of Mary, and the episode was finished on time as a result."

[Katy M]

On 5/7/2020 at 7:18 AM, debraran said:

started not to like the show as much now because he didn't take more ideas from the books but redid things he did before.

I can also think of at least 2 episodes he recycled from Bonanza. The one where Ma gets an infection in her leg and decides to cut it off, and the one where Pa's going to put a picture window in and it keeps getting broken.  Wouldn't surprise me if there were more.

[debraran]

16 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I can also think of at least 2 episodes he recycled from Bonanza. The one where Ma gets an infection in her leg and decides to cut it off, and the one where Pa's going to put a picture window in and it keeps getting broken.  Wouldn't surprise me if there were more.

Yes, he did redo a lot of scripts, I feel with his talent and the writers it was laziness. Today was the "bad" newspaper gossiping again with Mrs Carter being the head of the paper, before it was Harriot and some guy. Mr Edwards loses his lady friend who was blind and got her sight back (like Adam) because she was too young, just like Dr Baker and his young interest Ann Archer. "You are spring and I'm late Fall" he told her as he sadly walked away. Michael had left his wife for a younger woman but I guess that he knew on the show, fans might think it was odd to see that coupling. I always felt there was no reason Doc Baker couldn't find a wife like Rev Alden except they just didn't want to add anyone to the cast. With Rev Alden, they rarely showed her though.

Recycled themes from Wiki :

Some of the episodes written by Michael Landon were recycled storylines from ones that he had written for Bonanza. Season two's "A Matter of Faith" was based on the Bonanza episode "A Matter of Circumstance"; season five's "Someone Please Love Me" was based on the Bonanza episode "A Dream To Dream"; season seven's "The Silent Cry" was based on the Bonanza episode "The Sound of Sadness"; season eight's "He Was Only Twelve" was based on the Bonanza episode "He Was Only Seven"; and season nine's "Little Lou" was based on the Bonanza episode "It's A Small World

 

[jird]

Just noticed that Johnny Johnson taking Laura to the sweetheart tree so he could show her how much he liked Mary was very much like Harv Miller inviting Eliza Jane to dinner to tell her he was in love with someone else.

[CountryGirl]

This is so bad, but I can't see Johnny (in JJ). I can only see Fugly Johnson.

Speaking of old Fug, what was with Laura and her befriending age-inappropriate men? Which, Fug wasn't that much older, but I'm thinking of Mr. Pike (The Haunted House), Buzzbee (My Ellen), Mr. Sprague (Ebenezer Sprague), Zachariah (Gold Country).

Oh wait, I forgot one. 

Almanzo. 😁

33 minutes ago, jird said:

Just noticed that Johnny Johnson taking Laura to the sweetheart tree so he could show her how much he liked Mary was very much like Harv Miller inviting Eliza Jane to dinner to tell her he was in love with someone else.

Harv was such an ass. How could he NOT know she was falling for him and I always felt like he did know, at least a little bit, and just rode the ego-stroking until he found someone else.

[debraran]

1 hour ago, CountryGirl said:

This is so bad, but I can't see Johnny (in JJ). I can only see Fugly Johnson.

Speaking of old Fug, what was with Laura and her befriending age-inappropriate men? Which, Fug wasn't that much older, but I'm thinking of Mr. Pike (The Haunted House), Buzzbee (My Ellen), Mr. Sprague (Ebenezer Sprague), Zachariah (Gold Country).

Oh wait, I forgot one. 

Almanzo. 😁

Harv was such an ass. How could he NOT know she was falling for him and I always felt like he did know, at least a little bit, and just rode the ego-stroking until he found someone else.

Sometimes guys are clueless if they don't like you, just don't want to see it, while others think every woman likes him even when they don't . ; P 

I did like the kid who played Mary's love interest before she went blind, Seth? She had the more dashing of the two in boyfriends. ; )

I don't even watch Johnny Johnson one because he always gave me the willies for some reason.

 

[CountryGirl]

Seth could get it.

As could Patrick (and not the Bobby Brady Patrick):

Although his TV brother Cass could have given Fugly a run for his money.

I hated Mary in this episode. Ditches Patrick for Cass until the very end when she realizes what an ass Cass is. If I had been Patrick, I would have been all "bye Felicia."

[debraran]

1 hour ago, CountryGirl said:

Seth could get it.

As could Patrick (and not the Bobby Brady Patrick):

Although his TV brother Cass could have given Fugly a run for his money.

I hated Mary in this episode. Ditches Patrick for Cass until the very end when she realizes what an ass Cass is. If I had been Patrick, I would have been all "bye Felicia."

Yea, the writers had her turn pretty quickly. Carrie had a nice part, or the small person who stood in for her.

With the more helicopter parenting today, it always amazes me how often kids are left alone or alone so young on the show.  Kids who are left alone today at that age can get parents in trouble, and there, they are keeping house while Pa and Ma went to Mankato for the weekend.  lol  Of course they married very young too.

I remember Kevin Hagan joking about Doc Baker in all his travels, never could find a widow or someone to spend time with. Even Mr Hansen who owned the mill was without a partner. I reality they would have been married or remarried pretty quickly.

Edited May 14, 2020 by debraran

[jird]

1 hour ago, debraran said:

I remember Kevin Hagan joking about Doc Baker in all his travels, never could find a widow or someone to spend time with. Even Mr Hansen who owned the mill was without a partner. I reality they would have been married or remarried pretty quickly.

Seriously, Walnut Grove was hurting for single men, as evidenced by the fact that Mr. Edwards was able to snag Grace as soon as he came to town! I just watched that episode, and your post makes me wonder why Grace and Doc Baker never got together before then.

[Snow Apple]

21 minutes ago, jird said:

Seriously, Walnut Grove was hurting for single men, as evidenced by the fact that Mr. Edwards was able to snag Grace as soon as he came to town! I just watched that episode, and your post makes me wonder why Grace and Doc Baker never got together before then.

Right? Now I love Mr. Edwards but Grace and Doc seemed to have more in common. Both living a quiet and dignified life.

But I perhaps we all like a bit of a bad boy. LOL

[CountryGirl]

42 minutes ago, jird said:

Seriously, Walnut Grove was hurting for single men, as evidenced by the fact that Mr. Edwards was able to snag Grace as soon as he came to town! I just watched that episode, and your post makes me wonder why Grace and Doc Baker never got together before then.

Well, Doc did have a short romance with Harriet's niece aka Anne Archer. 

[debraran]

32 minutes ago, jird said:

Seriously, Walnut Grove was hurting for single men, as evidenced by the fact that Mr. Edwards was able to snag Grace as soon as he came to town! I just watched that episode, and your post makes me wonder why Grace and Doc Baker never got together before then.

Granted he was paid in chickens often but still had more money than most. He was educated and they could have a more comfortable life.

I love Mr Edwards but is it just me that wonders if that checkered shirt is attached to him? He might have worn something else once, it's always seems dirty even in church and even Pa would change into 2 or 3. Maybe the "single" part meant he didn't have a woman to fuss over him that way. lol

Rev Alden finally got a wife (although Harriot was angry) but he wasn't a priest and there was no reason he didn't find someone sooner either.

Looks aside, if you didn't want a farmer for a husband and worry about crops, they were good catches. ; ) 

 

 

[debraran]

5 minutes ago, CountryGirl said:

Well, Doc did have a short romance with Harriet's niece aka Anne Archer. 

So happy ....

[BigBingerBro]

5 hours ago, CountryGirl said:

Speaking of old Fug, what was with Laura and her befriending age-inappropriate men? Which, Fug wasn't that much older, but I'm thinking of Mr. Pike (The Haunted House), Buzzbee (My Ellen), Mr. Sprague (Ebenezer Sprague), Zachariah (Gold Country).

Also there was Jason in The Talking Machine who seemed at least 3 years older if not more...

[jird]

17 hours ago, BigBingerBro said:

Also there was Jason in The Talking Machine who seemed at least 3 years older if not more...

And Laura's parents never cared that she was hanging out with old men. Like, she didn't know Mr. Sprague's NAME, and her folks were all, "Hey, have fun spending all day at the creek with some adult man we don't know, who must not live in town."

[debraran]

I was watching the show with Albert getting leukemia while exercising and besides the confusing he died/he came back to Walnut Grove voice over in another show, it seemed like deja vu with this same doctor office it seemed, the window, rain, doctor telling Charles and Caroline that Charles Jr was going to "go to sleep" His blood count was changing by the hour, he had a blood disease they knew about and couldn't cure. No thoughts on that with Albert or even a throw away line about hearing it before, but he certainly understood it.

Karen didn't want to play "Ma" anymore so Albert not wanting his mom watching him die was the best they could do with that.  It did seem glaring at times that only Charles visited Walnut Grove and Ma was always "working".

 

 

[Snow Apple]

1 hour ago, debraran said:

Karen didn't want to play "Ma" anymore so Albert not wanting his mom watching him die was the best they could do with that.  It did seem glaring at times that only Charles visited Walnut Grove and Ma was always "working".

 

 

Glaring is the right word. Ma would have moved heaven and earth to be there for Albert's final days no matter what Albert tells her about not wanting to burden her. 

[CountryGirl]

There is no way Ma wouldn't have been there when Albert finally succumbed to his Nosebleed of Doom.

See also Dylan "I Want to See the Ocean" Whittaker.

And yes, the lack of continuity on this show with Laura's voiceover at the end of the Albert Barfs Up Drugs two-parter that he returned to Walnut Grove years later as Dr. Albert Ingalls.

 

[Katy M]

2 hours ago, Snow Apple said:

Glaring is the right word. Ma would have moved heaven and earth to be there for Albert's final days no matter what Albert tells her about not wanting to burden her. 

Maybe she'd finally had enough of his crap.

[debraran]

2 hours ago, CountryGirl said:

There is no way Ma wouldn't have been there when Albert finally succumbed to his Nosebleed of Doom.

See also Dylan "I Want to See the Ocean" Whittaker.

And yes, the lack of continuity on this show with Laura's voiceover at the end of the Albert Barfs Up Drugs two-parter that he returned to Walnut Grove years later as Dr. Albert Ingalls.

 

That was odd, no one has really explained it. Mr Landon never would get away with that stuff now with the Internet and fans being able to tell him things only letters did before. Why Albert had to die is beyond me, we know they had hard times, but he gets a scholarship and he dies, the show was going off, let it be. He seemed to care more about the tears than the subject matter. He said he didn't realize the hate from blowing up Walnut Grove. What? You thought fans would like that? He left the church not to upset folks who would think it was too much and immoral and the little house, because well, he knew they would have revolted! : ) The guy who played Mr Carter still has it in his barn.

I like how he would give work to some guest stars but when the same person is back playing 3 or 4 parts, it's silly.  Even the nice shop owner who gets Charles to take Albert home when he's addicted, and drops the charges, later he is in the furniture show, where Charles makes tables. I thought it was the same person but he had a different name. (he dies and Charles doesn't want to end up the same way)  Why not just have old friends crop up now and then.

I think "Uncle Jed" was the most used:

Little House on the Prairie (TV Series)
Jed Cooper / Zachariah / St. Peter / ...

- Uncle Jed (1982) ... Jed Cooper

- The Lost Ones: Part 1 (1981) ... Jed Cooper

- The Godsister (1978) ... St. Peter (as E.J. Andre)

- Gold Country (1977) ... Zachariah

- Going Home (1976) ... Matthew Simms (as E.J. Andre)

- His Father's Son (1976) ... Amos Thoms (as E.J. Andre)

 

 

Edited May 15, 2020 by debraran

[CountryGirl]

Wow, Uncle Jed was used a lot and before he was "Uncle Jed."

It also grated that ML used Kyle Richards ,who had almost two dozen episodes as Alicia Sanderson Edwards, in a S5 episode as a completely different character. 

Not sure which bugged me more, the recycling (see also Matthew Laborteaux as young Charles in a few episodes and then he's cast as Albert) or the tertiary characters - see them once and never see them again -  ala Olga, stuttering Anna (well, except she also played young Caroline - see what I did there?), Laura's many beauxs like Henry, Jimmy, Jason (don't get me started on some of the anachronistic names). 

[debraran]

I can't speak French but my daughter said this man made a replica to live in of the LHOP home. It's not exact of course but pretty close and he put their initials on fireplace but china figurine seems the same. Just a cool thing I came across looking at some doll houses. "Nellie" visited too.

Written under "Yves Muller realized his dream in 2010: to build an exact replica of the famous house of the Ingalls, in his own garden, at Gaubiving in the Moselle, a few kilometers from Forbach. For this, it took a little more than a year and the collaboration of the whole family and friends."

http://inspirationsdeco.blogspot.com/2014/11/la-petite-maison-dans-la-prairie-made.html?m=1

Edited May 15, 2020 by debraran

[BigBingerBro]

1 hour ago, debraran said:

this man made a replica to live in of the LHOP home.

Wow that really looks like the actual house used on the show!  Cool to see Allison Arngrim there.  It's amazing how LHOTP has such a cult following in France.  Both times I went there, I watched some dubbed episodes being broadcast.  Very weird experience!

[Mr. Sparkle]

27 minutes ago, BigBingerBro said:

Cool to see Allison Arngrim there.

I totally missed that, even though it's written right there! 

That is amazing work. That house always looked so cramped and uncomfortable to me, but it's still an incredible replica. I wouldn't want to live there. 

[Snow Apple]

I love it. That house looks nice and cozy for one of two people. The house in the show looks difficult to clean but this one looks great.

I just hope one of the difference is a modern indoor bathroom.

[BigBingerBro]

I'm surprised they didn't do the kitchen extension that was shown on the show.