Little House On The Prairie - General Discussion

[bunnyblue]

I used to watch this show as kid when it would air on TBS and with the quarantine I've been binge watching Little House on Prime Video. I watched seasons 1 & 2, but everything seems to be wash, rinse, repeat so I've skipped to season 5. Judging by the comments here, it seems the move to Winoka was unpopular, but I really liked it as a kid and still enjoy those episodes. I thought all of season 5 was based in Winoka but my memory was faulty because I see now that they moved back to Walnut Grove around the 8th episode.

Anyway, I like the introduction of Albert, but it's so strange that the adults welcomed him into their little group and even convinced him to go to school but they seemed a-okay with sending this homeless kid out into the streets every night. I LMAO when Caroline told all the kids it was time for bed and poor Albert just walked out of the hotel to go sleep under the porch, lol.

I just finished watching the "Winoka Warriors" and, man, Laura & Albert were kinda assholes to Big Luke Hoskins. Yes, he wasn't very smart but I thought they considered him a school friend, but once he transferred to the rival school & football team they were nasty little shits calling him "dumb Luke" and basically stopped being his friends. They knew the transfer wasn't his decision but they (especially Albert) just turned their backs on the poor kid. And it was strange that they called him dumb Luke in front of Caroline and she didn't stop them. Maybe it's because Albert wasn't her son yet and she didn't feel it was her place to correct his behavior.

Poor Caroline was always cooking & washing dishes in the hotel kitchen; she was probably happiest of all to return to Walnut Grove. What did Charles do all day besides wash the windows of the hotel? Caroline got the raw end of the deal in the hotel job. But at least everyone got a little bit of privacy and actual bedrooms during their stay in Winoka. After getting a taste of that "opulence" I would have loathed going back to that rinky-dink Ingalls farmhouse.

After all these years, I just learned that Albert and the kid who played Andy Garvey were brothers in real life. I always knew about Melissa Gilbert and Willie, but I had no idea about the Laborteaux brothers. 

[debraran]

Yes, a few siblings on the set and occasionally someones relative got a part. (Like John Jr's mom)

I found a few behind the scene filming scenes and I thought I saw them all by now. Here is the link, just have to click off the ads a bit.  Love the winter scenes. That and the horse one I hadn't seen.

https://mashable.com/2016/03/10/little-house-on-the-prairie/

 

Edited July 2, 2020 by debraran

[BigBingerBro]

1 hour ago, bunnyblue said:

it's so strange that the adults welcomed him into their little group and even convinced him to go to school but they seemed a-okay with sending this homeless kid out into the streets every night.

Yeah, I can sort of understand Charle's reluctance to invite him into the hotel, but then ask him to come back to Walnut Grove with them, knowing nothing about his background, etc. AND allowing him to sleep in the loft with Laura rather than in the barn or the soddy, seemed VERY odd.  Was there some sort of transitional period that I missed?  I am glad they did the episode about Albert's real father trying to claim him as it put some closure to that mystery.

[jason88cubs]

I always prefered Edwards. I felt Garvey really never fit in

[debraran]

Just re-watched The Richest Man in Walnut Grove while a thunderstorm brewed outside (Later is Hamilton from a friends Disney acct) ; )

I love this show because it's all about pulling together and honoring any job that helps pay your bills. Pride did flourish in this show but Charles was right not to take more credit but not because of Mrs Oleson. They had this same speech when he first moved there.

At the end, I missed a little blooper Amazon mentions when they drive away from the store, Carrie is with them and the last shot, it's just Charles and Caroline and Laura and Mary in back. I guess Carrie had to go somewhere.

Edited July 3, 2020 by debraran

[Mr. Sparkle]

"Men Will Be Boys" is on now. Featuring legendary character actor Patrick Crenshaw as, of course, a geezer. Looking at imdb, he was also in the one where Adam gets his sight back. 

Oof, some bad lightning special effects. 

"Regular little men." 

"Shovels is by the door." 

Edited July 3, 2020 by Superclam

[Cheezwiz]

Just now, Superclam said:

"Men Will Be Boys" is on now. Featuring legendary character actor Patrick Crenshaw as, of course, a geezer. 

I just recently stumbled on some YouTube videos of Patrick & Matthew Labyorteaux being interviewed about their time on Little House. Not sure exactly when the interviews were filmed, but it looked fairly recent (like within the past five years or so). They both said this was their favourite episode on the show.

I had a bit of a crush on the Albert character when I was young, so it was interesting to see them grown up, as I'm close in age to them. Matthew is still pretty cute in my opinion.

[BigBingerBro]

"To See The Light" is on UPTV this morning.  Wow, Hester Sue certainly has nine lives!  Considering the force of the blasting oil explosion, she came away barely rattled.  They should have given her some minor injuries at least.  The doctor says that Adam has lost a lot of blood after the operation.  What did they operate on?  We seem him with a bandage around his head, but there are no other bandages when he gets up and can see.  I guess they did a head/brain operation?

[OpalNightstream]

Just now, BigBingerBro said:

"To See The Light" is on UPTV this morning.  Wow, Hester Sue certainly has nine lives!  Considering the force of the blasting oil explosion, she came away barely rattled.  They should have given her some minor injuries at least.  The doctor says that Adam has lost a lot of blood after the operation.  What did they operate on?  We seem him with a bandage around his head, but there are no other bandages when he gets up and can see.  I guess they did a head/brain operation?

I’m watching that one right now too.  They really have a Hang-up on Nellie/mrs Olson and weight! Getting on nellies case for gaining weight while pregnant is so messed up.

[Katy M]

29 minutes ago, OpalNightstream said:

I’m watching that one right now too.  They really have a Hang-up on Nellie/mrs Olson and weight! Getting on nellies case for gaining weight while pregnant is so messed up.

He wasn't on her for gaining weight.  He was on her for gaining too much weight.  You don't need to gain 100 pounds when you're pregnant.

[OpalNightstream]

19 minutes ago, Katy M said:

He wasn't on her for gaining weight.  He was on her for gaining too much weight.  You don't need to gain 100 pounds when you're pregnant.

He said there no need to gain 50 pounds because you’re pregnant and that a baby only weighs 7. Either way, I have known people who have gained 50ish pounds when pregnant, I prob gained about 35. I just thought it was super insensitive while she is on her feet all day in a hot kitchen. 

[CountryGirl]

Loved how when Adam’s bandages came off, he had nary one strand of hair missing. 

And then there is the unintentional comedy gold that is his “world...you are WONDERFUL” prance of sight  

 

[BigBingerBro]

I thought the whole "Harriet is fat" storyline was nonsense too.  She was far from being overweight.

[Snow Apple]

They had several episodes about how you shouldn't make fun of overweight people because it's cruel (at least three) so I don't know why Harriet was fair game. I don't think she was overweight either.

[Mr. Sparkle]

28 minutes ago, Snow Apple said:

They had several episodes about how you shouldn't make fun of overweight people because it's cruel (at least three) so I don't know why Harriet was fair game. I don't think she was overweight either.

Yes, the circus one (I think it was called Annabelle) with Nels' sister was on today, all about treating people who are different fairly. 

[debraran]

10 hours ago, Superclam said:

Yes, the circus one (I think it was called Annabelle) with Nels' sister was on today, all about treating people who are different fairly. 

It's really corny but I liked the one with Mr Bevins. (Cliff Emmich) It is a bias that is hard to get rid of. People say one thing one day and then another day are making fun of a heavier person. I also notice that "heavy" is relative. Some call someone who looks 20lbs over her BMI obese and others it has to be 100.  Harriet was never heavy to me. 

One woman many years ago complained Michael Landon joked about her weight on a plane. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't, but I can kind of see with his humor, saying something about weight and the plane flying. I also know that Michael was kind and also knew what he was supposed to say. He did hire people with disabilities to write scripts for Highway to Heaven and understood what it was like to be made fun of. Fame also makes you forget things at times though.

Did Katherine Macgregor say her weight became an issue? I know they clashed at times but she had a strong personality. I have to look at her old interviews again one day.

Edited July 5, 2020 by debraran

[alegtostandon]

On 7/2/2020 at 7:46 AM, CountryGirl said:

That's absolutely true and I can't imagine it either.

I think it grates that he wasn't looking at like that - he said he wouldn't take "charity" from his wife, which that's called marriage, you dolt. 

It was the same conversation  between Almonzo and Laura before they were married when she wanted to work after the farmer stopped the water to Manley's crops.  What I never understood,  wasn't she already working,  helping Eliza Jane? 

[jird]

On 7/4/2020 at 7:04 PM, Snow Apple said:

They had several episodes about how you shouldn't make fun of overweight people because it's cruel (at least three) so I don't know why Harriet was fair game. I don't think she was overweight either.

Yes! I explained to my husband the other day when the Mr. Bevis episode was on that it teaches us that you should never make fun of anyone's weight, unless it's Mrs. Olseson, then have at it, preferably in public.

Unrelated, my friend's birthday is coming up, and I got a Cameo video from Alison Arngrim to wish her happy birthday, and it is awesome. Alison is such a great person overall.

[Mr. Sparkle]

After watching Season 8 episodes this week on Hallmark, I have come to the conclusion that some of you have written here: Season 8 was awful. I turned off a few because I just couldn't. 

ETA: Oooh! I see that after Season 9 is on all next week, Season 1 returns on the 15th!! 

Edited July 8, 2020 by Superclam

[Cheezwiz]

12 minutes ago, jird said:

Unrelated, my friend's birthday is coming up, and I got a Cameo video from Alison Arngrim to wish her happy birthday, and it is awesome. Alison is such a great person overall.

That's super-cool! Alison does seem to be a terrific human being, someone I'd love to be friends with. I think I've mentioned it upthread umpteen times, but I highly recommend her book "Confessions of a Prairie Bitch" - a highly entertaining account of working on "Little House" and of the TV industry in the 70's. She's incredibly smart, funny, and strong.

[Snow Apple]

When Alison's book was published, she made an appearance at my local library to promote it. I always regretted that I wasn't able to attend.

[BigBingerBro]

I recently and finally read Alison's book.  Awesome!  She seems like an everyday person and not someone stuck in the Hollywood cycle.  Melissa Gilbert's book, while interesting, seemed more like a huge brag about her past boyfriends and career.

[bunnyblue]

I'm jumping around season 3 watching some episodes. Just watched the one where Mary gets kicked by the horse and ends up needing 2 surgeries. In true Charles Ingalls fashion he does not have the money to pay for the mounting hospital bills so he goes looking for (dangerous) work. I've lost count how many times something bad befalls the Ingalls and they are too damn poor to cover the unexpected calamity. I swear they never have 2 pennies to rub together. Y'know, maybe Charles should have reconsidered being a farmer because he never had any money to show for it. He was a pretty good carpenter, why didn't he do that for a living? I guess it was because he wanted "to be his own man".

Walnut Grove was a poor little town, yet somehow the Ingalls family seemed like the poorest of the bunch. Their little house annoyed me because for a family that was forever expanding they had no privacy. Why didn't Charles ever add doors to his & Caroline's "bedroom". Or enclose the kids' loft. That house was so tiny compared to the other poor farmers around them. At least other farmhouses had actual bedrooms and the kitchen, dining room, and living room where all separate from each other. Not like the Ingalls abode where that entry room was 3 rooms in 1; well, until Charles finally built the little kitchen. When Laura married Almanzo and moved into his farmhouse, she must have felt like she moved into a mansion.

I'm enjoying revisiting the show but Charles' terrible choices that affected his entire family just drive me crazy.

[OpalNightstream]

I saw Alison doing a talk at a small club in Manhattan about 20 years ago. She was very gracious and hysterical.

[jason88cubs]

49 minutes ago, bunnyblue said:

I'm jumping around season 3 watching some episodes. Just watched the one where Mary gets kicked by the horse and ends up needing 2 surgeries. In true Charles Ingalls fashion he does not have the money to pay for the mounting hospital bills so he goes looking for (dangerous) work. I've lost count how many times something bad befalls the Ingalls and they are too damn poor to cover the unexpected calamity. I swear they never have 2 pennies to rub together. Y'know, maybe Charles should have reconsidered being a farmer because he never had any money to show for it. He was a pretty good carpenter, why didn't he do that for a living? I guess it was because he wanted "to be his own man".

Walnut Grove was a poor little town, yet somehow the Ingalls family seemed like the poorest of the bunch. Their little house annoyed me because for a family that was forever expanding they had no privacy. Why didn't Charles ever add doors to his & Caroline's "bedroom". Or enclose the kids' loft. That house was so tiny compared to the other poor farmers around them. At least other farmhouses had actual bedrooms and the kitchen, dining room, and living room where all separate from each other. Not like the Ingalls abode where that entry room was 3 rooms in 1; well, until Charles finally built the little kitchen. When Laura married Almanzo and moved into his farmhouse, she must have felt like she moved into a mansion.

I'm enjoying revisiting the show but Charles' terrible choices that affected his entire family just drive me crazy.

everything about thisis perfect

[BigBingerBro]

1 hour ago, bunnyblue said:

He was a pretty good carpenter, why didn't he do that for a living?

The real Charles Ingalls did just that.  He gave up on farming and spent many of his years building up the town of De Smet,  No idea why MJ didn't go this route with the fictional CI.

[bunnyblue]

1 hour ago, BigBingerBro said:

The real Charles Ingalls did just that.  He gave up on farming and spent many of his years building up the town of De Smet,  No idea why MJ didn't go this route with the fictional CI.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that the real Charles Ingalls gave up on farming after 2 failed crop seasons. TV Charles had several failed crops, but he kept at it and never seemed to make a profit. Like you, I wonder why Michael Landon decided to go a different route with his Charles.

[debraran]

I  had forgotten the "real" Mr Ingall's was a carpenter later. During Handyman episode, he said what good work he did and it would have been safer to have a farm for their food or local and building instead. No one but poor Chris was a carpenter so many needed him, even the Oleson's. ; )

I used to roll my eyes that some things happened just to him. Mr Edwards "That tornado, heard they were around" Charles, Yes it hit my farm, Mr Edwards, "how bad?" Charles "everything".  Was there ANY doubt, it wiped out his crop and only his crop. It's not funny but it is.  Locusts, storms, rain that never ended. Oh and the hail storm.

It always seemed homes appeared when needed. Anyone needed a home, there was an abandoned one somewhere. No carpenters needed. In the first episode, the barn was there already and that would have been way too much to do on his own.

I understand the farming life is tough, but others always seemed to do better, maybe had less kids or no kids. Miss Whipple did okay with her sewing and Miss Foster and others. People had money to pay for things in the store, sewing, mill work, and the infamous restaurant. Caroline could only work there. ; (

One show Charles was counting money and saying what he can buy with extra and Caroline kept saying, "And save a little" Inside joke it seemed that rarely happened.

 

Edited July 9, 2020 by debraran

[CountryGirl]

13 hours ago, BigBingerBro said:

The real Charles Ingalls did just that.  He gave up on farming and spent many of his years building up the town of De Smet,  No idea why MJ didn't go this route with the fictional CI.

That's how they wrote the Ingalls out of the series when ML had moved on to Highway to Heaven. He started making more furniture and got a deal with a big city store and that was that.

[CountryGirl]

13 hours ago, Susan Easey said:

It's sort of sad that Laura is the only one of Charles and Caroline's children not buried in South Dakota, but i guess moving her would reduce Mansfield's tourist dollars.

Laura and Almanzo spent far more years in Mansfield than anyone else so it makes sense they would be buried there.

Laura and Almanzo's infant son is buried in the same De Smet cemetery as Pa, Ma, et al.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6847/baby_son-wilder

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, Susan Easey said:

RL Carrie has step-descendants but that's about it for Charles and Caroline's family.

I always thought that was interesting, 5 daughters and only one living granddaughter, who in turn has no children. 

[Katy M]

41 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I always thought that was interesting, 5 daughters and only one living granddaughter, who in turn has no children. 

Mary, Laura, Carrie, and Grace.  Who am I missing?

[libgirl2]

11 minutes ago, Katy M said:

Mary, Laura, Carrie, and Grace.  Who am I missing?

Oops, I miscounted. I don't know why I thought 5. Maybe I was adding in Rose as in 5 girls..... Of course for watchers of the show there was Cassandra 😉

[CountryGirl]

3 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

I always thought that was interesting, 5 daughters and only one living granddaughter, who in turn has no children. 

I always wondered if there was something going on with the male children (Charles Jr, Baby Boy Wilder, and Rose's stillborn son) all dying within months or weeks of birth (in Rose's case, before birth). 

[bunnyblue]

WTH did I just watch? The Garveys were in front of a judge in the middle of divorce proceedings, when suddenly Charles bursts out laughing and then the Garveys start laughing and suddenly the divorce is off. That was one of the most ridiculous resolutions to a rather serious matter I've seen on this show. Jonathan was being a complete jerk the entire episode (telling Alice she can't take the post office job because he won't accept her charity) and I'm supposed to believe the Garveys' issues are all resolved now just because they all got a good a laugh at his neanderthal behavior? Oi this show. 

[jason88cubs]

30 minutes ago, bunnyblue said:

WTH did I just watch? The Garveys were in front of a judge in the middle of divorce proceedings, when suddenly Charles bursts out laughing and then the Garveys start laughing and suddenly the divorce is off. That was one of the most ridiculous resolutions to a rather serious matter I've seen on this show. Jonathan was being a complete jerk the entire episode (telling Alice she can't take the post office job because he won't accept her charity) and I'm supposed to believe the Garveys' issues are all resolved now just because they all got a good a laugh at his neanderthal behavior? Oi this show. 

come on Charles laugh was addicting

[debraran]

8 hours ago, jason88cubs said:

come on Charles laugh was addicting

That was a dumb show, made me dislike his character as Garvey but probably more like guys then. The resolution was silly though. It seems the women were all a bit more cultured than the men in the show. Caroline was richer and had proper manners and did tell Laura she didn't think her life would be like this but she loved Charles and it was fine. And Charles was the "perfect" one who usually did the right thing (except when he wanted to go back to the woods)  Mrs Garvey seemed like she would kill Jonathan in real life lol. Miss Beadle was more educated than her sweet husband and even Laura. (Almonzo had his neanderthal moments too) Love is love, but the only ones matched by education were probably Nellie and Percival and Mary and Adam.  The Sanderson's seemed to be both more worldly too.

Watched Freedom Flight last night trying out my new internet service. Usually don't like the Native American episodes because they can be written badly but this was "fresher" to me and I liked seeing them win this round and MacGregor lose. ; ) 

I know the books never had Ma turn around in her views because Laura was 6 and didn't remember a lot but I did like this exchange from a review of her books:

Wilder’s decision to offset that all-too-familiar perspective with Pa’s generally more tolerant point of view, and Laura’s outright anticipation of meeting a Native person is most uncommon. But Wilder’s third unusual tactic pushes the issue even further. Wilder uses the voice of her protagonist to ask obvious but generally unspoken questions that ring throughout frontier literature. Laura first asks her mother why she does not like “Indians,” then follows up with her two most important questions, “This is Indian country, isn’t it? . . . What did we come to their country for if you don’t like them?” (Wilder 46-7). Ma has no satisfactory reply to any of these questions. Wilder thus draws attention to the absurdity of pioneer families who deliberately went to Indian Territory, appropriated land from Native communities, and then lived in terror of encountering any Native people—even those who had the grace to sociably visit their non-Native neighbors under such circumstances.

 

[VCRTracking]

Melissa looks back on LHOTP on CBS Sunday Morning.

 

Edited July 12, 2020 by VCRTracking

[debraran]

Thanks for that, a bit different than a lot of her interviews. I like that they showed the plague shows and Todd Bridges episode. I don't think I've ever repeated that to a bigot who thought "they" got it all and they answered either.

I like her farm, I remember her other house in the Midwest and knew she lived in NY. I thought it was an apartment.

Her last line had me tear up. 😦

Edited July 12, 2020 by debraran

[jird]

I am twelve years old. Watching the episode where Laura and Mary and Carl are on the runaway caboose, and at the end Carl apologizes for accidentally releasing the brake and the railroad man says "It would be a strange young man who didn't pull and yank when he got the chance - I've done it myself."

I am so, so juvenile. I'm sorry.

[Mr. Sparkle]

The original movie is on Hallmark now. Everyone was so young! Especially Ma! 

 

[CountryGirl]

Ah - the pilot. The most true to the books the show will ever be. 

And I’m issuing myself a ticket on the stagecoach to hell as I couldn’t stop smirking at Caroline, learning Charles is going to help out on a cattle drive, shrieking , “I haven’t had a piece of beef in ages!”

[jason88cubs]

Was it orginally suppose to be the movie and thats it? or was a series planned all along

[Mr. Sparkle]

22 minutes ago, CountryGirl said:

“I haven’t had a piece of beef in ages!”

Maybe get a house with more than one room! 

[CountryGirl]

2 hours ago, jason88cubs said:

Was it orginally suppose to be the movie and thats it? or was a series planned all along

IIRC, they shot the pilot/movie in the hopes it would be picked up as a series. 

Fun fact, MG’s screen test with ML was the only one he showed to the network  

[debraran]

10 hours ago, Superclam said:

The original movie is on Hallmark now. Everyone was so young! Especially Ma! 

 

Karen always looked beautiful but she glowed then. Everything was more fresh, the scripts etc. They will always be my favorites and I smile still when as corny as it is, Caroline blushes over the sweet potatoes and watches her family by the fire.

I watched the one with the boy who was dying and wanted to see the ocean, I forgot he had leukemia which they gave Albert too. It was alluded to that little Charles had it also when they discussed his red/white cells. Was it really that common?

An article on June 5 about the first mention of leukemia in The New York Times described the disease's discovery imprecisely. Rudolf Virchow, who described the condition in 1845, was among the first to do so, and he gave it its name, in 1847 — but he was not the first to describe it

Edited July 15, 2020 by debraran

[Lisa418722]

5 hours ago, Susan Easey said:

I feel it's a shame we don't know who else auditioned for the roles of Half-Pint, Prisspot and Pee Puddles.

@CountryGirl

Alison Arngrim auditioned for Laura and Mary.  

[Mr. Sparkle]

Back to the beginning on Hallmark! I just finished a  Harvest of Friends, where everyone in the town is just as nice and welcoming as can be, except for the total Irish stereotype Seamus McIrishman. Now I'm on Country Girls, where the kids are mean to Laura & Mary before they even get into the building. 

[jason88cubs]

I thought Michael's acting in the first few episodes of LHOp was really off

 

Just came off as awkward for some reason especially in country girls

[BigBingerBro]

12 hours ago, Lisa418722 said:

Alison Arngrim auditioned for Laura and Mary.  

Melissa Sue Anderson also said that her first audition was a cattle call with hundreds of girls.  She said all the girls were up for the Laura and Mary parts.

1 minute ago, jason88cubs said:

I thought Michael's acting in the first few episodes of LHOp was really off

I think he was trying to make the character more playful like Charles is described in the books.  It probably took him a while to settle into the character.