Halloween TV Countdown #4 -- "Little House on the Prairie"

You'll never hear me say a bad word about Michael Landon's charming Little House on the Prairie. It's one of the most humane, decent, life-affirming, adorable, moral series ever, and though that may sound boring, the show was anything but. Consistently excellent, Little House also holds up beautifully in repeats, Walnut Grove never aging but becoming ever more appealing to us, and Landon's genius evident in every scene. LHotP did several Halloween episodes, but my absolute favorite is the frequently hilarious and genuine nutty "The Monster of Walnut Grove" (which first aired on the day after Halloween in 1976).

We get to see Halloween at the Ingalls House, and things get cooking when the girls are out soaping windows and Laura spies into the Oleson's house and sees something she shouldn't. What's the gentle Nels Oleson doing brandishing a sword at his nagging wife Harriet? Things go from bad to worse to insane, scary and very funny as Laura misinterprets a decapitation and thinks Nels has killed his wife.

There's a huge dose of absurd humor in this one, not the least Laura's frequent statements about Nels cutting Mrs. Oleson's head off, always so matter-of-fact but very amusing. The episode has several short and imaginative dream sequences with Laura seeing all kinds of horrific things, and they're funny, too.

"The Monster of Walnut Grove" is a total delight, with all of LHotP's trademark warmth but ladled on this time with Michael Landon's light touch and sweetly wicked sense of humor. This is a must-see. The episode is on YouTube -- or was until today, when a whole lot of Little House vids were taken down, unfortunately. That's a really bad thing because The Hallmark Channel, current home of Little House on the Prairie, isn't running the Halloween episodes this holiday, which is a shame. They've got The Munsters and The Addams Family on the 31st, but not LHotP. Oh well, watch it on DVD, or read another paean to this great episode here on The Haunted Closet Blog, and you also might like this pretty funny and dead-on camp version from "Little Fairy on the Prairie" of one of Laura's nightmare's from this episode.

Sorry we couldn't bring you the treat with this Halloween delight!

Boo Humbug!!

Happy Birthday to Karen Grassle!

Welcome to a new feature around here, something we've been wanting to do for a while -- birthday salutes to some of our favorite television performers! Today we've got a great one, to the lovely and talented Karen Grassle, probably best known and certainly much beloved for her role as Caroline Ingalls on Michael Landon's immortal Little House on the Prairie Series, from the 1970s. Karen was born on February 25, 1944 (some sources say 1942) in Berkeley, California, and after extensive theatrical training and appearances she was one of nearly fifty actresses who read for the part of Mrs. Ingalls.

Lucky for us all, she got the part and along with the entire cast helped put Walnut Grove into the hearts of audiences everywhere. Producer/star Michael Landon certainly knew what he was doing with Little House on the Prairie; the show holds up beautifully today and I daresay we'll probably never see a show as humane, inspirational, and charming as this one.



While the show's primary strength and appeal lay in its excellence as an ensemble vehicle, Karen Grassle had several episodes which showcased her individual virtuosity, most impressively so in "A Matter of Faith" from the show's second season. Caroline Ingalls' leg is scratched by a rusty nail, she is left alone when the rest of the family goes off on a short trip, she develops a virulent infection, and amidst hallucinations and intense agony she fights desperately for her life. It's completely harrowing, a riveting piece of acting on Grassle's part, and you can find highlights of the episode on YouTube, starting here.

Another excellent and slightly different side of Karen Grassle as Caroline Ingalls is seen in the fourth season episode "The Handyman" when the very appealling Gil Gerard guest stars as an itinerant laborer who is hired by Caroline to fix some things while Charles is away on business. Though Caroline's devotion to her husband is never in question, there's a frisson of attraction between the two and it's quite intriguing. The whole episode is on YouTube, beginning here.

Though it's a little histrionic, here's an interesting clip to look at, from the episode "The Bully Boys". Town roughnecks have manhandled and scared Caroline, and Charles doesn't like it one little bit.



Since Little House on the Prairie, Karen Grassle has been active on television, in the theatre in many capacities, and you may have seen her current commercials for Premier Bathrooms, who make those nifty safe bathtubs. (Little House currently airs on the Hallmark Channel.)

A big Flaming Nose Happy Birthday to one of television's favorite actresses, Karen Grassle!


(This photo is from the episode "At the End of the Rainbow" when Laura thinks she's found gold and dreams of her family all fancied up and driving around in a white carriage. Gorgeous, isn't she?)

Nose-talgia: The Top Two TV Dads

I'm just going to plant my flag in the sand and declare, on this Father's Day weekend, that the following two television characters epitomize the ideal father. There are so many great dads on TV to choose from, of course, and it was difficult culling the list down to just a pair, but truly, I doubt anybody would disagree much with this Top Two List.

Andy Taylor, played by Andy Griffith, from The Andy Griffith Show


Playing widower father Andy Taylor, sheriff of the small town of Mayberry, Andy Griffith brought his soothing country grace to this calming portrayal of mid-20thCentury domestic life. Mayberry was certainly the ideal small town, where everybody was your neighbor and the peacekeepers truly kept the peace. Andy Taylor's parenting of his young son Opie was straight and true, kind and honest, and through the idealized -- but not syrupy sweet -- stories of life in Mayberry, Andy Griffith created a character whose good judgment and down-home wisdom could not help but serve as a role model for fathers everywhere.

Charles Ingalls, played by Michael Landon, from Little House on the Prairie


Has there ever been a more honest depiction of the hard work, difficult sacrifices, simple pleasures and inevitable tragedies of everyday life than in executive producer and star Michael Landon's brilliant Little House on the Prairie? Landon's intellectual guidance of the show wouldn't have meant nearly as much without his sensitive acting work as Charles, head of the Ingalls household. Decent, proud, dignified, quick to laugh, affectionate...Charles Ingalls was all of these things and more. It was also great seeing a father so delighted by his household of girls, though later the Ingalls family adopted young orphan Albert. Charles Ingalls was not only a figure of guidance in his own home, but in his role in the community and out in the world he stood for the things he believed in and never gave less than his best. The other terrific quality of Charles was his obvious adoration of his strong and lovely wife Caroline, played so well by Karen Grassle. Michael Landon as Charles Ingalls provided one of the most appealing fathers ever, and he also was a wonderful tribute to the generations of real American fathers who settled this nation.