Times being what they were, Charles Ingalls decided it was time for he and his family to pull up stakes and head east in hopes of a better life. With his wife Caroline, their three daughters Mary, Laura and Carrie, and faithful dog, Jack, there'd be no stopping him. They hit the road after a tearful goodbye to Caroline's parents, and the trip to Kansas was long and uneventful, save for a treacherous river crossing, in which poor Jack was swept down stream. The family figured him for dead, but Laura would not give up hope. Then one night, as Charles and Caroline argued over what ever perspective future the Ingalls patriarch was hoping to find, Jack came out of nowhere, apparently having tracked them. Damn, Rin Tin Tin's got NOTHING on ol' Jack! So after another day of endless travel and the family beginning to chafe about the journey, Charles found what he'd been looking for: endless green acres, the place to be. Farm livin' is the life for he. They're home at last. So quickly Charles and Caroline set to building their first little house on the prairie... um, why aren't the girls helping? The job was a pain in the ass and there was nobody in miles to lend a hand, except for... Isaiah Edwards, a kindly mountain man who lived nearby. He taught Laura how to spit, much to Caroline's chagrin. The rest of the family took a liking to him right away, though. Caroline sent the girls to bed early that night 'cause she's a meanie-head. Well, finally, the house was finished. Now what? Charles had a big to-do list. Also, one of their horses was preggers and had itself a foal. At least now Laura won't be begging for a pony. Next day, Charles went out huntin' and encountered a pack of ornery wolves, so naturally he ran away and naturally, the wolves gave chase. Um, Charles, you know you've got a rifle, right? So he brought home nothing from the hunt because he's a chicken-sheet and they were forced to eat leftover stew again. I think they had it better in Wisconsin.
Guess who's coming to breakfast? Two Injuns! While Charles went off to try another hunt, two Indians ran up to the house. They made a heap big mess and robbed the Ingallses of their tobacco and cornbread before running off. Charles came home and hit the roof. Oh, not because they were robbed, but because Laura wanted to untie Jack to ward off the Injuns, after Charles specifically told her not to...you know what? Charles Ingalls is a Grade-A jerk-ass. But then he and Laura have one of their world-famous talks and that makes everything okay. Before Full House, there was Little House. Anyhoo, Charles lands a position on a cattle drive and brings home a cow and calf. Steak and hamburgers tonight! Before long, their Injun "friends" came back, though one of them appeared to be French, by the name of Soldat Du Chene, so they invited Du Chene into their cabin and Charles let him smokeum his peace pipe. He seemed like a decent guy, but Caroline and Mary still held their dislike of the red man, because... Hey, it's snowing! Christmas came before they knew it, and the girls anxiously awaited their visit from St. Nick. Sure enough, that night, a frozen-stiff Isaiah Claus came through the Ingalls' front door. Seems he'd been sent personally by the man in red to ensure the girls got their gifts, and they did: silver cups, candy canes and a penny each. And Edwards finally gained Caroline's respect. So from here on out, it seemed everything was going to work out okay for the Ingalls family...uh oh, brush fire! Frantically, they worked to put out the flames on the house and barn. The Ingallses are genuine firefighters. Fortunately, they're saved by a downpour. Sure enough, the Indians came back again, after two straight days of drumming. The Ingallses feared for their lives, but it turns out Du Chene was the tribal chief and they'd come to make a peace offering. So NOW it seemed as if everything was going to work out okay for the Ingalls family, they have a fine crop and everything seems hunky-dory. But then two cavalrymen showed up and delivered Charles a message: he's been drafted. No, only kidding, they're being evicted, just like what the government was doing to the Indians. Ain't that a kick in the groin? Rotten luck that! So with help from Mr. Edwards, they loaded up their wagon, and bid their farewells to that jovial mountain man, hoping they'd all meet again some day. They headed out towards Minnesota for a place called Walnut Grove, hearing there was a lot of action out that way.
Well done! A well done pilot to a great series. Very well acted! Michael Landon was terrific as Charles, Karen Grassle went above and beyond the call of duty as Caroline, Melissa Gilbert, Melissa Sue Anderson and Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush were adorable as the girls. And of course, Victor French stole the show as Edwards. Excellent direction from Landon, a good script by Blanche Hanalis, it was just great. I urge all Little House fans to see how it all began. Why the hell this and the series never won Emmys for acting, writing and directing is beyond me. Incidentally, there's a rumor that the jagoff who directed Pineapple Express wants to direct a remake of Little House. Stay away from the Prairie, my friend! Go make Pineapple Express 2, but don't you dare touch the Ingalls' legacy! But anyway, check out the pilot episode, it's one for the ages!
Guess who's coming to breakfast? Two Injuns! While Charles went off to try another hunt, two Indians ran up to the house. They made a heap big mess and robbed the Ingallses of their tobacco and cornbread before running off. Charles came home and hit the roof. Oh, not because they were robbed, but because Laura wanted to untie Jack to ward off the Injuns, after Charles specifically told her not to...you know what? Charles Ingalls is a Grade-A jerk-ass. But then he and Laura have one of their world-famous talks and that makes everything okay. Before Full House, there was Little House. Anyhoo, Charles lands a position on a cattle drive and brings home a cow and calf. Steak and hamburgers tonight! Before long, their Injun "friends" came back, though one of them appeared to be French, by the name of Soldat Du Chene, so they invited Du Chene into their cabin and Charles let him smokeum his peace pipe. He seemed like a decent guy, but Caroline and Mary still held their dislike of the red man, because... Hey, it's snowing! Christmas came before they knew it, and the girls anxiously awaited their visit from St. Nick. Sure enough, that night, a frozen-stiff Isaiah Claus came through the Ingalls' front door. Seems he'd been sent personally by the man in red to ensure the girls got their gifts, and they did: silver cups, candy canes and a penny each. And Edwards finally gained Caroline's respect. So from here on out, it seemed everything was going to work out okay for the Ingalls family...uh oh, brush fire! Frantically, they worked to put out the flames on the house and barn. The Ingallses are genuine firefighters. Fortunately, they're saved by a downpour. Sure enough, the Indians came back again, after two straight days of drumming. The Ingallses feared for their lives, but it turns out Du Chene was the tribal chief and they'd come to make a peace offering. So NOW it seemed as if everything was going to work out okay for the Ingalls family, they have a fine crop and everything seems hunky-dory. But then two cavalrymen showed up and delivered Charles a message: he's been drafted. No, only kidding, they're being evicted, just like what the government was doing to the Indians. Ain't that a kick in the groin? Rotten luck that! So with help from Mr. Edwards, they loaded up their wagon, and bid their farewells to that jovial mountain man, hoping they'd all meet again some day. They headed out towards Minnesota for a place called Walnut Grove, hearing there was a lot of action out that way.
Well done! A well done pilot to a great series. Very well acted! Michael Landon was terrific as Charles, Karen Grassle went above and beyond the call of duty as Caroline, Melissa Gilbert, Melissa Sue Anderson and Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush were adorable as the girls. And of course, Victor French stole the show as Edwards. Excellent direction from Landon, a good script by Blanche Hanalis, it was just great. I urge all Little House fans to see how it all began. Why the hell this and the series never won Emmys for acting, writing and directing is beyond me. Incidentally, there's a rumor that the jagoff who directed Pineapple Express wants to direct a remake of Little House. Stay away from the Prairie, my friend! Go make Pineapple Express 2, but don't you dare touch the Ingalls' legacy! But anyway, check out the pilot episode, it's one for the ages!