Hans “Rubberface” Dorfler

Castoffs

The She-Hobo; or It’s Dead Jack’s Point of View! (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: Castoffs Airdate: September 12 September 12, 1977 Written by Tony Kayden Directed by Michael Landon SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: Nels gets drunk, and a plot to drive away a British kook is foiled by The Magic of Walnut Grove! Oh,Continue reading “Castoffs”

EXTRA: The 1977 Walnut Groovy Awards

Whew! We’ve finally said goodbye to Season Three. Regular readers know we have a fun between-season tradition; but first, a little explanation might be necessary, since we have picked up some new readers since last year. It began like this. Some years ago, I attended an auction to disperse the effects of the Thunderbird –Continue reading “EXTRA: The 1977 Walnut Groovy Awards”

The Race

Half This Episode is Fat-Shaming Twelve-Year-Olds (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: The Race Airdate: October 11, 1976 Written by John V. Hanrahan Directed by William F. Claxton SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: Nellie and Laura are the only two contestants in an annual Hero Township-wide horse race, if you can believe that. RECAP: Bummer ofContinue reading “The Race”

Bunny

Fucking Bunny, Man; or Would They Really Hang a Child on This Show? (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: Bunny Airdate: October 4, 1976 Written and directed by Michael Landon SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: Animal abuse escalates the Laura/Nellie war. RECAP: Fucking “Bunny,” man! All hands on deck, let’s do it! We open with aContinue reading “Bunny”

The Richest Man in Walnut Grove

The Return of Lemon Verbena (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: The Richest Man in Walnut Grove Airdate: September 10, 1975 Written and directed by Michael Landon SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: After getting laid off, Charles panics because he can’t pay his bill at the Mercantile, even though Nels says it’s no big deal. That’s theContinue reading “The Richest Man in Walnut Grove”

The Lord is My Shepherd: Part Two

(Mean) Thoughts and Prayers; or The Parable of the Little Girl, The Mountain, and The A-Borgnine-able Snowman (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: The Lord is My Shepherd [Part 2] Airdate: December 18, 1974 Written and directed by Michael Landon SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: Feeling guilty about murdering her baby brother, Laura runs away toContinue reading “The Lord is My Shepherd: Part Two”

The Voice of Tinker Jones

Reverend Alden: Prince of Liars (a recap by Will Kaiser) TITLE: The Voice of Tinker Jones AIRDATE: December 4, 1974 Written by Tony Kayden and Michael Russnow Directed by Leo Penn SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: The Walnut Grovesters go to war with each other over whether to put up a church bell. A local hearing-impairedContinue reading “The Voice of Tinker Jones”

A Harvest of Friends

Feels Like the First Time(a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: A Harvest of FriendsAirdate: September 11, 1974Written by John Hawkins and William PutmanDirected by Michael Landon SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: Having relocated to Walnut Grove, Charles falls out of a tree, and an evil Irish stereotype cheats him. RECAP: First things first: THE OPENING CREDITS!Continue reading “A Harvest of Friends”