EXTRA: Alison Arngrim: The Walnut Groovy Interview

After a number of unfortunate scheduling fails, I’m delighted to report we finally connected with Alison Arngrim, who proved to be a spectacularly entertaining and animated interview subject. (You’re shocked, I know.) Enjoy! – WK *** ALISON ARNGRIM: You don’t want, like, the laptop and the headphones? This is fine, right? WILL: Oh no, we’reContinue reading “EXTRA: Alison Arngrim: The Walnut Groovy Interview”

The Fighter

The Strongest Smaller Person in Walnut Grove; or You Know, I’ve Never Been With a Black Man Before (a recap by Will Kaiser) EDITOR’S WARNING: This episode contains racist language and images of (barely) covered human penises. Thank you. Title: The Fighter Airdate: November 21, 1977 Written by Michael Landon Story by Lawrence M. KonnerContinue reading “The Fighter”

The Aftermath

Solomon Wept; or The Calamitous Return of Cap’m Beadle (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: The Aftermath Airdate: November 7, 1977 Written by Don Balluck Directed by William F. Claxton SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: Two murderers on the run come to town and hire Mary, who’s revealed to be a Confederate sympathizer, as a servant.Continue reading “The Aftermath”

The Creeper of Walnut Grove

Carri-et the Spy; or Harriet Oleson’s Baadasssss Song (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: The Creeper of Walnut Grove Airdate: October 24, 1977 Written by John T. Dugan Directed by William F. Claxton SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: Laura and Andrew call a truce with Nellie and Willie to solve a fairly obvious mystery. RECAP: FirstContinue reading “The Creeper of Walnut Grove”

The Wolves

Abandoned Dog-ters; or There is a Lot of Dog Genitalia in This One (a recap by Will Kaiser) EDITOR’S NOTE: This recap is rated 13+ for tasteless observations. Be warned. Title: The Wolves Airdate: October 17, 1977 Written by Lawrence M. Konner Directed by Michael Landon SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: It’s a bloodbath when madContinue reading “The Wolves”

The Handyman

Caroline Ingalls in Heat; or Unky Chris (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: The Handyman Airdate: October 3, 1977 Written by Arthur Heinemann Directed by William F. Claxton SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: Ma nearly has an affair with a hunky vagabond until Mary goes berserk and puts a stop to it. (FEATURING A SPECIAL APPEARANCEContinue reading “The Handyman”

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 Election

You Mush Vote for Mary; or Will the Real Not-Joni Mitchell Please Stand Up? (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: The Election Airdate: March 21, 1977 Written by B.W. Sandefur Directed by Victor French SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: A developmentally delayed student gets caught in the crossfire when bullies try to stop Nellie from becomingContinue reading “The Election”

The Music Box

Desire Begets Punishment; or Head Games (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: The Music Box Airdate: March 14, 1977 Written by Robert Janes Directed by Michael Landon SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: Nellie engages in psychological warfare, blackmailing Laura and torturing a girl with a speech impediment. Then Laura is hanged to death. In other words,Continue reading “The Music Box”