To Live With Fear: Part Two

To Live With Disappointment; or Charles Ingalls and the Temple of Doom (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: To Live With Fear, Part Two Airdate: February 21, 1977 Written by John Hawkins Directed by William F. Claxton SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: Mary’s life hangs by a thread, but instead of worrying about that, wouldn’t youContinue reading “To Live With Fear: Part Two”

To Live With Fear: Part One

Night Train to Rochester!; or The Betrayal of Ebenezer Sprague (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: To Live With Fear, Part One Airdate: February 14, 1977 Written by B.W. Sandefur Directed by William F. Claxton SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: It’s the one where Mary gets kicked by the horse. RECAP: Mary Stories are always occasionsContinue reading “To Live With Fear: Part One”

Blizzard

You Can Tell There’s Going to Be a Big Body Count in This One; or My Smurf is Coming Loose! (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: Blizzard Airdate: January 3, 1976 Written by Paul W. Cooper Directed by William F. Claxton SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: On Christmas Eve, Miss Beadle finally snaps and attempts toContinue reading “Blizzard”

EXTRA: Melissa Gilbert – The Walnut Groovy Interview

The holidays came a little bit early for us here at Walnut Groovy. A week before Thanksgiving, we had the intense pleasure of interviewing the magnificent Melissa Gilbert . . . or, as she styled herself on the call, “the Artist Formerly Known as Half-Pint.” In the best Walnut Groovy tradition, the conversation took aboutContinue reading “EXTRA: Melissa Gilbert – The Walnut Groovy Interview”

Journey in the Spring, Part One

La La Lansford; or Can You Imagine CHARLES INGALLS is Your Fucking Brother? (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: Journey in the Spring, Part One Airdate: November 15, 1976 Written and directed by Michael Landon SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: We meet Charles’s parents, and, like the good Little House characters they are, they immediately goContinue reading “Journey in the Spring, Part One”

Going Home

The High-Waisted Horny Hustle; or You’re the Main Character of the Show, You’re Not Going Anywhere (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: Going Home Airdate: March 31, 1976 Written and directed by Michael Landon SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: Charles freaks when a tornado destroys his crops, but yet another Magical Old Man materializes to showContinue reading “Going Home”

The Long Road Home

The Biggest Chuck-Hole of Them All; or The Strange Case of Richard Jaeckel and Louis Gossett, Jr. (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: The Long Road Home Airdate: March 3, 1976 Written by John Hawkins Directed by Michael Landon SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: Will Charles and Mr. Edwards survive a cross-country trek carrying dangerous blastin’Continue reading “The Long Road Home”

A Matter of Faith

Ma-sery (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: A Matter of Faith Airdate: February 4, 1976 Written by B.W. Sandefur Directed by William F. Claxton SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: It’s the one where Ma cuts off her leg. RECAP: Of all the BIG CLASSICS, this is one of the biggest, so it’s all hands on deckContinue reading “A Matter of Faith”

The Talking Machine

She Humiliated Me . . . With Science! (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: The Talking Machine Airdate: January 14, 1976 Written by Harold Swanton Directed by Victor French SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: Nellie is bested by Laura in matters of love, so she plans a humiliation far exceeding anything else she’s done so far.Continue reading “The Talking Machine”

At the End of the Rainbow

The Problem is, Laura Isn’t Really This Stupid; or Nels Doesn’t Deserve To Be in This Dream Sequence (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: At the End of the Rainbow Airdate: December 10, 1975 Written by Arthur Heinemann Directed by Michael Landon SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: Laura strikes gold (she thinks) and hallucinates hillbillies. RECAP:Continue reading “At the End of the Rainbow”