I don’t why but somehow I been thinking about this show titled “Little House of the Prairie” –shown back in the 80’s in our local TV lately (others that has been in my mind is those old movies starring MGR and Sivaji Ganesan). Perhaps I am just weary of my schedule for shifting to the new house or perhaps of the fact that the actress Padmini has just passed away – maybe.
Those were the good old days, aren’t they?
The story of the “Little House on the Prairie” started as a children’s book by Laura Ingalls Wilder in 1935. The image of the cast: Good Housekeeping
The Little House series (also known as “Laura Years”) is based on decades-old memories of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s childhood in the Midwest region of the United States during the late 19th century. It was then adapted for a TV show titled the same in early 1970s. Little House On The Prairie was an one-hour dramatic television program that aired on the NBC network from September 11, 1974 to March 21, 1983. Charles Ingalls played by Michael Landon directed a majority of the episodes.
The first show started on 11th September 1974 and the opening story titled “Harvest of Friends” indicated what a great show it was going to be:-
The Ingalls move into their house after leaving the Big Woods. Charles Ingalls first meets the townsfolk, including Mrs. Oleson who runs the sundry shop in town. She refuses to give him credit because she fears he’ll run up the bill and “skip out in the dead of night.” Charles Ingalls ends up striking a deal with Mr. Liem O’Neil, the proprietor of the Walnut Grove Feed & Seed in order to get the plow he needs.
He promises to fix the shed and stack the grain in 3 weeks or his oxen will go to O’Neil. Later, during a family picnic, Charles Ingalls crawls up a tree to get a kite for his daughter and falls down, breaking his ribs. The town doctor, Dr. Baker tells him he must stay in bed so that the injuries will heal.
However as Charles Ingalls couldn’t work his oxen are taken away by O’Neil. Charles Ingalls goes to confront O’Neil even though he wasn’t supposed to get out of bed because he still has until midnight to fulfill his part of the deal. He collapses while stacking the grain and his young daughters, Mary & Laura who had followed him there, run up and take over the job.
This prompts the townsmen to all come up and help out by forming an assembly line & stack the rest of the grain. O’Neil, feeling guilty by now, tries to convince them he was about to give Mr. Ingalls more time, but they ignore him. After the work is done, one of the town people, Mr. Hanson tells Charles that the town is holding a plowing & harrowing contest and they want to use his land.(In other words, they want to do his plowing for him.)
Laura’s voice at the end says:“…Pa said he was glad we had come to live on the banks of Plum Creek because here, he’d harvested a crop he didn’t know he’d planted — a harvest of friends.”
I remember watching the show without fail with the whole family in the 80’s when we still staying in the old house in Old Klang Road. Perhaps it reminded us of our own family with my Dad sharing the similar characters with Charles Ingalls and my Mom taking care of us.
Whenever we watch these types of shows, it brings a warm and cozy feeling on how families should stick together during all times (the other show that shares this is The Waltons and Eight is Enough). In case you have not noticed it, we rarely have good shows on family ties these days (if there? and yes, Desperate Housewives does not count here).
10 days more to go and counting…