January 1, 2026 • 49 mins
The Top 10 Episodes of 2025
As we ring in the New Year, we want to send a HUGE thank you to our incredible listeners. đź’›
Your support, enthusiasm, and love for Little House on the Prairie made 2025 an unforgettable
year for us at the Little House 50 Podcast.
To celebrate, we’re counting down your Top 10 favorite episodes of 2025 based on YouTube
views. This is a perfect way to reflect on the stories, guests, and moments that meant the most
to our community.
Here’s the countdown:
️ Top 10 Episodes of 2025
10. “Alden’s Dilemma” with Stan Ivar & Pamela Roylance
9. “Here Come the Brides” — Episode Recap
8. “The Talking Machine” — Episode Recap
7. Back to School, Parts 1 & 2 — Episode Recap
6. “The Handyman” — Episode Recap
5. “The Cheaters” — Episode Recap with Patrick Labyorteaux
4. “Wilder and Wilder” with Charles Bloom
3. “The Wisdom of Solomon” with Todd Bridges
2. “Christmas at Plum Creek” — Episode Recap
1. LIVE from NYC: Your Questions! (Part 1) 🎤✨
Thank you for listening, sharing, and being part of our Little House family. We can’t wait to bring
you even more celebrations, conversations, and surprises in the year ahead!
Links and Resources:
Haven’t signed up for Patreon yet? Get more behind the scenes info and fun conversation we can't
do on the podcast... PATREON: / littlehousepodcast
www.LittleHouse50Podcast.com to connect with our hosts and link to their websites.
www.LivinOnaPrairieTV.com Check out the award-winning series created by Pamela Bob, with
special guest stars Alison Arngrim and Charlotte Stewart. Prairie Legacy Productions - the place to go for info about all new Little House events!
To learn more about Little House on the Prairie, Visit www.littlehouseontheprairie.com
Little House 50th Anniversary Bus Tours - www.SimiValleyChamber.org
select Little House 50th Anniversary and then Bus Tickets
Facebook/Instagram/TikTok:
Dean Butler @officialdeanbutler
Alison Arngrim @alisonarngrim
Pamela Bob @thepamelabob, @prairietv
Social Media Team: Joy Correa and Christine Nunez
https://www.paclanticcreative.com/
Producer: Tony Sweet
www.ubngo.com
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/little-house-on-the-prairie-50th-anniversary-podcast--6055242/support.
As we ring in the New Year, we want to send a HUGE thank you to our incredible listeners. đź’›
Your support, enthusiasm, and love for Little House on the Prairie made 2025 an unforgettable
year for us at the Little House 50 Podcast.
To celebrate, we’re counting down your Top 10 favorite episodes of 2025 based on YouTube
views. This is a perfect way to reflect on the stories, guests, and moments that meant the most
to our community.
Here’s the countdown:
️ Top 10 Episodes of 2025
10. “Alden’s Dilemma” with Stan Ivar & Pamela Roylance
9. “Here Come the Brides” — Episode Recap
8. “The Talking Machine” — Episode Recap
7. Back to School, Parts 1 & 2 — Episode Recap
6. “The Handyman” — Episode Recap
5. “The Cheaters” — Episode Recap with Patrick Labyorteaux
4. “Wilder and Wilder” with Charles Bloom
3. “The Wisdom of Solomon” with Todd Bridges
2. “Christmas at Plum Creek” — Episode Recap
1. LIVE from NYC: Your Questions! (Part 1) 🎤✨
Thank you for listening, sharing, and being part of our Little House family. We can’t wait to bring
you even more celebrations, conversations, and surprises in the year ahead!
Links and Resources:
Haven’t signed up for Patreon yet? Get more behind the scenes info and fun conversation we can't
do on the podcast... PATREON: / littlehousepodcast
www.LittleHouse50Podcast.com to connect with our hosts and link to their websites.
www.LivinOnaPrairieTV.com Check out the award-winning series created by Pamela Bob, with
special guest stars Alison Arngrim and Charlotte Stewart. Prairie Legacy Productions - the place to go for info about all new Little House events!
To learn more about Little House on the Prairie, Visit www.littlehouseontheprairie.com
Little House 50th Anniversary Bus Tours - www.SimiValleyChamber.org
select Little House 50th Anniversary and then Bus Tickets
Facebook/Instagram/TikTok:
Dean Butler @officialdeanbutler
Alison Arngrim @alisonarngrim
Pamela Bob @thepamelabob, @prairietv
Social Media Team: Joy Correa and Christine Nunez
https://www.paclanticcreative.com/
Producer: Tony Sweet
www.ubngo.com
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/little-house-on-the-prairie-50th-anniversary-podcast--6055242/support.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, Hello, Hello, my fellow bonnet heads. Welcome to this
is a very very special year end wrap up of
Little House on the Prairie fiftieth anniversary podcast. It is
twenty twenty six, Bananas, Happy New Year, everybody. I'm your host,
Pamela Bob that's right, creator and star of Living on
(00:22):
a Prairie. And you know, I am still pinching myself
that this podcast is still going strong. We've had a
million downloads.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
We've had such a banger of a year this year
with the podcast and beyond, and I'm just so grateful
to be here, So thank you everybody. Yeah, can you
believe we made it through twenty twenty five Bonker's year.
But you know it's also been pretty legendary for our
Little House family. That's right. We just ending the year.
(00:57):
We had this incredible live show in your city that
we were planning for months and months and months. I
mean I have been asking to do a live show
for well over a year now. So the fact that
had happened and it was so successful and it was
so much fun was just so satisfying to all of us.
And we're definitely planning on doing more. So hopefully we'll
(01:20):
be coming to a city near you in this upcoming year.
And so we had our live show in New York City,
and we just had this amazing cast reunion in Seamy
Valley where we celebrated fifty almost fifty two years, my
goodness of a walnut grove in the best possible way.
(01:41):
I spent three days from morning till evening in this
beautiful little church interviewing all of these incredible cast members
from Little House on the Prairie, and the conversations were
so rich and so fun. To definitely make sure I
(02:01):
talked about things that we haven't all heard over and
over and over again, so the conversations were really different.
And you know, shout out to my VIP peeps that
were in the room for me. We totally bonded over this.
But all of this is going to be the New
York City event, and the all of the interviews from
the Semi Galle event are going to be up on Patreon.
Stay tuned. We haven't announced it yet. We will let
(02:23):
you know when that's all happening, but that is going
to be happening very soon. But today, you know, I'm
here solo. I'm not here at the hashtag imaginary boyfriend
and our you know, Prairie bitch Dean and Allison because
they're taking it easy. I'm working today. Today, we're just
going to look back on the Little House on the
(02:44):
Prairie fiftieth Anniversary Podcast from twenty twenty five, and we've
we have tallied the downloads and the feedback from you guys,
and we are counting down our top ten episodes of
twenty five and they're good ones. But before we dive
into number ten, I want to take a moment to
(03:06):
thank the folks and visit See Valley.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
If you're listening right now to the Little House fiftieth
Anniversary Podcast, we know something about you.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
We know that you're obsessed with Little House of the Prairie.
Speaker 4 (03:20):
For more than half a century, Little House on the Prairie,
the series, and the books have been bright lights for
people all over the world who seek out goodness, decency,
and human connection.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Here on the Little House fiftieth Anniversary Podcast, we celebrate
everything that made Little House so special.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
The stories, the characters, the actors, and the messages that
have made Little House iconic family television.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
And a perfect counterpoint to a world that feels like
it's going off the rails every day?
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Where is Michael Landon when we need him most? I'm
your host, Pamela Bob and I'm your prairie bitch alis.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
At Aringrem and I'm Dean Butler hashtag imaginary boyfriend.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Join us for our loving, quirky, and often irreverent conversations
about the finest family drama in the history of television and.
Speaker 5 (04:11):
The imperfect people who made it that way, presented by
our devoted patrons, and visit Seemi Valley dot com.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
All right, let's hitch up the wagons. Here we go.
Let's start the countdown at number ten. We have Do
Do Do do Alden Dilemma with guest stars Stan Ivar
and Pamela roy Lance. Boy, oh boy, do I love
those guys. That's right. We kicked off the year with
the other Ma and Paw.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
Tell us about, just briefly, about why Little House was
one of your.
Speaker 6 (04:44):
Dream jobs, Probably because I grew up reading the books
when I was in the fourth grade, and I read
every single one of the books.
Speaker 7 (04:53):
And it's a lot of.
Speaker 6 (04:54):
Words, as you know, and detail, and I loved everything
about It's so eating everything. Yeah, farmer boy, yeah, and
fixated on that but I did love the books, and
so when I came here, I just thought I fit
(05:15):
the prairie mode. I fit Walton's, I get Walt Disney,
I fit Little House. I fit that kind of mode.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
It's so that was where I had it in my mind,
was for that Stan.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
I'm curious what you know? So what was your path?
Because I've known pam story about how she got there?
What was your path to Little House?
Speaker 1 (05:37):
How did that happen?
Speaker 8 (05:40):
I you know, I mean I love the Western genre,
and obviously I had seen Michael on Bananza and so on.
But obviously was Uh. I was reaided for a period,
raised for a period of time in Norway, and we
had horses, the horse there with UH. We did all
our plowing and everything on the farm there in Norway.
So I always loved horses, and obviously when it came
(06:04):
to Western I already knew how to drive a team.
I knew how to ride and actually up Tapa Canyon
there these there's a ranch way at the end those mountains,
I had team roped and gathered cattle and everything long
before I even knew that Little House was filmed. Further
on down the road.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
I didn't even know that.
Speaker 8 (06:24):
I remember when I got the first call there the
first day and I looked at the call sheet and
I said, oh my god, it's up tap O Canyon.
Speaker 9 (06:32):
That's exactly where. So I knew exactly where I was going.
But that was the thing that drew me to Little House.
I loved that time period. I feel comfortable in it.
I felt comfortable in it still do. That's why I
moved up here to the mountains.
Speaker 8 (06:48):
I had horses all my life up here, and team
roped and even produced the pro celebrity rodeos for five
years down there at the Equestrian Finner in LA with
four other actors, nice and and everything.
Speaker 9 (07:02):
So that was there was the draw for me.
Speaker 8 (07:04):
Uh that I was.
Speaker 9 (07:05):
I was comfortable in that genre.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
All right, here we go. Number nine is here Come
the Brides. That's right, a classic Nelly episode. That's right
with Nellie and Luke, the Big Farmer, Alison and Dean
and I had such a blast breaking down the fashion,
the elopement drama, and of course Harriet Olsen's legendary reactions.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
Okay, and the first rebellion is after dinner when, of
course missus Sulsen freaks out and says.
Speaker 10 (07:38):
Claude Hopper, Claude Hopper, she called.
Speaker 4 (07:41):
And she calls him all kinds of things.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
It is, and there's a Catherine moment again, and it's
Nellie's again, Nellie's first rebellion. Up until then, there's a
whole lot of yes, mother, Yes, mother, And it's the
first time when she says.
Speaker 7 (07:53):
You can't, and I suddenly talk.
Speaker 10 (07:54):
I talked back to her.
Speaker 7 (07:55):
Remember the eighteen hundred and amazing back to your parents.
Speaker 10 (07:58):
They said, do this.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
You said, yes, ma'am, Why in the whiniest teenage voice
ever recorded in history?
Speaker 10 (08:04):
Why?
Speaker 3 (08:05):
And she flips out And then I've talked about this
for Okay, things Catherine did acting wise, you're not supposed
to do, directing the other actors, changing the.
Speaker 7 (08:14):
Lines randomly as you see her suddenly deciding.
Speaker 10 (08:17):
You need a prop and eating an apple.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
And people say, one of the things she did that
they would tell you in any acting class never do
this would be to say the actors line back to
them and imitate them.
Speaker 10 (08:28):
That would be unspeakable anymore.
Speaker 11 (08:31):
So great she.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Did, I know, And it's so her character to go
why why? So freaking it's funny and it is so funny, and.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
It's brilliant and it's what what missus Olsen would do.
Speaker 10 (08:49):
And it also she knew it would keep it going.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
We want to make make the other person mad so
that we're it's a knockdown, drag out.
Speaker 7 (08:56):
And of course she would do that, so it made sense.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
But normal you're taking out and shot at sunrise for
that sort of thing.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
This is not you don't do that to me. And
now at number eight, the Talking Machine, that's right, we
recapped this episode that Alison calls the episode where even
she hates herself mm hmm. And it was such a
fun trip back to the early days of Laura and
(09:23):
Nellie's rivalry, you know, the og rivalry. We talked about
how Michael Landon used quote high tech nineteenth century gadgets
to create such amazing comedy.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
So Laura has a fit and then and then well
when he still likes her, I've got to now ruin
her life.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Guess I want to do yes clearly, always with the
only way.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
When Nelly offers you candy, it's like some guy in
a white van offering.
Speaker 7 (09:55):
Nellie says, it's okay, you can have all the candy,
take a handful.
Speaker 10 (09:58):
It's something.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Yeah, So I'm like, come up to the room coverture
and why what?
Speaker 7 (10:04):
And so again, I mean this at least was early,
and she's like, why does Laura keep trusting me? So Lucy,
I get her.
Speaker 4 (10:12):
It's that it's that blank spot in her consciousness that
drives everything basically, And again Nils.
Speaker 10 (10:19):
Is going, what what now?
Speaker 4 (10:20):
The only persons what's going on?
Speaker 2 (10:24):
He knows that's all wrong.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
And I get her up there and clearly I'm being
way too creepy and way too nice. And of course
it's the brilliant, the brilliant Jonathan Gilbert evil screen so good,
he's so good in this one.
Speaker 7 (10:37):
And we're on the pad.
Speaker 4 (10:38):
So did Victor so talk about a little bit about what?
Because I think this is sort of interesting Victor French,
How Victors take to you about how to do this?
Speaker 7 (10:50):
Interesting freaking brilliant. He was really good about how things should.
Speaker 5 (10:54):
Build and to like no more, no more, to go
all the way and and.
Speaker 7 (10:59):
He knew how to get it.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
And his thing was, it didn't really matter how you
got there or what the hell you were thinking about.
Speaker 10 (11:05):
You could be method.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
It didn't matter as once you you just you went
somewhere with this thing and so he's like, yeah, yeah,
more and more, and then she leaves and I'm doing
the tantrum, and then I get them everything.
Speaker 7 (11:17):
Then the idea, the horrible evil idea.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
And I was kind of even thinking a little bit
how the Grinch stole Christmas when the Grinch says and
then the Grinch got an idea, a wonderful, terrible evil idea,
and I remember that moment, but the Grin smiled and
he realized what.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
He's going to do to this.
Speaker 10 (11:32):
It was kind of I was feeling that.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
I was kind of like, yeah, I'm kind of there
with that, and I had the floor and I'm going
to start to get the idea.
Speaker 7 (11:39):
Of yes, I will do this thing. I will record
her and ruin her life.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
And they're just going more no, no, okay, you keep
it rolling, no.
Speaker 7 (11:47):
Worse, no more evil, no more terrible. And then I
had been reading these horror.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Comics that week on the set.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
And with weir wolves and zombies and things, they're very
very gory and fabulous time Here's thirteen and Justice and
kind of really getting into that good like almost the
Grinch Time of Evil. And then Victor said, think of
your werewolf comic books and then.
Speaker 7 (12:13):
You see this fabulous, beautiful smile, just overtake me, and
he's like, yes, that's it.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
So yet he was willing to just egg me on
an eggman go You're yeah, yeah, keep like keep.
Speaker 10 (12:26):
Going, keep it coming, No, keep keep going in this direction,
go all the rest of the way.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
Hi, again, we're at number seven. What could it be?
That's right? Back to School Parts one and two recaps.
I mean, maybe that's considered number seven and six, but
we're just gonna compile them together. Number seven. You guys,
you guys loved this deep died, and so did I
because I love these episodes. We looked at the foundation
(12:54):
of the show, the Schoolhouse, and why these episodes about
growing up still resonate with every generation.
Speaker 4 (13:03):
Back to School Parts one and two my debut episodes
of Little House September seventeenth, nineteen seventy nine, written and
directed by Michael Landon. You know, as I was looking
at this, I asked chatbat Gpt to give us a
synopsis see of what this episode was about. Yeah, just
for see, Alison, what did it say?
Speaker 10 (13:22):
Okay? First of all, never try to say chat Gpt
in French, oh oh dear. Okay, but I despise AI.
But this is a really good description.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
So Indeed, back to School episode's Little House the Right's
a two part story from season six, episodes one and two.
Speaker 10 (13:40):
That marked a major turning point, especially for Laura.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Indeed, the two parter.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
Showcases Laura's transition from childhood to ade, labors her growing independence,
her determination to it help Manzo's affection. It also reflects
the classic themes of Little House of the very family community,
posse afferance. Even as it's a lighthearted and romantic element.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
It really did.
Speaker 10 (14:03):
These episodes, It did did.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
These episodes are notable for setting the stage for Laura
and al Manzo's eventual romance, one of the most beloved
arcs in the shows later seasons. They balance humor and hard,
making them fan favorites for Little House legacinx.
Speaker 12 (14:17):
Chat cheepy Yeah, fan favorites. Yeah, thank you, chache. How
do you say that in French? By the way, well,
never mind, I'm.
Speaker 10 (14:29):
Not it becomes really bad news they've had.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
Okay, well let's not do that.
Speaker 7 (14:35):
Then it's too.
Speaker 10 (14:35):
Early problem for the newscasters.
Speaker 4 (14:37):
So yeah, I mean, I I like the fan favorites thing.
I think it should be higher than number fifty. That's
just me. But I'm grateful that it's season two, show one,
so I'll take that.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
Also, Okay, there are so many icon moments like rewatching it,
you fight, the birth of Zeldamo Cinnamon Chicken, like it's
all in this episode. I'm a woman and I hate
all of you. It's all okay, guys, cool it down
over here, because number six we've got a bounty ub bull.
(15:12):
The Handyman recap. That's right, the infamous Handyman recap. Okay,
the episode that launched a thousand poor ma comments, or
launched a thousand go for it moments. We discussed the chemistry,
the stolen glances, the rare moment where ma Ingles actually
(15:34):
had a bit of you know, little sexy flirtation.
Speaker 6 (15:38):
Mind you.
Speaker 5 (15:40):
Enter a whistling Chris Nelson, The Handyman Dade by a
young and chisel jawed Gil Gerad with seventy swagger and
two belt bravado. Yes, very much so, Caroline first carpentry skills,
but does she that hammer has Harriet also practically Austin
(16:00):
was scandal. It's jealous was a team effort. Carolyn long
meaningful glances and enjoys her fresh baked pies.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
Seriously, and that's a metaphor.
Speaker 10 (16:17):
You've formidt.
Speaker 5 (16:18):
Meanwhile, her internal monologue is practically Victorian Romett novels remain
evationally faithful to Charles. But have you seen that man
fix the roof in the sunlight? Will Mary be able
to save the family from smoldering infidelity? In the end,
the kid has completed, Chris Nelson rides off of the sunset,
and the Ingles marriage survives. It's first and well only
(16:39):
near thirst trap.
Speaker 13 (16:40):
Mary is okay, mom, Mary is the smart one, and
missus Olson and I are so vile that we should
just be shure.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
And you guys are particularly you guys are bad. Okay, okay,
where where do we even? Well, here's where we start.
First of all, amazing synopsis. I don't know if AI
did that, but if it did, I'm here for it.
Speaker 4 (17:05):
It was a combination.
Speaker 5 (17:08):
Commentary.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Thank you robots for that, Okay, exactly because it was brilliant.
All Right, we're headed to the top five episodes best
episodes of twenty twenty five. Here we go. These these
were episodes that sparked the most conversation in our Patreon community.
(17:33):
Now our Patreon community is so important to us. If
you're not Patreon, why the heck not. We have so
much fun on Patreon. Anyway, here we go, Number five,
The Cheaters Recap with Patrick Laboto. That's right, having Patrick
back in the podcast. Let me tell you about Patrick.
(17:53):
Patrick is the nicest, He is the coolest. He has
anecdotes upon anecdotes upon stories upon amazingness. If you should
follow him and his social media and his podcast, you'll
know that he's just a plethora of stories. And so
having him on the show and having him back on
the show is always just just like a total highlight
(18:17):
of the year. And so hearing him talk about this
episode the Cheters, Hearing him talk about Andy Garvey's you know,
moral struggle and also his real life memories of Michael
Ndon's mentorship, was just Chet's kiss. Beautiful, Patrick, how do
you feel about this episode? Before I rip into it,
(18:38):
because I'm about to rip into it, I.
Speaker 14 (18:42):
Think of it, and I think of that Deers must
have a phrase of like, oh, he was full Andy
with Nelly when deers get afraid, because I just look terrified.
It's not you know, deer in the headlights, it's Andy
in front of Nelly. I think the idea, idea of
placing you know, it reminded me a lot of your performance, Alison.
(19:06):
Reminded me a lot of Ian McDermott in the Star
Wars movies as the Emperor. I just expected you at
one point to just you know, yell at Andy do
it and you know, turned me to the dark side
and grip.
Speaker 8 (19:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 14 (19:20):
Yeah, Okay. So the answer to your question is this,
to me, was I categorized a couple of different types
of episodes, you know, since I was since I was
able to do a bunch of these episodes.
Speaker 6 (19:35):
This was a.
Speaker 14 (19:37):
Working episode in my head, like, okay, so I had
to do really good. There was lots of stuff. There's
lots of scenes.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
I mean, it's all you yeah kind of is.
Speaker 14 (19:46):
I was surprised when I rewatched it because you know,
you remember things in one way and then you watched
the episode. I think, I'm sure I hear you guys
talking all the time. Part of my memory of Little
House is my experience shooting it, as opposed to when
people watch the show. Makes sense. Experience is the show
the story, and so I don't really remember the story
(20:10):
so much as the experience and the experience I had
was with Alison, who was always a blast to work with.
But I remember having to focus because Alison never seemed
to have problem with lines. It never seemed to have
a problem with any of the so she was always
happy to like cut and then this guy happened, and
then she's just talking all the time. So I had
(20:32):
to concentrate a lot to make sure that all the
stuff that I was doing kind of was what I
wanted to do and that I'm.
Speaker 7 (20:42):
In your face like terrorizing it at the same time. So, yeah,
it's the Shifting Gears.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
It's And now at number four, we've got Wilder and
Wilder with Charles Bloom himself. That's right, Pearly Date. I
don't know about you, but Wilder and Wilder is like
an epic epic episode. Two brothers, two Wilder brothers, come on,
(21:13):
come on now, doesn't get better than that. So and
Charles Bloom, who we met for the first time him
coming onto this podcast, we just absolutely fell in love
with this guy. He he brought so much joy to
our conversation to this episode, and we talked about Pearly Day,
Wilder and the Black Sheep brother and the incredible energy
(21:37):
that Charles brought to the set as a young actor.
Speaker 3 (21:42):
The Boundaries, thinks Pearly Days to catch because he doesn't
know anything about him, and I'm watching it going he said,
he's a thief and a liar, and and what does
he not? He's he's You were almost in my you know,
neck of the woods role wise, you were almost in
villain territory with me.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
You were kind of.
Speaker 10 (22:01):
Terrible in this How did you.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Feel about that?
Speaker 7 (22:03):
You're kind of like a giant jerk in this episode.
Speaker 15 (22:06):
Well, of course, my first impression when I saw the
name was Pearly Day was released coupling along the line
of fashion designer or something for the practice. Yes, that,
and then and then I read the script and saw
things are getting darker in a hurry. He's a thief
and and he's a horse injurer. And uh, I guess
(22:32):
I was to be the devil to Deans to al
Monso's angel.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
I get.
Speaker 15 (22:39):
That's how the contrast began, so.
Speaker 4 (22:44):
Right up front. It was right up front, very and
I asked.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
Before we get into more of your experience on set,
but do you remember your audition?
Speaker 15 (22:52):
Oh, as a matter of fact, I do it for
for someone who hasn't remembered anything at all. I plunged
into this. It was the only audition for which I
did not have to uh that I was. I was
given an offer because Dean I was originally coming in
(23:15):
to read for Almonzo in the original or the original
time I came in, but whoa well, and of course
I asked for the big trailer and I became impossible.
So that's no, no, it was. It was that they
told me that I was.
Speaker 10 (23:33):
A little young.
Speaker 15 (23:35):
Something I don't hear quite as much anymore, and uh,
none of us it would, but I wanted me to
come back to read for uh the younger brother, and
I kind of rolled my and as polite and said, oh, yeah,
that really happens.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
We're going to call you back and all that.
Speaker 15 (23:52):
And the truth is they did, and and it was
the only time that a producer kept her promise on
that score.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
So do you remember.
Speaker 15 (24:03):
That's one of my several memories of it.
Speaker 4 (24:07):
That was the audition.
Speaker 8 (24:09):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (24:10):
Well, you know, Susan Suckman, who was our casting director,
who you undoubtedly met with, was a great giver of
meeting you know when you when you were in the
office with Susan, she was gracious, welcoming, she made I
think she made actors feel terrific about being in the
room with her. She she really had a nice, nice
(24:33):
quality in bringing out the best in people who were
reading for her. And obviously, you, with all of your
wit that became very has become incredibly clear in the
years since all of that. But you had all of
that going, and you were able to bring this sort
(24:54):
of uh snake in the grass kind of quality to this. Really,
I mean you did. Watching the episode again, I watched
it last, I watched it twice yesterday. I just thought
you were terrific in the episode. And what was so
important about this is this episode there needed to be
(25:17):
a turning point for Pa to see al Manzo as
someone who could be right for his daughter. He'd objected
on the terms of age and all of that, and
he thought, well, maybe you could be the fix. But
when you revealed yourself and al Manzo really continued being
who he was, suddenly Pa was able to see al
(25:40):
Manzo in a different light. The episode was very important
from that perspective.
Speaker 15 (25:44):
You look better by comparison.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
All right, guys, three left here we go, number three.
Drum roll, please the Wisdom of Solomon with Todd Bridges.
Ye guys know, this is a classic ethic viral episode.
You know, there are people that are the one episode,
(26:09):
people that go into the vortex, But I feel like
Todd Bridges evaded the vortex somehow because this episode is
so beloved, is so important, it's so critically important even today.
And you know, he was just at Seam Valley at
the cast reunion. He is a beloved member of Little
House family rightfully so. So this episode is truly profound,
(26:34):
as you guys all know. And Todd was so generous
in sharing his experience playing Solomon and discussing the show's
rare but powerful handling of race and history. So enjoy
this clip where we discuss his time working on Little House.
How old were you when you did this episode?
Speaker 16 (26:55):
Well, it was nineteen when you said nineteen seventy seven. Yeah, yeah,
I think that was twelve. Maybe you're eleven, maybe nine.
I don't see, that's a long time ago. I would
have the calculating, now, my brain's not gonna work that.
Speaker 4 (27:09):
I'm curious, Todd, how you go about preparing for something
like this, because this is a well that what we're
talking about in the episode, we're talking about emancipation, slavery,
and the coming of the coming of rights, the deprivation
of rights for African Americans at that point. You know,
(27:33):
we were talking before we came on that. You know,
there was a lot of television. You know, Good Times
was on, and you know, the Red Fox show Samford
and was on, and there was a different approach to
how all these issues were being talked about. But it
was done enough sort of you know the humor yeh,
(27:53):
humor was the way of hiding all the pain. This
put the.
Speaker 10 (27:59):
Pain frame one.
Speaker 11 (28:01):
Oh yeah, right your face.
Speaker 4 (28:02):
Oh yeah, right in your face.
Speaker 14 (28:04):
Oh yeah, it was.
Speaker 16 (28:05):
It was definitely right in your face for sure.
Speaker 4 (28:08):
So how do you what's what's the process for your
Are you just allowing that show?
Speaker 14 (28:16):
For me?
Speaker 16 (28:17):
I think I was a dramatic actor by nature, so
that came pretty easy to me. I think my favorite
line in this show was when I said, answer me something, sir,
I said, would you like to be black and lived
to be one hundred or white and lived.
Speaker 7 (28:29):
To be fifteen?
Speaker 16 (28:30):
And that means they put in and Miche was like, nope,
bottom will be black. I'm sure he's figured out.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
What did we say, right before came what we're talking about?
Then she said David Rose.
Speaker 3 (28:43):
We said, we said, d David Rose is the devil
David Rose. That music made you.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
I can't stand it. I can't tut it. And you,
oh yeah, the title card episode when that comes up,
and that that's sad Hunting Piano.
Speaker 3 (28:58):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 16 (28:59):
He the best movie written for that show, for sure,
for sure.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
But then your beautiful angelic face with those beautiful sparkling eyes,
you just, oh thank you just captivated all of us.
And there is not a false phony moment in the
entire No.
Speaker 15 (29:15):
It wasn't.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
You're so good starts from the first second.
Speaker 3 (29:20):
I mean, that was the thing caught me. I thought, okay,
I forgot this.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
I watched it last night.
Speaker 3 (29:23):
The second the second you appear on screen and the
first word teking about you're like, oh no, this board
child out and it's like extraordinarily painful.
Speaker 2 (29:32):
Oh yeah, and then it doesn't stop.
Speaker 7 (29:34):
No, it goes for the jugglar and just going up.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
How did you keep that?
Speaker 14 (29:40):
Like I said it aware?
Speaker 16 (29:41):
I was fully aware because my mom was my had
taught me how to be an actor, and everything I
had done up to that point was all dramatic. I
had done no comedy shows before that. Everything it was dramatic.
I think my first comedy show after that was Fish.
I was on Fish for three seasons and then And
the only reason why that guy can so because back
then a Figoda wanted more money, and you know, they
(30:02):
didn't give you more money back then, they just canceled
the show.
Speaker 14 (30:06):
Wow.
Speaker 16 (30:07):
But lucky that happened because I ended up going in
and meeting with Robert Brookleotti for different strokes. And and
what was weird was I was telling somebody the other
night I had actually had three shows.
Speaker 4 (30:19):
It was weird.
Speaker 16 (30:19):
I had got different strokes. I had got the Mickey
mouse Club, and I had got was Oh it wasn't
called Mark and Mindy. It was called Mark from Orc.
And yeah, that was the original name of the title
of the show. And Mark lived in the attict of
this black kid lived with his grandmother, who luckily I
(30:40):
made the right choice because those shows Mork and Mindy
Mark from Orc changed to Mark and Mindy And where
the Little House people? You know, you know what I mean,
I mean not little Where are the Mickey mouse Club?
Speaker 2 (30:55):
Right?
Speaker 16 (30:55):
So that was so I made a great choice.
Speaker 2 (30:57):
That was a great, great choice.
Speaker 16 (30:59):
Yeah, that was a great school.
Speaker 2 (31:01):
All right, don't get stressed out here, we go it's
number two. What could it be? Christmas at Plum Creek.
That's right. We just we just recently did this episode,
and we recorded this right as we were getting ready
for the Semi Valley reunion that just happened in December,
and it really did put us in the perfect holiday spirit.
(31:24):
It's the ultimate episode about sacrifice and the true mean
of Christmas and also trying to understand what the heck
Carrie was saying.
Speaker 4 (31:34):
And I think, what's something that's lovely in this episode,
given that it aired on Christmas Day? Is right up
front with Carrie pause, sets up the whole religiosity of Christmas.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
And it's definitely the Charlie Brown moment.
Speaker 4 (31:48):
Yeah, yeah, it's lovely.
Speaker 2 (31:49):
It's a lovely, lovely moment. Yes, it is absolutely lovely.
Mary gets a job with the famous Missus Whipple.
Speaker 4 (31:56):
Yes, yes, is this the first.
Speaker 2 (31:59):
Time we all see Missus Whipple?
Speaker 3 (32:01):
That were absolutely I think it is. I do not
think because Missus Whipple is sort.
Speaker 7 (32:05):
Of in the books. She named Missus Whipple the books.
Speaker 3 (32:07):
But there's a lady who's a seamstress in the books,
and I don't think we've seen her until now.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
Is also awesome and I would want to be her
employee if I was living in Wallet because she's got
donuts and milk waiting every single Yes, was awesome, made
homemade donuts, Oh my god, because I don't think there
was a duncan d over in Walnut Grove getting the
(32:35):
donuts ready in the morning. So yeah, she's awesome.
Speaker 3 (32:38):
And played by Queenie Smith's an actress named Queen.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
She's so lovely. Miss Whipple is she great? Became a
talent agent, she was in W. C.
Speaker 7 (32:48):
Fields movies that she was she really yeah, wow, brilliant.
Speaker 11 (32:54):
Most of the most of the episode.
Speaker 4 (32:56):
I think we can sort of short cut our way
through this. Most of the episode is everybody's anxieties about
what they're going to get right and the secrets that
they tell to get This is one of the rare
moments where they're in the series where there really are
(33:17):
secrets where the audience doesn't really know what's going on.
It plays out.
Speaker 17 (33:21):
Very effectively, but normally in the world of Little House,
the audience knows everything. In this case, there is withholding
going on and it's very effective, as we will discuss
in a few moments.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
All right, guys, here we go. This is it so exciting.
Our number one most loved episode of twenty twenty five
is live from New York City, Your Questions Part one.
That's right where those of you have not seen the
(33:56):
live podcast, we have not put it up on pannette.
It's coming, I promise, I promise any second. But we
had the most epic Q and A session in New
York City at the green Room forty two when we
did our live podcast there, and this was it was
just pure magic being at Greenroom forty two in New
York City with Alison and Dean and and all of
(34:20):
you guys in the audience. They're just there, really are
no words, how truly truly wonderful it was. I mean,
bonnet heads show up, man, they show up with the
most positive energy on the planet. And I was so
grateful that I could make you guys laugh, because that
was my goal. So the energy was totally electric and
(34:42):
the questions were hilarious, and it really did remind us
of why this community is so special. So as a
special little treat here, please enjoy this clip where we
reminisce on that amazing live show.
Speaker 11 (35:00):
You know what's one of the cool things about that space.
Speaker 4 (35:03):
And I have not spent a lot of time in
Times Square. It's just it just didn't work out that
way when I was there. But sort of a fascinating
phenomenon is you can be in Times Square and do
absolutely anything and other than Mini Mouse, nobody cares.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
That's that's all of NERR. That is all of it,
because believe me, I've been there, done it, and no
one cares. I mean, it's it's quote unquote normal. It's
just you know, it's a city full of eclectics and
artists and people doing stuff.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
We were doing crazy stuff all over time. But I
remember there were people walking by the whole were walking
by week weren't sure if she was.
Speaker 2 (35:44):
Crying or laughing.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
Oh she was trying like mas tense moment, and everyone's
just like, Hi, how you doing.
Speaker 2 (35:52):
That's the thing about me. You could be crying hysterically
walking down the street and no one, no one cares,
which is and con I mean it really is.
Speaker 11 (36:06):
You're free. You are absolutely free to be whatever you
are in what whatever state of being you are, You
can be that in that city that that is a
pretty remarkable thing that that is not the case in
a lot of places.
Speaker 3 (36:23):
That your you can have your moment and where you
want and everyone's like, okay, whatever, man.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
Yeah, it's just another Tuesday. I know. But I will say,
we see you, but we're not going to bother you.
Like she's crying and we all cry.
Speaker 6 (36:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (36:42):
Case in many cases, they see you and they're just
taking a quick root around you, you know, like no
one wants to interfere. They don't want to just they
just keep everyone's living their life and it's just they're
doing what they need to do in that moment.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
But I will say part of what also, I mean, yes,
the show is I think incredibly successful, and we had
so much fun doing it, and we I think we
all had, you know, the day before we sort of
had a little mini run through, and I think we
were done with the run through and we sort of
all looked at each other and went, I think this
is going to be really good, Like ooh, we got
(37:18):
something here. But the best part about the week was
being with you guys, just together, finally in the same
place and spending days and days and days together and
loving everything.
Speaker 15 (37:29):
It was fun.
Speaker 4 (37:31):
You know, I when I I agree with you on
the run through when it was finished, I just have
such you know, and everybody pretend like we're just talking
to ourselves here. I have such confidence in the two
of you that things are always going to work.
Speaker 11 (37:47):
This is one way or another.
Speaker 4 (37:49):
Whether it's you know, whether it goes sideways, up, down,
doesn't matter. It's going to work out in the in
the end, because we're all just going to hang with
each other. It's we just keep stepping forward. And I
think that that's really that's really the deal.
Speaker 3 (38:04):
Well, I think when we had the little musical rehearsal
in Charles Blooms giant dog, giant.
Speaker 4 (38:14):
Beautiful dogs, a.
Speaker 7 (38:17):
Golden Retriever, I'm like cross with what a right now?
Speaker 10 (38:24):
He was like a siperiod tiger.
Speaker 2 (38:26):
This giant head and his big boss. And then he's
like and he thinks he's a lap dog.
Speaker 3 (38:30):
He thinks he's a lap dog, and all of us
He's like, I love you, I love you, I love you.
Speaker 10 (38:34):
Can I sing his big the biggest.
Speaker 8 (38:38):
I love you?
Speaker 3 (38:39):
It was like hysterical. But when we did that music
run through and he's he sang that song early day
and then we sang, oh boy, we we've.
Speaker 10 (38:50):
Opened Pandora's box.
Speaker 2 (38:52):
Baby.
Speaker 3 (38:52):
Uh oh, this is gonna be a whole other thing now.
Speaker 18 (38:56):
Yikes, yes, no, really good now, all right, it wouldn't
be our podcast if things didn't go off the rails occasionally,
and most of the time we hide you guys from
all of that stuff.
Speaker 2 (39:10):
But this year gave us some, you know, some world
class bloopers. So here's a little look back at the
chaos and funny moments. Oooh, you guys, this is gonna
be a doozy.
Speaker 4 (39:22):
I don't know, you know, walking down Fifth Avenue and
from across the street, what are.
Speaker 3 (39:30):
You gonna show them bitcoin next week?
Speaker 10 (39:36):
Making enough money at home?
Speaker 3 (39:38):
Lasting room about their gentle and go well, I get
I guess we're gonna do this thing.
Speaker 7 (39:42):
Guy, yeah.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
About it's high comedy.
Speaker 4 (39:52):
It's without I love the without the bottle.
Speaker 2 (39:57):
Yeah yeah, okay, more first, let me just say that
from the ub from the studios. Let's get this right.
Dear god, I'm so excited about the book. I can't
even thanks.
Speaker 7 (40:08):
Very Little House in the Prairie was the Muppets.
Speaker 10 (40:12):
You're a business.
Speaker 7 (40:13):
Miss everybody knows I am, Miss Picky Walk. Yes, It's true.
Speaker 9 (40:18):
I never thought I'd be blushing on a podcast, but
I'm the aborting.
Speaker 2 (40:22):
Well, leave it, leave it to us, leave it to
we got to talk about the hobbies on the prairie.
It's come on then.
Speaker 15 (40:29):
And then I read the script and saw things. You're
getting darker in a hurry. He's a thief and and
he's a horse injurer and uh, I guess I was
the devil to jeans to al Manso's angel in.
Speaker 3 (40:47):
My favorite line in the entire show, in the entire
nine years, when Baby Care gets a star and says,
I'm doing the most insane cartoon. Thereafter my lucky charms
action and there and the whole thing is.
Speaker 2 (41:06):
In falsetto the whole her whole falsetto the entire time.
Speaker 7 (41:11):
She has bearded all the prophets.
Speaker 5 (41:14):
But it's astute doing.
Speaker 2 (41:17):
I just want to say that my family.
Speaker 4 (41:19):
He's flirtatious and coquettish.
Speaker 2 (41:23):
Okay. One of the most amazing moments of this year,
I mean, truly, truly a highlight happened this past November
at Little House fiftieth anniversary podcast Live from New York event.
Our friend Charles Bloom, who played Pearly Day Wilder wrote,
Who's a prophetic composer and lyricist? He wrote this amazing
(41:47):
song specifically for our live show, and he performed it live,
and he blew everyone away with his lyrics and his talent,
and so we wanted to share a piece of that
magic with you all right here, right now, ladies and gentlemen,
from our Life podcast in New York City. Here is
(42:08):
Charles Bloom aka Prilly Day Wilder.
Speaker 15 (42:14):
I find that since moving to New York, it was
always important to travel within a companist, which made things
kind of inconvenience and intimate restaurants and delicatessens and all that.
But he won't play en upright, So what am I
going to do? Whatever do we have here.
Speaker 19 (42:39):
Now?
Speaker 15 (42:39):
To all of you? Is this like a halfway you know,
one done? Or would you actually like the prely day experience?
Speaker 20 (42:50):
Put it on, Put it on, Put it on, Put
it on now, with apologies to cold porter, Like the
(43:12):
warming side of a sunrise. He arrived with a friendly glow.
Speaker 15 (43:22):
As he walked on by with that flirty eye. He's
the guy girls want to know. Every smile will give
you an inkling that your heart is lost. It see
all the while.
Speaker 9 (43:38):
He'll have you.
Speaker 15 (43:40):
He'll thinkling, mean, mean.
Speaker 19 (43:45):
Me, parly terrible child.
Speaker 15 (43:56):
He's a charming kid with mischief hid under him, his cap.
Speaker 19 (44:02):
With an ego off the charts, or while rigging covered
wagon parts, he's all about early day. Will he stay
or in the road?
Speaker 2 (44:21):
Who can say?
Speaker 15 (44:23):
Since he appeared in just one epis he's as creepy
as can be. He's the blacks lawn tormenting the family.
He's gray, gray in every way. He will say. The
(44:51):
thought of him brings a chill. He'd be served a
delicious meal, then steal right from the two. So he
left town in disgrace, but not before I'll man so
punched out his face. Surly boy, that curly.
Speaker 2 (45:23):
Charles Bloom, everybody and Richard Danley. All right, everybody, listen
before we officially ring in the new year. I mean,
it is the new year today, but let's officially ring
it in, right. I have to take a moment right
now to thank the incredible team that makes the show possible.
(45:44):
It truly takes a village, you know, or a township, whichever,
but we are just surrounded by the most awesome people
who who also celebrate the Joy, the spirit the love
of this endeavor and of the podcast and of our community.
So to Dean Butler and Alison Arngram, my partners in crime,
(46:06):
a massive, special special thank you to my wonderful co host.
Thank you for the time and the heart and the
effort that you pour into this podcast every single week,
and for being so generous in sharing your precious memories
with all of us and for sharing them with me
in particular, and for you know, interrusting me to be
(46:28):
your host. And also thank you to the audience for
entrusting me to be your host. It means more than
you'll ever know. So to our production team, thank you,
Tony Sweet and ubian Go. You're the wizard behind the
curtain who helps us produce the final product you see
and hear every week. We could not do it without you, Tony.
We love you, Tony. Thank you, Tony. To our amazing
(46:49):
marketing and digital team, huge, huge, huge shout out to
Pa Atlantic Girl. If you need some social media and
marketing help, call them guys guy, specifically Christine and Joy.
You guys, we talk about Christina Enjoy all the time
of the podcast. That's because they are doing everything behind
the scenes. As well, So thank you for keeping our
(47:10):
socials running and managing our Patreon and handling the mountain
of behind the scenes work and content creation that keeps
us connected to the fans. This is all you. This
is all you, you, guys, We so appreciate you. And
to our guests, our amazing guests who grace the podcast
this year, thank you for taking the time to sit
with us and to share your unique experiences. You made
(47:32):
this fiftieth year fifty first year truly unforgettable. Ooh, do
you think we're gonna have to change the title of
our show because it's We're going into the fifties now?
Who would have thunk crazy. Finally, to our partners, a
big thank you to Trip and Rebecca Friendly and Friendly
Productions That's Right for working alongside us to provide such
(47:55):
fun merch for you guys, and your wonderful collaboration with
the Little House Family. And finally, finally, finally, to our
patrons and our listeners. You are the reason why we
hitch up the wagon every week. Your support is truly
the heartbeat of the show. We could not do this
without you.
Speaker 19 (48:16):
You know.
Speaker 2 (48:16):
One of the best things about twenty twenty five in
doing these live events and going to the live reunion
in person, for me is that I got to meet
so many of you. You know, I talk into a
mic and I'm in an empty room and I never
know what impact this may or may not have on anybody,
and then I meet you in person, and the love
(48:39):
that I have received just on a personal level is
so special and it's so meaningful. And I love that
you guys listen and love the podcast. I love that
you allow us to laugh about the show, the show
that we love and revere, but you know there is
humor there as well. So let's laugh about it all together.
(49:00):
Can we hear it? For friend? Tips on the to Prairie,
come on now. And I just appreciate you so much.
We all appreciate you so much. Loved meeting you guys
in person. Loved it. Let's keep that going. So we
are heading into twenty twenty six. I cannot believe it. Well,
I've been doing this podcast for two years, insane, but
we're heading into twenty twenty six with so much excitement.
(49:23):
You're the horse, baby, You're the horse, movement, movement, movement,
all forward, more motion. So we're gonna have new guests.
New surprises, and more of the prairie mishift that you
guys love. Let's carry the spirit of the Angles family
with us into the new year. Be kind, work hard,
and always keep a little lemon Burbina in your pocket.
(49:47):
Happy New Year everyone, We'll see you back on the
prairie nah
Hello, Hello, Hello, my fellow bonnet heads. Welcome to this
is a very very special year end wrap up of
Little House on the Prairie fiftieth anniversary podcast. It is
twenty twenty six, Bananas, Happy New Year, everybody. I'm your host,
Pamela Bob that's right, creator and star of Living on
(00:22):
a Prairie. And you know, I am still pinching myself
that this podcast is still going strong. We've had a
million downloads.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
We've had such a banger of a year this year
with the podcast and beyond, and I'm just so grateful
to be here, So thank you everybody. Yeah, can you
believe we made it through twenty twenty five Bonker's year.
But you know it's also been pretty legendary for our
Little House family. That's right. We just ending the year.
(00:57):
We had this incredible live show in your city that
we were planning for months and months and months. I
mean I have been asking to do a live show
for well over a year now. So the fact that
had happened and it was so successful and it was
so much fun was just so satisfying to all of us.
And we're definitely planning on doing more. So hopefully we'll
(01:20):
be coming to a city near you in this upcoming year.
And so we had our live show in New York City,
and we just had this amazing cast reunion in Seamy
Valley where we celebrated fifty almost fifty two years, my
goodness of a walnut grove in the best possible way.
(01:41):
I spent three days from morning till evening in this
beautiful little church interviewing all of these incredible cast members
from Little House on the Prairie, and the conversations were
so rich and so fun. To definitely make sure I
(02:01):
talked about things that we haven't all heard over and
over and over again, so the conversations were really different.
And you know, shout out to my VIP peeps that
were in the room for me. We totally bonded over this.
But all of this is going to be the New
York City event, and the all of the interviews from
the Semi Galle event are going to be up on Patreon.
Stay tuned. We haven't announced it yet. We will let
(02:23):
you know when that's all happening, but that is going
to be happening very soon. But today, you know, I'm
here solo. I'm not here at the hashtag imaginary boyfriend
and our you know, Prairie bitch Dean and Allison because
they're taking it easy. I'm working today. Today, we're just
going to look back on the Little House on the
(02:44):
Prairie fiftieth Anniversary Podcast from twenty twenty five, and we've
we have tallied the downloads and the feedback from you guys,
and we are counting down our top ten episodes of
twenty five and they're good ones. But before we dive
into number ten, I want to take a moment to
(03:06):
thank the folks and visit See Valley.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
If you're listening right now to the Little House fiftieth
Anniversary Podcast, we know something about you.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
We know that you're obsessed with Little House of the Prairie.
Speaker 4 (03:20):
For more than half a century, Little House on the Prairie,
the series, and the books have been bright lights for
people all over the world who seek out goodness, decency,
and human connection.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Here on the Little House fiftieth Anniversary Podcast, we celebrate
everything that made Little House so special.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
The stories, the characters, the actors, and the messages that
have made Little House iconic family television.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
And a perfect counterpoint to a world that feels like
it's going off the rails every day?
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Where is Michael Landon when we need him most? I'm
your host, Pamela Bob and I'm your prairie bitch alis.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
At Aringrem and I'm Dean Butler hashtag imaginary boyfriend.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Join us for our loving, quirky, and often irreverent conversations
about the finest family drama in the history of television and.
Speaker 5 (04:11):
The imperfect people who made it that way, presented by
our devoted patrons, and visit Seemi Valley dot com.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
All right, let's hitch up the wagons. Here we go.
Let's start the countdown at number ten. We have Do
Do Do do Alden Dilemma with guest stars Stan Ivar
and Pamela roy Lance. Boy, oh boy, do I love
those guys. That's right. We kicked off the year with
the other Ma and Paw.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
Tell us about, just briefly, about why Little House was
one of your.
Speaker 6 (04:44):
Dream jobs, Probably because I grew up reading the books
when I was in the fourth grade, and I read
every single one of the books.
Speaker 7 (04:53):
And it's a lot of.
Speaker 6 (04:54):
Words, as you know, and detail, and I loved everything
about It's so eating everything. Yeah, farmer boy, yeah, and
fixated on that but I did love the books, and
so when I came here, I just thought I fit
(05:15):
the prairie mode. I fit Walton's, I get Walt Disney,
I fit Little House. I fit that kind of mode.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
It's so that was where I had it in my mind,
was for that Stan.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
I'm curious what you know? So what was your path?
Because I've known pam story about how she got there?
What was your path to Little House?
Speaker 1 (05:37):
How did that happen?
Speaker 8 (05:40):
I you know, I mean I love the Western genre,
and obviously I had seen Michael on Bananza and so on.
But obviously was Uh. I was reaided for a period,
raised for a period of time in Norway, and we
had horses, the horse there with UH. We did all
our plowing and everything on the farm there in Norway.
So I always loved horses, and obviously when it came
(06:04):
to Western I already knew how to drive a team.
I knew how to ride and actually up Tapa Canyon
there these there's a ranch way at the end those mountains,
I had team roped and gathered cattle and everything long
before I even knew that Little House was filmed. Further
on down the road.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
I didn't even know that.
Speaker 8 (06:24):
I remember when I got the first call there the
first day and I looked at the call sheet and
I said, oh my god, it's up tap O Canyon.
Speaker 9 (06:32):
That's exactly where. So I knew exactly where I was going.
But that was the thing that drew me to Little House.
I loved that time period. I feel comfortable in it.
I felt comfortable in it still do. That's why I
moved up here to the mountains.
Speaker 8 (06:48):
I had horses all my life up here, and team
roped and even produced the pro celebrity rodeos for five
years down there at the Equestrian Finner in LA with
four other actors, nice and and everything.
Speaker 9 (07:02):
So that was there was the draw for me.
Speaker 8 (07:04):
Uh that I was.
Speaker 9 (07:05):
I was comfortable in that genre.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
All right, here we go. Number nine is here Come
the Brides. That's right, a classic Nelly episode. That's right
with Nellie and Luke, the Big Farmer, Alison and Dean
and I had such a blast breaking down the fashion,
the elopement drama, and of course Harriet Olsen's legendary reactions.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
Okay, and the first rebellion is after dinner when, of
course missus Sulsen freaks out and says.
Speaker 10 (07:38):
Claude Hopper, Claude Hopper, she called.
Speaker 4 (07:41):
And she calls him all kinds of things.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
It is, and there's a Catherine moment again, and it's
Nellie's again, Nellie's first rebellion. Up until then, there's a
whole lot of yes, mother, Yes, mother, And it's the
first time when she says.
Speaker 7 (07:53):
You can't, and I suddenly talk.
Speaker 10 (07:54):
I talked back to her.
Speaker 7 (07:55):
Remember the eighteen hundred and amazing back to your parents.
Speaker 10 (07:58):
They said, do this.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
You said, yes, ma'am, Why in the whiniest teenage voice
ever recorded in history?
Speaker 10 (08:04):
Why?
Speaker 3 (08:05):
And she flips out And then I've talked about this
for Okay, things Catherine did acting wise, you're not supposed
to do, directing the other actors, changing the.
Speaker 7 (08:14):
Lines randomly as you see her suddenly deciding.
Speaker 10 (08:17):
You need a prop and eating an apple.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
And people say, one of the things she did that
they would tell you in any acting class never do
this would be to say the actors line back to
them and imitate them.
Speaker 10 (08:28):
That would be unspeakable anymore.
Speaker 11 (08:31):
So great she.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Did, I know, And it's so her character to go
why why? So freaking it's funny and it is so funny, and.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
It's brilliant and it's what what missus Olsen would do.
Speaker 10 (08:49):
And it also she knew it would keep it going.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
We want to make make the other person mad so
that we're it's a knockdown, drag out.
Speaker 7 (08:56):
And of course she would do that, so it made sense.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
But normal you're taking out and shot at sunrise for
that sort of thing.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
This is not you don't do that to me. And
now at number eight, the Talking Machine, that's right, we
recapped this episode that Alison calls the episode where even
she hates herself mm hmm. And it was such a
fun trip back to the early days of Laura and
(09:23):
Nellie's rivalry, you know, the og rivalry. We talked about
how Michael Landon used quote high tech nineteenth century gadgets
to create such amazing comedy.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
So Laura has a fit and then and then well
when he still likes her, I've got to now ruin
her life.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Guess I want to do yes clearly, always with the
only way.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
When Nelly offers you candy, it's like some guy in
a white van offering.
Speaker 7 (09:55):
Nellie says, it's okay, you can have all the candy,
take a handful.
Speaker 10 (09:58):
It's something.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Yeah, So I'm like, come up to the room coverture
and why what?
Speaker 7 (10:04):
And so again, I mean this at least was early,
and she's like, why does Laura keep trusting me? So Lucy,
I get her.
Speaker 4 (10:12):
It's that it's that blank spot in her consciousness that
drives everything basically, And again Nils.
Speaker 10 (10:19):
Is going, what what now?
Speaker 4 (10:20):
The only persons what's going on?
Speaker 2 (10:24):
He knows that's all wrong.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
And I get her up there and clearly I'm being
way too creepy and way too nice. And of course
it's the brilliant, the brilliant Jonathan Gilbert evil screen so good,
he's so good in this one.
Speaker 7 (10:37):
And we're on the pad.
Speaker 4 (10:38):
So did Victor so talk about a little bit about what?
Because I think this is sort of interesting Victor French,
How Victors take to you about how to do this?
Speaker 7 (10:50):
Interesting freaking brilliant. He was really good about how things should.
Speaker 5 (10:54):
Build and to like no more, no more, to go
all the way and and.
Speaker 7 (10:59):
He knew how to get it.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
And his thing was, it didn't really matter how you
got there or what the hell you were thinking about.
Speaker 10 (11:05):
You could be method.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
It didn't matter as once you you just you went
somewhere with this thing and so he's like, yeah, yeah,
more and more, and then she leaves and I'm doing
the tantrum, and then I get them everything.
Speaker 7 (11:17):
Then the idea, the horrible evil idea.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
And I was kind of even thinking a little bit
how the Grinch stole Christmas when the Grinch says and
then the Grinch got an idea, a wonderful, terrible evil idea,
and I remember that moment, but the Grin smiled and
he realized what.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
He's going to do to this.
Speaker 10 (11:32):
It was kind of I was feeling that.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
I was kind of like, yeah, I'm kind of there
with that, and I had the floor and I'm going
to start to get the idea.
Speaker 7 (11:39):
Of yes, I will do this thing. I will record
her and ruin her life.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
And they're just going more no, no, okay, you keep
it rolling, no.
Speaker 7 (11:47):
Worse, no more evil, no more terrible. And then I
had been reading these horror.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Comics that week on the set.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
And with weir wolves and zombies and things, they're very
very gory and fabulous time Here's thirteen and Justice and
kind of really getting into that good like almost the
Grinch Time of Evil. And then Victor said, think of
your werewolf comic books and then.
Speaker 7 (12:13):
You see this fabulous, beautiful smile, just overtake me, and
he's like, yes, that's it.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
So yet he was willing to just egg me on
an eggman go You're yeah, yeah, keep like keep.
Speaker 10 (12:26):
Going, keep it coming, No, keep keep going in this direction,
go all the rest of the way.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
Hi, again, we're at number seven. What could it be?
That's right? Back to School Parts one and two recaps.
I mean, maybe that's considered number seven and six, but
we're just gonna compile them together. Number seven. You guys,
you guys loved this deep died, and so did I
because I love these episodes. We looked at the foundation
(12:54):
of the show, the Schoolhouse, and why these episodes about
growing up still resonate with every generation.
Speaker 4 (13:03):
Back to School Parts one and two my debut episodes
of Little House September seventeenth, nineteen seventy nine, written and
directed by Michael Landon. You know, as I was looking
at this, I asked chatbat Gpt to give us a
synopsis see of what this episode was about. Yeah, just
for see, Alison, what did it say?
Speaker 10 (13:22):
Okay? First of all, never try to say chat Gpt
in French, oh oh dear. Okay, but I despise AI.
But this is a really good description.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
So Indeed, back to School episode's Little House the Right's
a two part story from season six, episodes one and two.
Speaker 10 (13:40):
That marked a major turning point, especially for Laura.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Indeed, the two parter.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
Showcases Laura's transition from childhood to ade, labors her growing independence,
her determination to it help Manzo's affection. It also reflects
the classic themes of Little House of the very family community,
posse afferance. Even as it's a lighthearted and romantic element.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
It really did.
Speaker 10 (14:03):
These episodes, It did did.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
These episodes are notable for setting the stage for Laura
and al Manzo's eventual romance, one of the most beloved
arcs in the shows later seasons. They balance humor and hard,
making them fan favorites for Little House legacinx.
Speaker 12 (14:17):
Chat cheepy Yeah, fan favorites. Yeah, thank you, chache. How
do you say that in French? By the way, well,
never mind, I'm.
Speaker 10 (14:29):
Not it becomes really bad news they've had.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
Okay, well let's not do that.
Speaker 7 (14:35):
Then it's too.
Speaker 10 (14:35):
Early problem for the newscasters.
Speaker 4 (14:37):
So yeah, I mean, I I like the fan favorites thing.
I think it should be higher than number fifty. That's
just me. But I'm grateful that it's season two, show one,
so I'll take that.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
Also, Okay, there are so many icon moments like rewatching it,
you fight, the birth of Zeldamo Cinnamon Chicken, like it's
all in this episode. I'm a woman and I hate
all of you. It's all okay, guys, cool it down
over here, because number six we've got a bounty ub bull.
(15:12):
The Handyman recap. That's right, the infamous Handyman recap. Okay,
the episode that launched a thousand poor ma comments, or
launched a thousand go for it moments. We discussed the chemistry,
the stolen glances, the rare moment where ma Ingles actually
(15:34):
had a bit of you know, little sexy flirtation.
Speaker 6 (15:38):
Mind you.
Speaker 5 (15:40):
Enter a whistling Chris Nelson, The Handyman Dade by a
young and chisel jawed Gil Gerad with seventy swagger and
two belt bravado. Yes, very much so, Caroline first carpentry skills,
but does she that hammer has Harriet also practically Austin
(16:00):
was scandal. It's jealous was a team effort. Carolyn long
meaningful glances and enjoys her fresh baked pies.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
Seriously, and that's a metaphor.
Speaker 10 (16:17):
You've formidt.
Speaker 5 (16:18):
Meanwhile, her internal monologue is practically Victorian Romett novels remain
evationally faithful to Charles. But have you seen that man
fix the roof in the sunlight? Will Mary be able
to save the family from smoldering infidelity? In the end,
the kid has completed, Chris Nelson rides off of the sunset,
and the Ingles marriage survives. It's first and well only
(16:39):
near thirst trap.
Speaker 13 (16:40):
Mary is okay, mom, Mary is the smart one, and
missus Olson and I are so vile that we should
just be shure.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
And you guys are particularly you guys are bad. Okay, okay,
where where do we even? Well, here's where we start.
First of all, amazing synopsis. I don't know if AI
did that, but if it did, I'm here for it.
Speaker 4 (17:05):
It was a combination.
Speaker 5 (17:08):
Commentary.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Thank you robots for that, Okay, exactly because it was brilliant.
All Right, we're headed to the top five episodes best
episodes of twenty twenty five. Here we go. These these
were episodes that sparked the most conversation in our Patreon community.
(17:33):
Now our Patreon community is so important to us. If
you're not Patreon, why the heck not. We have so
much fun on Patreon. Anyway, here we go, Number five,
The Cheaters Recap with Patrick Laboto. That's right, having Patrick
back in the podcast. Let me tell you about Patrick.
(17:53):
Patrick is the nicest, He is the coolest. He has
anecdotes upon anecdotes upon stories upon amazingness. If you should
follow him and his social media and his podcast, you'll
know that he's just a plethora of stories. And so
having him on the show and having him back on
the show is always just just like a total highlight
(18:17):
of the year. And so hearing him talk about this
episode the Cheters, Hearing him talk about Andy Garvey's you know,
moral struggle and also his real life memories of Michael
Ndon's mentorship, was just Chet's kiss. Beautiful, Patrick, how do
you feel about this episode? Before I rip into it,
(18:38):
because I'm about to rip into it, I.
Speaker 14 (18:42):
Think of it, and I think of that Deers must
have a phrase of like, oh, he was full Andy
with Nelly when deers get afraid, because I just look terrified.
It's not you know, deer in the headlights, it's Andy
in front of Nelly. I think the idea, idea of
placing you know, it reminded me a lot of your performance, Alison.
(19:06):
Reminded me a lot of Ian McDermott in the Star
Wars movies as the Emperor. I just expected you at
one point to just you know, yell at Andy do
it and you know, turned me to the dark side
and grip.
Speaker 8 (19:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 14 (19:20):
Yeah, Okay. So the answer to your question is this,
to me, was I categorized a couple of different types
of episodes, you know, since I was since I was
able to do a bunch of these episodes.
Speaker 6 (19:35):
This was a.
Speaker 14 (19:37):
Working episode in my head, like, okay, so I had
to do really good. There was lots of stuff. There's
lots of scenes.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
I mean, it's all you yeah kind of is.
Speaker 14 (19:46):
I was surprised when I rewatched it because you know,
you remember things in one way and then you watched
the episode. I think, I'm sure I hear you guys
talking all the time. Part of my memory of Little
House is my experience shooting it, as opposed to when
people watch the show. Makes sense. Experience is the show
the story, and so I don't really remember the story
(20:10):
so much as the experience and the experience I had
was with Alison, who was always a blast to work with.
But I remember having to focus because Alison never seemed
to have problem with lines. It never seemed to have
a problem with any of the so she was always
happy to like cut and then this guy happened, and
then she's just talking all the time. So I had
(20:32):
to concentrate a lot to make sure that all the
stuff that I was doing kind of was what I
wanted to do and that I'm.
Speaker 7 (20:42):
In your face like terrorizing it at the same time. So, yeah,
it's the Shifting Gears.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
It's And now at number four, we've got Wilder and
Wilder with Charles Bloom himself. That's right, Pearly Date. I
don't know about you, but Wilder and Wilder is like
an epic epic episode. Two brothers, two Wilder brothers, come on,
(21:13):
come on now, doesn't get better than that. So and
Charles Bloom, who we met for the first time him
coming onto this podcast, we just absolutely fell in love
with this guy. He he brought so much joy to
our conversation to this episode, and we talked about Pearly Day,
Wilder and the Black Sheep brother and the incredible energy
(21:37):
that Charles brought to the set as a young actor.
Speaker 3 (21:42):
The Boundaries, thinks Pearly Days to catch because he doesn't
know anything about him, and I'm watching it going he said,
he's a thief and a liar, and and what does
he not? He's he's You were almost in my you know,
neck of the woods role wise, you were almost in
villain territory with me.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
You were kind of.
Speaker 10 (22:01):
Terrible in this How did you.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Feel about that?
Speaker 7 (22:03):
You're kind of like a giant jerk in this episode.
Speaker 15 (22:06):
Well, of course, my first impression when I saw the
name was Pearly Day was released coupling along the line
of fashion designer or something for the practice. Yes, that,
and then and then I read the script and saw
things are getting darker in a hurry. He's a thief
and and he's a horse injurer. And uh, I guess
(22:32):
I was to be the devil to Deans to al
Monso's angel.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
I get.
Speaker 15 (22:39):
That's how the contrast began, so.
Speaker 4 (22:44):
Right up front. It was right up front, very and
I asked.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
Before we get into more of your experience on set,
but do you remember your audition?
Speaker 15 (22:52):
Oh, as a matter of fact, I do it for
for someone who hasn't remembered anything at all. I plunged
into this. It was the only audition for which I
did not have to uh that I was. I was
given an offer because Dean I was originally coming in
(23:15):
to read for Almonzo in the original or the original
time I came in, but whoa well, and of course
I asked for the big trailer and I became impossible.
So that's no, no, it was. It was that they
told me that I was.
Speaker 10 (23:33):
A little young.
Speaker 15 (23:35):
Something I don't hear quite as much anymore, and uh,
none of us it would, but I wanted me to
come back to read for uh the younger brother, and
I kind of rolled my and as polite and said, oh, yeah,
that really happens.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
We're going to call you back and all that.
Speaker 15 (23:52):
And the truth is they did, and and it was
the only time that a producer kept her promise on
that score.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
So do you remember.
Speaker 15 (24:03):
That's one of my several memories of it.
Speaker 4 (24:07):
That was the audition.
Speaker 8 (24:09):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (24:10):
Well, you know, Susan Suckman, who was our casting director,
who you undoubtedly met with, was a great giver of
meeting you know when you when you were in the
office with Susan, she was gracious, welcoming, she made I
think she made actors feel terrific about being in the
room with her. She she really had a nice, nice
(24:33):
quality in bringing out the best in people who were
reading for her. And obviously, you, with all of your
wit that became very has become incredibly clear in the
years since all of that. But you had all of
that going, and you were able to bring this sort
(24:54):
of uh snake in the grass kind of quality to this. Really,
I mean you did. Watching the episode again, I watched
it last, I watched it twice yesterday. I just thought
you were terrific in the episode. And what was so
important about this is this episode there needed to be
(25:17):
a turning point for Pa to see al Manzo as
someone who could be right for his daughter. He'd objected
on the terms of age and all of that, and
he thought, well, maybe you could be the fix. But
when you revealed yourself and al Manzo really continued being
who he was, suddenly Pa was able to see al
(25:40):
Manzo in a different light. The episode was very important
from that perspective.
Speaker 15 (25:44):
You look better by comparison.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
All right, guys, three left here we go, number three.
Drum roll, please the Wisdom of Solomon with Todd Bridges.
Ye guys know, this is a classic ethic viral episode.
You know, there are people that are the one episode,
(26:09):
people that go into the vortex, But I feel like
Todd Bridges evaded the vortex somehow because this episode is
so beloved, is so important, it's so critically important even today.
And you know, he was just at Seam Valley at
the cast reunion. He is a beloved member of Little
House family rightfully so. So this episode is truly profound,
(26:34):
as you guys all know. And Todd was so generous
in sharing his experience playing Solomon and discussing the show's
rare but powerful handling of race and history. So enjoy
this clip where we discuss his time working on Little House.
How old were you when you did this episode?
Speaker 16 (26:55):
Well, it was nineteen when you said nineteen seventy seven. Yeah, yeah,
I think that was twelve. Maybe you're eleven, maybe nine.
I don't see, that's a long time ago. I would
have the calculating, now, my brain's not gonna work that.
Speaker 4 (27:09):
I'm curious, Todd, how you go about preparing for something
like this, because this is a well that what we're
talking about in the episode, we're talking about emancipation, slavery,
and the coming of the coming of rights, the deprivation
of rights for African Americans at that point. You know,
(27:33):
we were talking before we came on that. You know,
there was a lot of television. You know, Good Times
was on, and you know, the Red Fox show Samford
and was on, and there was a different approach to
how all these issues were being talked about. But it
was done enough sort of you know the humor yeh,
(27:53):
humor was the way of hiding all the pain. This
put the.
Speaker 10 (27:59):
Pain frame one.
Speaker 11 (28:01):
Oh yeah, right your face.
Speaker 4 (28:02):
Oh yeah, right in your face.
Speaker 14 (28:04):
Oh yeah, it was.
Speaker 16 (28:05):
It was definitely right in your face for sure.
Speaker 4 (28:08):
So how do you what's what's the process for your
Are you just allowing that show?
Speaker 14 (28:16):
For me?
Speaker 16 (28:17):
I think I was a dramatic actor by nature, so
that came pretty easy to me. I think my favorite
line in this show was when I said, answer me something, sir,
I said, would you like to be black and lived
to be one hundred or white and lived.
Speaker 7 (28:29):
To be fifteen?
Speaker 16 (28:30):
And that means they put in and Miche was like, nope,
bottom will be black. I'm sure he's figured out.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
What did we say, right before came what we're talking about?
Then she said David Rose.
Speaker 3 (28:43):
We said, we said, d David Rose is the devil
David Rose. That music made you.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
I can't stand it. I can't tut it. And you,
oh yeah, the title card episode when that comes up,
and that that's sad Hunting Piano.
Speaker 3 (28:58):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 16 (28:59):
He the best movie written for that show, for sure,
for sure.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
But then your beautiful angelic face with those beautiful sparkling eyes,
you just, oh thank you just captivated all of us.
And there is not a false phony moment in the
entire No.
Speaker 15 (29:15):
It wasn't.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
You're so good starts from the first second.
Speaker 3 (29:20):
I mean, that was the thing caught me. I thought, okay,
I forgot this.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
I watched it last night.
Speaker 3 (29:23):
The second the second you appear on screen and the
first word teking about you're like, oh no, this board
child out and it's like extraordinarily painful.
Speaker 2 (29:32):
Oh yeah, and then it doesn't stop.
Speaker 7 (29:34):
No, it goes for the jugglar and just going up.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
How did you keep that?
Speaker 14 (29:40):
Like I said it aware?
Speaker 16 (29:41):
I was fully aware because my mom was my had
taught me how to be an actor, and everything I
had done up to that point was all dramatic. I
had done no comedy shows before that. Everything it was dramatic.
I think my first comedy show after that was Fish.
I was on Fish for three seasons and then And
the only reason why that guy can so because back
then a Figoda wanted more money, and you know, they
(30:02):
didn't give you more money back then, they just canceled
the show.
Speaker 14 (30:06):
Wow.
Speaker 16 (30:07):
But lucky that happened because I ended up going in
and meeting with Robert Brookleotti for different strokes. And and
what was weird was I was telling somebody the other
night I had actually had three shows.
Speaker 4 (30:19):
It was weird.
Speaker 16 (30:19):
I had got different strokes. I had got the Mickey
mouse Club, and I had got was Oh it wasn't
called Mark and Mindy. It was called Mark from Orc.
And yeah, that was the original name of the title
of the show. And Mark lived in the attict of
this black kid lived with his grandmother, who luckily I
(30:40):
made the right choice because those shows Mork and Mindy
Mark from Orc changed to Mark and Mindy And where
the Little House people? You know, you know what I mean,
I mean not little Where are the Mickey mouse Club?
Speaker 2 (30:55):
Right?
Speaker 16 (30:55):
So that was so I made a great choice.
Speaker 2 (30:57):
That was a great, great choice.
Speaker 16 (30:59):
Yeah, that was a great school.
Speaker 2 (31:01):
All right, don't get stressed out here, we go it's
number two. What could it be? Christmas at Plum Creek.
That's right. We just we just recently did this episode,
and we recorded this right as we were getting ready
for the Semi Valley reunion that just happened in December,
and it really did put us in the perfect holiday spirit.
(31:24):
It's the ultimate episode about sacrifice and the true mean
of Christmas and also trying to understand what the heck
Carrie was saying.
Speaker 4 (31:34):
And I think, what's something that's lovely in this episode,
given that it aired on Christmas Day? Is right up
front with Carrie pause, sets up the whole religiosity of Christmas.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
And it's definitely the Charlie Brown moment.
Speaker 4 (31:48):
Yeah, yeah, it's lovely.
Speaker 2 (31:49):
It's a lovely, lovely moment. Yes, it is absolutely lovely.
Mary gets a job with the famous Missus Whipple.
Speaker 4 (31:56):
Yes, yes, is this the first.
Speaker 2 (31:59):
Time we all see Missus Whipple?
Speaker 3 (32:01):
That were absolutely I think it is. I do not
think because Missus Whipple is sort.
Speaker 7 (32:05):
Of in the books. She named Missus Whipple the books.
Speaker 3 (32:07):
But there's a lady who's a seamstress in the books,
and I don't think we've seen her until now.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
Is also awesome and I would want to be her
employee if I was living in Wallet because she's got
donuts and milk waiting every single Yes, was awesome, made
homemade donuts, Oh my god, because I don't think there
was a duncan d over in Walnut Grove getting the
(32:35):
donuts ready in the morning. So yeah, she's awesome.
Speaker 3 (32:38):
And played by Queenie Smith's an actress named Queen.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
She's so lovely. Miss Whipple is she great? Became a
talent agent, she was in W. C.
Speaker 7 (32:48):
Fields movies that she was she really yeah, wow, brilliant.
Speaker 11 (32:54):
Most of the most of the episode.
Speaker 4 (32:56):
I think we can sort of short cut our way
through this. Most of the episode is everybody's anxieties about
what they're going to get right and the secrets that
they tell to get This is one of the rare
moments where they're in the series where there really are
(33:17):
secrets where the audience doesn't really know what's going on.
It plays out.
Speaker 17 (33:21):
Very effectively, but normally in the world of Little House,
the audience knows everything. In this case, there is withholding
going on and it's very effective, as we will discuss
in a few moments.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
All right, guys, here we go. This is it so exciting.
Our number one most loved episode of twenty twenty five
is live from New York City, Your Questions Part one.
That's right where those of you have not seen the
(33:56):
live podcast, we have not put it up on pannette.
It's coming, I promise, I promise any second. But we
had the most epic Q and A session in New
York City at the green Room forty two when we
did our live podcast there, and this was it was
just pure magic being at Greenroom forty two in New
York City with Alison and Dean and and all of
(34:20):
you guys in the audience. They're just there, really are
no words, how truly truly wonderful it was. I mean,
bonnet heads show up, man, they show up with the
most positive energy on the planet. And I was so
grateful that I could make you guys laugh, because that
was my goal. So the energy was totally electric and
(34:42):
the questions were hilarious, and it really did remind us
of why this community is so special. So as a
special little treat here, please enjoy this clip where we
reminisce on that amazing live show.
Speaker 11 (35:00):
You know what's one of the cool things about that space.
Speaker 4 (35:03):
And I have not spent a lot of time in
Times Square. It's just it just didn't work out that
way when I was there. But sort of a fascinating
phenomenon is you can be in Times Square and do
absolutely anything and other than Mini Mouse, nobody cares.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
That's that's all of NERR. That is all of it,
because believe me, I've been there, done it, and no
one cares. I mean, it's it's quote unquote normal. It's
just you know, it's a city full of eclectics and
artists and people doing stuff.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
We were doing crazy stuff all over time. But I
remember there were people walking by the whole were walking
by week weren't sure if she was.
Speaker 2 (35:44):
Crying or laughing.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
Oh she was trying like mas tense moment, and everyone's
just like, Hi, how you doing.
Speaker 2 (35:52):
That's the thing about me. You could be crying hysterically
walking down the street and no one, no one cares,
which is and con I mean it really is.
Speaker 11 (36:06):
You're free. You are absolutely free to be whatever you
are in what whatever state of being you are, You
can be that in that city that that is a
pretty remarkable thing that that is not the case in
a lot of places.
Speaker 3 (36:23):
That your you can have your moment and where you
want and everyone's like, okay, whatever, man.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
Yeah, it's just another Tuesday. I know. But I will say,
we see you, but we're not going to bother you.
Like she's crying and we all cry.
Speaker 6 (36:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (36:42):
Case in many cases, they see you and they're just
taking a quick root around you, you know, like no
one wants to interfere. They don't want to just they
just keep everyone's living their life and it's just they're
doing what they need to do in that moment.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
But I will say part of what also, I mean, yes,
the show is I think incredibly successful, and we had
so much fun doing it, and we I think we
all had, you know, the day before we sort of
had a little mini run through, and I think we
were done with the run through and we sort of
all looked at each other and went, I think this
is going to be really good, Like ooh, we got
(37:18):
something here. But the best part about the week was
being with you guys, just together, finally in the same
place and spending days and days and days together and
loving everything.
Speaker 15 (37:29):
It was fun.
Speaker 4 (37:31):
You know, I when I I agree with you on
the run through when it was finished, I just have
such you know, and everybody pretend like we're just talking
to ourselves here. I have such confidence in the two
of you that things are always going to work.
Speaker 11 (37:47):
This is one way or another.
Speaker 4 (37:49):
Whether it's you know, whether it goes sideways, up, down,
doesn't matter. It's going to work out in the in
the end, because we're all just going to hang with
each other. It's we just keep stepping forward. And I
think that that's really that's really the deal.
Speaker 3 (38:04):
Well, I think when we had the little musical rehearsal
in Charles Blooms giant dog, giant.
Speaker 4 (38:14):
Beautiful dogs, a.
Speaker 7 (38:17):
Golden Retriever, I'm like cross with what a right now?
Speaker 10 (38:24):
He was like a siperiod tiger.
Speaker 2 (38:26):
This giant head and his big boss. And then he's
like and he thinks he's a lap dog.
Speaker 3 (38:30):
He thinks he's a lap dog, and all of us
He's like, I love you, I love you, I love you.
Speaker 10 (38:34):
Can I sing his big the biggest.
Speaker 8 (38:38):
I love you?
Speaker 3 (38:39):
It was like hysterical. But when we did that music
run through and he's he sang that song early day
and then we sang, oh boy, we we've.
Speaker 10 (38:50):
Opened Pandora's box.
Speaker 2 (38:52):
Baby.
Speaker 3 (38:52):
Uh oh, this is gonna be a whole other thing now.
Speaker 18 (38:56):
Yikes, yes, no, really good now, all right, it wouldn't
be our podcast if things didn't go off the rails occasionally,
and most of the time we hide you guys from
all of that stuff.
Speaker 2 (39:10):
But this year gave us some, you know, some world
class bloopers. So here's a little look back at the
chaos and funny moments. Oooh, you guys, this is gonna
be a doozy.
Speaker 4 (39:22):
I don't know, you know, walking down Fifth Avenue and
from across the street, what are.
Speaker 3 (39:30):
You gonna show them bitcoin next week?
Speaker 10 (39:36):
Making enough money at home?
Speaker 3 (39:38):
Lasting room about their gentle and go well, I get
I guess we're gonna do this thing.
Speaker 7 (39:42):
Guy, yeah.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
About it's high comedy.
Speaker 4 (39:52):
It's without I love the without the bottle.
Speaker 2 (39:57):
Yeah yeah, okay, more first, let me just say that
from the ub from the studios. Let's get this right.
Dear god, I'm so excited about the book. I can't
even thanks.
Speaker 7 (40:08):
Very Little House in the Prairie was the Muppets.
Speaker 10 (40:12):
You're a business.
Speaker 7 (40:13):
Miss everybody knows I am, Miss Picky Walk. Yes, It's true.
Speaker 9 (40:18):
I never thought I'd be blushing on a podcast, but
I'm the aborting.
Speaker 2 (40:22):
Well, leave it, leave it to us, leave it to
we got to talk about the hobbies on the prairie.
It's come on then.
Speaker 15 (40:29):
And then I read the script and saw things. You're
getting darker in a hurry. He's a thief and and
he's a horse injurer and uh, I guess I was
the devil to jeans to al Manso's angel in.
Speaker 3 (40:47):
My favorite line in the entire show, in the entire
nine years, when Baby Care gets a star and says,
I'm doing the most insane cartoon. Thereafter my lucky charms
action and there and the whole thing is.
Speaker 2 (41:06):
In falsetto the whole her whole falsetto the entire time.
Speaker 7 (41:11):
She has bearded all the prophets.
Speaker 5 (41:14):
But it's astute doing.
Speaker 2 (41:17):
I just want to say that my family.
Speaker 4 (41:19):
He's flirtatious and coquettish.
Speaker 2 (41:23):
Okay. One of the most amazing moments of this year,
I mean, truly, truly a highlight happened this past November
at Little House fiftieth anniversary podcast Live from New York event.
Our friend Charles Bloom, who played Pearly Day Wilder wrote,
Who's a prophetic composer and lyricist? He wrote this amazing
(41:47):
song specifically for our live show, and he performed it live,
and he blew everyone away with his lyrics and his talent,
and so we wanted to share a piece of that
magic with you all right here, right now, ladies and gentlemen,
from our Life podcast in New York City. Here is
(42:08):
Charles Bloom aka Prilly Day Wilder.
Speaker 15 (42:14):
I find that since moving to New York, it was
always important to travel within a companist, which made things
kind of inconvenience and intimate restaurants and delicatessens and all that.
But he won't play en upright, So what am I
going to do? Whatever do we have here.
Speaker 19 (42:39):
Now?
Speaker 15 (42:39):
To all of you? Is this like a halfway you know,
one done? Or would you actually like the prely day experience?
Speaker 20 (42:50):
Put it on, Put it on, Put it on, Put
it on now, with apologies to cold porter, Like the
(43:12):
warming side of a sunrise. He arrived with a friendly glow.
Speaker 15 (43:22):
As he walked on by with that flirty eye. He's
the guy girls want to know. Every smile will give
you an inkling that your heart is lost. It see
all the while.
Speaker 9 (43:38):
He'll have you.
Speaker 15 (43:40):
He'll thinkling, mean, mean.
Speaker 19 (43:45):
Me, parly terrible child.
Speaker 15 (43:56):
He's a charming kid with mischief hid under him, his cap.
Speaker 19 (44:02):
With an ego off the charts, or while rigging covered
wagon parts, he's all about early day. Will he stay
or in the road?
Speaker 2 (44:21):
Who can say?
Speaker 15 (44:23):
Since he appeared in just one epis he's as creepy
as can be. He's the blacks lawn tormenting the family.
He's gray, gray in every way. He will say. The
(44:51):
thought of him brings a chill. He'd be served a
delicious meal, then steal right from the two. So he
left town in disgrace, but not before I'll man so
punched out his face. Surly boy, that curly.
Speaker 2 (45:23):
Charles Bloom, everybody and Richard Danley. All right, everybody, listen
before we officially ring in the new year. I mean,
it is the new year today, but let's officially ring
it in, right. I have to take a moment right
now to thank the incredible team that makes the show possible.
(45:44):
It truly takes a village, you know, or a township, whichever,
but we are just surrounded by the most awesome people
who who also celebrate the Joy, the spirit the love
of this endeavor and of the podcast and of our community.
So to Dean Butler and Alison Arngram, my partners in crime,
(46:06):
a massive, special special thank you to my wonderful co host.
Thank you for the time and the heart and the
effort that you pour into this podcast every single week,
and for being so generous in sharing your precious memories
with all of us and for sharing them with me
in particular, and for you know, interrusting me to be
(46:28):
your host. And also thank you to the audience for
entrusting me to be your host. It means more than
you'll ever know. So to our production team, thank you,
Tony Sweet and ubian Go. You're the wizard behind the
curtain who helps us produce the final product you see
and hear every week. We could not do it without you, Tony.
We love you, Tony. Thank you, Tony. To our amazing
(46:49):
marketing and digital team, huge, huge, huge shout out to
Pa Atlantic Girl. If you need some social media and
marketing help, call them guys guy, specifically Christine and Joy.
You guys, we talk about Christina Enjoy all the time
of the podcast. That's because they are doing everything behind
the scenes. As well, So thank you for keeping our
(47:10):
socials running and managing our Patreon and handling the mountain
of behind the scenes work and content creation that keeps
us connected to the fans. This is all you. This
is all you, you, guys, We so appreciate you. And
to our guests, our amazing guests who grace the podcast
this year, thank you for taking the time to sit
with us and to share your unique experiences. You made
(47:32):
this fiftieth year fifty first year truly unforgettable. Ooh, do
you think we're gonna have to change the title of
our show because it's We're going into the fifties now?
Who would have thunk crazy. Finally, to our partners, a
big thank you to Trip and Rebecca Friendly and Friendly
Productions That's Right for working alongside us to provide such
(47:55):
fun merch for you guys, and your wonderful collaboration with
the Little House Family. And finally, finally, finally, to our
patrons and our listeners. You are the reason why we
hitch up the wagon every week. Your support is truly
the heartbeat of the show. We could not do this
without you.
Speaker 19 (48:16):
You know.
Speaker 2 (48:16):
One of the best things about twenty twenty five in
doing these live events and going to the live reunion
in person, for me is that I got to meet
so many of you. You know, I talk into a
mic and I'm in an empty room and I never
know what impact this may or may not have on anybody,
and then I meet you in person, and the love
(48:39):
that I have received just on a personal level is
so special and it's so meaningful. And I love that
you guys listen and love the podcast. I love that
you allow us to laugh about the show, the show
that we love and revere, but you know there is
humor there as well. So let's laugh about it all together.
(49:00):
Can we hear it? For friend? Tips on the to Prairie,
come on now. And I just appreciate you so much.
We all appreciate you so much. Loved meeting you guys
in person. Loved it. Let's keep that going. So we
are heading into twenty twenty six. I cannot believe it. Well,
I've been doing this podcast for two years, insane, but
we're heading into twenty twenty six with so much excitement.
(49:23):
You're the horse, baby, You're the horse, movement, movement, movement,
all forward, more motion. So we're gonna have new guests.
New surprises, and more of the prairie mishift that you
guys love. Let's carry the spirit of the Angles family
with us into the new year. Be kind, work hard,
and always keep a little lemon Burbina in your pocket.
(49:47):
Happy New Year everyone, We'll see you back on the
prairie nah
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