Little House on the Prairie - The Complete Season 1
A hugely popular 1974 weekly TV series that's been completely restored for this collector's edition,Little House on the Prairieis based on Laura Ingalls Wilder's bestselling books and follows the Ingalls family through the trials and tribulations of pioneer life in the 1870s. The series opens with the extremely poor family settling in Plum Creek, near the town of Walnut Grove, Minnesota, and follows them as they struggle to build a house, plow and plant their land, and become part of their small town's community. Ma (Karen Grassle) and Pa (Michael Landon) are good, honest folk with a healthy compassion for others. But it seems like every day brings a new trial for them and their children, Mary, Laura, and Carrie (Melissa Sue Anderson, Melissa Gilbert, and Sidney and Lindsay Greenbush). A freak hailstorm ruins an entire crop of wheat, their newly born son dies, a bout of the plague threatens the entire town of Walnut Grove, the family's barn catches fire, a devastating blizzard looms, but the family perseveres and they never lose their faith in God or their belief in the goodness of each other and the people around them. Despite the hardships of everyday pioneer life, Pa and his family find plenty of time to help others. They come to the aid of a local girl suffering the effects of one leg being shorter than the other, Ma fills in for an ailing schoolteacher and inspires a previously unreachable pupil, and Ma and Pa band together to protect a young boy from harm at the hands of his drunken father. This series paints a striking picture of the difficulties of American pioneer life and the courage and resilience of pioneer men, women, and children. It's also a powerful portrait of a close-knit, giving family and the life-affirming lessons they learn and share each day. Michael Landon deserves much of the credit for the show's success as he filled the triple role of star, producer, and writer. Favorite episodes in season one include "Country Girls," in which Mary and Laura attend their first-ever day of school; "The Award," when Mary's studiousness leads to a fire in the family barn; the two-hour "The Lord Is My Shepherd" episode about the birth and death of young Charles Jr. and its profound effect on Laura; and "Survival," in which a Native American friend saves the Ingalls family in a blizzard. (Ages 7 and older)--Tami Horiuchi