SEASON ONE EPISODE GUIDE
EPISODE ZERO--The Premiere Movie This page hosted by
Original telecast: September 1974
Shortly after the Civil War, the Ingalls family (Charles, Caroline, Mary, Laura, and Carrie) leave their home in the big woods to journey to a world where they had never been. They settle on the plains of Kansas and build a little house to live. There, they are befriended by a wayward loner, Isaiah Edwards. Unfortunately, disasterous consequences develop, including a confrontation with Indians and a run-in with the government. Ultimately, they must leave their house by government order to settle elsewhere.
Guest star: Victor French.
Writer: Blanche Hanalis. Director: Michael Landon.
This marks the debut of the Ingalls family and Mr. Edwards.
This premiere movie is not part of the Season One package and is available separately.
EPISODE ONE--A Harvest Of Friends
Original telecast: September 11, 1974
Having settled outside Plum Creek in Minnesota, the Ingalls make a deal with Lars Hanson, townskeeper of nearby Walnut Grove to finally settle permanently. Charles decides to build a new little house in the area of "the hole in the ground". After it is built, the family settles, but now Charles must make money to make ends meet, so he takes a job with Mr. Hanson's mill, as well as a side job with an Irish feed-and-seed owner, to whom he promises to turn over his oxen if a certain job isn't done. When Charles is injured during a family picnic, the Irish owner is convinced the job will not be completed. The rest of the Ingalls family pitches in and finishes the job. Charles keeps the oxen, and the family gains their 'harvest of friends'.
EPISODE TWO--Country Girls
Original telecast: September 18, 1974
With the Ingalls now established in Walnut Grove, Laura and Mary are enrolled in school. There, they meet their teacher, Miss Eva Beadle, and their classmates--including Nels and Harriet Oleson's son Willie and wily daughter Nellie, who pass the Ingalls girls off as "country girls" (where this episode takes its title). Along the way, Laura is taught how to get along with others, how to read, and how to write. The episode ends with the girls reading their essays. Laura only expresses her essay with words she would have written herself had she learned how (she only writes three sentences), but is given the benefit of the doubt when Miss Beadle suggests she improve on her spelling and vocabulary. It is a day she won't forget.
EPISODE THREE--100 Mile Walk
Original telecast: September 25, 1974
Charles gets the harvest he needs to make his money. Suddenly a huge hailstorm ruins his crop, so he must take a job 100 miles away to earn back the lost revenue. He takes a job working in a rock quarry while Caroline and the women stay in Walnut Grove to help make up for the lost crop. One of Charles' collegues in the quarry insists on blowing up rocks "the easy way", and gets himself killed in the process. Charles, however, does make his money and returns home.
EPISODE FOUR--Mr. Edward's Homecoming
Original telecast: October 2, 1974
Isaiah Edwards (in his first recurring series appearance) has turned alcoholic. Charles happens to run into Mr. Edwards during one of his binges and invites him to come and move to Walnut Grove to live. Caroline tries to court him with a widow, Grace Snider. The results are somewhat successful. After overcoming a few more shortcomings, Mr. Edwards discovers the church on his own free will and is saved...for the moment. The story ends with Edwards joining the congregation in the singing of "Bringing In The Sheaves".
EPISODE FIVE--The Love Of Johnny Johnson
Original telecast: October 9, 1974
Laura falls in love with a new student, Johnny Johnson. Johnny, who is a lot older than Laura, is interested in Mary instead. Although Mary is not interested in Johnny, Laura's actions cause tension between the sisters. When Charles finds this out, he is appalled that either of his girls is involved with Johnny.
EPISODE SIX--If I Should Die Before I Wake
Original telecast: October 23, 1974
Following the death of an old friend, Amy convinces the Ingalls and Doc Baker to fake her own death, as it is the only way she can reunite with her family. The ruse succeeds!
EPISODE SEVEN--Town Party-Country Party
Original telecast: October 30, 1974
The Ingalls girls are invited by Nellie to a birthday party. Reluctantly they agree. At the "town party", Nellie becomes jealous after Laura mistakenly ruins the dress of a doll Nellie receives as a present. Shortly after, the Ingalls decide to stage their own "country party" inviting the same people. The two parallel stories deal with a crab on Plum Creek (which is eventually used against Nellie) and one of the party invitees, a 10-year-old girl with a disability (one leg shorter than the other). The girl's father disapproves and fights Charles Ingalls, but eventually he sees the truth and a lesson is learned.
EPISODE EIGHT--Ma's Holiday
Original telecast: November 6, 1974
Charles and Caroline decide to go on a vacation by themselves. They first try to get Grace Snider to babysit, but she has a sore throat. Then, they enlist Mr. Edwards. Needless to say, it is a disaster...so is the Ingalls' vacation!
EPISODE NINE--School Mom
Original telecast: November 13, 1974
Miss Beadle is injured in an accident thanks to the pranks of her students. Caroline is chosen to be substitute teacher. One of her students is Abel, who has difficulty reading. After she and her class devise a plan to get him to read, Mrs. Oleson ridicules Abel and runs him out of class. Along the way, Abel makes letters to show Caroline, and convinces her to return to finish her subsitute teaching before Miss Beadle recovers well enough to come back to school.
EPISODE TEN--The Racoon
Original telecast: November 20, 1974
Charles allows Laura to adopt a raccoon named Jasper and takes him to school. But Jasper isn't the pet Laura assumes him to be. He turns rabid and bites Laura and dog Jack...or does he? It turns out a similar raccoon snuck into the Ingalls household and he is the one that's rabid (and later killed by Charles). And it further turns out the healthy Jasper hid when the other raccoon was doing his damage.
EPISODE ELEVEN--The Voice Of Tinker Jones
Original telecast: December 4, 1974
The episode where Walnut Grove School/Church got its bell. The town becomes divided when Mrs. Oleson offers to buy a bell for the church, but only if she can put up a plaque. The differences and arguing begin to affect the school children. A mute craftsman, Tinker Jones, steps in and with the help of the school children, is able to make a bell.
EPISODE TWELVE--The Award
Original telecast: December 11, 1974
The school has a special history exam where the award of the title is a prized dictionary. Mary eyes it, and borrows it for her studies. One night, she accidentally starts a fire, burning the book. As a result, an angry Caroline forbids her to take the test. Mary decides the best way to compensate for the loss is to take an afterschool job at Oleson's Mercantile. She makes enough money to buy a copy of the dictionary to donate to the church. When it's time to take the test, however, Mary cannot bring herself to take the exam. Caroline eventually finds out the truth, and forgives her daughter.
EPISODE THIRTEEN--The Lord Is My Shephard
Original telecast: December 18, 1974
This is "Little House" at its finest...possibly the best episode in the entire run of the series.
Caroline is pregnant and later gives birth to the baby boy she's always wanted. Laura is jealous that the baby will take her place in her father's affections, so she refuses to pray for him. Her jealousy mercifully pays off when the baby suddenly becomes ill with a fatal blood diesease and eventually dies. Understanding her grief too late, Laura runs away to get closer to God. At the top of a high mountain, she asks God to exchange herself with her late baby brother so she can be with Him. She is met and befriended by a mysterious man named Jonathan, an old hermit who helps her come to grips with the death of her baby brother. Jonathan makes a cross when Laura inadvertantly loses. Charles and Mr. Edwards, while searching for Laura, finds the missing cross. Jonathan and Laura later start a fire as a signal for God to answer the girl's prayer. Charles and Mr. Edwards discover the smoke coming from the fire on the mountain and race towards it. When Jonathan sees Charles and Edwards coming after Laura, he declares God has answered Laura's prayer in a way where Laura has to be with the family she loves. Jonathan mysteriously disappears, implying it was an angel sent by God to save Laura. Charles and Laura are tearfully reunited.
EPISODE FOURTEEN--Christmas At Plum Creek
Original telecast: December 25, 1974
In the first of three Christmas episodes, the Ingalls go shopping in secret while Laura wants to buy her mom a stove. She eventually decides to sell her horse to raise the money to buy that stove.
EPISODE FIFTEEN--Family Quarrel
Original telecast: January 15, 1975
Nels and Harriet sometimes aren't the best of married couples...as evidenced by the many episodes where they argue and split up only to get back together. This is the first of them.
EPISODE SIXTEEN--Doctor's Lady
Original telecast: January 22, 1975
Doc Baker checks out a patient named Kate who turns out to be Harriet's niece. They fall for each other, but later call their engagement off when Doc discovers she's too young for him.
EPISODE SEVENTEEN--Plague
Original telecast: January 29, 1975
Plagues and dieseases would strike the citizens of Walnut Grove throughout the series. This first "plague" episode centers on the annual rat-based plague that hits the town. The church is quarantined while a cause is found.
EPISODE EIGHTEEN--Circus Man
Original telecast: February 5, 1975
The first of four circus-themed episodes centers around a traveling circus man, who tries to make everyone believe he has magical healing powers. His true identity is revealed after Mrs. Oleson almost loses her life after using the healing powders.
EPISODE NINETEEN--Child In Pain
Original telecast: February 12, 1975
Child abuse is the theme of this story about a boy abused by his alcoholic father. It's up to Charles Ingalls to sober the father up and try to help him win the love of his son.
EPISODE TWENTY--Money Crop
Original telecast: February 19, 1975
A new farmer, Joe, in Walnut Grove convinces the other farmers to buy seed from him. While he is on the way back to Walnut Grove, he is in an accident and gets trapped underneath the wagon. When Joe doesn't return, the farmers get suspicious that they got in on a bad deal.
EPISODE TWENTY-ONE--Survival
Original telecast: February 26, 1975
A late winter storm traps the Ingalls family. There they meet an Indian who helps them out. A marshal, looking for the Indian, comes by and arrests him. Charles helps the Indian escape. Later the Indian comes by again and brings food to the Ingalls. The marshal sees the Indian and shoots him. When the marshall realizes what the Indian was doing, he regrets his previous behavior toward the Indian.
EPISODE TWENTY-TWO--To See The World
Original telecast: March 5, 1975
Johnny Johnson leaves to "see the world" and Mr. Edwards goes along with him to keep him out of trouble. Johnny meets up with a girl who is able to trick him out of a lot of money. Mr. Edwards talks to this girl to try to have her convince Johnny to go back home.
EPISODE TWENTY-THREE--Founder's Day
Original telecast: May 5, 1975
In the first season finale, the town of Walnut Grove celebrates "Founder's Day" with a big festival. The Ingalls and the entire town engage in all sorts of activities. The Ingalls lose almost every contest, bringing up the key moral to the story...when you lose, it's not the important thing--it's having fun. The parallel story is about a middle-aged lumber man who only wants something to remember his years by. He participates in a wood-chopping contest with Charles. When Charles is encouraged by the old man's wife to "throw away" the match and lose to his competitor, the old man's faith is redeemed.
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