Little House On The
Prairie: Season Three
46. The Collection
Guest Star: Johnny Cash (Caleb Hodgekiss) June Carter Cash (Mattie
Hodgekiss)
Reverend Alden gets sick while collecting donations. Caleb Hodgekiss, an
ex-convict, helps the Reverend by giving him a place to stay and
volunteering to get the donations from Walnut Grove. Caleb poses as a
friend of the Reverend so that he might get donations which he initially
planned to keep for himself. Caleb decides to do the right thing when he
sees how kind everybody is around there.
b: 27-Sep-1976
NOTE: Caleb Hodgekiss and Mattie Hodgekiss, were played by real-life
husband and wife and country singers, Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash.
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47. I'll Ride The Wind
Mary and John have fallen deeply in love and want to get married, but John
has a problem. He must decide if he will accept a scholarship and go to
college or stay with Mary. At first Mary doesn't want him to go until she
and John both realize that he must take the scholarship to try to make his
dreams of becoming a writer a reality.
b: 04-Oct-1976
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48. The Race
Laura and her horse, Bunny, are picked to win at the horse race in town.
Since Mrs. Oleson doesn't want Laura to win, she buys a great thoroughbred
for Nellie. Mrs. Oleson even provides the winning trophy, a silver cup
that belongs to the family. Although the race is close, Bunny wins. Laura
decides to return the silver cup back to the Oleson's.
b: 11-Oct-1976
NOTE: "Little House" producer, Kent McCray
has a cameo in this episode. Kent can be seen as the guy on the wagon
yelling "Go Nellie Go."
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49. Bunny
Nellie falls off of Bunny and pretends to be paralyzed. Mrs. Oleson blames
Laura for this and wants to destroy Bunny. Laura tries to hide the horse
from Harriet. One day, when Laura goes to help Nellie out, she discovers
that Nellie is just fine. She pushes Nellie in a wheelchair down a hill
into a small pond. When Nellie walks out of the pond, Mrs. Oleson realizes
what Nellie has been doing. Mr. Oleson then gives Bunny back to Laura to
punish Nellie.
b: 18-Oct-1976
NOTE: This episode depicts one of Nellie's dirtiest schemes, where she
gets Laura to feel sorry for her and have her wait on her hand-and-foot.
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50. The Monster Of Walnut Grove
Laura's imagination runs wild on Halloween when she thinks she sees Nels
cut off Mrs Oleson's head. Laura tells Nellie and Willie what she saw.
Since the Oleson kids know that their mother is really out of town, they
decide to scare Laura a little bit more. Everything is straightened up
when Mrs. Oleson comes back.
b: 01-Nov-1976
NOTE: A very funny episode about misunderstandings and jumping to
conclusions, particularly Nellie and Willie's scheme to scare Laura and
her friends for thinking Nels beheaded Harriet during an argument.
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51. Journey In The Spring (1)
Guest Star: Matthew Laborteaux (Young Charles Ingalls)
Charles' father, Lansford Ingalls, doesn't want to live after his wife
dies. Charles brings his father to Walnut Grove to help him out. When
Laura's horse gets hurt, she blames her grandpa.
b: 15-Nov-1976
NOTE: This episode marks Matthew Laborteaux's first appearance on the
show. He makes his first of two appearances as young Charles Ingalls,
before becoming a regular as Albert.
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52. Journey In The Spring (2)
Lansford leaves because he feels really bad. Once Laura realizes that her
grandpa wasn't to blame for the accident, she looks for Lansford and
convinces him to come back home.
b: 22-Nov-1976
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53. Fred
Laura is tricked into taking a "one of a kind" billy goat home with her.
After Fred eats some of the Ingalls' crops, Laura is forced to get rid of
the billy goat. Every person that Laura wanted to give the billy goat to
resulted in a funny time. Laura finally decides to set him free in the
wild. This episode is guaranteed to make you laugh!
b: 29-Nov-1976
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54. The Bully Boys
The Galinders (two brothers and a son) move to Walnut Grove, where they
immediately begin causing trouble. Running up bills at Oleson's Mercantile
and Hansen's Mill (and not paying) are just the start of the problems. The
son (whom Nellie falls for) is a bully at school who tries to make a pass
at Mary and later, harasses Miss Beadle; both of them are struck at least
once. Meanwhile, the brothers begin to vandalize the town's businesses
when they are asked to pay their bills. Later, the brothers attempt to
rape Caroline. Charles confronts the brothers but gets beaten up for his
trouble. In the end, the schoolchildren stand up to their bullying
classmate, and come Sunday morning at church, so do the townspeople, when
Rev. Alden orders the Galinders out of town.
b: 06-Dec-1976
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55. The Hunters
Pa decides to take Laura hunting with him. When Charles and Laura are
getting settled down for the night, Laura trips over her dad's gun and
sets it off. Charles is badly wounded. Laura runs to get help, but the
only person she can find is a blind person, Sam. Since Sam just recently
became blind, he knew his way around somewhat. After getting lost a few
times, Sam and Laura finally find Mr. Edwards' home. Mr. Edwards gets a
doctor, who saves Mr. Ingalls. Thanks to Laura, Sam learned that just
because he was blind didn't mean he had to stay at home and do nothing.
b: 20-Dec-1976
NOTE: This was a 90 minutes episode. Sam was played by Burl Ives
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56. Blizzard
Guest Star: Launa Anders (Ms. McGinnis)
The day before Christmas vacation started, Miss Beadle lets the children
out early when she notices that a snowstorm is beginning. The children
aren't able to make it home before the storm starts. The men of Walnut
Grove search for the children while Doc Baker takes care of the
frostbitten children that show up at the school.
b: 03-Jan-1977
NOTE: Miss Beadle sends the children home from school early because of the
approaching blizzard. However, she makes Nellie and Willie (who apparently
are the only school-aged children to live in Walnut Grove's city limits)
stay after to clean the boards.
Later on in the episode, we get a rare early glimpse of the sensitive,
emotional side of Willie Oleson's character. Miss Beadle has been harshly
blamed by the schoolchildren's parents for sending their children home in
a blizzard. Willie comments that he's sorry to see Miss Beadle unfairly
get blamed for unknowingly turning the class loose with the blizzard
approaching. A grateful Miss Beadle hugs Willie, and the expression on his
face perhaps makes him regret he said what he did.
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57. Little Girl Lost
Guest Star: John Ireland (Mr. Laudy)
Laura and Mary get an assignment from school that involves collecting bugs
and observing them. When Laura and Mary go to collect bugs, Carrie goes
along with them. Mary is furious at Carrie when she lets her bugs loose.
Although Mary tells Carrie to stay put and not to do anything, Carrie
chases after a beautiful butterfly and ends up falling into an old mine
shaft. Mr. Laudy, an ex-miner and an alcoholic saves Carrie.
b: 10-Jan-1977
NOTE: One of the few episodes that centers on Carrie (though she doesn't
appear in many scenes). By the end of the following season (1977-1978),
Carrie only appears in a few supporting-role scenes in occasional
episodes, mainly those centering on the Ingalls family, thereafter, and
will disappear completely following the 1981-1982 season (when she and her
family move to Burr Oak, Iowa).
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58. Quarantine
Mr. Edwards and Doc Baker help a nearby town with an epidemic case of
mountain fever. When Mr. Edwards returns, a quarantine is placed on Walnut
Grove. Alicia, Mr. Edward's adopted daughter comes down with the disease.
Mr. Edwards tries to help his daughter. Laura, not knowing about the
disease, goes to visit Alicia and Mr. Edwards. Laura ends up taking care
of the both of them while they recover.
b: 17-Jan-1977 w: John Hawkins d: Victor French
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59. Little Women
Guest Star: Warren Vanders (Harold Mayfield) Kay Peters (Della Clark)
The school children are allowed to put on plays in groups. Laura and Mary
work with Ginny Clark, a student who has no father. Ginny wants her mother
to date, but her mother, Della, doesn't believe she looks good enough.
Ginny sells her long beautiful hair so she can buy her mother a new dress.
Della at first accuses Ginny of stealing money until she sees that her
daughter has cut her hair.
b: 24-Jan-1977 w: Dale Eunson & B.W. Sandefur d: William F. Claxton
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60. Injun Kid
Guest Star: George Murdock (Jeremy Stokes)
Joseph Stokes is the son of a Sioux Indian who moves to Walnut Grove with
his widowed mother. They stay with his grandpa, Jeremy. Jeremy doesn't
like Joseph because he is embarrassed that his daughter married an Indian.
At school, Joseph is being bullied. Jeremy finally accepts Joseph when he
sees his grandson face the bullies
b: 31-Jan-1977 w: Arthur Heinemann d: Victor French
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61. To Live With Fear (1)
Guest Star: Ivan Bonar (Dr. Mayes)
Mary has an accident with a horse in the barn. When Mary starts to get
worse, the Ingalls take her to a specialist. There they learn that Mary
needs an immediate operation.
b: 14-Feb-1977 w: B.W. Sandefur d: William F. Claxton
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62. To Live With Fear (2)
Guest Star: James Shigeta (Sam Wing) Ivan Bonar (Dr. Mayes) John McLiam
(Harris) Victor French (Mr. Edwards)
Caroline stays with Mary who suddenly needs another operation. Charles
leave and take on a high risk job to pay for the operation for Mary and
Mr. Edwards goes with him. They take a job as a couple of Powder Monkeys
making a tunnel for the railroad. But safety is far at the back of
Charles' mind as he takes risks, refusing to stop even when a funeral of a
Chinese worker takes place. This rush inevitably causes a cave-in where
Charles and Harris are buried.
b: 21-Feb-1977 w: John Hawkins d: William F. Claxton
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63. The Wisdom Of Solomon
Guest Star: Todd Bridges (Solomon Henry)
Solomon Henry, an eleven year old black boy, runs away from his family
because he's tired of everybody treating him different. He goes to live
with the Ingalls. The Ingalls learn many important things and Laura learns
an important lesson : Don't take things for granted. The Ingalls convince
Solomon to be proud of his heritage. Solomon goes back to his family in
the end.
b: 07-Mar-1977 w: Scott Swanton d: William F. Claxton
NOTE: This episode tackled race well and raised several points of
unfairness and prejudice. A funny moment is when Mrs. Oleson reminds
Charles that the school is for children of the community when he is goes
to enroll Solomon. Charles replies that Solomon is his son from a former
marriage. As Mrs. Oleson runs off to tell her husband, I don't think she
realized that Mary is still several years older than Solomon and Charles
was already married to Caroline.
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64. The Music Box
Guest Star: Katy Kurtzman (Anna Gillberg)
Laura befriends a new girl, Anna, who stutters and has a hard time making
friends. A jealous Nellie starts an elite club and although she invites
Laura, she leaves Anna out. While at the Oleson's, Laura steals one of
Nellie's music boxes. While taking it home, Laura drops and damages the
box. Laura hides it, but Nellie soon catches her with it and threatens to
tell. Laura admits the theft, but instead of forgiving her, Nellie uses
the situation to her own advantage -- by pretending to be friends. One of
the conditions, however, is that Laura must be mean to Anna (or else
Nellie will go forward with information about the theft of her music box).
Laura's new attitude toward causes friction between her and Mary, who has
also befriended Anna. Later, Laura suffers from nightmares because of her
guilt (with the Oleson's cast as her tormenters), and Willie doesn't make
things any easier when he taunts her with the music box's melody. After
Charles finds out about Laura being mean to Anna, Charles makes Laura quit
Nellie's club unless Anna can join, too. Nellie agrees to let Anna join,
but only to pull a cruelly sadistic initiation stunt for her own amusement
(she forces Anna to read a tongue twister without stuttering). A
humiliated Anna runs out, and Laura soon follows her. After Laura and Anna
make up, she admits her theft and explains her attitude. An embarrassed
Mr. Oleson goes easy on Laura, although the same can't be said for Nellie.
b: 14-Mar-1977 w: Robert Janes d: Michael Landon
NOTE: An enjoyable outing for fans of the classic "nasty Nellie," as she
pulls one of her meanest stunts by being cruel to the Ingalls girls' new
friend, Anna. Of course, Nellie gets her comeuppance from her angrily
embarrassed father in the end.
In a way, this episode addresses hazing, an
issue that gained mainstream media attention in the 1980s and 1990s
following lawsuits against colleges and their fraternities. Nellie doesn't
use sex or alcohol to pull her hazing-like stunt, but forcing Anna to
quickly read a tongue-twister (the "Peter Piper" one) without stuttering
is wickedly cruel. Indeed, Nels had every right to be angry with his
daughter, who gets a well-deserved punishment at the episode's end.
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65. The Election
Guest Star: Charles Aidman (Sam Dobkins) Eric Olson (Elmer Dobkins)
An election for school president is going on. Mary, Nellie, and Elmer are
running. Elmer is a boy who isn't popular and is frequently picked on at
school. Mary ends up dropping out of the election when she realizes that
Elmer would be the best one for the position. Elmer does end up winning by
one vote.
b: 21-Mar-1977 w: B.W. Sandefur d: Victor French
NOTE: An appearance by Leslie Landon (Michael Landon's daughter, who would
go on to play Etta Plum in the last season), as Kate in this episode.
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66. Gold Country
Guest Star: Victor French (Mr. Edwards) Bonnie Bartlett (Grace Edwards)
E.J. André (Zachariah)
After having their crops destroyed, the Ingalls leave Walnut Grove to try
their luck at striking it rich. After being at the gold mines for a while,
the Ingalls realize that greed has been poisoning their minds. They leave
to go home instead of looking for more gold.
b: 04-Apr-1977 w: John Hawkins & B.W. Sandefur d: Michael Landon
NOTE: This was a 2 hour episode.
