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"Little House On The
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Starring
Michael Landon (as Charles Ingalls) & Karen Grassle (as Caroline Ingalls)
Season 4 (NBC) (1977-78)
Episode Guide
compiled by The Classic TV Archive
with contributions by:
references:
TV Guide /
Library of Congress (telnet://locis.loc.gov)
Internet Movie Database (https://us.imdb.com)
UCLA Film and Television Archive
######### Little House On The Prairie ########
############## season 4 1977-78 ##############
##############################################
NBC Mondays 8:00-9:00pm Eastern
4.1 [--] Little House On The Prairie:
CASTOFFS
12-Sep-1977
Written by Tony Kayden
Directed by Michael Landon
Guest Cast:
John Brandon .... Freighter
Laura's dog Jack dies, and Charles buys her a new dog, Bandit to ease her
loneliness. Bandit follows her everywhere,
but Laura resents the dog as she feels she cannot love any other dog than Jack.
One day Laura visits with Aunt Kezia who
lives on the outskirts of town and always feels lonesome because most of the
adults in town don't seem to want to be
friends with her. It is then that Laura realizes that she actually loves Bandit.
After that, they become good friends.
4.2 [--] Little House On The Prairie:
TIMES OF CHANGE
19-Sep-1977
Written by Carole & Michael Raschella
Directed by William F. Claxton
Guest Cast:
John Milford .... Ennis O'Connell
Barbara Morrison .... Dowager
Herbert Nelson .... Fletcher Hancock
Lisa Reeves .... Claire Lawrence
Paula Shaw .... Angela
Richard Stanley .... Wesley Cox
Hank Stohl .... Reporter
Michael Dan Wagner .... Chairman
Bernie Kuby .... Conductor
Len Lawson .... Bellboy
Joseph G. Medalis .... Train Waiter
Mike Lookinland .... Boy on Train
Charles and Mary take their first trip to Chicago, and it turns into a real
disapointment when they learn about real
life in the big city.
4.3 [--] Little House On The Prairie:
MY ELLEN
26-Sep-1977
Written & Directed by Michael Landon
Guest Cast:
James Wainwright .... Cal Taylor
Mia Bendixsen .... Ellen Taylor
Corinne Michaels .... Eloise Taylor
Ken Johnson .... Busby
Matthew Roberts .... Tommy
One hot day after school, Laura and Mary invite one of their friends, Ellen, to
go swimming. While playing hide and seek
from the boys, Ellen is swept under the water by the current, and she drowns.
Laura feels very guilty, so one afternoon,
she decides to take flowers to Ellen's mother Eloise. Eloise has been in denial
about the whole death and she thinks that
Laura is Ellen, so she takes her in and locks her in the basement for days,
pretending that Laura is Ellen, such as making
her call her "ma". It is not until Eloise goes to the store to buy a birthday
present for "Ellen" that Laura is found,
and Eloise starts to realize the death.
4.4 [--] Little House On The Prairie:
THE HANDYMAN
3-Oct-1977
Written by Arthur Heinemann
Directed by William F. Claxton
Guest Cast:
Gil Gerard .... Chris Nelson
As Charles is working on the addition to the house he is called away to make an
emergency delivery to Mancato, causing him
to leave the house with a hole. Caroline hires an attractive young gentleman
Chris Nelson to finish the house. Mary becomes
suspicious of the gentleman when she finds him wearing Charles shirt, and when
she sees him grab her ma. The grab was
actually to keep Caroline from falling in the water. Mary and Caroline have a
huge fight and the mess is straightened out.
Chris leaves when he realizes the trouble he has caused, but Mary tells him to
stay. By the time Charles returns they are
great friends.
4.5 [--] Little House On The Prairie:
THE WOLVES
17-Oct-1977
Written by Lawrence M. Konner
Directed by Michael Landon
Guest Cast:
Don 'Red' Barry .... Larabee
While Charles and Caroline are away, Laura and her friend Andy find baby wolves
near their tree house. They set up a pen
for them in the Ingalls barn. While feeding them one afternoon, the barn is
surrounded by hundreds of wolves. They stay in
the barn until Andy's father and a few other men come and shoot them all.
4.6 [--] Little House On The Prairie:
THE CREEPER OF WALNUT GROVE
24-Oct-1977
Written by John T. Dugan
Directed by William F. Claxton
Guest Cast:
Bernard Behrens .... Bailey Farrell
Johnny Doran .... Timothy Farrell
A series of petty thefts has the citizens of Walnut Grove mystified. When Laura
and her friend Andy Garvey turn into
amateur super-sleuths to track down the culprit, their imaginative detective
tactics sorely try the patience of several
townspeople - including Laura's father.
4.7 [--] Little House On The Prairie:
TO RUN AND HIDE
31-Oct-1977
Written by John T. Dugan
Directed by Michael Landon
Guest Cast:
Burr DeBenning .... Dr. Asa T. Logan
Michael Pataki .... Stanley Novack
Collin Wilcox Paxton .... Beth Novak
Eddie Quillan .... Jed Haney
After a patient dies, Doc Baker suffers overwhelming dissatisfaction with his
chosen profession and decides to retire. But
he soon realizes the doctor he brought in does not care about his patients, so
Doc Baker decides to delay his retirement.
4.8 [--] Little House On The Prairie:
THE AFTERMATH
7-Nov-1977
Written by Don Balluck
Directed by William F. Claxton
Guest Cast:
Michael Conrad .... Broder
Tony Markes .... Bob Ford
Frank Marth .... Lewis Ford
Troy Melton .... Ned Watkins
John Bennett Perry .... Andrew Hobbs/Frank James
Dennis Rucker .... B.K. Dankworth/Jesse James
Bill Shannon .... Slade
Henry Wills .... Turner
The infamous and notoriously dangerous Jesse James and his brother Frank hide
out in Walnut Grove diguised as wealthy
businessmen. None of the townspeople suspects the newcomers' true identity until
a posse of bounty hunters rides into
town, and the desperate outlaws take hostages to effect their escape.
4.9 [--] Little House On The Prairie:
THE HIGH PRICE OF BEING RIGHT
14-Nov-1977
Written by Don Balluck
Directed by Michael Landon
Guest Cast:
Hal Burton .... Harris
Dick Durock .... Sharp
Denver Mattson .... Wiggins
Carl Pitti .... Silas
Eddie Quillan .... Judge Picker
Alex Sharp .... Sloan
After Jonathan Garvey's barn burns to the ground with all the year's harvest
inside, he feels his manhood s threatened
when his wife, Alice, begins to work at the post office. Jonathan's pride would
rather he divorce than allow Alice to
support the family.
4.10 [--] Little House On The Prairie:
THE FIGHTER (90min. Episode)
21-Nov-1977
Teleplay by Michael Landon; Story by Lawrence M. Konner
Directed by Michael Landon
Guest Cast:
Moses Gunn .... Joe Kagan
Ketty Lester .... Janie Kagan
Paul Bryar .... Jake Barky
Daryl Roach .... Tim Kagan
Raymond St. Jacques .... Moody
Charles enters a boxing fight, only to have his extremely ill opponent almost
die.
4.11 [--] Little House On The Prairie:
MEET ME AT THE FAIR
28-Nov-1977
Teleplay by Arthur Heinemann; Story by Arthur Heinemann, Ray Berwick, Bradley
Berwick
Directed by William F. Claxton
Guest Cast:
Dick Armstrong .... Pickpocket
Enzio Cantini .... Baseball Barker
Dick DeCoit .... Cass
Steve Eastin .... Shell game barker
Helen E. Hintz .... Little Old Lady (as Helen Hintz)
Michael Morgan .... Patrick
Sandy Rosenthal .... Chair Dump Barker
The Ingalls family travells to a nearby town for the annual fair. An exhausted
Carrie decides to nap in the basket of a
hot-air balloon, which is set free to the sky by Mary's spiteful suitor.
4.12 [--] Little House On The Prairie:
HERE COME THE BRIDES
5-Dec-1977
Teleplay by John T. Dugan; Story by John T. Dugan & Robert F. Metzler
Directed by William F. Claxton
Guest Cast:
Joshua Bryant .... Adam Simms
Bob Marsic .... Luke Simms
Ivor Francis .... Varnum
Montana Smoyer .... Philomena
Adam Simms and his son Luke move to Walnut Grove. Adam falls for Eva Beadle, and
Luke for Nellie Oleson. Adam marries
Miss Beadle, and Nellie and Luke elope, much to her parent's horror. The pair
only stay married for an hour, when the
Oleson's come to her rescue.
4.13 [--] Little House On The Prairie:
FREEDOM FLIGHT
12-Dec-1977
Written by Ron Chiniquy, Richalene Kelsay
Directed by Michael Landon
Guest Cast:
Richard O'Brien .... Hugh MacGregor
Vivian Brown .... Mrs. MacGregor
Brett Ericson .... Rob MacGregor
Roy Gunzsberg .... Caleb
Chief Geronimo Kuth Le .... Long Elk
Nick Ramus .... Little Crow
Guillermo San Juan .... Spotted Wolf
An American Indian boy arrives in Walnut Grove seeking medical attention for his
ill father. When the townspeople become
hostile, Charles helps the small band of peaceful Indians escape.
4.14 [--] Little House On The Prairie:
THE RIVALS
9-Jan-1978
Teleplay by John T. Dugan; Story by John T. Dugan & Hindi Brooks
Directed by William F. Claxton
Guest Cast:
Chris Petersen .... Jimmy Hill
Leon Belasco .... Monsieur François
Sam Gilman .... Si Perkins
Seeley Ann Thumann .... Samantha Higgins
Don Starr .... Zucker
Charles and Laura must each deal with a competitor, he for the welfare of his
business, and she for the love of a boy,
Jimmy Hill who is her fishing partner.
4.15 [--] Little House On The Prairie:
WHISPER COUNTRY
16-Jan-1978
Written by John Hawkins
Directed by Michael Landon
Guest Cast:
Anita Dangler .... Miss Peel
Dee Croxton .... Ellen Fisher
John McLiam .... Caleb Fisher
Linda McMillan .... Katie Fisher
Sandy McPeak .... Jacob Bond
Mark Neely .... Joshua Bond
Nancy Pearlberg .... Mrs. Bond
Michelle Downey .... Sarah Miller
Jennifer Brill .... Hazel
Mary takes a teaching position in a backwoods community, but find the leader of
the community, Miss Peal, against her
and her teaching. Miss Peal cannot read, which is why she resents the children
of the community learning to read, as Miss
Peal will not be able to have the same control over them.
4.16 [--] Little House On The Prairie: I REMEMBER, I REMEMBER
23-Jan-1978
Written by Arthur Heinemann
Directed by William F. Claxton
Guest Cast:
Matthew Laborteaux .... Young Charles Ingalls
David Considine .... Peter Ingalls
Nicolas Coster .... Lansford Ingalls
Robin Muir .... Polly Ingalls
Sorrell Booke .... Mr. Watson
Adam Gunn .... Harold Watson
Gregg Forrest .... Henry Holbrook
Virginia Kiser .... Charlotte Holbrook
Kristi Jill Wood .... Elizabeth Ann Holbrook
Katy Kurtzman .... Young Caroline
Sarah Miller .... Laura Ingalls, Charles' Mother
On their wedding anniversary, Charles is delayed by a broken wagon wheel in the
rain. Meanwhile Caroline and the girls
ready the house for the anniversary celebration, and Caroline recalls how she
and Charles fell in love.
4.17 [--] Little House On The Prairie:
BE MY FRIEND (90min. episode)
30-Jan-1978
Written & Directed by Michael Landon
Guest Cast:
John Craig .... Clark Harris
Michael Mullins .... Bobbie Harris
Lenora Mays .... Anna Mears
Donald Moffat .... Nathaniel Mears
Woodrow Parfrey .... Reverend Pritchard
Dan McBride .... Stranger
Laura discivers a note in a bottle while down at the river. When Laura tries to
find the person who sent the note, she
finds a baby instead. She tells Charles who decides to look for the mother and
her boyfriend, while Laura cares for the
infant. When Charles finds the young parents, her father starts a fight, which
results in the house being set ablaze.
The mother gets her baby from Laura, and the parents decide to start over.
4.18 [--] Little House On The Prairie:
THE INHERITANCE
6-Feb-1978
Written by Arthur Heinemann
Directed by William F. Claxton
Guest Cast:
Michael Flanagan .... Harvey Woods
Michael Prince .... Roger Whitehead
Allan Rich .... Otto Ripley
Friends and neighbours advise Charles on how to spend an inheritance he has
received from a wealthy relative. But Charles
faces the loss of the farm when he spends the money prematurely, as the money
turns out to be confederate money.
4.19 [--] Little House On The Prairie:
THE STRANGER
20-Feb-1978
Written by Arthur Heinemann
Directed by Michael Landon
Guest Cast:
Nehemiah Persoff .... Mr. Lundstrom
Michael Sharrett .... Peter Lundstrom
Stephen Coit .... Mr. Tate
Cicely Walper .... Mrs. Caldwell
Mrs. Oleson's wealthy but unloved nephew is sent to Walnut Grove to develop a
sense of values after being expelled from
school. He then learns about love from the Ingalls family, as he works for
Charles to earn money to replace the window
he broke at the mercantile.
4.20 [--] Little House On The Prairie:
A MOST PRECIOUS GIFT
27-Feb-1978
Written by Carole & Michael Raschella
Directed by Michael Landon
Guest Cast:
Joshua Bryant .... Adam Simms
Lili Valenty .... Madame Maria
When Caroline is pregnant, she sees a fortune teller who reveals the baby she is
carrying is indeed a boy. She drives
Charles crazy by constantly referring to the bay as 'he'. When Caroline gives
birth much sooner than expected, Charles is
forced to take on the roll of midwife. All is forgotten about the baby being a
'he' when Grace, a beautiful baby girl,
is born.
4.21 [--] Little House On The Prairie:
I'LL BE WAVING AS YOU DRIVE AWAY (Part 1)
6-Mar-1978
Written by Carole & Michael Raschella
Directed by William F. Claxton
Guest Cast:
Ford Rainey .... Dr. Burke
Rob Kenneally .... Seth Barton
Charles takes Mary to a specialist when her eyesight starts to get worse, and
the Ingalls suffer when Mary goes
permanently blind.
4.22 [--] Little House On The Prairie:
I'LL BE WAVING AS YOU DRIVE AWAY (Part 2)
13-Mar-1978
Written by Carole & Michael Raschella
Directed by William F. Claxton
Guest Cast:
David Opatoshu .... Taylor Nash
Jennifer Factor .... Jenny
Peter Haas .... Paul
Mary becomes increasingly bitter because of her frustration over her blindness.
Charles enrolls Mary into a school for
the blind in Iowa, hopeful that it will help her. Mary is reluctant to stay, but
ends up changing her mind when she
meets her new teacher, Adam Kendall. Mary and Adam fall in love and make plans
to meet in Winoka where they both will
be teaching at the new school for the blind.
######### Little House On The Prairie ########
############## end of season 4 ###############
##############################################
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