Movie Info:
Writer: Various
Director: Various
Cast: Melissa Gilbert, Michael Landon, Lindsay Greenbush, Sidney Greenbush, Karen Grassle, Scottie MacGregor, Richard Bull, Jonathan Gilbert, Melissa Sue Anderson
Rating: N/a
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Info:
Theatrical Release: September 18, 1974, October 29, 1975, and January 24, 1977
DVD Release Date: January 20, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $9.99
One of my favorite shows, growing up, was Little House on the Prairie. I grew up watching television nearly all the time, and one of the shows I never missed was Little House. It was on in reruns by the time I was a kid, but it aired so frequently I could almost always find an episode on when I wanted to watch it. I loved following the adventures of Laura, her family and friends.
Today, I still love watching this show. It brings back such happy memories. This show is so wholesome. The acting is excellent. The cast all work well together and the storylines for every episode are engaging enough to keep a wide, diverse audience watching. I was little when I first started watching Little House on the Prairie, but my mom used to watch it with me and I know many others of varying ages who loved this show. It was something the entire family could and would watch together.
The thing I like the most about Little House on the Prairie is how unique this show was. It was funny to watch what life was like in the olden days. I giggle at the thought of Caroline (Karen Grassle) trading eggs (like money) for supplies, food, or other goods. The most amusing part is that the doctor was actually a veterinarian. He saw all the people though. Also, you didn’t have to go to school. You could work in the fields or do some other job without any type of education.
The Girls of Little House on the Prairie: Country School is a perfect reflection of the world in which the television series is set. I don’t see any reason why kids of any age wouldn’t be able to watch this. I actually read a review where the reviewer tried to find all the “un-wholesome” things that Little House offered. I can’t imagine any parent disallowing their kids from watching this show. Truth be told, we need more shows like this on television today!
The Girls of Little House on the Prairie: Country School Plot
The Girls of Little House on the Prairie: Country School features three episodes. All of them focus on the main characters and their experience at the Country School they attend in Walnut Grove. Here is a list of three episodes that are offered on this DVD and a synopsis for each of them.
“Country Girls” (from Season 1) – After Laura (Melissa Gilbert) and Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson) move to the little house on the prairie with Ma (Karen Grassle), Pa (Michael Landon) and Carrie (Lindsay Greenbush/Sidney Greenbush) they are about to attend an actual school for the first time. Their school is a small, one room schoolhouse that is located in the nearby town of Walnut Grove. Their first day in class is an adventure.
Their teacher, Miss Beadle (Charlotte Stewart), is really nice. Laura can’t read and the girls have to buy supplies to share. They meet the kids at school, especially mean Nellie Olson (Alison Arngrim), who calls them ‘country girls’ as an insult. After fighting with Nellie makes her feel worse, Laura puts all her work into her studies and tries to excel at them. Ma (Caroline) sells eggs at Nels Oleson’s (Richard Bull) shop, but Mrs. Oleson (Katherine MacGregor) tries to cheat her out of money. The icing on the episode is an essay that all of the students must write. The only problem is that Laura isn’t very good at writing just yet.
“The Spring Dance” (from Season 2) – The spring dance is approaching and Laura is the only girl at school without a date. She’s wanting a quiet boy she’s friends with named Henry to ask her, but he seems uninterested in dancing. Unfortunately, her only other option is Willie Oleson (Jonathan Gilbert). Grace Snider (Bonnie Bartlett), the woman who runs the post office wants her longtime beau to ask her, but the curmudgeon is too stubborn to ask.
On the advice of Caroline, Grace decides to deceive her man, Isaiah (Victor French) by pretending to be interested in Doc Baker (Kevin Hagen). Caroline had done the same thing to Charles, so she thought it would work for Grace, though she forgot how Charles reacted to her interest in another man. Laura overhears this and decides to pay Willie in marbles to pretend to like her, so she makes Henry (Clay O’Brien) jealous enough to ask her to the dance. Both Laura and Grace are surprised by the results of their dishonesty.
Little Women (from Season 3) – Miss Beadle announces that all of the class will partake in their own play to better learn the material they read in their literature books. Laura and Mary get stuck in Nellie’s group because their friend, Ginny Clark (Rachel Longaker), wants to see Nellie’s house. Mrs. Oleson will be writing their scene from Little Women with Nellie taking a major starring role.
Ginny is sad when her mom decides she won’t be coming to the show. She does everything she can to convince her to come to the show, even buys her a new dress. Ginny’s mom think its the nice man who has shown an interest in her mom that bought the dress and she refuses it. Bitter since her husband’s death, Mrs. Clark wants nothing to do with him, even if it makes Ginny miserable.
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Audio/Visual:
Country Girls is presented in a standard 1.33:1 aspect ratio. It’s television and it is an older show, so not everything is going to be perfect here. There are some moments of dirt, specks, and lines but things generally looked like you would expect. If you were to turn on the television and watch Little House you would see a similar quality on the television. The colors are decent and there are few big problems. The level of detail is similar to that of a television show, so it’s not incredibly impressive, but serves its purpose well. All in all, it’s not bad for the age and quality of the show.
The audio comes in with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack. Again, nothing you hear is going to blow you away. This is a show that contains mainly dialogue so everything is kept to the front for the most part. Still, everything is easy to hear and volume toggling is never necessary. Subtitles are not included, though Closed Captioning is available.
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Bonus Features:
Unfortunately, no special features have been included in this small set of episodes. It would have been nice to see a little something, though Lionsgate makes it painfully obvious that people would be better off saving their money and picking up some Little House box sets instead.
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Bottom Line:
Little House on the Prairie will always be one of my favorite television shows. I wish there were shows like this on television today. While I’m disappointed that this DVD only has three episodes, I’m glad to add anything from the Little House series to my collection. If you don’t own the season DVDs, this DVD offers a nice, quick fix for fans of the show. Watching The Girls of Little House on the Prairie: Country School is a great way to introduce your kids to this series. It’s time for a new generation of fans to enjoy Little House on the Prairie and this set is certainly a great way to start.
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Technorati Tags: The Girls of Little House on the Prairie: Country School, TV on DVD, DVD Review, Lionsgate, Little House on the Prairie, Laura and Mary, Half Pint
Written by Ashtyn Evans – Visit Website
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Ashtyn is in her early 30s. She is a mother, writer, college student, and music lover. Ashtyn has had a successful career as a writer since 2003. She turned to blogging in 2005. Ashtyn attends Wright State where she is getting a degree in Psychology. She has extensive knowledge in SEO and Social Media Development.
