Little House on the Prairie - The Complete Season 5
Starring: Little House on the PrairieStudio: Goldhil
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
DVD Release: June 29th 2004
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DVD Review
Best known for its life-affirming lessons and heartwarming adventures, "LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE" made its TV debut in 1974 and significantly altered the landscape of television. Loyal fans will relive these exciting and touching adventures, while new viewers will discover the Ingalls’ unconquerable courage to build a new way of life. The series, nominated for 17 Emmy Awards and 3 Golden Globes, has become a TV milestone.
The Complete Fifth Season – 1978-1979 The Ingalls move to Winoka to be near Mary. They manage a hotel and meet Albert for the first time – After several months away, Charles and the family return to their home by Plum Creek and set to work restoring Walnut Grove – Mrs. Oleson takes an interest in journalism – Mary has second thoughts about marrying Adam – Nellie Oleson is asked to tutor a boy and reveals her "secret" for achieving good grades - Albert becomes an apprentice and learns an important lesson about loyalty and friendship – Charles is asked to help save a marriage – Laura and Albert run away from home to help their terminally ill friend Dhillon achieve his life-long dream. These and many other exciting adventures from the entire fifth season are presented in this Special Collector’s Edition!
User Reviews
LHOTPF! (Little house on the praire fan) - Rating: 5/5
This is the season where we are introduced to Albert. The Ingalls move to Winoka, Dakota to be close to Mary while she teaches at the Blind school with Adam. Then on Disc 2 they move back to Walnut Grove. Adam and Mary get married. The blind school in Winoka closes down and they move the blind school to Walnut Grove. Everyone believes that Mary is begining to regain her sight. Mary expects a child, but something goes wrong. Also we see Laura grow up. She is interested in boys more then ever.
Also the Special Features are: Interviews with Dabbs Greer (Rev. Alden), and Alison Arngrim (Nellie Oleson-Dalton). Another interview with Dabbs Greer and Alison Arngrim. And Quiz for season 5.
Starring: Alison Arngrim: Nellie Oleson
Dabbs Greer: Rev. Robert Alden
Don "Red" Barry: Larabee
Hersha Parady: Alice Garvey
Jonathan Gilbert: Willie Oleson
Karen Grassle : "Ma" Carolyn Ingalls
Karl Swenson : Lars Hanson
Katherine McGregor: Mrs. Harriet Oleson
Ketty Lester: Hester Sue Terhune
Kevin Hagen: Dr. Hiram Baker
Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush: Carrie Ingalls
Linwood Boomer: Adam Kendall
Matthew Laborteaux: Albert Ingalls
Melissa Gilbert: Laura Ingalls-Wilder
Melissa Sue Anderson: Mary Ingalls-Kendall
Merlin Olsen: Jonathan Garvey
Michael Landon: "Pa" Charles Ingalls
Moses Gunn: Joe Kagan
Patrick Laborteaux: "Andy" Andrew Garvey
Richard Bull: Nels Oleson
Ruth Foster: Mrs. Foster
Wendi and Brenda Turnbaugh: Baby Grace Ingalls
LHOTP ROKS! - Rating: 5/5
This was one of the best seasons yet. I have seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8. I am soon to get 6, 7, and 9. If you are a fan you don't need me to tell you how great this series is. So this is what this season contains.
AS LONG AS WE'RE TOGETHER (2 PARTS)-Poor economic conditions cause the Ingalls to move closer to Mary who is now teaching at the Blind school in Winoka. Charles befriends Albert an orphan, who Laura catches stealing from the hotel they manage.
THE WINOKA WARRIORS-A blind student feels that he is useless and is reluctant to participate in school. He gains self-confidence when he joins the football team and becomes the quarterback.
THE MAN INSIDE-Amelia, Laura's new friend is ashamed of her overweight father. He works at the blind school were the students are very fond of him. Laura learns an important lesson when she ridicules him with the other children in her class.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME(2 PARTS)-The Ingalls_along with Albert, the Garvey's and the Oleson's tire of the bustling city and decide to return to Walnut Grove. They discover that the town has been severly neglected since they have been gone. They set to work immediatly to set the town back to its former glory.
FAGIN-Albert runs away after overhearing Charles and Caroline discussing how Laura feels ignored and left out because Charles spends so much time with him.
HARRIET'S HAPPENINGS-Harriet Oleson tries out her hand for journalism when her cousing comes to Walnut Grove and starts a newspaper with Harriet's column "Harriet's Happenings" in it. Charles steps in when she writes unpleasant things about his family.
THE WEDDING-Adam finally asks Mary to Marry him. She begins having second thoughts when her parents remind her of when she was a child.
MEN WILL BE BOYS(my personal favorite)-Albert and Andrew are tired of being treated like kids they want to be treated like "MEN." Charles and Jonathan trying to teach them a lesson permit them on a trip through the woods to sleepy eye by them selves. They figure it'll take the boys a few hours to give up. The fathers follow them all the way. The boys end up having an uneventful trip. If only the same could be said for Charles and Jonathan!
THE CHEATERS-Mrs. Garvey, embarrased by her son's grades in school, hires Nellie to tutor him. When Nellie reveals her secret on how she gets her grades she forces Andy to keep her secret.
BLIND JOURNEY(2 parts)-The blind school in Winoka is forced to close down. The citizens of Walnut Grove donate an old building for it to be transferred to. When Harriet Oleson decides she needs to be present to bring the children to Walnut Grove with Charles... well lets just say its an interesting trip!
THE GODSISTER-When no one is available to play with her, Carrie makes up a friend Alissa.
THE CRAFTSMAN-Albert starts to work for an old Jewish man as an apprentice. All the children start calling him "Jew-Lover." Even Laura is embarrased by him. He soon develops a pride in his work and the two become the best of friends.
BLIND MAN'S BLUFF-After he is involved in an accident, Jordan, Laura and Albert's friend, pretends to be blind to keep his parents together.
DANCE WITH ME-Laura and Albert become matchmakers just in time for the upcoming dance.
THE SOUND OF CHILDREN-When Mary find out she is pregnant and writes to her father-in-law she thinks he and Adam are becoming closer. But when she loses the child she finds that he was just interested in the baby.
THE LAKE KEZIA MONSTER-When Kezia refuses to pay her taxes Mrs. Oleson buys the land and Kezia who has no where to go somehow gets roped into being the Oleson's maid. Laura, Albert, and Andy are mad that Mrs. Oleson just bought the place. So they make up a tale of a monster to scare Mrs. Oleson and her rotten children off the place...
BARN BURNER-When the price of wheat begins to drop the farmers agree to not compete against one another and to charge the same price. When one of them breaks the bargain and Andy gets hurt Mr. Garvey takes action.
THE ENCHANTED COTTAGE-The Ingalls beging to hope that mary is regaining sight when she believe's that she can distinguish light from dark.
SOMEONE PLEASE LOVE ME-Charles is asked to prevent a divorce by the children of a troubled couple.
MORTAL MISSION-When sick mutton gets around Walnut Grove everybody gets sick. Jonathan and Charles are sent to go get some medicine in Sleepy Eye, but are robbed on the way back.
THE ODYSSEY-Dylon is dying of leukemia and wants, more than anything to see the ocean. Albert and Laura decide to run away and help him achieve his goal.
Special Features included in this set: Interview with Dabbs Greer(Reverend Alden), Interview with Allison Arngrim(Nellie Oleson), and an interactive quiz for season 5.
You better buy it soon before you're nerves break.
Albert arrives.......... - Rating: 1/5
.....and "Little House" jumps the shark.
Orphan, thief, liar, morphine addict and murderer [well, he DID set the fire that killed Alice Garvey AND the Ingall's grandson!]"Albert", arrives in Walnut Grove, and the show rapidly sinks to the bottom of the dumpster.
WHY Michael Landon decided to yet AGAIN deviate from the original story and bring in Albert, is a mystery he [Landon] took to his grave. The addition of Albert added nothing to this once great series.
I stopped buying the series at season 4. You should too.
Disapointing Quality & Scenes Cuts - Rating: 3/5
I was excited to buy the DVD box sets especially since the box covers brag at what lengths had gone into making the episodes at such highest quality. Truthfully, you will be getting better quality recording them off TV.
The TV episodes are probably an approximate 42 to 43 minutes to where the DVD episodes are an approximate 45 minutes. However, there are still some scenes cut out in the DVD episodes.
Some cuts I found are:
In the episode "Fagin", an important scene where Charles tells Albert that since he is having a hard time with kids at school making fun of him for not having a father, why not start calling him "Pa". Instead, they cut to the scene where Laura overhears Albert call Charles "Pa" and she mentions it to the boy, who tells her that Charles told him to call him that. The scene between Charles telling Albert to do so is in the TV episodes but not on the DVD. How on earth could the DVD company consider that a scene to throw away out of all the other scenes in the episode?
Also, a few episodes back, when the Ingalls leave their Little House to move to Winoka, the wagon takes off from their house then quickly cuts to black (doesn't even fade to black, just cuts instead) and then cuts to the Ingalls wagon train driving in the city of Winoka, completely cutting out the wagon train traveling on the trail to get there.
In the city, when Albert yells to the town that the Winoka school is burning down, then starts going around stealing everything he can get his hands on and tells Mrs Olesen that he is working for the church and that gambling is a sin then takes off running, in the original episode it freeze frames on Albert while he is running in the streets saying, "To Be Continued". Instead the DVD, fades out of Albert's running scene before the freeze frame arrives.
In the episode where Mrs. Olesen overhears Caroline talking on the phone to Charles about bringing James and Cassandra to live with them, the DVD cuts out Mrs Olesen's comments about how are they all going to fit in that little bitty house of theirs. Instead the scene also cuts directly to black cutting out the scene.
There are several more cuts throughout the episodes but what is worse is the quality of the episodes. Some are heavily pixeled like the quality was extremely compressed. I have never seen a TV series quality this badly compressed before, ever. Some episodes are to the point of being very blurry.
Also, audio is not consistent. One episode is of loud volume with the next episode being extremely low.
So if you want complete uncut episodes you will have to rely on both the DVD and the TV versions.
Wonderful interviews! - Rating: 5/5
The show is great, and the extras are a great addition to the DVD. It's moving to see that dear old Dabbs Greer (Reverend Alden). And Allison Arngrim is so funny! The interviewer, Patrick Loubatiere, did a great job.
