MRS. OLESON MEETS COLONEL SANDERS

I have always loved “Little House on the Prairie.” “For my money,” this program is the most interesting and believable of any television series ever produced.

By now I suppose I have viewed every hour of the broadcast, and more than once. In spite of this, I never grow weary of the program, and will probably be watching it until I take my last breath.

There’s one particular segment which features a unique blend of fantasy and reality, and curiously enough, for me it includes an exceptionally unique experiential quality about it.

Of course, “Mrs. Oleson” and her husband run the general store and restaurant in Walnut Grove, and as this story falls together, “Harriet” has contracted with a restaurant chain, “Mrs. Sullivan’s,” to enhance the profitability of her business. Ultimately, she regrets ever having “hooked up” with that corporation, and “Charles and “Nells” devise a way to get her off the hook.

As the show concludes, an old man drives up in a buggy. He is dressed in a white, plantation-style business suit, and wears the trademark white moustache and beard of a well-known character from the 20^th century.

“Well, hello. Is this your restaurant? I’m new to these parts, but do I have a deal for you! I serve up the best chicken this side of Kentucky. And I cook it in a blend of secret herbs and spices. Perhaps we can make a deal.”

To which Harriet responds,

“Only chicken? You only serve chicken? Why, that will never “fly” in Walnut Grove. Sorry, but I just can’t imagine generating any profit from a hair-brained scheme like that!”

And as the old gent prepares to drive away, he thanks Mrs. Oleson, and sets a course of another town.

As the southern gentleman disappears from sight, Harriet and Nells share a big laugh at the old man’s expense.

Yes, there are some pretty personal implications here for me.

In one way or the other I am not only acquainted with, (in my opinion) the finest supporting actor in television history, and the real-life original of that fried chicken entrepreneur, but also the primary individual upon whom “Little House on the Prairie” is based.

For you see, Mrs. Harriet Oleson is portrayed by Katherine MacGregor; who for a time was my pen pal.

I initially procured her southern California address, and wrote her a fan letter. She returned the favor with a two page letter of her own; along with a hand-drawn caricature of herself. We interacted several more times over the next few months. In spite of the Christian flavor of the television series, I learned that Katherine MacGregor is a Hindu, and that she has made one or more pilgrimages to India. And as you might expect, she seems to bear some resemblance to her television character. There’s just something about the manner in which she “comes across.” At last report, Ms. MacGregor is still alive and well, and entering her 9^th decade of life.

In the late ‘60’s the authentic Colonel Harland Sanders spoke at my alma mater; Southeastern Bible College.

I sat a few rows from the front, and was afforded an excellent view, though his voice was so soft that even with a microphone it was difficult to distinguish all his words. What struck me was his genuineness, humbleness and general likeability. He was a born-again Christian, and even for my inability to hear everything he said, he was just so “there there,” and I left the school chapel genuinely impressed with the man.

I am taken up with genealogy, and a few years ago I discovered that Laura Ingalls Wilder, (the circa 19^th century/20^th century variety, not the actress, Melissa Gilbert) was a distant cousin of mine; we both having descended from the well-known Mayflower passenger, Richard Warren.

What a compelling woman. What an amazing story!

They say that “Art imitates Life.”

After the vicissitudes of this particular television broadcast,

… I believe it.

by William McDonald, PhD. Excerpt from "McDonald's Daily Diary." Vol. 37. Copyright pending.

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