FEEDING MRS. OLESON WITH A STICK

Interestingly enough, (at least to me) the ‘real’ Laura Ingalls Wilder, one of several major characters on “Little House on the Prairie,” was a distant cousin of mine.

I have been a fan of Mrs. Harriet Oleson (Katherine MacGregor) of “Little House,” and Barney Fife (Don Knotts) of “The Andy Griffith Show” for as long as I remember. In my humble opinion, they were the best television supporting character actors of all time.

Anyone with even a passing acquaintance with “Little House on the Prairie” is all too aware of Mrs. Oleson’s selfishness, moodiness, deceit, scheming, entitlement, and general unpleasantness. And Ms. MacGregor played the part “to a T.” She was just SO believable in the role, and along with the other cast members, it was almost as if one had been given temporary access to a time machine.

Among all the segments in which Mrs. Oleson appeared, one is most memorable to me. Though I have forgotten the details, in this particular scene, the soft-spoken, timid, compliant Mr. Oleson (Richard Bull) is finally up to his ying yang with Harriet, and he cannot contain his anger a second longer. Suddenly, he does something completely out of character for him. He berates Harriet, and his words flow like the proverbial Niagara.

“Harriet, how dare you! You are one of the nastiest people on the face of the planet. No, let me correct myself. You are the nastiest person on the face of the planet. No, wait. You are the wicked witch of the entire universe! You are a dictator. You are a schemer. You are a holier than thou bigot. You deserve to be locked up in a cage and fed with a stick!”

Pt. 2

And for once, (perhaps only once) Harriet is unable to speak. Never before or after this particular segment does Mr. Oleson “come down” so hard on his wife, nor express himself so well.

I neglected to mention that I happen to know this wonderful character actor; Katherine MacGregor. Well, to say I know her would “be a stretch.” However, she was my short-term pen pal. In the past several years, the ninety-some year old actress, and I corresponded and traded upwards of four or five letters.

And as a result, I think I gained some entre into her life.

Strangely enough, given her role on “Little House,” and her regular attendance in the house of the Lord, Katherine is a Hindu. (I kid you not). Her adherence to Hinduism dates back to, and possibly before her involvement on the television program.

The real life “Mrs. Oleson” and her TV character seem to possess some common personality traits; (and thus, the following account for how true to life her portrayal was).

She is a stickler for information, and will not rest until she procures it. Without getting into “the facts of the case,” she can be a bit obsessive, and will “pursue the fox” ‘til she finds a way to kill it. She is blunt, and is not afraid to “call a spade a spade.” When she tires of a particular individual, or topic she will call it off, and bring all communication to a screeching halt.

(Maybe I do know her).

As a counselor, I have “sat with” thousands of men, women, boys and girls over the past quarter of a century. I teach and encourage the use of good communication tools, and have seen a myriad of people benefit from the techniques which I espouse.

by William McDonald, PhD. Copyright pending

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