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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 many 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 20th 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 9th decade of life. (She has, since I wrote this, passed away).
I am taken
up with genealogy, and a few years ago I discovered that Laura Ingalls Wilder,
(the circa 19th century/20th 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.
***
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.
by Bill McDonald, PhD
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