Customer Reviews

Little House on the Prairie - The Complete Season 3

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Little House on the Prairie is THE BEST SHOW, so I was so happy to find that it's being released on DVD! I am very pleased with Season 3. The quality is pretty good, and there's finally a scene selection in this one. There are 19 episodes in all, on 6 discs. If you are a fan of Little House, you should definately buy this DVD set. I also recommend introducing it to your children, as this show would make a good influence on them, unlike many shows on TV now. Here are some short descriptions of the episodes:
1. The Collection- When Reverend Alden gets sick while collecting donations, and ex-convict named Caleb Hodgekiss offers to get the donations from Walnut Grove for him. Caleb plans to keep the money himself, but he decides to do the right thing when he sees how nice the people of Walnut Grove are.
2. I'll Ride the Wind- Mary and Mr. Edwards son, John Jr., have fallen in love and want to get married. Though they both get the approval from their parents, John must decide whether to accept his scholarship to college or to stay with Mary.
3. Bunny- After mistreating Laura's former horse, Bunny, Nellie falls off the horse and is paralyzed. Laura feels very guilty and thinks that it's her fault, so she does all of Nelle's schoolwork for her...until one day Laura discovers that Nellie has been faking her injuries.
4. The Race- Now that Mr. Oleson has given Bunny back to Laura, she is training Bunny for the horse race. Mrs. Oleson purchases a thoroughbred for Nellie to ride. Although on the day of the race, Bunny gets tired out because Laura had to fetch Doc Baker, Laura decides to race against Nellie anyway.
5. The Monster of Walnut Grove- On Halloween night, Laura sees Nels chop of a mannequin's head. Since she could only see the back of the doll's head, and she heard Nels and Harriet arguing, Laura believes that Nels chopped off his wife's head.
6. Journey in the Spring- After the death of his wife, Charles's father, Lansford, loses his will to live. Charles brings him to Walnut Grove in hope that it would make his father well again. When Bunny runs into a wire fence, Charles has to shoot her. Laura becomes angry at her grandpa because he promised Bunny would be ok. When Lansford leaves, Laura feels guilty and searches for her grandpa to convince him to come back.
7. Fred- Laura is tricked into taking a billy goat home with her, who she names Fred. After Fred eats the crops, however, Charles tells Laura that she has to find Fred a new home.
8. The Bully Boys- The three Galinder brothers move to Walnut Grove. The two men cause trouble and don't pay their bills, and Bubba, the boy, is a bully at the school.
9. The Hunters- Laura goes along on a hunting trip with Charles. Laura accidentally knocks over his gun, which goes off, wounding Charles. The only man that can help Laura find Mr. Edwards is a Sam, a blind man.
10. Blizzard- When it looks as if a snowstorm is coming, Ms. Beadle sends the children home from school early, not knowing that it was going to hit so soon. The children get caught in a huge blizzard.
11. Little Girl Lost- When Carrie goes along with Mary and Laura to collect bugs, she falls into a mine shaft. The whole town pitches in to save Carrie, but the only one who really knows exactly what he's doing is Mr. Laudy. But Mr. Hanson will not listen to him because he stole a woman away from him many years ago.
12. Quarantine- An epidemic of mountain fever hits Walnut Grove, which is placed under quarantine. Mr. Edwards's daughter, Alicia, comes down with the disease. When Laura tries to help Alicia, she wakes up that night with the spots. Believing that she now has the disease, Laura quarantines herself with Alicia and Mr. Edwards.
13. Little Woman- The schoolchildren put on plays in groups for a special event that the parents will be coming to. Ginny Clark is in Mary and Laura's group. Her widowed mother refuses to go to the play with the wood man (who wants to date her) because she feels that she doesn't look good enough. Ginny comes up with a surprising solution to buy her mother a dress.
14. Injun Kid- A native American boy named Joseph Stokes comes with his widowed mother to Walnut Grove and they stay with his grandpa, Jeremy. However, Jeremy resens his grandson because his daughter had married an Indian against his wishes.
15. To Live With Fear- After an accident in the barn, Mary needs an immediate operation. Charles and Mr. Edwards must do a dangerous job dealing with explosives in order to pay for Mary's operation.
16. The Wisdom of Solomon- Solomon Henry, an 11-year-old African American boy, runs away from home because he is tired of being treated differently than everyone else. Solomon ends up in Walnut Grove and stays with the Ingalls for a little while.
17. The Music Box- Laura has made a new friend, Anna, who stutters. When Laura is at Nellie's one day, she takes a music box from Nellie's room. When Nellie catches Laura, she tells her that she must do as she says or else she'll tell on Laura. Nellie makes Laura join her club and abandon Anna.
18. The Election- The school is having an election. Mary, Nellie, and a boy named Elmer are running for president.
19. Gold Country- When their crops are destroyed, the Ingalls and Edwards family leave Walnut Grove and look for gold, hoping to get rich.

I am a HUGE fan of "Little House on the Prairie"....I am very displeased with the complete season 3....First of all the episodes are not in the order they originally aired...alot of them are out of order. The video quality of some of the episodes is very poor. For example on the episode "The Monster of Walnut Grove" especially the scenes at night are very grainy and almost like a reddish black color. The part about the dvd I am most upset about is there are 2 missing scenes on the episode "The Race." They were edited out, but you can't fool a fan that has watched the episodes numerous times. There is a scene edited out where Laura and Mary are walking to school after Pa found out that Mary did some of Laura's homework. Laura says to Mary "sorry I got you in dutch" and Mary responds "That's okay just beat Nelly Olson Saturday".....There is also a scene edited out of the Ingalls' having dinner where Laura is only eating her vegetables to keep her weight down for the race. Ma can't wait till the race is over and things get back to normal, but Pa is happy because he can have Laura's share of chicken and dumplings.
To the studios credit they do seem to be trying to improve some things. There are now chapters in episodes so you can pick a scene without forwarding to it. And the pictures on the box and inside are pictures that go with that season. Earlier in season 1 and 2 they have pics that didn't even belong in that season. I still feel these sets are being put together by someone who knows nothing about the show and the fans live with the mistakes! I am planning to write the studio with my concerns and I encourage other fans to do the same. I will also ask them if they want me to give them the correct order of episodes in Season 4 so they get it right. In season 2 and 3 they got them out of order.

This review refers to "Little House on the Prairie" - The Complete Third Season....

Season Three is filled with about 18 hours of wonderful stories that depict the hardships, the courage, the love and devotion, tests of the human spirit, and a few lighter moments we share with the Ingalls family and the people of Walnut Grove. In such beautiful stories as, "I'll Ride The Wind", young love is tested as John Jr. must decide between a college scholarship and his love for Mary. "Journey In the Spring", a 2 parter, will immediately evoke a lump in your throat, and is one you should definately have the Kleenex handy, as Pa's Pa comes to stay with the family after the loss of Grandma Ingalls. Then for a little comic relief, "Fred", Laura's newly aquirred goat will keep you smiling, as no one, not even the Reverend Alden is safe from this beast!

"Little Girl Lost" is the touching episode that has little Carrie, falling down a mine shaft, and provides an unlikely hero. And one of my favorites, "The Hunters", has Laura and a blind man racing against time, to save Pa from a hunting accident.

There are 22 of these vintage episodes(aired in 1976 and 1977), and all will touch you in some way. Some of these are two parters, or feature length episodes. "To Live With Fear" is one of these 2 parters that you won't be able to tear yourself away from. Mary has an accident that causes her to need an operation, and Charles must come up with the money. Also included is "Gold Country"(also a two-parter), "The Collection", "Blizzard", and "The Monster of Walnut Grove"(Laura thinks Nels chopped off Harriet's head).

Adding their wonderful presence to these stories, are many legendary guest stars, sometimes working for less then they usually make, just to be a part of the show. The list includes, Arthur Hill, Johnny and June Cash, John Ireland, James Shigeta, and Burl Ives.

I know there has been quite a bit said about bits and pieces of scenes missing, and there are even two episodes out of order(lucky for us they are on DVD and we can watch them in any order we want!). I even noticed a scene missing from "To Live With Fear", where Caroline is working at the hospital ironing sheets, and the transition from scene to scene where the commercials have been edited out are not always smooth..But..if you keep in mind that these are nearly 30 year old TV programs, and the best masters available were used for the restoration, I think we can just relax and enjoy them for what they are. Stories of family togetherness, a magnificent documentation of life in the 1800's, and programs that have stood the test of time and may be enjoyed by every generation.

The DVDs(6 discs) have a nice clear picture, with good color and sound. Disc 6 includes some "Behind The Scene" memories from different cast members(in the form of notes). There is now scene selection and we finally have all the major guests stars listed in the opening credits. The Case opens up nicley and stores all 6 discs, and there is a booklet in the back listing the episodes and synopses. There is one thing that the package is lacking, and my reason for only going 4 stars. I neglected to mention in my reviews of Season 1 and 2, but there are no Captions or subtitles, so that this classic and beloved series may be enjoyed by all.

So, welcome home to Walnut Grove. Spend some quality time, with the Ingalls, Mr. Edwards, Harriet, Nellie, Nels, Willie and "Fred" the drunken goat. You'll have a great time!...Enjoy....Laurie

My grandparents gave this to me for my 9th birthday. I have seasons 1 and 2. The Little House stories tell of life in the early days of our country. They teach you to do good to everyone and always tell the truth.

Rebecca

When I pay hard earned money for a Boxed Set of a classic TV series like "Little House" I expect to get what I pay for. This is not the case here. Season One and Two were acceptable but Season III has the flaws described by so many others in previous reviews. Contrary to popular belief this DVD set is NOT REMASTERED OR UNCUT. In almost every episode there are scenes that have been deleted or are edited in some way or another. The video and audio quality is excellent. There are some classic episodes in this season....the best being "Bunny"...the one where Nellie falls off Laura's horse and pretends to be crippled...the payoff here is classic and wonderful! "To Live With Fear"....the two parter where Mary is seriously injured and must have surgery and the Ingalls have no money to pay for the operation. "Fred" the comical episode about an honary Billy Goat.....watch Mrs. Oleson get it in this one!! "The Bully Boys" where Caroline is attacked by a trio of rough men. "Blizzard" where most of the town's children are lost out in a blizzard on Christmas Eve. "The Election" a very touching episode. And my personal favorite of the season "Little Girl Lost" where Carrie falls down a mine shaft. The series is wonderful and evokes wonderful memories. They just don't make them like this anymore. But the DVDs have got to get better. I'd rather not have scene index if they're going to edit out parts of scenes. These DVDs are supposed to be remastered and uncut. This is not the case with this edition. 5 stars for the series but 3 for the DVD. "Little House" deserves better.

This is prehaps one of the best seasons of little house on the prairie.A lot of my favorites are in this season.This will be a six disc collection and it will include the following episodes:

1)The Collection
2)I'll Ride The Wind
3)The Race
4)Bunny
5)The Monster Of Walnut Grove-Laura thinks she see's Mr.Olson cut off Mrs.Olsons head.Also the headless horseman is seen at the end of the episode.This is a great show to put on during Halloween and the music in it is scary too.This is another one of my favorite episodes I was wanting to see on dvd.
6)Journey Into Spring Part 1
7)Journey Into Spring Part 2
8)Fred-This is one of the funniest episodes of all the little house shows.Laura trys to get rid of a goat called Fred and can't find anyone to take it.This goat is funny because it butts everybody it sees.
9)The Bully Boys
1O)The Hunters
11)Blizzard-This is actually a Christmas show.A lot of residents of Walnut Grove get trapped in a school during a snowstorm.This was one of my favorite episodes.
12)Little Girl Lost
13)Quarantine
14)Little Women
15)Injun Kid
16)To Live With Fear Part 1
17)To Live With Fear Part 2
18)The Wisdom Of Solomon
19)The Music Box
20)The Election
21)Gold Country

If your a fan of Little House On The Prairie you should pick up
season 3.It's worth it just for the Fred episode which is very funny but it's also got a lot of other great episodes that's frequently shown on wtbs.Shows like this are great to watch because they focus on a time when most people put God first
and they are clean don't have any foul language or adult situations in them.You can let your children watch these without having to worry about them warping there mind.I like these shows because I don't continully have to press the mute button on my remote to mute out the cursing.I also recommend little house on the prairie season 1 and 2 as I have them too and think there pretty good.Imavision says they will release all the seasons of little house on dvd's even the reunion shows. More than likely these will look better than they ever have on cable.Seasons 1 and 2 did except for a small amount of shows that had a lot of grain.Hopefully the small amount of problems with the grain won't be in season 3.Also as with season 1 and 2 season 3's seasons will be uncut.

I had watched some Little House years ago and liked it OK. Then 4 months ago we got the first 3 seasons for our 7 year old twins. What a great investment. They love it and my wife and I love it.

This is a show about love, hard work, care and concern for others, family values and innocence. That is why this show wouldn't last 2 days on Television today. Who wants to be reminded of how far we have fallen from qualities such as these.

Compare shows like this from the 70's to shows that we have now. Television has always been a reflection of society. Most of the shows today are about having it all, sex, greed and win at all costs no matter who gats in the way. What a difference from just a few decades ago.

Now I am sure of why my family is enjoying Little House on the Prairie so much...it's a breath of fresh air in a smog filled world. I would highly recommend any family to own these DVDs. Looking forward to season-4.

We are now up to the third installment of the Little House Collection, and it has been a wonderful ride. I can see in my 9 year old's eyes the lessons in life she is learning by watching these classic tales of family life. Highly recommended as an avenue to instilling sonething meaningful and good in your children vs. today's lifestyle picked up at school and from friends. Start with Season 1 and watch them all.

"Little House on the Prairie: Season 3" continues its wonderful for the whole family run, now into Season 3.
This set brings us such classic episodes as "The Collection" in which Johnny Cash guest stars as a con-man masquerading as a preacher; "Bunny", in which Nellie feigns paralysis after falling off Laura's former horse, Bunny and Laura pushes Nellie, in her wheelchair, down a steep embankment; "The Race", which pits Laura and Bunny against Nellie and Sparks, her "store bought" race horse; "Little Girl Lost", where Carrie falls down a mine shaft; "The Bully Boys" in which three brothers move to Walnut Grove, cheating and bullying the citizens; "I'll Ride the Wind", where John and Mary become engaged; "Injun Kid", where an Indian boy and his white mother move to Walnut Grove; "The Wisdom of Soloman", where Todd Bridges guest stars as a young boy who hitches a ride on Charles' wagon; and "Gold Country", where the Ingalls and Edwards families leave Walnut Grove after their crops are destroyed, in search of gold.
Although this is the season where many of the illness/crop destruction episodes occur and many characters are introduced to the town, never to appear again, the show remains strangely addictive. These classic episodes can be watched repeatedly, each time producing the same warm fuzzy feeling.
Definitely recommended.

[For the record: this is actually Andrea Shettle, using my partner's Amazon account because I don't yet have one of my own. However, this complaint comes from both of us.]

I first became hooked on the Little House series in the early 1980s when the last two seasons were closed captioned. As a Deaf person, I was unable to watch Little House before that point because I rely on captions to understand television. (To give you an idea of how important closed captions are for most deaf people: most deaf people I know did not even own a television set until 1980, when closed captions were first invented. There was simply no point in owning a television set before then. Hearing people "discovered" television in the 1950s; deaf people did not "discover" television until the 1980s. A television program or movie without captions for a deaf person is essentially the same as a building with only steps and no ramp for a wheelchair user: a deaf person simply CANNOT ACCESS a television program without captions any more than a wheelchair rider can access a building without ramps.)

In the past few years, I discovered that the Little House series had come out on DVD at reasonable prices. Over the years, I gradually bought (or had purchased for me as Xmas and birthday gifts) seasons four through nine, as all of these seasons were available with closed captions. And I have loved all the seasons four through nine. But I really missed having seen the first three seasons. I looked for them in stores, but whenever I found them, they were not labeled as having closed captions. So I asked for them for Xmas this year in the hope that maybe one of my relatives could find them on line somewhere with captions.

The information at Amazon CLAIMS that the 3rd season has closed captions. My partner ordered the 3rd season of Little House for me based on this information. But when it arrived, there was no closed captioning label on the box. My partner then checked the reviews on line and found other comments complaining about the lack of captions. She became concerned and gave me the dvd early so I could check it for captions. To my disappointment, I found that there are indeed NO CAPTIONS on the 3rd season of Little House.

I am 37 years old. I have been waiting for a QUARTER CENTURY -- more than two-thirds of my life--in order to watch the first three seasons of Little House on the Prairie. The producers of the Little House series DVDs have essentially hung a sign on the first three seasons that say, "These DVDs are for hearing people only. Deaf people can just go away and stew because we don't value you enough to bother making this product accessible to you."

And Amazon, for its part, has been misleading customers who are deaf or who have auditory processing disorder (a completely separate disability in which a person can hear but hears things in a garbled way) or who otherwise DEPEND on captions to understand television. Amazon also misleads customers who are hard of hearing (these are 10 percent of the population, when you count elderly people who lose their hearing as they age--think of your great-grandparents who always turn up the volume on their television set!), or who learn English as a second language -- these are people who can get by without captions if they have to but still find it MUCH EASIER and MUCH more relaxing and enjoyable to watch television if they are able to use captions.

Amazon needs to understand that some customers MUST, MUST, MUST have FULLY ACCURATE information on what products have captions and what do not. Think of how you would feel as a hearing person if you bought a product on the assumption that the sound track was fully intact -- only to find after it arrived that the sound track had been completely stripped away, meaning you no longer have access to any of the dialogue! That is EXACTLY what it is like for a deaf person to receive a product without closed captions.

Amazon needs to learn to DOUBLE CHECK (and triple and quadruple check) the accuracy of information relating to closed captions with the producer for each product individually. Lots of work? Yup. But I'm sure Amazon must already invest a lot of time, labor, and expense double checking OTHER information that they value, such as pricing information, or information about bonus features on their DVDs. If they understood the importance of accurate information on closed captioning for their customers they would do better about INTEGRATING the process of double-checking the relevant information with whatever process they do for double checking other information that they consider important.

It would also be a big plus if Amazon would do a little advocacy by helping to remind DVD producers that closed captioning are CRITICAL for many viewers. Amazon could help pressure DVD producers to

1. Double check their own information (because sometimes they get it wrong on their end -- Amazon cannot give accurate information if the producers are not scrupulous in their OWN record keeping)

2. Put closed captions on ALL THEIR PRODUCTS. And NOT just the primary features. They should ALSO caption all BONUS features where relevant. (If I'm paying just as much as hearing people do when I buy a DVD then I dang well ought to be able to RECEIVE the same product as hearing people do. But if half the material on the DVD has no captions then I'm only receiving half the product. If it's not captioned then it's worthless to me.)

Amazon, are you listening? Producers of the Little House series DVDs, are YOU listening? Or will this comment drop into a black hole, leaving deaf people behind--once again--as third class citizens when it comes to enjoying television?