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Since "Albert Ingalls" was totally a creation of the show (that is, he didn't exist in the books), he was typically at the center of the more heinous plotlines. His girlfriend was raped by a man wearing a clown mask (if I'm not mistaken the man was her stepfather?). He got addicted to morphine and broke in Doc Baker's office trying to find some. He (accidentally) caused the fire at the school for the blind...it goes on and on.
I recall someone aptly describing LHOP as "emotional porn"--writing over-the-top shocker plots solely to make people cry or tug at their emotions. It would be easy to think Michael Landon had to have had some deep-seated emotional issues to send these characters through such heinous plotlines and still paint the series as "uplifting family fare". In my opinion it should be famous for scarring young viewers for life. You tune in expecting gentle tales of life in the old west, and instead you got anthrax infestations, people freezing to death in blizzards, and of course watching Mrs. Garvey burn to death in the fire at the blind school while the people outside listen to her screams.
Yeah, isn't it great? lol
I caught reruns of these episodes within the last 5 years, so it hit me pretty good as an adult.
I was at school in the 80s, this stuff was daytime television back then, so I missed alot of it.
Little House on the Prairie...haven't watched that since probably the 1970's.
But just from memory, forgive any duplication I'm trying to leave off the ones I saw listed...
-The wolf or wild dog attack.
-When the crops were bad or whatever and Charles and his buddy took dangerous railroad work where people got maimed etc.
Little House was always a drama that touched on an era where people died young, diseases claimed people, life wasn't all automobiles and supermarkets. *shrug*
You want dark\comedy, go check out MASH where they had a baby smothered to death by it's mother in one episode.
Anyone remember the episode of The Facts of Life where Tootie and Natalie buy bongs? How about the one where Tootie almost becomes a hooker?
Lotsa gems out there.
I actually saw the hooker one a couple of weeks ago! And I do agree with a previous poster how many things slide right over kids heads. Even in song lyrics, some of the 50s-60s songs that my parents had on albums, that we sang as kids.... I hear them now and wonder why my parents didn't hide some of them!
Shows from the 70's and 80's were not innocent or benign. We just don't remember that.
OP I'd try having the kids watch The Brady Bunch. It's on Hulu and we've actually been watching it during this homebound time. It's one of the only shows that doesn't draw on anything dark or depressing, and I've really grown to appreciate the decent acting by most of the kids (as well as the positive depiction of the dad compared to sitcoms today). It's a fun dose of wholesomeness.
I've been watching old tv shows to try to relax. I figured I'd watch the shows I grew up with. The tv shows I grew up with were not nearly as happy as I remember.
For example, I turn on the Golden Girls. This episode is "brother can you spare a dime" about homelessness. The girls end up in a homeless shelter and meet an old woman (Sophia's friend from Shady Pines) who ends up, penniless, there, an alcoholic who is also a PHd, etc. I mean, I thought this show was a comedy? So depressing.
Then I turn on Little House on the Prairie. I loved Little House when I was a little girl. Apparently, my parents didn't let me watch all of the episodes. There's one about a 15 year old girl named Sylvia who develops breasts early, is spied upon by wretched little boys, is raped, ends up pregnant, is going to marry Albert (who had been adopted by the Ingalls) and, instead, ends being attacked by her rapist and dying (partially because of stupid Albert). WTH.
I didn't want to resort to SpongeBob, but it might happen.
I missed that feel good episode as well. But I stopped watching LH in the last few years. It was unwatchable. When Albert became a drug addict? Seriously? I guess every show was trying to give a message. That was the beginning of the PC era.
Turn on the Hallmark Channel, it's sweet innocence overload.
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