Katherine MacGregor Movies

Hester-Sue (Ketty Lester) is astonished when her ex-husband, Sam Terhune (J.A. Preston), who left her years ago for another woman, suddenly shows up in Walnut Grove. Insisting that he has giving up drinking, gambling, and womanizing, Sam tries to charm his way back into Hester-Sue's heart. Unfortunately, there are a few "details" about Sam's so-called reformation that he has kept secret from his former bride. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

James (Jason Bateman) befriends Gideon (played by Peter Billingsley of A Christmas Story fame), the new kid in school. Alas, when the other students make fun of Gideon's stammer, James bows to peer pressure and joins in on the ridicule. Heartbroken, Gideon runs away, and it is up to James' adoptive mother, Caroline (Karen Grassle), to set things right. Also figuring prominently in the outcome of this story is a wild dog whom James met while on a visit to Minneapolis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season eight of Little House on the Prairie finds Mary Ingalls Kendall (Melissa Sue Anderson, formerly a series regular and now a "special guest star") moving to New York, where her husband, Adam (Linwood Boomer), has joined his father's law firm. Back in Walnut Grove, Mary's father, Charles (Michael Landon), has added orphans James and Cassandra Cooper (Jason Bateman, Missy Francis) to the Ingalls household. Meanwhile, the Ingalls' neighbors the Olesons, suffering from "empty nest syndrome" after the marriage of daughter Nellie (Alison Arngrim), decide to adopt a little girl named Nancy (Allison Balson) -- who turns out to be a terrifying clone of the nasty brat that the now-reformed Nellie had been in her youth. In more serious developments, Charles' daughter Laura (Melissa Gilbert) must cope with the anger and self-pity exhibited by her husband, Almanzo (Dean Butler), when he suffers a stroke -- and his bitterness also threatens to dampen the happiness experienced by Laura when she gives birth to her daughter, Rose. Elsewhere, Charles' old friend Isaiah Edwards (former series regular Victor French) suffers the death of his son, resumes his heavy drinking, and causes the breakup of his marriage; thus, by the time he returns to Walnut Grove, he is seriously contemplating suicide. And in the two-part season-eight finale, "He Was Only Twelve," Charles' adoptive son, James, is left comatose from gun wounds suffered in a bank holdup. Arguably the most fascinating of the season's episodes is "The Legacy," in which an auction taking place in the year 1982 unearths several valuable antiques: chairs designed and constructed by none other than Charles Ingalls. ~ All Movie Guide

Nels Oleson (Richard Bull) is kidnapped by two dimwitted amateur crooks, who demand a 100-dollar ransom. When Nels' wife, Harriet (Katherine MacGregor), refuses to pay, the outraged Nels decides to become the leader of the crooks' "gang." Under Nels' less than expert leadership, the two bumblers abduct several other townsfolk, with hilarious results -- almost as hilarious as the scene in which Mr. Oleson pretends to "haunt" his recalcitrant wife. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Harriet Oleson (Katherine MacGregor) thinks she has it made when she sells her restaurant to a national franchise. Before long, however, Harriet is being run to a frazzle in her efforts to live up to the franchise's lofty and exacting standards. Meanwhile, Harriet's husband, Nels (Richard Bull), teams with Charles (Michael Landon) to establish a rival eatery across the street, for the express purpose of "rescuing" Harriet by putting her out of business. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the first episode of a two-part story, Charles (Michael Landon) and Albert (Matthew Laborteaux) accompany the Cooper family while making a delivery. En route, Mr. and Mrs. Cooper are killed in an accident, leaving their children, James (Jason Bateman) and Cassandra (Missy Francis), orphans. Charles tries to find a suitable new home for the kids -- but when they refuse to be separated, he decides to keep them in his own home on a temporary basis (or so he thinks). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season eight of Little House on the Prairie is marked with the conspicuous absence of several familiar characters, among them Mary and Adam Kendall and Nellie and Percival Dalton, all of whom have moved from Walnut Grove to New York. Mooning over the departure of daughter Nellie, the insufferable Harriet Oleson (Katherine MacGregor) yearns for a replacement. Before long, the Olesons have adopted a little girl named Nancy (Allison Balson), who looks just like the younger Nellie -- and unfortunately acts like her as well. This is the first episode of a two-part story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Ingalls' newly adopted son, James (Jason Bateman), is desperate to "belong," and even more desperate to emulate his older adoptive brother, Albert (Matthew Laborteaux). After breaking Albert's razor, James tries to make amends by getting Albert another one. Unfortunately, he doesn't bother to pay for the new razor, and when he is accused of being a thief, James runs away -- obliging Albert, himself an adoptee, to persuade him to return. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Adam (Linwood Boomer) and Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson) return to Walnut Grove, where Adam wants to set up his law practice. His first client turns out to be the most hated man in town: Edgar Mills (Jeff Corey), who is accused of swindling the townsfolk in a wide-ranging scam. At first believing in Mills' innocence, Adam soon learns the painful truth -- but also discovers that Mills' motives were not as sinister as they seem. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the first episode of a two-part story, Albert (Matthew Laborteaux) develops a crush on his classmate Sylvia (Olivia Barash), a 14-year-old girl who has developed early. Sylvia's stern father disapproves of Albert's affections and orders his daughter to ignore the boy. Later on, Sylvia is raped by a masked assailant, whereupon her father demands that she keep her "shame" a secret. The situation worsens when Sylvia discovers that she is pregnant. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Wilders are in for quite a time when Almanzo's brother Royal (Woody Eney) decides to take a vacation -- and deposits his troublesome sons, Myron (Ham Larsen) and Rupert (Rossie Harris), in the home of Almanzo (Dean Butler) and Laura (Melissa Gilbert). Before long, the nasty nephews have turned the household topsy-turvy with their practical jokes and pranks. It falls to Laura to put the kiddies in their place with some trickery of her own. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A clash between Mr. and Mrs. Oleson (Richard Bull, Katherine MacGregor) leads to a town referendum to decide if the women of Walnut Grove should have property rights equal to the men. Not surprisingly, the referendum splits the town right down the middle, male vs. female. Ultimately, a Lysistrata situation develops, with the ladies all leaving their husbands until they get what they want. Even the Ingalls' baby daughter Grace has something to say during the fracas -- her first words, in fact. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide