Brenda Turnbaugh Movies

In the conclusion of a two-part story, James (Jason Bateman) remains in a coma after being shot in a bank robbery. Everyone has given up hope for the boy's recovery except his adoptive father, Charles (Michael Landon), whose obsessive belief that a "miracle" will occur alienates him from his family and all but drives him insane. Ultimately, Charles builds an altar and places James upon it, hoping against hope that God will save the boy. An astonishing climax caps this, the final episode of Little House on the Prairie (though the series would be revamped in the fall of 1982 under the title Little House: A New Beginning). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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, Rovi

In the conclusion of a two-part story, the troubles that have recently beset the Wilders continue unabated. Their crops have already been wiped out by hail, and Almanzo (Dean Butler) has been partially paralyzed in an accident. Now, a tornado destroys the couple's home, injuring Laura (Melissa Gilbert), who has recently given birth. In the depths of depression, Almanzo is ready to give up -- but is suddenly galvanized into a valiant effort to get back on his feet, both figuratively and literally, with the help of Laura's father, Charles (Michael Landon). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Still grieving over the death of his son John, Mr. Edwards (Victor French) has begun drinking again. Ordered out of his own home by his long-suffering wife, Grace (played by Corinne Camacho, replacing former series regular Bonnie Bartlett), Edwards returns to Walnut Grove and his friends the Ingalls, hoping to start life anew. Alas, he is unable to give up the bottle, and while drunkenly making a delivery to Sleepy Eye, he causes an accident that seriously injures Albert Ingalls (Matthew Laborteaux). His best friends having all but given up on him, Edwards must regain his inner strength on his own -- though he still has some "special help" from a higher source. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A pregnant Laura (Melissa Gilbert) insists that she can take care of the Wilders' farm in the absence of her husband, Almanzo (Dean Butler). Unfortunately, the land is hit with a drought, and Laura is felled by a heat stroke. It's up to the local schoolchildren to save the crops -- not to mention Laura's own, carefully tended orchard. The title of this episode refers to the famous fable of the same name, used in the story as a means of instilling maturity in perennial classroom troublemaker Willie Oleson (Jonathan Gilbert). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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. ~ Rovi

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, Rovi

J. Brennan Smith is cast as Elmer, a chubby new student at the Walnut Grove school. Mercilessly ridiculed because of his weight, Elmer gravitates to the only person willing to be nice to him -- bratty Nancy Oleson (Allison Balson). In truth, however, Nancy doesn't care a fig about Elmer; she just hopes to use him to her advantage, and to that end she persuades the boy to "get even" with the other kids by becoming the class bully. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Believing that she is pregnant again, an exultant Caroline (Karen Grassle) pays a visit to the doctor. There she learns the awful truth: She can never again have any children. Charles (Michael Landon) tries to console Caroline by taking her on a trip to her hometown, where the couple tearfully renews their wedding vows -- and Caroline again realizes that, setbacks and all, she and Charles are truly blessed. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the conclusion of a two-part story, Rev. Alden (Dabbs Greer) finds a foster home for the orphaned Cooper children. Charles (Michael Landon) has a bad feeling about this setup -- a feeling that is borne out when it is revealed that the children's new guardians merely want to use them as cheap labor. The kids run away, whereupon Charles finds them -- agreeing to adopt them if it is humanly possible. Jason Bateman and Missy Francis join the regular cast as James and Cassandra in this, the final episode of Little House on the Prairie's seventh season. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the conclusion of Little House on the Prairie's two-part season eight opener, the Olesons' newly adopted daughter, Nancy (Allison Balson), not only looks like a younger version of biological daughter, Nellie, but is just as bratty and troublesome. The kids at the Walnut Grove school have their hands full keeping Nancy from getting out of hand, especially when the little "darling" jockeys for the leading role in an upcoming pageant. Meanwhile, Hester-Sue Terhune (Ketty Lester), former teacher at the blind school, arrives in Walnut Grove, where she accepts a job at the Olesons' restaurant. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The normally open-minded Doc Baker (Kevin Hagen) is a bit put off when his new assistant, Dr. Caleb Ledoux (Don Marshall), arrives in town -- not because Ledoux is unqualified (certainly not the case), but because he is black. Reluctant to entrust his patients to a man of color, Baker assigns Ledoux to only the most minor of cases. But when a major crisis develops, Ledoux proves not only equal to the challenge, but even more so than Baker. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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, Rovi