Post 43: "The Blizzard"

From 13-Year-Old Anne's Journal —December 23, 1982 – EXCELLENT "Miss Beadle sends the kids home from school. She doesn’t know it’s turning into a blizzard. The mothers come and find no children at school. They start search parties and find everyone. Mr. Edwards doesn’t come back till the morning. One guy dies. At the end Charles reads a Bible part."http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ubd7g3d-n_o____________________________________________________From Tracy —In honor of the horrid crappyness of the current winter, we bring you this Little House episode . . . which rocks.I think I must have play acted it a dozen times with friends. We would tilt our bodies forward with our hands outstretched like we were walking into a blinding wind. We did this even in the summer. And then we got to live it during the Blizzard of 1978 in Indiana.But back to the episode. First off I have to ask — why the hell brandy? There is a lot of brandy drinking in this episode and I just have to say "uck". What's wrong with whiskey ?Perhaps that's just what people drank when it was cold. Or it was considered more polite and dainty.But still . . . whiskey . . . a much better choice people!Of course you shouldn't be drinking alcohol at all in the cold as it lowers core body warmth temperature. It does make you feel warmer temporarily which is of course is the whole point.Another issue - why aren't the citizens of Walnut Grove a bit more panicky about snow? Didn't the Ingalls learn this by now, considering the episode "Survival" when they're holed up for weeks with strangers in an abandoned cabin? That was during Season One! This is Season Three! Just sayin'. Some special moments — Willie being sweet to Miss Beadle. His blond bun reverence is so lovely. You just know he's wanted to touch her hair forever. And Mary was smart to suggest following the fence.But when it's too cold even for the horses (!) there's not much hope for two little girls.____________________________________________________From Anne —

Gosh, you remember this well, Tracy.  What a nice, morbid game to play: the zombie-esque blizzard walk.What I recall most clearly from this episode (since I don’t have the luxury of watching it again on YouTube) is Miss Beadle’s wrinkled brow.  And her profound guilt, which turns to self-loathing … when you’ve done something so bad and there’s nothing to do but accept everyone’s hatred, or pity.  But hey, it’s not her fault there was no Al Roker back then.  Miss Beadle had a way more legitimate excuse than the mayor of Atlanta, that’s for sure.And no one can forget how, in this episode and a handful of others, tragedy brings out sweetness and sympathy from Willie and his stone-cold mother Harriet.And on that note, let’s pause for a sec to remember Richard Bull, who died last week.  His real life wife of 66 years (Barbara Collentine) and his TV wife 10+ years (Scotty MacGregor) had dinner to discuss what a good man he was.  He gave dimension and dignity to one of the most hen-pecked characters in TV history.  Thanks for everything, Mr. Oleson!