| "The Award" | |
| Season , Episode # overall in Series | |
| Original air date | December 11, 1974 |
| Episode Guide | |
 IMDb
|
The Award |
| Written by | Michael Landon |
| Directed by | William F. Claxton |
| Episode Chronology | |
| Previous episode: |
Next episode: |
Mary is entranced by an award of a beautiful dictionary for an extra credit exam for school. Her studying and carelessness cause a fire to start in the barn. Worried and very angry, Caroline forbids Mary to take the exam. Having second thoughts, Caroline decides to try to hold Mary to the punishment to establish her credibility while Mary decides to take the test anyway and win her Ma's love back by winning the award.
Description
While studying for an optional history exam in the barn, Mary accidentally knocks over a reading lamp and starts a fire. Caroline punishes Mary by forbidding her to take the test. Mary waits until the day of the exam to finally admit this to Ms. Beadle.
Cast
- Karen Grassle: Caroline Ingalls
- Melissa Gilbert: Laura Ingalls
- Melissa Sue Anderson: Mary Ingalls
- Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush: Carrie Ingalls
- Barney: Jack
Trivia
- Melissa Sue Anderson, who plays Mary, has indicated in previous interviews that she really loved doing this episode. It was the first episode that focused in on Mary, and Melissa Sue feels that it was her chance to prove that she could take on more complex material in the series--which she certainly did in later seasons, when her character went blind.
External links
| Previous episode: | Next episode: |
| The Voice of Tinker Jones | The Lord is My Shepherd (Part 1) |