| "Centennial" | |
| Season 2, Episode 20 #44 overall in Series | |
 | |
| Series: | Little House on the Prairie |
| Network/Country: | NBC |
| Original air date | March 17, 1976 |
| Production code | 2018 |
| Episode Guide | |
 IMDb
|
Centennial |
| Written by | John Hawkins |
| Directed by | William F. Claxton |
| Episode Chronology | |
| Previous episode: "For My Lady" |
Next episode: "Soldier's Return" |
Plot[]
Walnut Grove prepares to celebrate the nation's centennial, but the party is threatened with cancellation when their taxes go up. A Russian immigrant, Yuli Pyatakov, gives an impassioned speech about what it's like to live in America, and that he loves his new land despite its faults. The townsfolk are inspired to resume the celebration.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Michael Landon as Charles Ingalls
- Karen Grassle as Caroline Ingalls
- Melissa Gilbert as Laura Ingalls
- Melissa Sue Anderson as Mary Ingalls
- Lindsay Greenbush / Sidney Greenbush as Carrie Ingalls
Supporting Cast[]
- Barney as Jack
- Richard Bull as Nels Oleson
- Katherine MacGregor as Harriet Oleson
- Alison Arngrim as Nellie Oleson
- Jonathan Gilbert as Willie Oleson
- Dabbs Greer as Reverend Robert Alden
- Charlotte Stewart as Eva Beadle
- Karl Swenson as Lars Hanson
- Victor French as Isaiah Edwards
Guest Stars[]
- Bonnie Bartlett as Grace Snider Edwards
- Radames Pera as John Sanderson Edwards
- Brian Part as Carl Sanderson Edwards
- Kyle Richards as Alicia Sanderson Edwards
- Theodore Bikel as Yuli Pyatakov
- Lisa Pera as Fanya Pyatakov
- Ike Eisenmann as Viktor Pyatakov
- Kelly Thordsen as Baker Makay
- William Schallert as Snell
- Rayford Barnes as Taylor
Uncredited Supporting Cast[]
Trivia[]
- The actress portraying Fanya Pyatakov is Lisa Pera, mother of actor Ramades Pera (John Jr.). She plays another immigrant, Maria Schiller, in Episode 508: Harriet's Happenings. Actor Ike Eisenmann played her son in both episodes.
- This episode was technically filmed a season too late. The death of Charles Ingalls, Jr., explored in Episode 114: The Lord is My Shepherd (Part 1), took place in August 1876. This episode, which aired a year and a half later, would have to had taken place in July 1876 to be historically accurate. Such chronology glitches were not uncommon in this series.
- While this episode centers around the celebration of Independence Day, it's clear it wasn't filmed during warm weather. In several scenes, the actors look visibly cold as a harsh wind blows. Even the Russian family is seen talking around a campfire, wearing coats/shawls in the middle of the day.
- Noted role actor William Schallert plays a character named Snell in this episode. He appears again as Reverend Dean Harmon (and a former love interest of Harriet Oleson) in Episode 606: The Preacher Takes A Wife.
- In this episode, the news of new road construction in the papers is said to originate from the office of a Governor Applewood. The name is fictitious, the Governor of Minnesota in 1876 was John Pillsbury.
External links[]
| Previous episode: | Next episode: |
| For My Lady | Soldier's Return |