Little House on the Prairie
Season 2, Episode 20
Episode	44
Air date	March 17, 1967
Written by	John Hawkins
Directed by	William F. Claxton
Episode Guide
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PlotEdit

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.

CastEdit

• Michael Landon: Charles Ingalls
• Karen Grassle: Caroline Ingalls
• Melissa Gilbert: Laura Ingalls
• Melissa Sue Anderson: Mary Ingalls
• Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush: Carrie Ingalls
• Barney: Jack

TriviaEdit

• 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 Isenmann 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 linksEdit

• IMDb
• IMDb
• TV Guide