| "Doctor's Lady" | |
| Season 1, Episode 17 #17 overall in Series | |
 | |
| Series: | Little House on the Prairie |
| Network/Country: | NBC |
| Original air date | January 22, 1975 |
| Production code | 1016 |
| Episode Guide | |
 IMDb
|
Doctor's Lady |
| Written by | Arthur Heinemann |
| Directed by | Lewis Allen |
| Episode Chronology | |
| Previous episode: "Family Quarrel" |
Next episode: "Plague" |
When Mrs. Oleson's niece Kate comes to visit, Doctor Baker falls for her and proceeds to court her. Unfortunately doubt lingering in his mind about his age causes his hopes for a happy relationship to fade. He must wrestle between his love for Kate and his fear concerning his age to make a difficult decision.
Description[]
Dr. Baker falls in love with Harriet's niece, Kate. He has to admit that she is too young for him when he sees Kate playing with Mary and Laura.
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
- Kevin Hagen as Dr. Hiram Baker
- Karl Swenson as Lars Hanson
Guest Stars[]
- Anne Archer as Kate Thorvald
- Douglas Dirkson as Ole Olafsen
- Bea Morris as Helga Olafsen
- Steven Kunz as Hans Olafsen
Uncredited Supporting Cast[]
- Ruth Foster as Melinda Foster
- Hal Burton as Townsman on Horse
Trivia[]
- Caroline challenges her husband's "if it's right for them, then it's right" theory by asking him how he'd feel if a man older than him wanted to marry one of his daughters. Although that never happened to Charles, he did have trouble accepting Laura's love interest Almanzo Wilder five years later because he was a significant number of years older. What's more, the real-life Grace Ingalls--who was born in Season 4 and was the youngest Ingalls child--married a 42-year-old man when she herself was 24!
- Season 9's "Love" shares a lot in common with this episode. Mr. Edwards falls for a young girl who is half his age--only to realize that marriage would eventually be a burden to her.
- Actress Anne Archer, who played Kate in this episode, is the daughter of Marjorie Lord from Make Room for Granddaddy. Anne is perhaps best known for her role in the film Fatal Attraction.
External links[]
| Previous episode: | Next episode: |
| Family Quarrel | Plague |