(Contains comments from my reviews of previous sets) If anyone were to ask me to name one of the best family oriented shows to ever hit network television, I would without hesitation, say “Little House on the Prairie.” A couple of weeks ago I told you about the release of the original pilot episode for “Little House on the Prairie” and marveled at the fact that it had been thirty years since the premiere of the long-running series. Because I grew up with a taste for all styles of entertainment, I was as much at home watching “Little House on the Prairie” as I was almost any other type of show.

I was impressed with the series from the outset, and tuned in every week for the entirety of its ten-year run.During that time, it never wavered from its original premise, which was to tell a good story while teaching simple lessons in values. Since the show ran for so many years, viewers were also able to watch as the youngest of the Ingalls family grew up, married and eventually moved on.

Though there had been a few good family shows during the early years of television, there were fewer and fewer as we moved into the 1970s. What “Little House on the Prairie” was able to do was prove there was an audience for this type of positive programming, and paved the way for the few family shows that have followed in its wake. Shows like “Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman”, “Highway to Heaven” and “Touched by an Angel” might have never made it onto a major network if it hadn’t been for “Little House…”

The thing I find funny is though the ratings proved that “Little House on the Prairie” was insanely popular, I’m actually hard-pressed to find people willing to admit they watched it. Many of my friends call the show way too saccharine to ever waste their time on. For some reason people seem to be embarrassed to admit they watched the show, and I think this in part held up it’s release on DVD. Some distributors probably felt no one would buy it, and kept their attention focused on shows they deemed more profitable. Fortunately there are distributors out there willing to take a chance, and I applaud Goldhil Home Media getting together with Imavision and releasing not one, but two whole seasons of “Little House on the Prairie” at the same time.

The 1st season of “Little House…” (1974 - 1975), based on the popular books by the real Laura Ingalls Wilder, was a hit almost right out of the gate. Over the course of those first 23 episodes, the series took chances by touching on some really tough issues and circumstances.

Lessons in friendship and people coming together are prevalent in the very first episode when patriarch Charles Ingalls (Michael Landon) has to take on several jobs in order to get the family farm set up. When he is injured and can’t fulfill his responsibilities, the family tries to fill in for him, and when they cannot carry the burden, the men of Walnut Grove come together to finish the work. You’d have a hard time finding that kind of unselfishness today.

The 5th season is hitting store shelves and once again “Little House on the Prairie” proves it’s mettle with yet another strong season. The two-part season premiere “As Long as We’re Together” sees the Ingalls family moving closer to Mary (who is now teaching school for the blind in Winoka) due to poor economic conditions. Fortunately, this move is short-lived when they decide to get away from the city’s hustle and bustle and back to the quiet peaceful life in Walnut Grove just a few episodes later. Of course, when they get there, they find that the town has been severely neglected and along with the Garveys and the Olesons, set about to clean things up.

Another stand-out is the two-part “Blind Journey”, in which the blind school in Winoka is forced to close. Fearing their children won’t get an education, the people of Walnut Grove band together to convert an old house into a new school. Anti-Semitism is touched on in the episode “The Craftsman” when Albert (Matthew Laborteaux) goes to work as an apprentice to an elderly Jewish man. All in all, the 5th season delivers the goods on each and every episode.

The past DVD sets have had their share of extra features, though they haven’t been many. This new 5th season set includes two great interviews, the first with Dabbs Greer (Reverend Alden) while the second is with Alison Arngrim (Nellie Oleson). They run 10 minutes and 12 minutes respectively, and were done recently for this DVD set. Both interviews are a treat. For me personally, it was kind of cool to see Alison interviewed because I remember meeting her about 15 years ago when she was doing stand-up comedy. She was incredibly funny and picked on me because I was the only person to raise my hand in the audience when she asked who had seen “Little House.” We spoke for a while after her show and she was genuinely charming. There is also a Trivia Challenge on the final disk, put together by author/journalist Patrick Loubatiere (who also conducted the interviews), that was pretty tough unless you had just watched the DVDs. Memories of past viewings don’t quite hold up so well at my advanced age.

So far all of the DVD sets have been handsomely put together with box slipcases that hold foldout disc holders, each containing six discs. The foldouts are adorned with photos from the series, and each disc has a picture of one of the main characters. The sets also include welcome booklets that list each episode along with a brief synopsis.

I’ve heard there has been some question as to the quality of the transfers, and after watching quite a few of the episodes from each set, I’d like to put those comments to rest. For those who are not too picky and just want to watch the shows, the transfers are fine. There are some minor spots and scratches that were probably on the original prints, but they aren’t even remotely bothersome. The only people who will complain are those with super high-end audio / visual equipment who expect perfection on their discs. These guys complain about the slightest glitches, so they’ll probably go nuts over these. If you’re only interest is in having some really good copies of the series to watch whenever you like, I doubt you’ll have a problem. As it stands, there are have been improvements with each set, and now I think there is even less for the whiners to whine about.

Personally, I’m just thrilled to have access to one of the best family shows to ever air on network television. I now have the ability to share it with my family, which now includes a new a baby little girl. I can’t wait to start watching with her when she’s old enough to enjoy and appreciate the series, and perhaps even identify with Laura Ingalls. (Hmmm, I’ll have to start reading her the books to get her ready…)

I’m very glad to see that sales of these sets have been lucrative enough for Imavision to keep releasing them. Only five more seasons to go!!

Episodes :
As Long As We're Together - Part 1
As Long As We're Together - Part 2
The Winoka Warriors
The Man Inside
There's No Place Like Home - Part 1
There's No Place Like Home - Part 2
Fagin
Harriet's Happenings
The Wedding
Men Will Be Boys
The Cheaters
Blind Journey - Part 1
Blind Journey - Part 2
The Godsister
The Craftsman
Blind Man's Bluff
Dance With Me
The Sound of Children
The Lake Kezia Monster
Barn Burner
Enchanted Cottage
Someone Please Love Me
Mortal Mission
The Odyssey

Starring: Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, Melissa Gilbert, Melissa Sue Anderson, and Victor French
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: Goldhil Home Media / Imavision / NBC Home Video
Release Date: 6/29/2004
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Little House on the Prairie: Season 5 an A.