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Little House on the Prairie - The Complete Season 4

Little House on the Prairie - The Complete Season 4

List Price: $49.95
Your Price: $37.46
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Confused consumer
Review: It says all 21 episodes, but on guidelists there are 22 episodes. Castoffs is ignored in syndication and on the dvd, why? Arent we buying the dvd's to see the show that was originally broadcast. I am boycotting all future dvds, due to this lack of respect by the distributors!

Season 4

67. 4- 1 12 Sep 77 Castoffs
68. 4- 2 19 Sep 77 Times of Change
69. 4- 3 26 Sep 77 My Ellen
70. 4- 4 3 Oct 77 The Handyman
71. 4- 5 17 Oct 77 The Wolves
72. 4- 6 24 Oct 77 The Creeper of Walnut Grove
73. 4- 7 31 Oct 77 To Run and Hide
74. 4- 8 7 Nov 77 The Aftermath
75. 4- 9 14 Nov 77 The High Cost of Being Right
76. 4-10 21 Nov 77 The Fighter
77. 4-11 28 Nov 77 Meet Me At the Fair
78. 4-12 5 Dec 77 Here Come the Brides
79. 4-13 12 Dec 77 Freedom Flight
80. 4-14 9 Jan 78 The Rivals
81. 4-15 16 Jan 78 Whisper Country
82. 4-16 23 Jan 78 I Remember, I Remember
83. 4-17 30 Jan 78 Be My Friend
84. 4-18 6 Feb 78 The Inheritance
85. 4-19 20 Feb 78 The Stranger
86. 4-20 27 Feb 78 A Most Precious Gift
87. 4-21 6 Mar 78 I'll Be Waving As You Drive Away (1)
88. 4-22 13 Mar 78 I'll Be Waving As You Drive Away (2)

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Great Show, Lousy DVD!
Review: Little House is one of the best family shows ever made and deserves far better treatment than what is given here. DVD seasons 1-3 suffer from the same problems, but season 4 seems to be the runt of the litter. There are a number of problems from poor audio (there are times when someone is speaking and no sound at all is heard), lack of picture clearness, horrible editing, deleted scenes and an overall feeling of inbalance. The people responsible for this abonimation should be ashamed of themselves.
Stick with the VHS.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Spectacular
Review: My Mom and my Aunt grew up watching Little House On Yhe Prairie"
every Monday Night at 7PM. They both loved it in it's entirety. And now that they have passed it on to me through these DVD's, I can surely see why they loved them and still love them so much. My Aunt is trying to get the whole library of LHOTP DVD's. I sure hope she does because I think they are the best things kids need to be watching on TV.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: New Arrivals ...Wonderful Moments...DVDs Need Some Work
Review: Season 4 of the Little House series brings lots of firsts. The first season with the Garvey's, the first appearance by Kezia, the arrival of baby Grace, Joe Kagen is introduced, it is the season that Mary loses her sight, but meets Adam Kendall, and of course in the very first episode we meet "Bandit". We say goodbye to "Jack" the dog and the Edwards family is also gone with no explanation(maybe Harriet has them tied up somewhere!).

It is a season filled with emotion, love and a sprinkling of comedy. The girls are a little older and dealing with joys and woes of life. Mary and Pa visit Chicago, and both are in for big disappointments in "Times of Change". Doc Baker decides to pack up his medicine bag and become a farmer when he loses a patient in "To Run and Hide". Divorce is a frightening word in Walnut Grove as Johnathon and Alice Garvey cannot agree in "The High Cost of Being Right", but will leave you smiling in the end. "The Fighter" is one of my personal favorites, as Charles cares for an aging and weary Joe Kagen. Laura and Pa both discover that trying to be something you're not will not always bring the intented results in "The Rivals". Mary goes toe to toe with Miss Peal in her first teaching assignment and discovers she is up against a powerful woman in "Whisper Country". "Here Come the Brides", will have you chuckling out loud as Harriet is aghast at Nellie's romance with a pig farmer. You'll be smilin and sighin as Caroline recalls memories of her first date with a young Charles in "I Remember, I Remember". "A Most Precious Gift" has an expecting Caroline obsessed with wanting a boy, and just try and keep a dry eye in the very emotional rollercoaster Mary takes us one as she loses her sight, is devastated, and then finds her calling after Pa sends her to a school for the blind in the very touching 2 parter "I'll Be Waving As You Drive Away".

Those are just a few of the highlights. There are 21 of these wonderful stories, that may be enjoyed by the entire family. A total of 18 hours of viewing pleasure(6 discs). This is vintage TV, that hasn't lost a bit of it's appeal and will surely be viewed repeatedly, and by each new generation.

Okay the DVDs....For the most part the picture was clear with good color. This varied though from disc to disc and sometimes even episode to episode. There were a couple that were full of dirt and scratches. The bigger problem would be in the editing. The transition from scenes to scene where the commercials used to be is awful. Sometimes they even cut someone off in mid-sentence. It's almost like going in to your favorite resaurtant, ordering your favorite dish, only to find that it was prepared by a different Chef.

There is a phamphlet in the case(same fold out type as the first three seasons), that lists all the episodes with a brief summary, which is very nice, especially if you are looking for a particular story. The special features indicated on the pamphlet and box, and also on the buying info here are not exaclty what they say. First of all, there is closed-captioning listed. I could not find this anywhere on any menu of any disc. The Special Feature.."Looking Back at Season 4"(found on disc 3) are moments and memories from the show recalled by some of the stars, and it's real intersting stuff, but...these are not live interviews, they are in the form of notes. I was a bit disappointed with that. There is scene selection for each episode, with about 5 stops, that's pretty good for a 45 minute view.

The stories are wonderful. The little town of Walnut Grove and it's occupants feel like home and family, and are exceptionally inspiring. David Rose's music as always sets the perfect tone for each character and event. 5 stars for the season. I will continue to purchase and view each and every season. The way they leave you feeling outweighs the few problems I mentioned. However, there really needs to be some subtitles for those who need them, and the transfers need a little work.

Enjoy Season 4......Laurie



Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Stories...video quality lacking
Review: The episodes were great. The humor, love, tears, empaty, were all there in episodes I re-lived, some of which I had forgotton or not seen . Not to be missed, a real family series and maybe an "education" for youth today who see so much action without meaning.....this could change their minds.
However, the DVD video quality seems to have less resolution than the previous DVD's of series 1-3, it seems a little "fuzzy" on the same screens compared to the previous ones. Doesn't bother my wife....its just that I noticed it and compared it with a seasons 3 set.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Stories...video quality lacking
Review: The episodes were great. The humor, love, tears, empaty, were all there in episodes I re-lived, some of which I had forgotton or not seen . Not to be missed, a real family series and maybe an "education" for youth today who see so much action without meaning.....this could change their minds.
However, the DVD video quality seems to have less resolution than the previous DVD's of series 1-3, it seems a little "fuzzy" on the same screens compared to the previous ones. Doesn't bother my wife....its just that I noticed it and compared it with a seasons 3 set.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Buy it anyway!
Review: This 4th in the series suffers from the same problems that plagued the previous 3 releases. Picture quality varies greatly from episode to episode. Sometimes the prairie has never looked greener. Other times, it looks like you are watching the show projected onto a sheet! Occassionally that dreaded videotape tracking rainbow shimmies up your screen! The sound quality is all over the map as well. Most annoying is the transitions for commercial breaks...half the time, instead of a nice fade to black, there is just a jolting jump to the next scene, sometimes interrupting a line of dialogue!


But what are you gonna do, NOT buy it? The price is excellent and I'm glad to have it for the family to enjoy.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Poor Michael Landon!
Review: This is so sad.

Here I was happy to be able to get all those seasons of "Little House" in such wonderful crisp picture quality on DVD. And then came season 3 out and the trouble began. All of a sudden the picture quality was not there anymore. (Other reviewers wrote about it already.) It looked worse than anything I had ever seen being offered on DVD before.

I had been looking forward to buying all the seasons for my family and my grandchildren. We know the stories from its first airing on TV. What was I supposed to do? I did buy season 4 again to see if it got better. It did not improve. It was just as bad again, maybe worse. I will not buy any further seasons anymore if these transfers stay as poor in picture quality as they are now. Even if it means that I and my family will cry about it. I will show them "The Waltons", "Anne of Green Gables" and "Road to Avonlea" instead.

At least you don't have to see what they are doing to your creation, Michael Landon!

I am so sorry for you! For me! For all of us!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Five stars for the story!
Review: This television series is based on the books of Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957), who wrote the story of her family's life on the prairie. I read these books growing up and then loved the TV series as well. Michael Landon, that I had seen on "Bonanza", was the icing on the cake: one of my favorite actors helping to tell one of my favorite stories.

Here's an episode guide, with a tiny description:

1. Castoffs: Pa gives Laura a new dog after her dog Jack dies. She doesn't want a new dog.

2. Times Of Change: Charles and Mary are very disappointed in what life in Chicago is really like.

3. My Ellen: Friend Ellen drowns and Ellen's mother thinks that Laura is her daughter.

4. The Handyman: When Charles is away, Mary suspects that Caroline and a hired man are falling in love.

5. The Wolves: After Laura and Andy set up a pen for wolf cubs in the barn, wild dogs try to get into the barn.

6.. The Creeper of Walnut Grove: Laura and Andy try to figure who is stealing things in Walnut Grove with hilarious results.

7. To Run And Hide: Dr. Baker finds a new doctor for the town after he loses a patient, only to find that the new doctor may not be so dedicated.

8. The Aftermath: Jesse and Frank James take hostages.

9. The High Cost Of Being Right: After their barn burns down, Mr. Garvey's wife gets a job in spite his objections.

10. The Fighter: Charles boxes a man who turns out to be very ill.

11. Meet Me At The Fair: At the fair, Carrie climbs into the basket of a hot air balloon.

12. Here Come The Brides: A newcomer falls in love with Miss Beadle, and Nellie Oleson falls in love with the newcomer's son.

13. Freedom Flight: The citizens of Walnut Grove are hostile toward an Indian boy and his sick father.

14. The Rivals: Charles tries to save his business from a competitor. Laura competes with another girl for a boy that she loves.

15. Whisper Country: As a new teacher in a backwoods community, Mary gets opposition from a resident who tries to convince everyone that a school isn't needed.

16. I Remember, I Remember: On Charles and Caroline's wedding anniversary, Charles is unable to make it home on time.

17. Be My Friend: Laura and her Pa find a baby.

18. The Inheritance: Charles spends an inheritance and then discovers the money is worthless.

19. The Stranger: Mr Oleson sends his nephew to Charles to learn some morals.

20. A Most Precious Gift: Caroline has a new baby.

21. I'll Be Waving As You Drive Away (1): Mary goes blind.

22. I'll Be Waving As You Drive Away (2): Mary goes to a blind school in Iowa.

I hope that Goldhil Home Media corrects what were problems in early season DVD's with some audio and visual quality problems, cut scenes, and episodes out of order. The improvements we saw in the third season included chapters within episodes, and credits with each episode. Although LHOTP was geared toward children, many adults watch it. I hope that whoever is putting season 4 together has realized that and makes the other needed improvements! This is a five star show and deserves five star DVD treatment!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: OK, but I cannot be silent anymore.
Review: Up until this point I have not written a review because I am such a huge Little House fan. When the first season came out I was REALLY happy! The DVDs were great and the BEST part was that I saw a lot of extra uncut scenes!! But, with the next season there were NO uncut scenes. Both this fact and the decrease in quality with each additional release make me somewhat disappointed. Each time I wonder if I should purchase the next season. It looks like they are not paying attention to detail and not going the extra mile by putting the uncut scenes and extras we are used to on DVDs (that is why they cost more than VHS right?). Oh well...


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