A Promise to Keep (1 Mar. 1982)

Mr. Edwards arrives back to Walnut Grove harboring some disturbing secrets, namely that his marriage was ruined because of his alcoholism. His inability to stay off the bottle nearly ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Landon

Writers:

Laura Ingalls Wilder (based upon the series of books "Little House" by), Vince Gutierrez

Stars:

Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, Melissa Gilbert

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Landon	...	Charles Ingalls
Karen Grassle	...	Caroline Ingalls
Melissa Gilbert	...	Laura Ingalls Wilder
Lindsay Greenbush	...	Carrie Ingalls (as Lindsay Sidney Greenbush)
Sidney Greenbush	...	Carrie Ingalls (as Lindsay Sidney Greenbush)
Richard Bull	...	Nels Oleson
Kevin Hagen	...	Dr. Hiram Baker
Dabbs Greer	...	Reverend Robert Alden
Matthew Labyorteaux	...	Albert Quinn Ingalls
Dean Butler	...	Almanzo James Wilder
Jason Bateman	...	James Cooper Ingalls
Melissa Francis	...	Cassandra Cooper Ingalls (as Missy Francis)
Wendi Turnbaugh	...	Grace Ingalls
Brenda Turnbaugh	...	Grace Ingalls
Ketty Lester	...	Hester-Sue Terhune

Storyline

Mr. Edwards arrives back to Walnut Grove harboring some disturbing secrets, namely that his marriage was ruined because of his alcoholism. His inability to stay off the bottle nearly destroys his cherished friendship with Charles when he causes an accident that nearly kills Albert. Charles tells Mr. Edwards to leave Walnut Grove and not come back, leaving Almanzo and Laura as his last hope.

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Genres:

Drama | Family | Romance | Western

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 March 1982 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Big Sky Ranch - 4927 Bennett Road, Simi Valley, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ed Friendly Productions, National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

During the funeral scene, Carrie Ingalls (portrayed by Lindsay Greenbush) darts her eyes directly at the camera.

User Reviews

Mr. Edwards' Hardships...

Today was Carl Edwards' birthday, and it would have been a very special day, but sadly, it was not, thanks in big part to his father. Where is Isaiah Edwards? Grace found him out in the barn, dead drunk. Yeah, poor Edwards never really got a handle on his drinking problem, and things had only gotten worse. So after embarrassing his son, dancing drunk with his daughter and collapsing into the cake, Grace finally let him know she'd had enough. Isaiah was no longer the man she originally fell in love with and all that gobblty-gook. So after putting up a short fight, Mr. Edwards relented and left. He went back to Walnut Grove and got reunited with Charles. So after meeting Almanzo and being brought up to speed on all that's happened since he left, he went over to see Half Pint and baby Rose, and at dinner that night, he was named Rose's godfather. Things were going great for Edwards, but little did anybody know that he was holding all of his pain inside. After hitting the bottle all night, Edwards went to Oleson's to find a cure for his cough. Nels introduced him to an elixir that's 50% alcohol. Edwards bought out his whole supply. Now he's abusing cough medicine. Edwards was in dire straights, and sadly, it was about to get worse.

In hopes of earning enough money to buy a microscope for a science project, Albert accompanies Edwards on a freight run to Sleepy Eye. After making the delivery and getting tanked at the saloon and making a spectacle of himself, Edwards was ready to go back. Well he wasn't so much ready was he was forced out of the saloon by the bartender. Albert helped him stagger back to their wagon, but the blitzed Edwards insisted on driving. Getting behind the reigns drunk, never a good idea. An especially hard jaunt forced Albert from his seat to the ground, where an oncoming wagon ran right over him. He was taken to Doc Baker, who stated the injury was quite severe and if worse comes to worse, Albert could lose a leg. After hearing what happened, an infuriated Charles went to confront Edwards, who was of course drunk. Charles told him he wanted nothing more to do with him and told to leave. Even his life-long friend had given up on him, so Edwards felt he had no choice but to leave, but thankfully, one person has yet to give up on him. That's right, Half Pint! Laura refused to turn her back on the man that was like a second father to her, and she was determined to help him be his old self again. Well things went okay, until Edwards received a letter from Grace. Seems she met a new man named Nathan Simms (isn't that who Miss Beadle married? Is this guy an Arabian prince?) and thus their marriage was no-more. Feeling he had nowhere else to turn, Edwards humbled himself by going to church and confiding in Reverend Alden and God. So in the end, it all worked out. Albert was fine, Charles and Edwards made amends, and best of all, Edwards kissed the bottle goodbye. This was the start of a whole new life for him, and hopefully this one would be filled with as few hardships as possible.

Glad to see Victor French return the series after a 5 year absence, though he did appear in Season 6's "The Return of Mr. Edwards" and again in "Chicago", earlier in this season. I would consider "A Promise to Keep" to close out this unofficial Edwards Hardship Trilogy. Seems the injury of his daughter and the death of his son, John Jr., is what drove Edwards to drink. It's a shame he lost Grace and his kids, but he still has his other family to turn to- Charles, Laura and the rest of the family. This episode is quite good and pretty dramatic, particularly the scene where Charles confronts Edwards after Albert's accident. Very tense, especially when taking into consideration all the two had been through. So, great acting and directing by Michael Landon, a brilliant performance by Victor French, it was just all good. If you like Mr. Edwards, you ought to see his rise from the abyss and return to the happy life, then this is one episode you should see. And remember, do NOT get behind the reigns when you're drunk.