Whisper Country (16 Jan. 1978)

On Rev. Alden's recommendation, Mary is hired as a teacher in a small backwoods community called Willow Run. There, she is met with pure hatred from its town leader, Miss Peel, an elderly ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Landon

Writers:

Blanche Hanalis (developed for television by), Laura Ingalls Wilder (based upon the series of books "Little House" by),

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
Melissa Sue Anderson	...	Mary Ingalls
Lindsay Greenbush	...	Carrie Ingalls (as Lindsay Sidney Greenbush)
Sidney Greenbush	...	Carrie Ingalls (as Lindsay Sidney Greenbush)
Dabbs Greer	...	Reverend Robert Alden
John McLiam	...	Caleb Fisher
Sandy McPeak	...	Jacob Bond
Mark Neely	...	Joshua Bond
Anita Dangler	...	Miss Rachel Peel
Dee Croxton	...	Ellen Fisher
Linda McMillan	...	Katie Fisher
Nancy Pearlberg	...	Mrs. Bond
Michelle Downey	...	Sarah Miller

Storyline

On Rev. Alden's recommendation, Mary is hired as a teacher in a small backwoods community called Willow Run. There, she is met with pure hatred from its town leader, Miss Peel, an elderly woman who is fiercely opposed to the school. Miss Peel's determination to drive Mary from town proves to be a severe test to the Ingalls girl's resolve and character.

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Plot Keywords:

hillbilly | superstition | witchcraft | illiteracy | backwards

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Genres:

Drama | Family | Romance | Western

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 January 1978 (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?

Trivia

All though we assume that the Ingalls are Christian because they attend a Christian church,in the Jewish tradition, the ninth commandment is "You shall not bear false witness." The script for this episode was written by Michael Landon, a Jew, so we can assume that it is still accurate.

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Soundtracks

"Jesus Loves Me"
(uncredited)
Words by Anna B. Warner (1860) and David Rutherford McGuire
Music by William B. Bradbury (1862)
Sung by the church congregation

User Reviews

Mary's Got Her Work Cut Out For Her!

Mary has been offered a teaching job, at Reverend Alden's behest. It's in a school located in a small community smack dab in the middle of nowhere, standoffish people, little resources and a crazy woman who managed to chase the last teacher away. Regardless, Mary wanted the job. If she could make it there, she could make it anywhere. Alden and Mary left first thing the next morning, and when they arrived, her new students stared at her like she were from another planet. She met her boarder, an old man named Caleb who didn't care one way or another. So Reverend Alden wished Mary good luck, as she was sure going to need it, and left. The classroom seemed adequate enough. It had a desk, chairs, a blackboard and...well, that was about it. She also met the talk of the town, Miss Rachel Peel. How do I describe Miss Peel? Imagine Harriet Oleson if she were not quirky, not funny, very religious and more aggressive. She's Harriet times ten. It's not too late to turn back, Mary. So after work, Mary was taken to her home with the Fishers, who were about as lifeless as everyone else in the town. So the next day, after learning that Miss Peel is also an arsonist, Mary began her second day of teaching the Children of the Corn. She met a smart-ass named Joshua Bond who interfered with her lesson plan, and later, Caleb gave her hell over it and called her story about the telephone a lie. She told him off and he just stood there in disbelief.

As if soulless and lifeless weren't enough to describe these people, they're all superstitious. Mary found a rooster tied up near the house and set it free, but according to Caleb, a tied up rooster meant good luck, so of course he flipped out. On the plus side, Joshua learned to behave himself so he was allowed to stay at school. But then he tried to hit on Mary, and Miss Peel saw, saying they were both doomed to eternal damnation. Finally, as if we haven't met enough delightful people in this town, Joshua's father Jacob came over to confront Mary, and he's about as crazy as Miss Peel. Mary ran home in tears, and I don't blame her one damn bit. She felt like a failure, and worst of all, Miss Peel had been spreading false rumors about Mary and since the small-minded people in those parts believe her to be a soothsayer/witch, they listened. Mary intended to prove her wrong, so she decided to drop in on Miss Peel during one of her Sunday services. Charles came along for moral support. So as Miss Peel prepared to deliver the gospel un-truth, Mary and Charles burst in. Miss Ingalls began reciting the Ten Commandments, most of which seemed foreign to Peel. You know, it almost seems as if Miss Peel never even read the Bible. Guess what? She didn't. Mary screamed at her to read, but she couldn't. She was illiterate, and because of this, she hated books and wanted the school closed. Miss Peel held the Bible over her head, as if trying to cast some spell or bring down the lightning, but none came and she looked quite the fool. Next she made Joshua confess to his misdeed that started all this "jezebel" talk. The community slowly began to realize that Miss Peel was no soothsayer or nothing, just a raving lunatic. They all sang the praises of Jesus Christ, and Mary extended a hand to Miss Peel, and so all was well. I imagine Mary stayed on a little longer as teacher and then got the hell outta there. Miss Peel probably wound up in a mental institution, along with the mother from "My Ellen." Finally, Ellen Fisher probably wised up and left her abusive husband, so they all lived happily ever after.

While this one may be difficult to watch for the first half, it was still very well done. Melissa Sue Anderson was outstanding, as always. Anita Dangler was great as Miss Peel, and what a character she was. Those eyes of hers borough into your soul. John McLiam was good as Caleb Fisher, a real stick-in-the-mud who still lived in the 18th century. Now I've seen edits of this episode online, where someone takes the footage of Mary yelling at Miss Peel and puts it opposite Anna from "The Music Box" trying to read, it really makes Mary look like a horrible person. So if you like Mary, you like stories about characters out of their element, Whisper Country is one to see.