Little House on the Prairie: Season 4

1977 · 22 episodes · ★ 7.3

What Season 4 of Little House on the Prairie

The fourth season follows the Ingalls family in Walnut Grove, where Charles tries to get ahead in a frontier town where money is scarce and every decision carries weight. Debts threaten the farm and relations with neighbors, while Harriet Oleson's gossip fuels tensions with Nels. The family takes in outsiders and people in need, like an eccentric newcomer or a drifter Caroline hires to finish work on the house. Charles, Caroline and their daughters, especially Laura, are the heart of the episodes, which also feature fugitives hiding in town and a community under siege by wolves.

22episodes

Sep 12, 1977premiered

Mar 13, 1978Latest episode

18.7 hrtotal runtime

Season 4 Episodes

4x01 Castoffs
Sep 12, 1977 · 49 min
When Laura's dog, Jack, dies, her Pa gives her a new dog, Bandit, after the dog follows him home. Although the dog seems very friendly to Laura, Laura doesn't want it. When Laura later visits Aunt Kezia, a lonely women, she realizes that she really loves Bandit.
Directed by Michael Landon · Written by Tony Kayden · Starring: Jonathan Gilbert, Alison Arngrim, Kevin Hagen, Hermione Baddeley
4x02 Times of Change
Sep 19, 1977 · 49 min
After going to Chicago for the first time, Charles and Mary are very disappointed in what life in the city is really like.
Directing: William F. Claxton · Writing: Carole Raschella, Michael Raschella · Starring: Mike Lookinland, Paula Shaw, John Milford, Radames Pera
4x03 My Ellen
Sep 26, 1977 · 49 min
A mother is in deep denial over her daughter's death in a tragic drowning. To comfort herself, she kidnaps Laura, hoping she will take her late daughter's place.
Directed by Michael Landon · Written by Michael Landon · Starring: Kevin Hagen, Merlin Olsen, Dabbs Greer, James Wainwright
4x04 The Handyman
Oct 3, 1977 · 49 min
Charles must take a delivery to Mankato immediately and is unable to finish the addition to his house. Caroline hires a handsome man, Chris, to finish the house. Mary suspects that her Ma and Chris are falling in love.
Directed by William F. Claxton · Written by Arthur Heinemann · Starring: Jonathan Gilbert, Alison Arngrim, Kevin Hagen, Hermione Baddeley
4x05 The Wolves
Oct 17, 1977 · 49 min
Charles and Caroline go away and leave Mary in charge. Laura and Andy find some baby wolves.
Directing: Michael Landon · Writer: Lawrence Konner · Starring: Alison Arngrim, Kevin Hagen, Karl Swenson, Hersha Parady
4x06 The Creeper of Walnut Grove
Oct 24, 1977 · 49 min
Things are being stolen in Walnut Grove. Laura and Andy try to figure out who's the crook. They end up getting a lot of people mad at them, including Mr. Ingalls, especially after his hair turns green.
Directed by William F. Claxton · Written by John T. Dugan · Starring: Jonathan Gilbert, Alison Arngrim, Kevin Hagen, Karl Swenson
4x07 To Run and Hide
Oct 31, 1977 · 49 min
When Doc Baker is unable to save a patient of his, he believes that he is unhappy being a doctor. He finds a new doctor for the town. Doc Baker stays on when he realizes that the new doctor really doesn't care about his patients.
Directed by Michael Landon · Written by John T. Dugan · Starring: Queenie Smith, Kevin Hagen, Collin Wilcox Paxton, Burr DeBenning
4x08 The Aftermath
Nov 7, 1977 · 49 min
Jesse and Frank James hide out in Walnut Grove. The people of Walnut Grove find out who they really are when bounty hunters come looking for them.
Directed by William F. Claxton · Written by Don Balluck · Starring: Jonathan Gilbert, Alison Arngrim, Kevin Hagen, Michael Conrad
4x09 The High Cost of Being Right
Nov 14, 1977 · 49 min
After Mr. Garvey's barn burns to the ground with the crops inside, his wife, Alice, takes a job at the post office. Mr. Garvey opposes this believing that a man should be able to support his family. He is ready to get a divorce until he realizes what his stubborn pride was doing to his family.
Directing: Michael Landon · Writer: Don Balluck · Starring: Hersha Parady, Merlin Olsen, Patrick Labyorteaux
4x10 The Fighter
Nov 21, 1977 · 74 min
People in Walnut Grove are betting on a big boxing match in town. Mr. Ingalls does not know that he will be fighting an extremely sick person. That's why Charles is surprised in the ring when he is able to defeat his opponent so quickly. After his opponent collapses, he is brought to Doc Baker. Doc Baker is able to save him but warns him that he needs to stop fighting.
Directed by Michael Landon · Written by Michael Landon, Lawrence Konner · Starring: Jonathan Gilbert, Alison Arngrim, Kevin Hagen, Karl Swenson
4x11 Meet Me At the Fair
Nov 28, 1977 · 49 min
The Ingallses and Olesons take a trip to the fair. Patrick, a carnival worker and Mary's boyfriend, and his boss, Cass (a balloonist and suave ladies man) vie for Mary's attention; Charles and Nels entering a jackass riding contest; and Carrie has her own adventure.
Directed by William F. Claxton · Written by Arthur Heinemann, Bradley Berwick · Starring: Jonathan Gilbert, Alison Arngrim, Steve Eastin, Michael Morgan
4x12 Here Come the Brides
Dec 5, 1977 · 49 min
Adam Simms and his son Luke move into town. Adam falls in love with Miss Beadle, while Luke and Nellie Oleson fall for each other. After Miss Beadle talks to Nellie about love and marriage, Nellie and Luke decide to get married.
Directing: William F. Claxton · Writing: John T. Dugan, Robert F. Metzler · Starring: Jonathan Gilbert, Alison Arngrim, Ivor Francis, Charlotte Stewart
4x13 Freedom Flight
Dec 12, 1977 · 49 min
An Indian boy comes to Walnut Grove trying to get help for his sick father. The people of Walnut Grove become very hostile toward the Indians. Thanks to Mr. Ingalls' help the Indians are able to escape.
Directed by Michael Landon · Written by Ron Chiniquy, Richalene Kelsay · Starring: Kevin Hagen, Nick Ramus, Ruth Foster, Dick Alexander
4x14 The Rivals
Jan 9, 1978 · 48 min
Charles must try to save his business from a competitor. Laura, who is love with Jimmy Hill, must compete with somebody else for him.
Directing: William F. Claxton · Writers: John T. Dugan, Hindi Brooks · Starring: Jonathan Gilbert, Alison Arngrim, Don Starr, Chris Petersen
4x15 Whisper Country
Jan 16, 1978 · 48 min
Mary eagerly accepts a teaching job in a backwoods community, only to face the sternest test of her career and life when she meets the community's leader: an elderly woman who is totally against education but has concealed a shameful secret.
Directed by Michael Landon · Written by John Hawkins · Starring: Dabbs Greer
4x16 I Remember, I Remember
Jan 23, 1978 · 48 min
Mr. Ingalls is severely delayed when a wheel breaks on his wagon in the pouring rain. This is the day of Charles and Caroline's wedding anniversary. Everything had been all prepared and set up for that day. When Charles doesn't show up in time, Caroline tells the children how hard it was to get Charles to notice her and how many heartbreaks she had before she finally knew that Charles loved her.
Directed by William F. Claxton · Written by Arthur Heinemann · Starring: Katy Kurtzman, Nicolas Coster, Matthew Labyorteaux
4x17 Be My Friend
Jan 30, 1978 · 73 min
When Laura is playing along a creek, she finds a bottle with a note in it. The note read, ""Be my friend."" Laura convinces Pa to help her look for the person who sent the note. They end up finding a baby. Charles then searches for the parents of the child. The baby belongs to teen parents. The reason the mother left the baby for the Ingalls to find was because her dad was opposed to her being with the guy she conceived the child with. The young parents take the baby and try things again.
Directing: Michael Landon · Writing: Michael Landon · Starring: Jonathan Gilbert, Kevin Hagen, Donald Moffat, Woodrow Parfrey
4x18 The Inheritance
Feb 6, 1978 · 48 min
Mrs. Olesen may finally get to drive those ""homely"" Ingalls from Walnut Grove for good when the family gets an inheritance from a wealthy relative. Against their better judgement, Charles spends the money on farm equipment and other things before finding out he used worthless Confederate funds to make the purchases.
Directed by William F. Claxton · Written by Arthur Heinemann · Starring: Jonathan Gilbert, Alison Arngrim, Kevin Hagen, Karl Swenson
4x19 The Stranger
Feb 13, 1978 · 48 min
Nels' brother sends his 12-year-old son to Walnut Grove after repeated conflicts at home and school. When Mrs. Oleson interferes in her husband's plans to rehabilitate his nephew, Nels asks Charles to step in and teach the boy some values.
Directed by Michael Landon · Written by Arthur Heinemann · Starring: Jonathan Gilbert, Alison Arngrim, Michael Sharrett, Hersha Parady
4x20 A Most Precious Gift
Feb 27, 1978 · 48 min
Charles and Caroline are going to have another baby. Caroline constantly refers to the baby as he. Caroline delivers the baby sooner than expected causing Charles to be the doctor. The baby ends up being a girl, Grace.
Directed by Michael Landon · Written by Carole Raschella, Michael Raschella · Starring: Jonathan Gilbert, Alison Arngrim, Kevin Hagen, Hersha Parady
4x21 I'll Be Waving as You Drive Away (1)
Mar 6, 1978 · 48 min
Mary falls in love with Seth. When Mary's eyesight starts to get worse, Charles takes her to a specialist. He is devastated when the specialist tells him that Mary will lose her sight. Charles is unable to tell Mary for a while that she is going blind. When Mary does go blind, the whole family suffers.
Directed by William F. Claxton · Written by Carole Raschella, Michael Raschella · Starring: Jonathan Gilbert, Alison Arngrim, Kevin Hagen, Karl Swenson
4x22 I'll Be Waving as You Drive Away (2) Season Finale
Mar 13, 1978 · 48 min
Charles and Caroline sign Mary up for the blind school in Iowa. At first, Mary is very reluctant to learn anything at the school. However, after being with her teacher, Adam Kendall, for a while, she turns her outlook on life around. Mary is such a great student that Adam asks her to help her teach at a blind school with him.
Directed by William F. Claxton · Written by Carole Raschella, Michael Raschella · Starring: Jonathan Gilbert, Alison Arngrim, Kevin Hagen, Karl Swenson