The 4th of July, 1876, is fast approaching and the citizens of Walnut Grove are planning a community celebration. Mary is making the flag, with help from Caroline, and a Russian immigrant, who lost everything in his native country, promises to make a fine flag pole to raise it on.
Charles is out of sorts for a variety of reasons and that takes away quite a bit from the central theme of the episode. We remember how lucky we are to have all that we have when the Russian immigrant and his family lose everything based on a legal technicality to do with his land but the fact that he can still smile and is willing to try again is a lesson for everyone, especially Charles and those far more prosperous.moreless
AIRED:
Everyone in Walnut Grove is excited about the upcoming 100th birthday of the United States of America, and to commemmorate the occasion, the town is planning a community picnic, complete with games, fireworks, and a brand-new flagpole made by Yuli Pyatakov, a Russian immigrant who has moved to Walnut Grove with his wife and young son. Unfortunately, almost everyone's spirits plummet in the wake of a drastic tax increase, which creates problems for hard-working families like the Ingalls. Charles joins several other adults in his anger toward America, but it all becomes quite trivial when a special friend--whose trials are even greater than anything that the rest of the town can even imagine--reminds them what life is like outside of America's little corner of the world.moreless
 Melissa Gilbert |
Laura Elizabeth Ingalls/Wilder |
 Dabbs Greer |
Reverend Alden |
 Melissa Sue Anderson |
Mary Amelia Ingalls/Kendall (1974 - 1981) |
 Richard Bull |
Nels Oleson |
 Karl Swenson |
Mr. Lars Hanson (1974 - 1978) |
 Charlotte Stewart |
Miss Eva Beadle/Mrs. Simms (1974 - 1978) |
 Theodore Bikel |
Yuli Pyatakov |
Guest Star |
Kelly Thordsen |
Baker Makay |
Guest Star |
Ike Eisenmann |
Viktor Pyatakov |
Guest Star |
 Victor French |
Mr. Isaiah Edwards (guest star prior to season 2) |
Recurring Role |
Radames Pera |
John Sanderson Edwards |
Recurring Role |
 Bonnie Bartlett |
Grace Edwards |
Recurring Role |
Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions
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TRIVIA (5)
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Mary was concerned about how many stars to put on the flag, even considering that Colorado was about to become a state, but she put on the wrong number of stripes.
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Noted role actor William Schallert plays a character named Snell in this episode. He appears again as Reverend Dean Harmon (and a former love interest of Harriet Oleson) in the Season 6 story "The Preacher Takes a Wife.""
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The actress portraying Fanya Pyatakov is Lisa Pera, mother of actor Ramades Pera (John Jr.). She plays another immigrant, Maria Schiller, in Season 5's Harriet's Happenings. Actor Ike Isenmann played her son in both episodes.
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Brian Part and Ike Eisenmann both played in the movie "Return from Witch Mountain" together, just as they did in this episode.
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In this episode, the news of new road construction in the papers is said to originate from the office of a Governor Applewood. The name is fictitious, the Governor of Minnesota in 1876 was John Pillsbury.
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QUOTES (2)
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Charles: Well, you should've heard him. Not a complaint! He hasn't lost faith in this country, I'll tell you, because this country is the same one we've all been yelling about is the best darn country in the whole world!
Caroline: You don't have to convince me.
Charles: We ought to thank out lucky stars we live here. I'll tell you something else: the 200th birthday of this country is a darn important day, and we're going to celebrate it no matter what anybody else does!
Caroline: Would you mind telling the girls? They're just about convinced Minnesota is gonna secede from the Union.
Charles: Have I been that bad?
Caroline: Not just you. Everybody.
Charles: I'll go straighten that out right now.
Caroline: You'll have to go out to Taylor's Lake. They're finishing the flag there, and...they thought you might not approve.
Charles: I have been that bad... -
Hanson: You mark my words, some day they will tax a man on what he earns.
Thordsen: An income tax?
Hanson: Yeah...
Thordsen: Never happen in a thousand years.
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NOTES (3)
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Filming Locations: Filmed at Big Sky Ranch, Simi Valley, Basin Creek, Tuolumne, and Paramount Studios, Hollywood, California. -
This episode was technically filmed a season too late. The death of Charles Ingalls, Jr., explored in Season 1's "the Lord is My Shepherd", took place in August 1876. This episode, which aired a year and a half later, would have to had taken place in July 1876 to be historically accurate. Such chronology glitches were not uncommon in this series.
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While this episode centers around the celebration of Independance Day, it's clear it wasn't filmed during warm weather. In several scenes, the actors look visibly cold as a harsh wind blows. Even the Russian family is seen talking around a campfire, wearing coats/shawls in the middle of the day.
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Season 2 Episodes
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Going Home
Ep 21
Soldier's Return
Ep 20
Centennial
Ep 19
For My Lady
Ep 18
The Long Road Home
Ep 17
Troublemaker
Ep 16
The Runaway Caboose
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A Matter Of Faith
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His Father's Son
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The Gift
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Remember Me (2)
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