Gambini The Great

Season 8, Episode 6, Aired

Episode Summary

EDIT
3.6
out of 10
EPISODE RATING: Bad
75 votes
  • Your Rating: 10
    "Perfect"
  • Your Rating: 9.5
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 9
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 8.5
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 8
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 7.5
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 7
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 6.5
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 6
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 5.5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 4.5
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 4
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 3.5
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 3
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 2.5
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 2
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 1.5
    "Abysmal"
  • Your Rating: 1
    "Abysmal"
Rate Now!
In the wake of a frightening near-death experience, ruthless daredevil "Gambini the Great" agrees with his wife's advice to retire, but when his oldest son refuses to carry on the family business, Gambini disowns him, then chooses to maintain the position until his younger son is old enough to take over. The next stop for Gambini's act is Walnut Grove, and as they practice in town, Willie and Albert are both influenced by the shocking stunts that they witness. Albert's thoughtless disregard for his own safety prompts Charles to take action, but nothing can stop Gambini from making his own decisions for his family, and as the night of the big show draws near, everyone is about to learn a painful lesson.moreless
WRITE A REVIEW FAN RECAP

Cast & Crew

See All EDIT

Fan Episode Reviews (1)

See All

  • Roll out the Walnut Grove "circus music"...again...and then throw in a sprinkle of Italian accents, a pinch of star-eyed townsfolk, and an overdose of bad acting, and you have a recipe for a particularly bad LHOP episode!moreless

    2.3
    "Terrible"
    By millerem99, Dec 10, 2011
    I can not believe that this episode was allowed to air. It's embarassing, gimmicky, and cliched. The circus is in town...AGAIN...and it's run by an aging, overzealous has-been who has disowned his own child for not following in his footsteps but glimpses potential in Albert (Pete Ellerbee in Season Seven's "Fight Team Fight!" anyone?) Albert manages to get himself nearly killed and meanwhile sasses Pa a couple times before deliberately defying him, Harriet Oleson is starstruck over the performers, and an out-of-shape geriatric ignores common sense and breaks a promise to his wife (remember Season Six's "The King is Dead"?) to relive his glory days in this loose copycat of Houdini.moreless
WRITE A REVIEW
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

See All

FILTER BY TYPE

  • TRIVIA (2)

    ADD TRIVIA

    • When Gambini escapes from being tied up in the creek and is under water for over a minute, he finally breaks the surface and walks up to the praise of the on-lookers. Note that he isn't breathing hard, nor does he appear overexerted in any way.

    • Actress Martha Nix plays a sweet, quiet new student named Amy in this episode. Amy is never seen again, but Nix also appeared three years ago, in Season 5's The Sound of Children, as a girl named Holly. Ironically, in that Season 5 episode, Nix's character was a little girl who had a huge crush on the older Albert, but he wasn't interested. Now, in this episode, it's Albert who really likes her, and although she's nice to him, she's not all that lovestruck.

  • QUOTES (1)

    ADD QUOTES

  • NOTES (3)

    ADD NOTES

    • Stephen Manley, who portrays Marco here, went on to play a teenaged Mr. Spock in the movieStar Trek III: The Search for Spock.

    • Jeri Taylor is better known for shaping the Star Trek Universe with her work on The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager. She even wrote the "bible" on Captain Janeway with her "Offical" Star Trek novel-Pathways & Mosaic.

    • This episode makes a strong statement about hero worship -- worshipping entertainers (such as Gambini) vs. following the paths of true heroes (i.e., Dr. Baker).

  • ALLUSIONS (0)

    ADD ALLUSIONS

Little House on the Prairie Forums


Add a Topic See All
Last Activity
Replies

Related Shows

Season 8 Episodes

See All
Ep 22
He Was Only Twelve (2)
Ep 21
He Was Only Twelve (1)
Ep 20
A Faraway Cry
Ep 19
A Promise To Keep
Ep 18
Days of Sunshine, Days of ...
Ep 17
Days of Sunshine, Days of ...
Ep 16
Second Chance
Ep 15
Uncle Jed
Ep 14
The Legacy
Ep 13
Stone Soup
Ep 12
No Beast So Fierce
Ep 11
A Christmas They Never Forgot
Ep 10
Wave of the Future
Ep 9
For The Love of Nancy
Ep 8
Chicago
Ep 7
The Legend of Black Jake
Ep 6
Gambini The Great
Ep 5
A Wiser Heart
Ep 4
Dark Sage
Ep 3
Growin' Pains
Ep 2
The Reincarnation of Nelli...
Ep 1
The Reincarnation of Nelli...

Contributors

Become a contributor
More
Less

TV Listings

Full Listings
TV.com Properties | Shows | Videos | News | Listings | Forums | People | Photos | TV.com Blog

CBS Entertainment | About TV.com | About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Ad Choice | Terms of Use