Money Crop

Season 1, Episode 21, Aired
EDIT

Episode Summary

A college-educated farmer named Joe Coulter moves to Walnut Grove with his wife, who is expecting a child. Joe tells the Walnut Grove-area farmers of a new hybrid of corn that would produce good crops, to which the farmers are very enthused, and he even agrees to collect everyone's money and take the trip out to Mankato to purchase the corn for everyone. After a fateful accident on the way home, Joe is unable to return on time, and while several of the men in town turn against both Joe and his emotionally strained wife, each member of the Ingalls family does their part to defend the Coulters' honor in the face of such confusion.moreless
8.1
out of 10
EPISODE RATING: Great
54 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 It

Cast & Crew

See All EDIT

Fan Episode Reviews (3)

See All

  • Joe Coulter and his pregnant young wife are new residents of Walnut Grove. Joe has a never money-making idea, but, when things go wrong, it seems that only Charles will defend him.moreless

    6.0
    "Fair"
    By Lady_Lancaster, Jul 03, 2011 Report Abuse
    Charles Coulter has a college education and knows a good deal about crops and things of that nature. When he and his pregnant wife arrive in Walnut Grove, he is quick to tell the farmers of an idea he has to plant corn instead of wheat, the price of which has decreased dramatically.

    Coulter, it seems, can get the seed cheaply through his father-in-law, who lives some distance away. The other farmers decide to jump on the bandwagon and give him enough money to travel a long way in order to buy seed for everybody's land.

    When Joe has an accident with his wagon on his return journey, the crows, literally, start to circle, but not as viciously as those in Walnut Grove who are convinced that he has run off with their money. Only Charles and Mr. Hansen believe that all will be well, while the others whine and complain a great deal.

    Finally, Charles sets out to look for him and finds him injured and the wagon upturned. When the shamefaced farmers realise what has happened, they all come along with their own ploughs to plough and sow his fields as he cannot do so due to a badly injured leg.

    Pretty dull as episodes go as not a lot actually happened when it's all said and done.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    2 1

  • After convincing the farmers of Hero township to try a new crop, a new local farmer takes their money to go buy the seed--and disapperars.

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By ceosmom, Nov 15, 2010 Report Abuse
    The Coulters are the new farm couple in Hero Township, and there's a twist--Joseph Coulter is educated in the field of agriculture and tells the farmers of Walnut Grove that he can teach them to raise their incomes while raising a new crop--corn. The farmers all agree to give it a try and send Joe off to the big city with all of their money, where he'll order the new seed. When he fails to return within the estimated time frame, several of the farmers in town turn on his wife--a small, frail pregnant woman--verbally abusing her to the point where she collapses and nearly miscarries. Charles decides to head off to look for Joe, and finds him near death at the bottom of a gulley, where his wagon had crashed and flipped days earlier after running off the road. Flash forward to a bunch of thouroughly shamed, head-hanging farmers. To aleviate their guilt--and to keep the Coulters from leaving town--they plow his fields and plant his corn before doing their own. The episode teaches good lessons about jumping to conclusions and puting others before ones' self.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    5 0

  • Some boneheads in town think the worst when a man entrusted with their resources does not come back in a timely fashion. But have no fear: by show's end, they come to their senses and all is right with the world, yada yada, cue the swelling music...moreless

    7.5
    "Good"
    By walnutgrove, Nov 15, 2010 Report Abuse
    Eh, I dunno--I was expecting more from this offering, having missed it the first time and seeing it yesterday. I am not going to rave about it because it didn't float my boat. Regarding the other review on here about this episode: why is it acceptable to have
    townspeople act like jerks and jump to conclusions and then plow a field (after finding out that they were wrong and yelling at a PREGNANT WOMAN!!!!) and we're supposed to think they are just wonderful human beings and smile at the show's conclusion? Sheesh...I guess I'm not that easily amused. I also wouldn't be too thrilled by a person yelling at my very pregnant wife, even if he did plow my field.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    0 1
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

See All

  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • Ted Gehring, who portrays an honest farmer in this episode, would later go on to play Ebenezer Sprague, Walnut Grove's first cold-hearted banker. Ted Gehring didn't play an honest farmer, if Charles hadn't come along he would have kept horses that didn't belong to him. Edit
    • Actress Julie Cobb (Mrs. Coulter) is the daughter of veteran actor Lee J. Cobb, and she was married to Victor French (Mr. Edwards) from 1976 to 1978. Edit
    • Notice how Mrs. Coulter runs for a long distance after taunted by the other men in town. For a pregnant woman, she sure does move quickly, and in fact, many women who are not pregnant would have a hard time running that fast. Reply: While this is true, it's important to remember also that Mrs. Coulter looks very young--probably in her early 20's--so she is physically strong. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • v Filmed at Big Sky Ranch, Simi Valley, Baker Ranch, Tuolumne, and Paramount Studios, Hollywood, California. Edit
    • The camera cuts to several different angles during the scene where Joe Coulter is careening down the hillside atop his wagon; initially, he is wearing a hat, then he loses the hat, then miraculously the hat appears on his head again in the seconds before he crashes. Edit
    • Ted Gehring plays a hard scrabble farmer who finds Joe Coulter's team of horses after they bolt. He would return in Season 2 to play town banker Ebenezer Sprague. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Charles: I see you're all packed. There's no way to change your mind? Mr. Coulter: Charles, after what my so-called friends and neighbors did to my wife while I was out busting my leg for them, no. No, I want nothing more to do with them or this part of the country. Charles: (to Mrs. Coulter) And you feel the same way? Mrs. Coulter: I most certainly do. Edit
    • Man: I know when I've been robbed! Mr. Kennedy: Not only us, but it's our wives and our kids. Food right out of their mouths! Mr. Hanson: Listen. When you get scared, you strike out against your best friend! You call him a thief! You pick on a pregnant woman, and you make her sick so she almost loses her baby! Now tell me what kind of a man does that! No man! Cowards! Cowards without backbones! You don't deserve good luck! You don't deserve-- Boy: (runs up to the group on horseback) Mr. Hanson! Mr. Hanson! Mr. Hanson! Mr. Ingalls says Mr. Coulter is back. The seed is out at the Coulters' place. Mr. Coulter is hurt because his team ran off and broke the wagon, but he's all right. I've got to go get Doc Baker! (rides off) Mr. Hanson: (to the men) Well, what are you waiting for? Your precious seed corn is here! Edit
    • Mary: (to the men who taunted Mrs. Coulter) Look what you did! You ought to be ashamed of yourselves, talking to her that way! Man: Now, hold on-- Mary: And she's gonna have a baby! You're awful! Man: Now, look here, young lady-- Mary: God will punish you! You'll see! You'll deserve it, all of you! He'll punish you! I know He will! Edit

  • Allusions

Show Forums

See All
Last Activity
Replies

Watch Little House on the Prairie Full Episodes

See All

Related Shows

Season 1 Episodes

See All
Ep 24
Founder's Day
Ep 23
To See the World
Ep 22
Survival
Ep 21
Money Crop
Ep 20
Child of Pain
Ep 19
Circus Man
Ep 18
Plague
Ep 17
Doctor's Lady
Ep 16
Family Quarrel
Ep 15
Christmas at Plum Creek
Ep 14
The Lord is My Shepherd (2)
Ep 13
The Lord is My Shepherd (1)
Ep 12
The Award
Ep 11
The Voice of Tinker Jones
Ep 10
The Raccoon
Ep 9
School Mom
Ep 8
Ma's Holiday
Ep 7
Town Party, Country Party
Ep 6
If I Should Wake Before I Die
Ep 5
Night Five
Ep 5
The Love of Johnny Johnson
Ep 4
Night Four
Ep 4
Mr. Edwards' Homecoming
Ep 3
Night Three
Ep 3
100 Mile Walk
Ep 2
Night Two
Ep 2
Country Girls
Ep 1
Night One
Ep 1
A Harvest of Friends

Contributors

Become a contributor
More
Less

TV Listings

Full Listings
BROWSE | 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