Which do you prefer the comedic or snobish Mrs. Olsen I prefer the Comedic Mrs. Olsen the best some of her funniest stuff was done after Laura and Almanzo where married.

I liked it when she whined. When they installed the "water closet" and she always got drenched...

I guess that falls under the comedy side.

I liked her much better when she was the Comedic Mrs. Olsen, too.

Both.

Either. Mrs. Oleson was a great character, and Katherine MacGregor played the role brilliantly. I'm guessing she never won an Emmy for the show, which is too bad. Those final episodes where Mrs. Oleson was absent absolutely stunk.

Hmm....to me, the snobbish Harriet was comedic also, but not in the writers' intent. I love it when she whines too, and it's the reason why I started watching the show. I was watching "Family Feud" and it had the cast of LHOTP on it, and my mother saw Katherine and she started whining like her and kept saying "Nellllllllsssssss" like Harriet does and thought it was hilarious so I watched it, and now I love it. Harriet rawks either way. A good snob is so lovable.

Originally posted by JT
Hmm....to me, the snobbish Harriet was comedic also, but not in the writers' intent. I love it when she whines too, and it's the reason why I started watching the show. I was watching "Family Feud" and it had the cast of LHOTP on it, and my mother saw Katherine and she started whining like her and kept saying "Nellllllllsssssss" like Harriet does and thought it was hilarious so I watched it, and now I love it. Harriet rawks either way. A good snob is so lovable.

That would be great to see... the LH cast on GSN. Who else was on with KM??

I always liked her both ways cos no matter her intents, you knew she'd never permanently do any harm to others (unlike the guest villains)! Remember how she looked like a giant, threatening raven in that get-up when she caught Laura tending Bunny right before Laura nearly ran her down? It was a serious moment and all but one couldn't help but see the humour underlying it!
Mrs. Oleson was the best female comic relief on the show- only Nellie came close! Can anyone imagine laughing had Ma been the one caught in the burglar trap with gunk on her face OR had Mary been the one who got all drunk and frisky from the patent medicine? NO, as talented as the other actresses were dramatically they couldn't believably pull off being more than 'straight women' to any hilarity!
Also, let me add that I liked it better in the later seasons when she and Mr. Oleson had comic fights and exchanges working more in tandem and actually having underlying affection for each other (and sometimes Nels would get the upper hand while other times he wouldn't but we knew he'd be okay)!
FAR better than in the early seasons when he was the self-pitying henpecked husband ['Come along, Nels!' 'You don't know HOW lucky you are,Charles!'- which was evoked quite a few times and wasn't really that funny even the first time] .

They shouldn't have tried to replace Nellie with Nancy [Nancy was just plain evil and creepy. WHY did the screenwriters think that dunking her was punishment enough for attempted murder of another girl via having her locked in the icehouse?] and it was painful to watch Nels trying to carry on solo after Harriet mysteriously disappeared the last few times he was depicted!

The Oleson's were great! They saved the show from becoming too much like the Walton's (sugar-coated and goody-goody) In real life, the faimily was named the Owens in Laura's books, and the charactor of Nellie Oleson was a compilation of 3 girls that Laura didn't like. I don't know if Mrs. Oleson was like the real Mrs. Owens but I agree that Katherine MacGregor was brilliant in that role. I liked the funny and snobby charactor mixed because you couldn't have one without the other!

My favorite Harriot scenes:

1. Caroline's father becomes a writer and gets a book published about the family's life in the Big Woods. Mr. Oleson suggests that the mercantile stock a few copies, but Harriot never liked the Ingalls so she says "no!" Albert goes over to tell Harriot that he couldn't believe it....but that it said in the book that Caroline ran around naked in the book! Harriot had made an excuse that she didn't have shelve space so she runs out and begs to have the whole load of books!!!! That night she finds out that Caroline's father had written an incident when her diaper fell off in front of a church...all that and she was only a baby!

2. Harriot getting drunk with the illixer tonic. (what episode is this from?)

3. Harriot wanting to meet the French doctor Ladeux, who much to her shock turns out to be an African-American doctor. Same with belieing that Hester-Sue Turhune, was related to the wealthy Turhune family in St. Louis. Mrs. Turhone also turns out to be African-American

4. Harriot almost having a heart attack when Percival and Nellie agree to get married and she finds out he is Jewish!

************

She really had her predjudices! Remember when the little guy Lou Bates, the circus performer comes to Walnut Grove looking for work to support his wife and baby girl. He is good with figures and applies for a job at the mercantile. Mrs. Oleson makes jokes about his hight......."Oh.... a midget! I've never seen one before, and he's looking for a job. Nels wants to hire him but Harriot will hear non of it. She asks him sarcastically to reach for some peaches on a shelf. Poor Lou says, "Not without a ladder" Harriot says, "We don't use ladders in this story, I'm sorry."

Dejected he goes to the Bank and the manager is impressed and wants to hire him. Mrs. Oleson comes into the bank and threatens to close her account if Mr. Anderson the manager hires him. But after her adopted daughter Nancy falls in a well and Lou Bates is the only one in town small enough to save her, and he does! Harriot gets real emotional and starts crying in front of Lou. She drops all charges against Lou from taking food from the store...(he was out of work so he took food to feed his family) and speaks to Mr. Anderson, allowing Lou to work in the bank....A real tearjerker!

Jack

Originally posted by jayman75
That would be great to see... the LH cast on GSN. Who else was on with KM??

Now that I remember it, it wasn't the LHOTP cast. It was a team made up of snobs from TV shows. Harriet fits right in there too!