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Little House on the Prairie
S1.E6
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If I Should Wake Before I Die

  • Episode aired Oct 23, 1974
  • TV-PG
  • 50m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
528
YOUR RATING
Josephine Hutchinson in Little House on the Prairie (1974)
DramaFamilyRomanceWestern

Certain that only her funeral will bring her distant children and grandchildren to Walnut Grove for a long overdue visit, Amy Hearn convinces Doc Baker and the Ingalls to fake her death and ... Read allCertain that only her funeral will bring her distant children and grandchildren to Walnut Grove for a long overdue visit, Amy Hearn convinces Doc Baker and the Ingalls to fake her death and happily makes plans to celebrate her eightieth birthday ... at her wake!Certain that only her funeral will bring her distant children and grandchildren to Walnut Grove for a long overdue visit, Amy Hearn convinces Doc Baker and the Ingalls to fake her death and happily makes plans to celebrate her eightieth birthday ... at her wake!

  • Director
    • Victor French
  • Writers
    • Blanche Hanalis
    • Laura Ingalls Wilder
    • Harold Swanton
  • Stars
    • Michael Landon
    • Karen Grassle
    • Melissa Gilbert
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.7/10
    528
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Victor French
    • Writers
      • Blanche Hanalis
      • Laura Ingalls Wilder
      • Harold Swanton
    • Stars
      • Michael Landon
      • Karen Grassle
      • Melissa Gilbert
    • 5User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos1

    View Poster

    Top cast23

    Edit
    Michael Landon
    Michael Landon
    • Charles Ingalls
    Karen Grassle
    Karen Grassle
    • Caroline Ingalls
    Melissa Gilbert
    Melissa Gilbert
    • Laura Ingalls
    Melissa Sue Anderson
    Melissa Sue Anderson
    • Mary Ingalls
    Rachel Lindsay Greenbush
    Rachel Lindsay Greenbush
    • Carrie Ingalls
    Sidney Greenbush
    Sidney Greenbush
    • Carrie Ingalls
    Richard Bull
    Richard Bull
    • Nels Oleson
    Dabbs Greer
    Dabbs Greer
    • Reverend Robert Alden
    Kevin Hagen
    Kevin Hagen
    • Dr. Hiram Baker
    Katherine MacGregor
    Katherine MacGregor
    • Harriet Oleson
    Charlotte Stewart
    Charlotte Stewart
    • Eva Beadle
    Karl Swenson
    Karl Swenson
    • Lars Hanson
    Josephine Hutchinson
    Josephine Hutchinson
    • Amy O'Hara Hearn
    Ruth McDevitt
    Ruth McDevitt
    • Maddie Elder
    Henry Olek
    Henry Olek
    • Father Gorman
    Betty Lynn
    Betty Lynn
    • Bridget
    Frank Parker
    Frank Parker
    • Sean Hearn
    • (as Brett Parker)
    Herman Poppe
    Herman Poppe
    • Andy Hearn
    • Director
      • Victor French
    • Writers
      • Blanche Hanalis
      • Laura Ingalls Wilder
      • Harold Swanton
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews5

    7.7528
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    Featured reviews

    8RedRainbowUnicorn23

    Family is very important:never let them down ever.

    This episode is very interesting and it has a bell of truth to it. An old woman Amy Hurn's sister is having her 80 birthday party but the children can't make it again. After learning this the old woman can't take it anymore and passed away. At the funeral the children were there and so Amy thought why is it that they can make it to a funeral when your dead but not to a birthday party when you're still alive.... Bc her children was exactly the same she haven't seen them in ages. So Amy starts to work on a plan she is going to let doc Baker and Charles wire her children that she has passed away this way she knows they will come to her "funeral" and she can really see them for the last time before she is "really gone" This episode is good and it has a good lesson to it. Always visit your family and mother when your grown BC you never know when its going to be the last time your going to see them always make time for you parents they were always there for you so you should be there for them too....... Now continue to episode 7
    8mitchrmp

    A bit odd, but it worked...

    Some will find this episode a bit odd, but it's yet another episode that makes this show so endearing.

    Amy is about to turn eighty years old, and she's grieving the death of her friend who died after learning her children were to busy to show up for her birthday. Amy has every intention of making sure this doesn't happen to her! So, what does she do? She convinces Charles and Dr. Baker in a quite humorous manner to help her fake her death. That way her kids will come to her funeral and she'll be able to see them once more before she dies.

    A series of events keep the Ingalls' and Dr. Baker on their toes as they prepare the way. And Amy is probably the only woman to ever show up at her own wake!

    Though the story is a light one, there's a pretty emotional scene at the end. All kidding aside, I think this is becoming truer and truer as people are too busy to see their family and soon find themselves at their loved one's funeral saying "I wish I could see him once more..."

    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Drew Barrymore and Pat Welsh in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
    Family
    Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942)
    Romance
    John Wayne and Harry Carey Jr. in The Searchers (1956)
    Western

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The picture of the woman that Charles is looking at is a photo of Betty Lynn aka Thelma Lou from the Andy Griffith Show.
    • Goofs
      While Amy Hearn is trying to convince Charles and the doctor to hold her wake before she dies, she keeps calling Charles: "John"; she finally switches to "Charles" at the end of the scene.
    • Quotes

      Charles Ingalls: Was she very disappointed?

      Caroline Ingalls: Nope.

      Charles Ingalls: How'd you manage to do it?

      Caroline Ingalls: I'm baking the cake.

    • Soundtracks
      Goodbye Girls, I'm Going To Boston
      Traditional Folk Song

      Sung by cast

    Top picks

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    FAQ7

    • What musical insturment was the old lady playing at the beginning of the episode?
    • What did Caroline Ingalls make for Mary Ingalls and Laura Ingalls to give to the sister of the one who died?
    • Is "Walnut Grove Feed & Seed" a real or fictional feed and seed?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 23, 1974 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Hallmark Channel
      • INSP
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Big Sky Ranch - 4927 Bennett Road, Simi Valley, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Ed Friendly Productions
      • National Broadcasting Company (NBC)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 50m
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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