Amy Hearn certainly felt like a member of the community's families, however she still wished her own didn't live so far away and would take the time to come visit her. Amy confides in her sister, Maddie, who was approaching the ripe old age of 80. Amy and Charles had been making preparations for her party all day and sadly, Maddie's birthday party became her funeral. Her family had come from far away to pay their respects, as Amy watched from afar. Laura suggests that one should have a funeral while they're still alive so they could fear their loved ones pay their respects. A light bulb went on in Amy's head. Next day, Laura came running up to Charles, claiming Amy to be sick, so he and Doc Baker rushed over to her place. Despite the doctor finding nothing wrong with her, Amy began talking about her wake and her funeral. She asked Charles to make the arrangements, which he and a puzzled Doc Baker agreed to. So the sickly old woman jumped out of bed, good as new, giving the men a good jump, which they did not appreciate. However, when the old woman explained this was the only way to get her children and grandchildren out to see her...they were still not entirely in favor of the idea, but she managed to guilt trip them into it, so it was all settled: Amy Hear's 80th birthday would also be her wake. She was so excited.
A few days later, Father Gorman rode in from Mankato, he stopped Mary and Laura on the road and asked the way to the Ingalls' place, where I guess Amy was to have her wake. And she couldn't do it at her house, because...? Anyway, Laura raced to the farm and alerted Charles. Operation: Play Dead was about to commence. Averted! When Father Gorman sat down with the Ingallses, who should approach him but an alive and well Amy who took the priest outside for a private chat. They assumed the wake was off, so Charles proceeded to eat the cake Caroline had made for the occasion, hoping the old woman finally came to her senses. However Amy pulled a fast one by claiming to be Miss O'Hara, her maiden name, as it was a sin to deceive a priest...but faking your own funeral is okay. See, the priest came early and the preparations for the wake had not yet been made, so it was necessary to stall the clergyman. Soon the day of Amy's birthday party/wake arrived, all hero township gathered to mourn. Amy hoped they had a good time, as she got all liquored up and then took her place as the corpse, thankfully she won't be late to her own funeral, but first she stepped out of her room, a thin, black veil covering her face which obviously nobody could see her through, and she was ecstatic at the sight of her family arriving. She overheard her children sharing fond memories of her, and come to find out, Amy wasn't the only walking corpse at this wake. Who should come through that door but her son Andy, believed to have died in battle. That was the straw that broke the camel's back, for Amy blew her cover, giving everybody quite a start, and confronted her ingrate son, and her other son, shaming them for forgetting their own mother. Feeling like heels, they embraced their mother, who professed her love for them. It was so moving, it even brought Mrs. Oleson to tears. And so they all commenced to dancing and celebrating, and it was regarded as the best funeral anybody ever had.
Great episode, very moving and a few funny moments. Josephine Hutchinson was fantastic as Amy Hearn, conveying every emotion perfectly, she was wonderful in every scene she was in. Fans of The Waltons may recognize her as Maime Baldwin from The Homecoming, and this appearance on Little House was her final acting gig until her death in 1998. Everybody else in the cast was terrific too, but it was Hutchinson who stole the show. Great directing from Victor French, a fine script by Harold Swanton, this episode will really make you think how you regard your own family members, and it rings true that a funeral is practically the only way to bring them all together. Sure, today we have social media to keep in touch with those who live far away, but it's not the same as seeing them in person. So if you can relate to Amy's plight, you like Little House, I recommend checking this episode out. It's got it where it counts.
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