Little House on the Prairie (TV Series) Fred (1976) User Reviews

Fred is one baaaaaaaaad goat!

[ExplorerDS6789 · 7/10 · 27 September 2010]

Seems Farmer Parsons is having a little trouble with his goat, Fred. See, whenever Fred sees somebody bending over, he loves to head-butt them, knocking them for a loop. Well, sir, Parsons was prepared to shoot this long-horned devil when Laura pleaded for him not to. Laura has a thing for critters, you see, and because Parsons is a cheapskate, he gives her Fred as payment for the work she did for he and Mrs. Parsons. The family is delighted at the addition of a goat to their household, but wonder how Charles will feel. Well, sadly, Fred does not make a good first impression with the Ingalls patriarch because, after a long day of gathering swamp weeds, a filth-ridden Charles goes out to the barn to wash up, and it was in the barn where Laura had fixed Fred a place to stay, so the goat welcomed his "intruder" with a swift head-butt, sending Charles sprawling to the ground. He doesn't think it's funny, but the girls couldn't help but giggle. Things go from bad worse when Fred eats the swamp weeds Charles had gathered, thus making a smaller profit from Phineas Jenks, a traveling medicine man.

Meanwhile, Mr. Edwards has a secret that up until now he'd been able to hide from his family, but today his son Carl caught him, so he explained to him that he was working on a new kind of turpentine. Though he was in fact making his own hooch, his lie was convincing enough for Carl to ask no further questions. Under orders to get rid of the goat, Laura finds a perspective customer in Willie Oleson, selling him Fred after talks of how much better goat cheese is in comparison to...regular cheese? So when Willie ties up Fred and heads for school, the goat finds another rear-end to butt...Mrs. Oleson. So, Laura is forced to take the goat back. She meets up with Carl as they try to decide what to do with Fred. They take him home where Fred greets Mr. Edwards with a head-butt in the rump, sending him flying! Well, obvious that Fred wasn't going to stay with them, they had to seek other alternatives. That's when Carl remembers his Pa's secret hiding place in the woods! They take him there and leave, allowing for the mischievous goat to drink all of Mr. Edwards' homemade hooch! The next day, Laura and Carl find Fred completely drunk. They take him to Doc Baker, who is at a loss for words...especially when Fred head-butts him into the pond. Edwards happens by and sees the drunk goat and the children explain where they left him. Enraged that his homemade hooch was gone and he was now in Dutch with the missus, Edwards threatened to eat that goat if he ever saw him again. Why not just let Fred go into the wild and roam free? Goats are wild after all. But, no, Laura decided to take this matter to the man closest to God...Reverend Alden. Bet you can guess what's gonna happen. So, after head-butting the good reverend into a wall, the children take Fred into the wild and release him. While in the woods, Fred comes across another familiar face: Phineas Jenks. While the swindler snoozed, Fred decided to snack on the swamp weeds in his wagon. What goes around, comes around. Jenks quickly went back to Charles to ask for more weeds, but it wouldn't come cheap: $12 cash, and in advance. At a loss for words, but desperate to prevent the loss of his shirt, Jenks agrees. After that, Charles decided to give Fred one more chance, but where was he? Turns out, Fred went to be with his own kind, a whole mess of wild goats. Let's just hope they stay in the wild.

Good episode. One of the few funny episodes of Little House. It's a laugh a minute as Fred sends the residents of Walnut Grove flying with the business end of his horns. Yes, this one takes a break from the usual drama of the show and has some fun, though it is kind of sad when Laura has to turn Fred loose. It is to me anyway, I guess I just have a soft spot for some animals. So, if you're a Little House fan and you want to see one of their funny episodes, this one is for you.

Oh Fred!

[fritali04 · 7/10 · 14 November 2022]

Laura is doing odd jobs for neighboring farmers, the Parsons. In lieu of the agreed upon cash payment for services rendered, Laura adopts a goat that an exasperated Mr Parsons has marked for execution. Giving him the name, Fred, she brings home her new friend and convinces Caroline to let her keep him in the barn.

Well, Fred quickly wears out his welcome at the Ingalls by sending a very tired Charles flying with a head butt to his derrière and eating a bunch of bulrushes Charles worked hard to gather from the swamp for a buyer. Animal lover Laura tries to keep finding the troublesome goat a new home, but his need to head-butt the backside of anyone who unwittingly bends over in his view (Mrs Olsen, Doc Baker, Reverend Alden) as well as getting plastered on Mr Edwards' secret "turpentine" experiment makes Fred public enemy number one in Walnut Grove. Laura is left with no choice but to set Fred free to fend for himself.

Fred and his bottomless stomach stumble upon that supply of bulrushes again, now in possession of the buyer who shafted Charles on their agreed-upon price. Fred's consumption leaves the buyer desperate for a new supply and gives Charles the upper hand to negotiate a higher price (and payment upfront this time). Fred's actions make him welcome back at the Ingalls, but when Laura goes to search for him, she happily discovers he's already been welcomed into a wild herd of his own kind.

This was a lighthearted episode full of goofy fun and physical comedy. It was a nice decompression from the heavy drama of the previous two-part episode, "Journey in the Spring", which dealt with the visit of melancholy grandpa Ingalls following the passing of Charles' mother.

The Most Hilarious Episode!!

[ellisel · 9/10 · 13 January 2011]

The opening episode of "Fred" had a billy goat that nailed everyone's rears suddenly and unexpectedly. The animal in question was about to be shot to death. Farmer Parson was originally planning to pay Laura Ingalls 40 cents for her 4 days of work on their farm. Laura Ingalls made a proposition to Farmer Parson: she would take the goat home in lieu of accepting the 40 cents.

Laura took Fred the goat to the Ingalls' home. Caroline had some reservations about having Fred at their home. Naturally, she placed the goat outside the barn for the night. Meanwhile, Charles Ingalls endured 3 miserable days working in the swamp for Phineas Jenks. Caroline Ingalls told Charles Ingalls to head for the tub after a hard day's work in the swamp. Little did Charles Ingalls knew that Fred was inside the barn waiting for him. He was kicked in the rear. This arrangement was the start of the downfall of Fred staying at the Ingalls' home.

Charles did not find anything funny about Fred the goat kicking him in the rear. The girls knew this malarkey would not fly at home. By morning, Fred the goat ate a half a bushel of oats and ate the stalks that were meant for selling to Phineas Jenks. Charles Ingalls told Laura Ingalls to have Fred gone from the house the same day ... no ifs, and, or buts.

Laura Ingalls and Willie Oleson had a discussion during recess about Fred. She told him the goat would be useful for the purpose to make cheese or to make purses. Willie Olseon took Fred -- by surprise -- to Mrs. Oleson's home. Mrs. Oleson was doing laundry when Fred arrived unexpectedly at their home. Fred would kick Mrs. Oleson's rear after she untied the rope from the post. Mrs. Oleson was irritated about the mud on her clothes; moreover, she blamed Laura Ingalls for her careless control of Fred the goat.

Fred the goat would arrive unexpectedly at Mr. Edwards' "secret place" later in the episode. His "secret place" was his plan of making "turpentine." That plan backfired miserably as he drank the "turpentine" at the "secret place." Fred would eventually consume that concoction. Fred would eventually nail Mr. Edwards in the rear. He told Laura and Johnnie that he would the love the goat with biscuits and gravy if he ever saw that goat again in his sight.

Dr. Baker would become the next target of Fred the goat. He would arrive in his office as usual. Fred the goat would nail him in the rear ... and into the creek. Dr. Baker would say "Well that's very funny -- Mr. Edwards!!" in a sarcastic manner. That plan did not work at all.

Laura and Johnny had one last hope of placing Fred in a sensible home. Fred the goat was in the school house. Reverend Alden was preparing for Sunday's church services as Fred was in the building. Fred the goat would nail Reverend Alden in the rear. That plan did not work at all. The goat would roam free into the prairie. The goat would eventually devour the crops inside Phineas Jenks's wagon. Phineas Jenks was surprised the goat devoured his crops without warning. He approached the Ingalls' residence to ask him to fulfill another supply of weeds in the swamp; but the arrangement would have a twist at the end of the episode: Charles Ingalls demanded that he wanted to be paid 12 dollars in advance. He worked in the swamp for the last time on behalf of Phineas Jenks. This episode earned a Solid 9 for its originality and its spontaneity. A Recommended Episode From The 1976-1977 Television Season!!

I Had to Keep Upping My Rating ! :-)

[Quinn4077 · 10/10 · 21 December 2021]

Despite the silly, simple premise of a troublesome goat, as the episode progresses it gets more and more funny! By the end Fred has made victims of everyone in town! I didn't want to laugh as much as I did but by the time I got to the part with Dr. Baker, Grace, and Mr. Edwards I just gave in and gave it a 10/10. (It also reminded me of The Andy Griffith Show episode with the "loaded goat" - a classic!) It's no Bully Boys or The Hunters episodes also in Season 3, but it really is a well-done episode that comes full circle with all of Walnut Grove included in the story.

Friendly Fred

[mitchrmp · 10/10 · 7 May 2013]

Fred isn't your regular character. He's a billy goat, and an unlikable one at that. You see, Fred has this bad fetish - he likes to butt people. Yep, you shouldn't bend over when Fred's around.

When Laura's helping a local farmer's wife with some chores, he meets Fred and saves him from becoming their next meal. Just because Fred butted the neighbor in the backside is NO reason to get rid of the poor thing - at least Laura thinks. So she makes a deal with the farmer and takes him home.

Her mother is naturally not too pleased with having Fred on their farm, but she tells Laura to put him in the barn and ask her father. Unfortunately, before the opportunity arises, Fred meets Charles personal-like, if you know what I mean. Charles wants the goat gone, but agrees that Laura can keep him until she can find somewhere else he can go.

Unfortunately, Charles changes that statement the next morning after Fred eats some of the reeds he spent all day pulling the day before. Charels is very angry and orders Laura to get rid of the billy goat that very day! Laura starts out alone, but soon convinces Carl to help her find Fred a home. They try various people: Mr. Edwards, Willie Olsen, Dr. Baker, and even the preacher. All of them end up hating the goat for the same reason: they all meet Fred personal-like (except for Willie - who's mother is the one who meets Fred...) The funniest part of the entire episode is when Fred butts Mrs. Olsen. That scene is downright hilarious! I think Mrs. Olsen has finally got some of that payback she deserved.

One of my FAVORITE episodes!!!

Laughed Out Loud

[katual · 10/10 · 12 November 2021]

My favorite episode- the music signaling the moment, the camera shot of Fred right before and the inevitable was more fun each time. I was still laughing the next day, just thinking about it. What a fun episode!