Little House on the Prairie (TV Series)

The Reincarnation of Nellie (Part I) (1981)

Katherine MacGregor: Harriet Oleson

Photos 

Quotes 

• Harriet Oleson : [When told by Mr. Case that Nancy is an impossible, unadoptable child]  Oh... men! Why, you just don't understand little girls.

  Miss Mason : Mrs. Oleson, I must be honest. I don't understand either. In the four weeks that Nancy's been here, she has set fire to her bed, broken more windows than I can count, poured plaster into the indoor plumbing, and bitten half the children in the orphanage.

  Harriet Oleson : Well, girls will be girls!

  Nels Oleson : Harriet, the expression is "boys will be boys". But, in this case, it's "monsters will be monsters."

• Harriet Oleson : We've got to find her!

  Nels Oleson : I have found her.

  Harriet Oleson : Where?

  Nels Oleson : In the box. She's in the box!

  Harriet Oleson : [Bends down to talk to her]  Oh Nancy, this is your new mommy. Oh honey, oh, I love you...

  [PUNCH] 

  Nels Oleson : I was wrong, Harriet. There is another child exactly like Nellie.

• Nels Oleson : [to Harriet about adopting Nancy]  Harriet, I don't understand you! Out of all the children in the orphanage, why her?

  Harriet Oleson : I don't know, but I want her.

• Charles Ingalls : [to Harriet]  Cassandra heard you weren't feeling very well and she wanted to just come by and visit for a while.

  Harriet Oleson : Oh, how nice! What a sweet little girl. Want to come over here and sit by me?

  Cassandra Cooper Ingalls : [sits on the edge of the bed]  I have a storybook here. I can read it to you if you'd like.

  Harriet Oleson : Oh, well, I think that would be very nice.

  Charles Ingalls : All right, well, I've got to get back to the mill.

  Harriet Oleson : Okay, Mr. Ingalls. We'll be just fine.

  Cassandra Cooper Ingalls : [after Charles leaves]  What kind of story do you want me to read: happy or sad?

  Harriet Oleson : Oh, well, what do you think?

  Cassandra Cooper Ingalls : Well, when I'm sad, I like to read a really sad story because then I don't feel so sad myself.

  Harriet Oleson : Oh, why, I never thought of it that way! Well, then, why don't you tell me a really sad story?

• Harriet Oleson : [to Nancy]  All right, Nancy. If you won't open the door, then you're going to have to listen to me. You know, I had a little girl once, very much like you. She was different from the rest of the children. All the little girls hated her because she had such pretty clothes and great big, lovely dollies. I bought them from Paris. The little boys didn't like her very much, either. I used to tell her it was because she was too mature for them, but that wasn't the truth. I'm going to tell you something, Nancy, something I've never told anyone else, not even my husband. Children hated my little Nellie because she was mean and spoiled, and conniving. And I understood that because I was the exact same way when I was a child. So you see, Nancy, I do understand you and you don't have to change. I'll love you just the way you are and I'll spoil you with beautiful dresses, and big lovely dollies, and all the candy you could eat! And then, maybe... maybe someday, maybe, you'll learn to love me, too. Please, Nancy. Please give me a chance to be your mother.

• Caroline Ingalls : Good morning, Mrs. Oleson.

  Harriet Oleson : Oh! It is not!

  Caroline Ingalls : Oh, it can't be that bad.

  Harriet Oleson : Oh! Will you just look at this!

  Caroline Ingalls : What is that supposed to be?

  Harriet Oleson : Bread! What do you think?

  Caroline Ingalls : [laughs]  Here. let me start over.

  Harriet Oleson : Oh! I will be so relieved when Nellie gets back from New York. Oh. Between working at the store and working over here, I am a nervous wreck.

  Caroline Ingalls : Have you heard from her?

  Harriet Oleson : No. Heaven, when they called, you would have thought that he was on his deathbed! They've been gone for 4 weeks now and he's still breathing. I think the whole trip was just a plan to get them to visit.

  Caroline Ingalls : Well, I hope you're right.

  Harriet Oleson : I bet they won't even let poor Nellie telephone me.

  Caroline Ingalls : Why on earth not?

  Harriet Oleson : Cheap, that's why.

  Caroline Ingalls : Ha ha!

  Harriet Oleson : Well, it's true. Do you know that when that woman calls to find out how Percival is, she won't even talk to him.

  Caroline Ingalls : What?

  Harriet Oleson : Yes! Yes, she makes a person-to-person call to Mr. Sonny, and then Nellie or Percival answer the phone, and they say that Mr. Sonny has gone for a walk, which means he's fine. Or if he isn't fine, they say he's asleep.

  Caroline Ingalls : I think that's rather clever.

  Harriet Oleson : Ha!

• Caroline Ingalls : Morning, Nels.

  Nels Oleson : Caroline.

  Harriet Oleson : Nels, anything from the children?

  Nels Oleson : Yes.

  Harriet Oleson : What's the matter?

  [Terrible news] 

  Nels Oleson : Percival's father passed away.

  Caroline Ingalls : Oh, no.

  Nels Oleson : Yes. In his sleep, thank God.

  Harriet Oleson : Ohh. Poor Percival. Tsk tsk. Did they say when they'd be back home?

  [Benjamin Cohen died peacefully in his sleep] 

  Nels Oleson : Harriet, I think you ought to read Nellie's letter.

  [Handover the letter. Moving lips silently] 

  Nels Oleson : Harriet.

  Harriet Oleson : No, I just want to be alone.