Movie Critique: Little House on the Prairie: Season 3: Episode 1 “The Collection” by MarLa
For our inaugural gathering of the Recovery Movie Matinee Meeting, we screened the 1976 season premiere of Little House on the Prairie entitled ‘The Collection’. Starring Johnny Cash as Caleb Hodgekiss and June Carter as Mattie Hodgekiss, we see themes of recovery echoed through this episode. Primarily, we witness a man who takes action and as a result has a deep and effective spiritual experience. (AA p. 25)
In this episode, Reverend Alden, played by Dapps Greer, falls ill on his journey to Walnut Grove where he intended to collect donations for a nearby community which has suffered a devastating fire. Caleb and Mattie Hodgekiss, who reside in a simple home they refer to as the shack “15 miles from nowhere”, attempt to nurse the Reverend back to health and though they appear to be good-natured people, a darker truth is revealed. When Caleb Hodgekiss learns of a significant collection awaiting in Walnut Grove, the temptation to capitalize on this opportunity and increase his own fortune is irresistible. Assuring the Reverend he will collect the donations on his behalf, he covertly dawns the alias of Brother Hodgekiss, dresses in Reverend Alden’s clothes and is keen to steal the collection. Despite his wife’s frothy emotional appeal, Caleb sets out to solicit donations from the unsuspecting Christian folk of Walnut Grove.
The characters of Caleb and Mattie Hodgekiss allow us to draw parallels to the experience of the addict. Caleb, an ex-con, has no effective mental defense (AA p. 43) against the first opportunity to increase his fortune through nefarious means. He is thinking only of himself, convinced of the lie that money will solve all his problems. He steals essentially because he likes the effect produced by money and goods. (AA p. xxviii) Mattie Hodgekiss is a perfect example of a Codependent/Alanon partner, begging her husband to stop while simultaneously complying with his demands. She attempts to conceal Caleb’s heartless plan from Reverend Alden and in her own powerlessness, she is swept up in the toxic tornado of her husband’s deceit.
The openhearted people of Walnut Grove, including Charles Ingalls (Michael Landon) and his daughter Laura Ingalls (Meliss Gilbert) embrace Caleb’s persona as the religious Brother Hodgekiss and assist him in collecting donations. Though Caleb’s intention is to rob the community, he is unexpectedly launched into action. We see him reluctantly comfort a suffering widow, speaking candidly from the heart and lifting her spirits. He helps a young girl make peace with the death of her puppy and though he misquotes the Bible, it is his earnestness to help that makes the difference. The seeds of transformation are planted in Caleb’s heart.
In this way, Caleb is like a new Big Book sponsor. Though he does not know exactly what to say and do, God works through him. How often is that the case with those of us who sponsor? Is it not our willingness to be of service that allows the solution to come into the rooms and into the hearts of our fellows?
Through the portrayal of Caleb Hodgekiss we see a man who has no faith but who is repeatedly called into action. The result is a profound alteration in his reaction to life. (AA p. 567) Caleb does not steal the collection. In doing the work that he is asked to do, however unqualified he may be, he is granted the psychic change. We can integrate a lesson for ourselves here. Many addicts do not want to take action, whether it is working the steps, calling fellows, committing to service or sponsoring, yet therein lies the solution. If we are to live by the adage that “faith without works is dead” (AA p. 14) we can equally understand that even when one lacks faith, it can be acquired through doing the work.
In the final scenes Caleb admits to his wife Mattie that it didn’t go as he had planned, that something happened to him. What happened was that Caleb’s idea did not work, but God’s idea did. (AA p. 52) For many of us, things have not gone as we planned; we have traded in our former lives of using, acting out and running to the show to become intelligent agents, spearheads of God’s ever advancing Creation. (AA p. 49) That is to say, we are of service to our fellows and the actions we take grow our faith.
It seems apt to close with a quote from the shopkeeper in this episode of Little House on the Prairie. “I want to thank you. You gave us an opportunity to help others.” Our first Recovery Movie Matinee Meeting on November 15th 2025 was full of excellent shares and lighthearted fellowship! By watching films and television episodes we carry the message and share recovery principles that can solve all our problems.
You can stream this episode of Little House on the Prairie on various platforms, Season 3: Episode 1 “The Collection”.