Little House on the Prairie (film)
Little House on the Prairie is a 1974 American made-for-television film which served as the pilot to the Little House on the Prairie TV series on NBC. It is closely based on the Little House on the Prairie novel; second of the "Little House" series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The pilot was produced by Ed Friendly[1] with the script written by Blanche Hanalis[2] and directed by Michael Landon.[3]
Little House on the Prairie | |
---|---|
Genre | Western drama |
Based on | Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder |
Written by | Blanche Hanalis |
Directed by | Michael Landon |
Starring | |
Narrated by | Melissa Gilbert |
Theme music composer | David Rose |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Executive producers | Ed Friendly Michael Landon |
Producer | Kent McCray (associate producer) |
Cinematography | Ted Voigtlander |
Editor | John Loeffler |
Running time | 96 minutes |
Production companies | NBC Productions Ed Friendly Productions |
Distributor | NBCUniversal Television Distribution (current) MGM Worldwide Television Distribution (current International TV distributor) CBS Television Distribution (current US TV distributor) |
Release | |
Original network | NBC |
Original release | March 30, 1974 |
Chronology | |
Followed by | Little House on the Prairie (TV series) |
Plot
The movie starts with the Ingalls family leaving their little house in the Big Woods and starting for West. After long and adventurous journey they stop in the Indian Country. Charles builds a house, starts farming, they have Indians visit them and for the first time meet Mr. Edwards. After a year, they are visited by the soldiers and learn they have to leave. After having packed everything, they set off on a new journey.
Cast
- Melissa Gilbert as Laura Ingalls
- Michael Landon as Charles Ingalls
- Karen Grassle as Caroline Ingalls
- Melissa Sue Anderson as Mary Ingalls
- Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush as Carrie Ingalls
- Victor French as Isaiah Edwards
- Victor Mohica as Soldat Du Chene
- Cal Bellini as Brave
- Sam Vlahos as 1st Indian
- Richard Alarian as 2nd Indian
- Marian Beeler as Charlotte Holbrook
- John Steadman as Frederick Holbrook
- Ruth Foster as Aunt Ruby (uncredited)
Production notes
- Filmed in 1973
- First broadcast March 30, 1974
- Broadcast in the series' first season on September 11, 1974
References
- Hevesi, Dennis (June 22, 2007). "Ed Friendly, 85, a Producer of 'Little House', Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
- Smith, Cecil (March 27, 1974). "A Writer's Own True-Life 'Tree'". Los Angeles Times.
- Smith, Cecil (March 24, 1974). "Actor-writer-director Michael Landon is back on the prairie". Los Angeles Times.
External links
- Little House on the Prairie Movie at IMDb
- Little House on the Prairie Movie at AllMovie
- Ed Friendly’s Life and Legacy
- About Blanche Hanalis
- About Michael Landon