Little House on the Prairie (film)

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	Melissa Gilbert Michael Landon Karen Grassle Melissa Sue Anderson Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush Victor French
Narrated by	Melissa Gilbert
Theme music composer	David Rose
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Ed Friendly Michael Landon
Production locations	Baker Ranch, Tuolumne, California Cedar Glen Apple Ranch, Yankee Hill, California Orvis Ranch, Farmington, California Agoura, California Melones, Tuolumne, California Strawberry, Tuolumne, California
Cinematography	Ted Voigtlander
Editor	John Loeffler
Running time	96 minutes
Production companies	NBC Productions Ed Friendly Productions
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	March 30, 1974 (1974-03-30)
Related
Little House on the Prairie (TV series)

Little House on the Prairie is a 1974 American television film which served as the backdoor pilot to the homonymous NBC television series it started. The film premiered on NBC on March 30, 1974. It is closely based on the novel of the same title; the second of the Little House book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The pilot film was produced by Ed Friendly ^[1] with the script written by Blanche Hanalis ^[2] and directed by Michael Landon. ^[3]

Plot

The movie starts with the Ingalls family leaving their little house in the Big Woods and starting west. After a long and adventurous journey, they stop in Indian Country. Charles builds a house and starts farming, Indians visit them, and they meet Mr. Edwards. After a year, soldiers come and tell the family they have to leave. After packing everything they own, 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 Chêne
• 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)^{[ citation needed ]}

Production notes

• Filmed in early 1974 near Stockton, California.
• First broadcast March 30, 1974
• Broadcast in the series' first season on September 11, 1974

References

1. Hevesi, Dennis (June 22, 2007). "Ed Friendly, 85, a Producer of 'Little House', Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
2. Smith, Cecil (March 27, 1974). "A Writer's Own True-Life 'Tree'". Los Angeles Times.
3. 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
• Ed Friendly's Life and Legacy
• About Blanche Hanalis
• About Michael Landon