''O Pioneers!'' is a 1992 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

based on the 1913 novel of the same title by

Willa Cather Willa Sibert Cather (; born Wilella Sibert Cather; December 7, 1873 – April 24, 1947) was an American writer known for her novels of life on the Great Plains, including '' O Pioneers!'', '' The Song of the Lark'', and '' My Ántonia''. In 192 ...

. It originally aired as a '' Hallmark Hall of Fame'' presentation on February 2, 1992, on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

and stars

Jessica Lange Jessica Phyllis Lange (; born April 20, 1949) is an American actress. She is the 13th actress to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting, having won two Academy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award, along with a Screen Actors ...

. It was also the film debut for Anne Heche, who had a small supporting role in the film.

Plot summary

The film centers around a family of

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

immigrants in

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

around the turn of the 20th century. The family's father dies and leaves the family farm to his daughter. She does her best to make the farm work when many others are giving up and leaving.O'Connor, John J. (31 January 1992
TV Weekend; Jessica Lange as Willa Cather Heroine
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

Cast

as Alexandra Bergson *

David Strathairn David Russell Strathairn (; born January 26, 1949) is an American actor. Known for his leading roles on stage and screen, he has often portrayed historical figures such as Edward R. Murrow, J. Robert Oppenheimer, William H. Seward, and John Do ...

as Carl Linstrum *

Tom Aldredge Thomas Ernest Aldredge (February 28, 1928 – July 22, 2011) was an American television, film and stage actor. He won a Daytime Emmy Award for playing the role of Shakespeare in ''Henry Winkler Meets William Shakespeare'' (1978). His Broadway ...

as Ivar *

Reed Diamond Reed Edward Diamond (born July 20, 1967) is an American actor. He is known for the roles of Det. Mike Kellerman on '' Homicide: Life on the Street'', Jason Pillar in season 8 of '' 24'', and recurring character Laurence Dominic on ''Dollhouse' ...

as Emil *

Josh Hamilton Joshua Holt Hamilton (born May 21, 1981) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from to , most prominently as a member of the Texas Rangers teams that won two consecutive Americ ...

as Young Carl Linstrum *

Heather Graham Heather Joan Graham (born January 29, 1970) is an American actress. After appearing in television commercials, her first starring role in a feature film came with the teen comedy '' License to Drive'' (1988), followed by the critically acclaime ...

as Young Alexandra Bergson * Anne Heche as Marie

Filming locations

Much of the filming was done on location in and around Johnstown, in northern

. Many of the buildings used are still in use today and retain the board sidewalks seen in sections of the film.Johnstown, Nebraska Homepage
Additional scenes were filmed in

Clarkson, Nebraska Clarkson is a city in Colfax County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 658 at the 2010 census. History Clarkson was platted in 1886 when it was certain that a new railroad line extended to the site. It was named for T. S. Clarkson, a p ...

, in the northeast part of the state, at what was then the city's library, as well as a small farmhouse north of town.

Reception

It first aired on television on February 2, 1992, and was the second-most watched primetime show of the week.

Awards and nominations

;Awards * 1992 Emmy Award - Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Miniseries or a Special (Dramatic Underscore) *1993 Western Heritage Award - Television Feature Film ; Nominations * 1992 Emmy Award - Outstanding Individual Achievement in Hairstyling for a Miniseries or a Special * 1993 Golden Globe award - Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV (

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:O Pioneers! (Film) 1992 television films 1992 films 1992 drama films CBS network films Films about immigration to the United States Films set in Nebraska Films shot in Nebraska Hallmark Hall of Fame episodes Films set in the 1890s Swedish-American culture in Nebraska Willa Cather Films directed by Glenn Jordan Films based on American novels Films scored by Bruce Broughton American drama television films 1990s American films