''Young Pioneers' Christmas'' is a 1976 American
made-for-television
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...
Western 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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
which was broadcast by
ABC in December 1976 as a
Christmas special
Christmas themes have long been an inspiration to artists and writers. A prominent aspect of Christian media, the topic first appeared Christmas in literature, in literature and Christmas music, in music. Filmmakers have picked up on this wealth o ...
starring
Linda Purl and Roger Kern.
[ It was a sequel to the made-for-television movie '' Young Pioneers'' which aired earlier in March 1976 and was produced using the same creative team of Ed Friendly (producer), Blanche Hanalis (screenwriter), and Michael O'Herlihy (director). The movie is loosely based on the 1933 novel '' Let the Hurricane Roar'' by Rose Wilder Lane, which was reissued by ]Bantam Books
Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by parent company Random House, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin Jr., Sidney B. K ...
in 1976 using the same title of '' Young Pioneers'' for the paperback book.[
This was a second attempt to interest ABC in a TV series after ''Young Pioneers'' was not picked up by the network.][ There were hopes this pilot would succeed but it ranked only 37th in the ]Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
. Although not initially picked up by ABC, it was revived as a short-lived television series, '' The Young Pioneers'', which was broadcast in April 1978 on ABC and canceled after three episodes.[
]
Plot
It is winter in the prairie town of Wildrose in 1874. Molly and David Beaton struggle with grief after the death of their baby son. Their sense of loss is exacerbated when the railroad company invokes eminent domain over their neighbor's property in order to bypass the Sioux Indian reservation. It is a hard Christmas (their tree is made of pine cones because trees are hard to come by on the prairie) but their courage and spirit prevail.[
]
Production
Production began in mid-summer 1976 with set construction at the Empire Ranch near Sonoita, Arizona. Complete buildings were fabricated for the town of 'Wildrose,' with the inclusion of a railroad spur and depot. Some scenes were filmed at Fox Studios in Los Angeles, California due to a lack of available facilities in the Tucson, Arizona area. Location filming in Arizona commenced in August and was completed in September.
ABC Circle Films negotiated with a local aviation firm in Arizona for conversion of a hangar into a sound stage in anticipation of the project becoming a series. When it was not picked up by ABC the entire set consisting of 18 buildings, a railroad station and track, two water towers and 20 utility poles were sold and carted off to Sierra Vista, Arizona.[Smith, Jeff. "Sonoita dream ranch just a fraud." ''Tucson Daily Citizen'', 2 February 1977.]
Cast
* Linda Purl as Molly Beaton
* Roger Kern as David Beaton
* Robert Hays
Robert Blakely Hays (born July 24, 1947) is an American actor, known for a variety of television and film roles since the 1970s. He came to prominence around 1980, co-starring in the two-season domestic sitcom ''Angie (TV series), Angie'', and ...
as Dan Gray
* Kay Kimler as Nettie Peters
* Robert Donner as Mr. Peters
* Britt Leach as Loftus
* Arnold Soboloff as Yancy
* Brendan Dillon as Doyle
* Rand Bridges as Pike
* Brian Melrose as Charlie Peters
* Sherri Wagner as Flora Peters
See also
* List of Christmas films
Many Christmas stories have been Christmas film, adapted to feature films and TV specials, and have been broadcast and repeated many times on television. Since the popularization of home video in the 1980s, these films are sold and re-sold every ...
References
External links
Pioneers Christmas'', (1976 TV movie), Internet Movie Database (imdb.com)
Pioneers'', (1976 TV movie), Internet Movie Database (imdb.com)
Young Pioneers'', (1978 TV series), Internet Movie Database (imdb.com)
the Hurricane Roar'' by Rose Wilder Lane, Catalog of Copyright Entries 1933 Books New Series Vol 30 Pt 1, pg. 1844-1845
Rose Wilder Lane, Archives of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum
About Blanche Hanalis, littlehouseontheprairie.com
Empire Ranch Foundation
{{Little House
1976 television films
1976 films
1976 drama films
American Broadcasting Company original films
American Christmas television films
Films scored by Laurence Rosenthal
1970s Christmas films
Films directed by Michael O'Herlihy
American Western (genre) television films
1970s English-language films
English-language Christmas films