"LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE" - THE PILOT MOVIE

Well, I think I'd enjoy the movie more if there weren't such odd filming views and such...
I really don't think that the Disney version is more accurate than Landon's version of LHotP. If you compare it the entire tv series, then yes, Disney's version is tons more accurate! It's quite a bit longer, so there's more of the book in the movie, but I think because it's longer it gave them a chance to alter parts of it a bit more. :b

I finally got to watch this episode yesterday. It was a lot like the book Little House ON The Prairie and I liked it a lot better than the recent remake of it, I'm not sure who the actors were in the remake. I think that the only person who can truly act Charles Ingalls is Michael Landon

I love this episode/movie, it's one of my favorite episodes.

Gotta love the Pilot movie.

I can't imagine having to pack up everything and say goodbye to your loved ones; not knowing what you'll run into on the long, long journey, and if you'll survive or see your family again. I think in those days, people prepared themselves for not seeing family again for years to come if they had to leave them.

I always felt bad for the Greenbush twin(s) in the fire scene. Poor baby sitting in the little part of the creek and not knowing what's real or being acted out.

My 6 year old screamed and burst into tears in this one and she's never done this in any movie or TV show before. It was when the indians came in and frightened Ma and she said she never wanted to watch it again although she loves all the other 10 seasons. We had started at season 1 and worked our way through, not knowing about the Pilot so we watched that last and are starting at season 1 again now. It is nice to finally have them all :)

I do like it but it is quite stark next to the other ones. Every show has to begin somwhere though!

A great pilot. I think one of the best for a TVshow

I don't think it's boring. I actually liked it a lot, for it sticks too the book..at least much more than the TV show. Maybe you can find it boring for it didn't have too much funny moments. THe only person different to the Ingallses you sees there is Mr. Edward and the indians. We are used to see the Olesons along with the Ingallses. What I miss terribily in this excellent movie is the meaness of Harrie, Nellie's scheming, Nels comments and Willie's being sent to the corner again and again.

If you watchs this movie before having watched the TV show, you'll enjoy it much more than if you already are a fan of "Little House on the Prairie"'s series...

Vanesa.

i got my copy at wal-mart cheap

I remember, seeing the pilot movie, when I was in school. The whole school. From kindergarten to 12 grade saw LHOTP movie. :) This was a Christian school.

My favorite movie from LHOTP. :)

This episode came out when I was a meer 9 years old. I had to convince my mother to let me stay up late and I watched it on a 13" black and white tv !! We didn't have cable then so I had to keep adjusting the antennas....lol.....brings back many great memories. I loved this episode

I'm watching the pilot movie right now. I like the movie.

Fantastic movie!

It is a good movie. Caroline seemed tense a lot in the movie.

Well...In real life she WAS tense, for sure!

Vanesa.

The first few shows were the closest to the books. I liked this movie and Mr. Edwards coming to see them. Years later, when my girls were about 8, I found a site that had a Little House tin cup, penny and peppermint stick Xmas gift. I bought it for them and they still have the cup on their shelves at 18. Such simple times and pleasures with the hardships.
There were some funny outtakes on youtube from that pilot.

I saw this last night on Hallmark. I loved this movie so much and the first year. The movie was a bit more gritty, I know Karen Grassle liked that aspect, and you saw how hard it was to build the house, you saw them washing clothes, drying them, the turkey wasn't just in the fireplace cooking, she was plucking the feathers, saving animal skins, etc.
Caroline was a bit more pious than on the regular show, but more accurate to the books and I loved how they all pulled together and worked.

Mr. Edward's was a hoot and it reminds you of things later that are referenced too with him. When he brings them the gifts, I still want to cry.

I did notice that for whatever reason, they seemed to have a stand-in for Caroline when they were crossing the river..she kept her head down a lot but when she lifted it once, you could tell it wasn't her until she had a closeup.

A really great movie, everyone was so adorable and the acting for such inexperienced children was great, even Carrie. : )

Interesting fact about that movie was that it was shot up in northern California during the winter. That was a real river Victor French crossed when he brought the presents and he had a wetsuit underneath his clothes when he did it. The snow on the ground was real, but the falling snow was man made for the shoot. It was shot up near Stockton, California.

I knew about the snowstorm because Kent mentioned to me how it played out when I interviewed him. I didn't know about Victor, though. Thanks for sharing.

From TV.com, some sweet tidbits:

Melissa Gilbert found out she won the role of Laura Ingalls while standing in the lunch line at school from Michael Landon's daughter Leslie. Leslie got grounded for doing it.

Melissa Gilbert has said that the final good-bye scene with Mr. Edwards was very difficult to film, because this was a time where the young actress was also saying good-bye to Victor French (who played Edwards). The premiere movie was wrapping up, they still had no idea that a TV series would be spawned from it, and aside from that, they didn't even know that Victor would come back as a star on the 10-year show. So, in that regard, this scene was a difficult and emotional one for both Gilbert and French, which is precisely why it came out so beautifully.

I do have to say I didn't think this was as good as I was expecting it to be.
Although I loved that They got the Indian bit just like the book and the sugar candy bit it just wasn't as good as I was hopping it would be and I mostly skipped through it got a bit boring.
NOT like the LHOTP TV series.

Charles and Caroline were some uptight parents in the pilot movie. It took Mr Edwards coming along to put some warmth into things, like coming for Christmas dinner.
Then when the tv show started, they were totally relaxed.

I love the Pilot Movie because at least they attempted to get some things right from the book, maybe they didn't get them all, but it was a good attempt. I love the scene where Jack returns from being missing after the river crossing and especially Mr. Edwards at Christmas. The pilot had the "feel" of the first book in a way, but I didn't really like how the actual show ended up starting as it was a mish mash of Plum Creek and Walnut Grove together. Part of me thought they were going to actually have episodes showing the sod dugout house. Seeing this again, I realize the TV show is best judged on its own merits and not anything totally authentic to the books.

watching the Pilot movie now and I can't believe how young all of the Ingalls family is in it. Laura looks so small! I always wondered why the very beginning of the television series didn't follow along more with the LHOTP book, and then I saw the pilot for the first time. I like the pilot movie, I think it follows along well with the book

I don't know if I've seen this pilot all the way through since the time it first aired back in 1974 or whenever, and maybe I didn't even see it then, although I watched LITTLE HOUSE on the initial run and think it is likely that I did see the pilot. Just watched it now, though, and I think it may be the best pilot episode of any TV series that I've seen. Perhaps it is because it is almost exclusively the main characters (including Mr. Edwards, who I think of as a main character of the series) is why it is so good - the relationships between characters are well-established and even things that would be referred to later in the series, such as Mr. Edwards' "can't stand for no peeking" and "Old Dan Tucker" are already a part of the lives of the Ingalls' family.