"LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE" - THE PILOT MOVIE

“Little House on the Prairie – The Pilot”


Based on the best-selling books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, this classic, produced and directed by Michael Landon, takes us from the woods of Wisconsin to the plains of Kansas where the Ingalls struggle to build a new life. With indomitable courage that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit, the Ingalls face endless challenges and experience countless adventures as they pursue their dream of a new home.







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This is such an excellent movie!!! I think it was 3 years ago now, that I decided to rent the Pilot movie from Netflix and I fell in LOVE with it. I soon found out the DVDs were on sale and the rest is history.

In this movie, we see how hard the Ingalls worked and the love they had for each other. You can tell that show was going to be a hit! The chemistry that Karen & Michael shared was awesome [lovecouple]. There is a lot of chemistry between Melissa & Michael and Melissa & Victor French. I love the relationship w/ Mr. Edwards and Laura, the scene where Caroline catches Laura about to spit is pretty funny. There were several tender moments I liked. The scene where the house almost burns down is really intense. Poor baby Carrie… she was just a baby, you can tell she’s really scared to see all this smoke, fire and people running everywhere, looking anxious while they get go back and forth getting water and taking it to the house. Karen acts so well in this scene… she really looks like it’s really hurting her to think the house will be burned down, but then the rain comes! I choke up watching Mr. Edwards and Laura at the end. Well, this pilot gets two thumbs way up!

I abosultley loved the pilot movie! One of the all time best episodes!

I Just LOOOOOVE thi Movie we always watch it in mexico already never got board of it lol

I loved this movie too,I have it on VHS.

:cpatch: :disco: :tapdance: :twist: :woohooo: THE BEST EVER!!!

c ' is when Mr Edward learns to
to spit to Laura? him enmene of cups
and of the soft patatteses?

(c ' is the return of Mr Edward? )

It's definitely a great movie. It's really a treat when it gets played on TV because it probably gets played less than any other Little House episode or movie. It was great a couple years ago when Hallmark ran a marathon that included the pilot movie and a couple rarely seen 90 minute episodes.

I love the pilot. I love just about every episode seasons 1-4.

Though I like alot of the episodes post season 4, it was just never the same after Mary was gone and the Ingalls started adopting all the extra kids.
I love Albert though, don't get me wrong.

I just liked the original family in the early episodes the best.

I don't think Landon anticipated how attached the viewers would become to some of the guest star characters (ie Olga, Anna, Dumb Abel etc.)

And what ever happen to Luke? The young Simms boy who Nellie eloped with?
He just sort of disappeared after that show, even though they showed Adam and Eva around town with their baby.

RoseRed wrote:

I don't think Landon anticipated how attached the viewers would become to some of the guest star characters (ie Olga, Anna, Dumb Abel etc.)

And what ever happen to Luke? The young Simms boy who Nellie eloped with?
He just sort of disappeared after that show, even though they showed Adam and Eva around town with their baby.

We had joked around one time about the characters that only appear once on the show... we say that they are members of the "Secret Prairie Society"... they live in hiding and come out only once or sometimes to play a totally different character

Yesterday I watched the pilot movie for the first time in my life. The pilot (as well as the final 3 movies) is not aired with the reruns of LHOTP here in Germany, but fortunately it was part of last year's release of season 1 on DVD here.

It was interesting to see that the pilot movie had such a different - I would say somehow reduced, nearly spartan - style than the following episodes.
The thifty use of background-music IMO boosted the feeling of being in the middle of nowere, where the Ingalls built up their new home. If they didn't say something, there was just silence. Wowww!
And like in the books, most of the other characters, who crossed the Ingallses way, were decribed in a very sketchy manor.
It was amazing, how present the actors of the Ingalls-family were, especially the children and first of them young Melissa Gilbert.
Karen Grassle's emotional acting was just great. (But I had a good laugher when she pretended to spin wool (or whatever it was on her spinning wheel))
When Mr. Edwards said Good bye to Laura, I had to remind myself that they would meet again in the show. Otherwise I had cried my heart out, what barely happens when I watch a movie.

Who loves LIW's books must love the pilot movie, I think. At least I do.

I saw the pilot movie many, many years ago, so I don't really remember it. It was back during the original run of the show. As I recall, I saw it on a local station that showed a weekday afternoon movie, not on NBC. I'd really like to see it again, and I wish Hallmark, TV Land, or my local CW affiliate would show it.

I finally got to see the pilot movie yesterday, after recording it Tuesday when Hallmark showed it. It was great to see how it all began. I found it very different from most LHotP episodes, because they were out there all by themselves with only Mr. Edwards, a few Indians, and a pack of wolves to keep them company. I wondered at the beginning how they knew they could just settle where they did, but as it turned out they really weren't allowed to settle there. Another thing I wondered about was why they didn't let Jack ride in the wagon. Bandit got to ride in the wagon on the way to Winoka, didn't he? Of course if Jack had been allowed to ride in the wagon, there wouldn't have been the great reunion scene when Jack came wandering into camp after everyone had assumed he had drowned why trying to cross the river.

Everyone did a great job with their roles, I thought, even Carrie, who had only two lines -- "Pa's a cowboy!" and "Santa!" -- but there were a couple of scenes where the twins did a good job of conveying the emotions of the moment -- during the fire, when Carrie had to sit in the creek and one of the times when the Indians visited.

Although this movie was very different from most episodes of the series (the episode it most reminded me of was Gold Country), I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was nice there was some of the familiar elements of the series -- from the opening credits in the white Old West font and the opening title in white script to David Rose's classic Little House theme. I missed seeing Jack and the girls running down the hill, but I know that hadn't been filmed yet.

I did have a few more questions. Was it just me or did the outhouse seem to be not as primitive as the house? It seemed like the outhouse was made out of actual boards instead of just logs. Maybe not. Also, does anybody know if the plan for the series all along was for it to be set in Walnut Grove? I know that networks often make changes after a pilot, and I'm wondering if the producers had always planned to move the setting to Walnut Grove once the series started, or was that something NBC wanted? In real life, didn't the Ingalls go back to Wisconsin from Kansas before going to Walnut Grove?

I was a little girl when I saw this. The only thing I remember is when a log rolled over Ma's leg when they were building their house? An when they had that fire and the rain came and put it out. I really need to see it again so that I can remember it. :sad5:

Beckie

I loved the Pilot. I thought Charles was a bit more edgy in this - not just as soft as he became when the family moved to Walnut Grove.

I thought he was horrible to Laura when he thought Jack had drowned, though we later learn it was because he was feeling guilty.

And when he yelled at her because she wanted to untie Jack when the Indians came, my heart broke for her.

Karen was great in this too. She showed that Caroline wasn't afraid to argue with Charles when she thought he was wrong.

One of my favourite scenes was after Charles and Caroline had had words. They apologise and he says he's just realised they're alone. The both start to kiss when the kids all run in! Typical kids! Never can time it right!!!

All in all, a fab Pilot for a fab show. :Gjob:

This is by far, my favorite!

I love the Pilot Movie. It keeps the spirit of Laura's books, and even her way to tell things. I loved the way Charles is portrayed, for is this way I imagine the real Pa...Ma was also much more veliable as Caroline Ingalls than in the later Show...and Victor French is the same Mr. Edwatds we read in Laura's book.

Excellent. I can see it more than 100 times, and I will never be tired of it.

Vanesa.

I got this for Christmas a couple years ago and have watched it about 8 times and absolutley love it! Each time I watch it I find someone else to watch it with me.

I watched this for the first time yesterday, and I LOVED it!! It stuck pretty close to the book I thought (Little house on the Prairie), and was pretty action-packed. With the creek crossing, wolves, fire, indains, and what-not! lol My family thought the part where Charles was a 'cowboy' was funny. Having seen the blooper on youtube, it was even funnier!

One of my new Favs!

I actually have never seen this episode! but I requested it from the library so i will be seeing it very soon!

i love this one ....the girls are so little and Ma leaving her family is very convincing .....Lauras cheeky little face as they start off will stay with me forever.....it definately full of trials for the Ingalls and just when they think its all good they have to move on ....i did enjoy the larrikan Mr Edwards and Ma's reaction to his roughneck ways then the Xmas he saved for the girls....it all adds to a top movie

it sounds like this episode relates a lot to the actual book "Little House On The Prairie"

I think that my favorite thing about the Pilot is how silent everything is. I think that really captured the way it was out on the prairie... just the wind and animals making noises. I think that it helped the credibility of the movie.

The girls are so little in this and do such a wonderful job!

I've seen Disney's portrayal of the book, and it doesn't hold a candle to Landon's portrayal.

Prairie Dweller wrote:

I've seen Disney's portrayal of the book, and it doesn't hold a candle to Landon's portrayal.

Really? We are going to get it from netflix soon...I don't really want to see it, but the rest of my family does. I heard that it sticks closer to the book then the TV show, but I also heard it doesn't have Carrie in it. :think: I don't get that one...I also can't see any one else playing ma.....not the actor who play Missie in the Love Series for sure!