O Pioneers! (film)
O Pioneers! is a 1992 American made-for-television drama film based on the novel of the same title by Willa Cather. It originally aired as a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation on February 2, 1992 on CBS and stars Jessica Lange.
| O Pioneers! | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Drama |
| Created by | Willa Cather (novel) |
| Written by | Robert W. Lenski (teleplay) |
| Directed by | Glenn Jordan |
| Starring | Jessica Lange David Strathairn Tom Aldredge |
| Theme music composer | Bruce Broughton |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Craig Anderson |
| Producer(s) | Glenn Jordan |
| Production location(s) | Johnstown, Nebraska Lincoln, Nebraska |
| Cinematography | Dick Bush |
| Editor(s) | Scott Conrad |
| Running time | 99 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Lorimar Productions (Warner Bros. Television) Hallmark Hall of Fame |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Picture format | Color |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | February 2, 1992 |
| "O Pioneers!" | |
|---|---|
| Lorimar Productions Hallmark Hall of Fame episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 41 Episode 2 |
| Production code | 291 |
| Original air date | February 2, 1992 |
Plot summary
The film centers around a family of Swedish immigrants in Nebraska 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.[1]
Cast
- Jessica Lange – Alexandra Bergson
- David Strathairn – Carl Linstrum
- Tom Aldredge - Ivar
- Reed Diamond - Emil
- Josh Hamilton – Young Carl Linstrum
- Heather Graham – Young Alexandra Bergson
- Anne Heche – Marie
Filming locations
Much of the filming was done on location in and around Johnstown, in northern Nebraska. Many of the buildings used are still in use today and retain the board sidewalks seen in sections of the film.[2] Also some of it was filmed in Clarkson Nebraska in the northeast part of the state. There, the filming was done at the city's library, which is now the city's office, and 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 (Jessica Lange).
References
- O'Connor, John J. (31 January 1992) TV Weekend; Jessica Lange as Willa Cather Heroine, The New York Times
- Johnstown, Nebraska Homepage Archived December 5, 2006, at the Wayback Machine