Young Pioneers' Christmas

Young Pioneers' Christmas
GenreDrama
Western
Based onYoung Pioneers
by Rose Wilder Lane
Screenplay byBlanche Hanalis
Directed byMichael O'Herlihy
StarringLinda Purl
Roger Kern
Music byLaurence Rosenthal
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producerEd Friendly
ProducerEd Friendly
Production locationsTwentieth Century-Fox Studios, Los Angeles, California
Southern Arizona, Arizona
CinematographyRobert L. Morrison
EditorAllan LaMastra
Running time91 min.
Production companiesABC Circle Films
ABC
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseDecember 1976 (1976-12)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Young Pioneers' Christmas is a 1976 American made-for-television Western drama film which was broadcast by ABC in December 1976 as a Christmas special starring Linda Purl and Roger Kern.[1][2] 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 in 1976 using the same title of Young Pioneers for the paperback book.[3][4][5]

This was a second attempt to interest ABC in a TV series after Young Pioneers was not picked up by the network.[6][7] There were hopes this pilot would succeed[8] but it ranked only 37th in the Nielsen ratings.[9] 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.[10][11][12]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference imdb was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cahan, Allan R. “Spend Christmas with ‘Young Pioneers’ Dec. 19.” Lebanon Daily News, 11 December 1976.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference LCC1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference LCC2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ “’Young Pioneers II’ sets Example of Courage.” Kenosha News, 4 December 1976.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference imdb1976a was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Crosby, Joan. “Linda Purl To Costar In Pilot For Possible Series.” The Times and Democrat, 1 March 1976.
  8. ^ Holsopple, Barbara. “’Young Pioneers’ Only Hope Left For Western.” Pittsburgh Press, 16 December 1976.
  9. ^ “ABC Keeps Top Spot In Ratings.” The Danville Register, 22 December 1976.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference imdb1978 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Buck, Jerry. “New Life For Pioneers.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 29 March 1978.
  12. ^ Dorsey, Tom. “Network losers for next season on ABC and NBC won’t be missed.” The Courier-Journal, 25 May 1978.