Pioneer Woman (1973)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

How sad is this?

Fresh and Exciting

This film was much better than I originally expected. Set in the post-Civil War era, it depicts the plight of a small family in Indiana setting out west to start a farm. "John Sergeant" (played by William Shatner) gambles everything on some land in Nebraska in the hope for a brand new life. His wife, "Maggie Sergeant" (Joanna Pettet) is reluctant to leave but does the best she can to support her husband. Along the way out west, they encounter hardship and disappointment which this film displays in a very realistic manner. And while William Shatner gives a decent performance, it is Joanna Pettet who is the real star of this picture as her acting was first-rate. David Janssen (as "Robert Douglas") is also quite good playing the part of a free-range cowboy in a supporting role. The weaknesses in this movie are few, but if I had to list one it would probably be that the ending could have been drawn out a bit more. All things considered though, there are plenty of westerns which have a great deal more violence and action than this particular film. But if you're looking for a movie that is fresh and genuine then this is a fine candidate, especially for family viewing.

I just watched this movie on Starz and was riveted when I saw Shatner in it. His best scene came when David Janssen brought him back on horseback "dead" after a rain storm / landslide or something killed him. Did you see how still he lay on that horseback? Not a whimper or a word out of 'im. God, he plays a dead man so well ! This movie was a complete waste of film. They should have just burned it in the brush fire toward the end of the movie. Horrible !Acting sucked all around. Only the beautiful eyes of Joanna Pettet kept me watching. Beam me out of here ! The Western movie will never be the same.

This is not normally the sort of film I would want to see--after all, the subject matter isn't the most exciting I've ever seen. The film is a lot like "Little House on the Prairie" but without all the schmaltz. However, in recent months I have taken great delight in watching the films of William Shatner--which range from decent (such as INCUBUS) to the amazingly bad (IMPULSE)--so bad that they really should be seen as cult classics for bad film addicts like myself. Here, though, there are two major problems. First, Shatner is pretty good in the film and seldom over-acts. Second, as the film is about the pioneer WOMEN, you know that sooner or later Shatner had to start "pushin' up the daisies" (a nice Old West euphemism)--plus the plot summary on IMDb says this, so there isn't a lot of suspense in this regard.The film plays like a pioneer woman's diary that is being dramatized. You hear the long-suffering wife narrate at times and her life is recreated in little vignettes. Most of this might seem a bit dull, but it's also a good history lesson--something most people take for granted. If you can get your kids to actually sit still during the film, they might learn a lot about just how hard it was for homesteaders in the 19th century. They might appreciate what they have just a bit more.As far as the quality of the production goes, it's pretty good and obvious that the folks who made this really cared. I was also impressed that Joanna Pettet was willing to play a less than glamorous role as the mother and the film stands up pretty well 36 years later.By the way, the young daughter is a very young Helen Hunt and it's sure hard to recognize that it's her.

Pioneer Woman (1973) was one of those movies that endlessly played on cable and late night T.V. during the mid to late 80's (god I miss those days). It was real cheesy and extremely hokey ( I like 'em like that) and it showcases the talents of one of my favorite cheese actors William Shatner (he sure made a lot of these movies). His mugging and posturing in front of the camera has to be seen to be believed. A brief synopsis, a family of homesteaders move out into the wild. wild, west and encounter more than they bargain for.Harmless fun for all ages. If it ever comes on the idiot box watch it but I wouldn't go out of my way to get a copy.C+