Donner Pass: The Road to Survival

Donner Pass: The Road to Survival is a 1978 American historical drama television film about the Donner Party, directed by James L. Conway, written by S. S. Schweitzer, and produced by Schick Sunn Classic Pictures as a part of their Classics Illustrated series. It aired on NBC on October 24, 1978.

Plot
A grim incident from American pioneer history is recreated as a determined group of settlers, facing almost insurmountable odds, struggles to reach California in 1846.

Cast

 * Robert Fuller as James Reed
 * Andrew Prine as Keyser
 * Michael Callan as William Eddy
 * Diane McBain as Margaret Reed
 * John Anderson as Patrick Breen
 * John Doucette as George Donner
 * Cynthia Eilbacher as Mary Graves
 * Royal Dano as John Sutter
 * Gregory Walcott as Will Mckutcheon
 * Lance Le Gault as Charles Stanton
 * Whit Bissell as Uncle Billy Graves
 * Peg Stewart as Mrs. Breen

Release
Donner Pass: The Road to Survival was shown on prime time television on NBC on October 24, 1978. The film was released on VHS on October 20, 1992, by Anchor Bay Entertainment.

Reception
Film critic Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called it "gruelling to watch".