The Prairie is a 1947 American Western film based on the novel The Prairie by James Fenimore Cooper.
Cast
- Lenore Aubert as Ellen Wade
- Alan Baxter as Paul Hover
- Russ Vincent as Abiram White
- Jack Mitchum as Asa Bush
- Charles Evans as Ishmael Bush
- Edna Holland as Esther Bush
- Chief Thundercloud as Eagle Feather
- Fred Coby as Abner Bush
- Bill Murphy as Jess Bush
- David Gerber as Gabe Bush
- Don Lynch as Enoch Bush
- George Morrell as Luke
Production
The film was made by a new company, a co-operative venture between director Frank Wisbar, production manager Edward Finney and writer Arthur St Claire. The financed, cast and made the picture themselves.[3] Reportedly Wisbar raised some finance from his family back in Germany.[4]
It was shot at a new studios, the Motion Picture Center, over 12 days at an estimated $10,000 a day.[3]
"This is an interesting, a desperate, attempt to break the deadlock on independent production", said Wisbar. "The other boys and I made up our minds to finance, cast and film a picture as well as it could be done, without interference from the "front office", distributors, or anyone else. We did this knowing a low budget can be – and usually is – the ruin of a good picture. I know. I've made them; bad ones."[3]
Wisbar said they picked Cooper's novel because it was in the public domain and also "because it keeps the rootin', tootin', and shootin' to a minimum and stresses the human element, the story of a man who was a law unto himself. We wrote our script straight, cutting out every scene that was not absolutely necessary."[3]
Wisbar said the film was made in a style that was "realistic but stylised. Camera treatment is modern in what I would call highly poetic."[3]
The film marked the acting debut for Robert Mitchum's brother John.[5]
Reception
The Los Angeles Times said "I wish I could say the film makes some claim on artistry."[6]
Associated Producers Inc announced a new version of the book would be filmed on 2 March 1959 but it appears to have not been made.[7]
References
- ^ "PRAIRIE, the". Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 18. 1951. p. 267. ProQuest 1305813522.
- ^ Mark Thomas McGee, Talk's Cheap, Action's Expensive: The Films of Robert L. Lippert, Bear Manor Media, 2014 p 103
- ^ a b c d e f Scheuer, P. K. (August 17, 1947). "DRAMA AND THE ARTS". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 165780563.
- ^ a b Nicolella, Henry (2017). Frank Wisbar: The Director of Ferryman Maria, from Germany to America and Back. McFarland. pp. 142–146. ISBN 9781476666884.
- ^ Vallance, T. (December 5, 2001). "Obituary: John Mitchum". The Independent. ProQuest 311986864.
- ^ Scheuer, P. K. (October 12, 1949). "'Prairie' stylized". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 165981785.
- ^ "FILMLAND EVENTS". Los Angeles Times. December 31, 1958. ProQuest 167377258.
External links
- The Prairie at IMDb
- The Prairie at the TCM Movie Database
- The Prairie at Letterbox DVD