The Lawton Story
| The Lawton Story | |
|---|---|
 The Prince of Peacefilm poster,circa1950. | |
| Directed by | William Beaudine Harold Daniels |
| Written by | W. Scott Darling Mildred Horn Rev. A. Mark Wallock |
| Produced by | Kroger Babb J. S. Jossey |
| Starring | Ginger Prince Forrest Taylor Millard Coody |
| Narrated by | Knox Manning |
| Cinematography | Henry Sharp |
| Edited by | Richard C. Currier |
| Music by | Lee White |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Hygienic Productions Modern Film Distributors |
Release date |
|
Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Lawton Story of "The Prince of Peace",[1]originally released asThe Lawton Storyand later reissued asThe Prince of Peace,is a religious-themed film that later made theroadshowrounds presented byexploitationpioneerKroger Babb.Filmed inCinecolorin 1948, it is based on an annualpassion playinLawton, Oklahoma,"The Prince of Peace," created in 1926 by Rev. A. Mark Wallock. This Easter pageant became immensely popular among locals, attracting as many as 250,000 people.[2]
The film was presented in various forms through the years following its debut. It also served as the debut film of child actressGinger Prince,who was touted as her generation'sShirley Temple.[3]
Plot and production
[edit]The basis of the film is the annual Easter Sunday performance of thecrucifixionofJesus Christ,as performed by real-life residents of Lawton.[3]These scenes were filmed by local director Harold Daniels. The finished film ran less than one hour, and producer Kroger Babb saw a chance to expand this amateur footage into a full-length feature film. He recruited Hollywood rewrite specialistW. Scott Darlingto prepare a new framework using Hollywood character actorsForrest Taylor,Maude Eburne,Ferris Taylor,Lee "Lasses" White,William Ruhl,andWilla Pearl Curtis.Veteran directorWilliam Beaudinestaged the new scenes, which were photographed byHenry Sharpand edited byRichard C. Currier.The amplified film ran 101 minutes, with the last half devoted to the Christ story.
The film's story revolves around a six-year-old girl (Prince) who becomes the positive influence in her town of Lawton. The girl, who lives with her grandfather in a small house, successfully convinces her great-uncle, a ruthlessmortgagelender, to see the performance of a passion play in Lawton. The uncle is moved by the performance and changes his greedy and sinful ways.[4]The new scenes with Prince were filmed over a six-day period by William Beaudine in Lawton.[5]
It was marketed in a manner similar to otherroadshow-style film productions, such asMom and Dad.Promoters of the film often soldBiblesand faith pamphlets following screenings to capitalize on the religious element, often with a lecture duringintermission.[4]Kroger Babb had no issue with his attempts at making money off the religious topic, saying that "It's no sin to make a profit."[6]
Babb, always alert for exploitation opportunities, decided to emphasize the young Ginger Prince as the screen's new Shirley Temple. The added footage emphasizes her contribution with many dialogue scenes and four songs. A native ofAtlanta, Georgia,Prince was featured prominently in the film's advertising and promotion, which referred to her as "42 inches and 42 pounds of Southern Charm" and, in reference to a bathing scene with Prince, "soap washes off dirt, but only God can wash away your sins."[3]
Reception
[edit]Even with new, professionally filmed segments, the pageant footage had technical flaws --telephone polescould be seen behind thecrucifix—but viewers overlooked them and focused on the documentary aspects of the film. The local performers' Oklahoma accents were so strong that the producer decided to erase the soundtrack and re-record the dialogue with professional actors.The Lawton Storywas described as "the only film that had to be dubbed fromEnglishto English. "[7]The original narration by DeVallon Scott was re-recorded by radio'sKnox Manning.
The film premiered in Lawton to a respectable crowd. While it failed to be a mainstream hit because of its specialized subject matter, it did succeed regionally; the film's run inNew York Citywas so successful that theNew York Daily Newscalled it "the Miracle ofBroadway."[7]
Reviews praised the native pageant footage but criticized the Hollywood-staged portions.Modern Screenwrote: "The Pageant itself, filmed in the dawn against a natural setting of mountains, is stirring. The cast for the most part is composed of citizens of Lawton who know their Bibles better than their profiles. It's the sincerity of their nonprofessional acting which comes across, and turns the enactment of the life of Christ (played by Millard Coody) into a moving experience."[8]Variety's review specifically criticized Prince's performance in the film, saying the movie would have been better "had not producers seen fit to drag in a crass, commercial showcasing of a precocious moppet, apparently in an attempt to strike a broader popular market."[9]
Cast
[edit]- Ginger Prince- Ginger
- Forrest Taylor- Mark Wallock (Ginger's grandfather)
- Millard Coody - Himself/Jesus
- Ferris Taylor- Uncle Jonathan Wallock
- Gwynne Shipman(credited as Gwyn Shipman) - Jane (Ginger's Mother)[10]
- Darlene Bridges - Herself/Virgin Mary
- Maude Eburne- Henrietta
- Willa Pearl Curtis- Willa Pearl
- Raymond Largay (credited as Ray Largay) - Dr. Martin
- A.S. Fischer - Himself/Simon Peter
- Hazel Lee Becker - Herself/Mary Magdalene
- William Ruhl- Mr. Nelson
- Russ Whiteman - Mr. Cole
- Knox Manning- Narrator
References
[edit]- ^U.S. Copyright Office (1949).Catalog of Copyright Entries.Third Series. Vol. 3, Parts 7-11A, Number 1. Washington, D.C.: The Library of Congress. p. 80.
- ^Motion Picture Daily,April 18, 1949, p.4.
- ^abcFeaster, Felicia; Wood, Bret (1999).Forbidden Fruit: The Golden Age of the Exploitation Film.Midnight Marquee Press. pp. 111–113.ISBN1-887664-24-6.
- ^abFriedman, David F.; DeNevi, Don (1 November 1990).A Youth in Babylon: Confessions of a Trash-Film King.Buffalo, New York:Prometheus Books.pp.53–55.ISBN978-0-87975-608-6.
- ^Marshall, Wendy L. (2005).William Beaudine: From Silents to Television.Scarecrow Press. pp. 246–247.ISBN978-0-8108-5218-1.
- ^Staff (18 April 1949)."Something for the Soul".Vol. 53, no. 16.Time.p. 102. Archived fromthe originalon January 31, 2011.
- ^abTuran, Kenneth (1 August 1977)."'You've Got To Tell'em To Sell'em,' Said Kroger Babb, and Did He Sell'em ".The Washington Post.p. B1.
- ^Modern Screen,June 1949, p. 107.
- ^Brog. (6 April 1949)."The Lawton Story".Variety.Vol. 174, no. 4. New York. p. 8.
- ^Staff Writer (5 April 1949)."Mother of Twins Plays Part of Screen Mother for Ginger".Wilmington News-Journal.Wilmington, Ohio. p. 14 – viaNewspapers.com.
External links
[edit]- The Prince of PeaceatIMDb
- The Lawton Story of the Prince of Peace[dead link]atBritish Film Institute
- Wooley, John,Shot in Oklahoma: A Century of Sooner State Cinema(Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2011), in the chapter entitled "Jesus in the Wichitas," pp. 103–114,readable on-line through Google Books.