The Prairie (film)

• 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

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]

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]

• The Prairie on IMDb
• The Prairie at the TCM Movie Database
• The Prairie at Letterbox DVD