The Prince of Peace

Infobox Film
name = The Prince of Peace


caption = "The Prince of Peace" film poster, circa 1950.
director = William Beaudine
Harold Daniels
producer = Kroger Babb
J. S. Jossey
writer = Mildred Horn
Milton Raison
Rev. A. Mark Wallock
starring = Ginger Prince
Forrest Taylor
Millard Coody
music = Lee White
cinematography = Henry Sharp
editing = Dick Currier
distributor = Hygienic Productions
Modern Film Distributors
released = 1948
runtime =
country = United States
language = English
budget =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0043936:"This is about a film. For the religious figure, see Jesus."

"The Prince of Peace", also known as "The Lawton Story", was a film that later made the exploitation rounds under the production of Kroger Babb. The film was based on a passion play created in 1948 in Lawton, Oklahoma. Filmed in Cinecolor, the film was a failure in almost every way, even thought it was presented in various forms in the years following its debut. The film also acted as the attempted introduction of the child actress Ginger Prince as a replacement for Shirley Temple. [Feaster, 112.]

Plot and production

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 ruthless mortgage lender, to see the performance of a passion play in Lawton, where the uncle is moved by the performance and changes his greedy and sinful ways. [Friedman, 54.] The scenes with Prince, filmed over a six day period by William Beaudine in Lawton, [Marshall, 247.] were interspersed with scenes from nearly four hours of footage of the real-life residents of Lawton annual performance of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. [Feaster, 112.]

Similar to other roadshow-style film productions, such as "Mom and Dad", presenters of the film often sold Bibles following performances in a scheme to make money, often with a lecture during intermission. [Friedman, 55.] Presenter Babb had no issue with his attempts at making money off the religious topic, saying that "It's no sin to make a profit." ["Time".]

Babb attempted to introduce Prince in this film as a replacement for the aging child star Shirley Temple. From Atlanta, Georgia, Prince was given four musical numbers in the production, and featured prominently in the advertising for the film, referring to the girl as "42 inches and 42 pounds of Southern Charm" and, in reference to a sensational bathing scene with Prince, "soap washes off dirt, but only God can wash away your sins." [Feaster, 112.]

Reception

Even with the new, professionally-filmed parts, the quality of the film was considered so poor that telephone poles could be seen behind the crucifix, and upon release, it was described as "the only film that had to be dubbed from English to English." [Turan.] The film would be recut and redubbed many times, [Friedman, 53-55.] but eventually opened in Lawton to a respectable crowd, and, while it failed to be a hit, the film's run in New York City was so successful that the "New York Daily News" called it "the Miracle of Broadway." [Turan.]

Other reviews were not as glowing, however. "Variety", in a review, specifically criticized Prince's role 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." ["Variety".]

Cast

* Ginger Prince - Ginger
* Forrest Taylor - Mark Wallock (Ginger's grandfather)
* Millard Coody - Millard Coody/Jesus
* Ferris Taylor - Uncle Jonathan Wallock
* Gwynne Shipman (credited as Gwyn Shipman) - Jane (as Gwyn Shipman)
* Darlene Bridges - Darlene Bridges/Virgin Mary
* Maude Eburne - Henrietta
* Willa Pearl Curtis - Willa Pearl
* Raymond Largay (credited as Ray Largay) - Dr. Martin (as Ray Largay)
* A.S. Fischer - A.S. Fisher/Simon Peter
* Hazel Lee Becker - Herself/Mary Magdalene
* William Ruhl - Mr. Nelson
* Russ Whiteman - Mr. Cole
* Knox Manning - Narrator

Works cited

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* "Variety" review, April 6, 1949.

References