The Lawton Story
| The Prince of Peace | |
|---|---|
The Prince of Peace film poster, circa 1950.
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| Directed by |
William Beaudine Harold Daniels |
| Produced by |
Kroger Babb J. S. Jossey |
| Written by |
Mildred Horn Milton Raison Rev. A. Mark Wallock |
| Starring |
Ginger Prince Forrest Taylor Millard Coody |
| Music by | Lee White |
| Cinematography | Henry Sharp |
| Edited by | Dick Currier |
| Distributed by |
Hygienic Productions Modern Film Distributors |
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Release date
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Prince of Peace, also known as The Lawton Story, is a religious-themed film that later made the roadshow rounds presented by exploitation pioneer Kroger Babb. Shot in Cinecolor in 1948, based on an annual passion play created in Lawton, Oklahoma, it was presented in various forms through the years following its debut. The film also served as the debut film of child actress Ginger Prince, who was touted as her generation's Shirley Temple.
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. The uncle is moved by the performance and changes his greedy and sinful ways. The scenes with Prince, filmed over a six-day period by William Beaudine in Lawton, were interspersed with scenes from nearly four hours of footage of the real-life residents of Lawton in their annual Easter Sunday performance of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
It was marketed in a manner similar to other roadshow-style film productions, such as Mom and Dad. Promoters of the film often sold Bibles and faith pamphlets following screenings to capitalize on the religious element, often with a lecture during intermission. 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."
Babb attempted to introduce Prince in this film as a replacement for aging child star Shirley Temple. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Prince was given four musical numbers in the production, and featured prominently in the film's advertising and promotion, which referred 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."
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