The Prairie

Fairly ambitious for Screen Guild Productions, The Prairie is set at the time of the Louisiana Purchase. Hoping to find their destiny in the new territory, the Bush Family heads southward in a covered wagon. Sharing the family's numerous dangers and hardships are Ellen Wade (Lenore Aubert), sole survivor of an Indian attack, and army mapmaker Paul Hover (Alan Baxter). Cousins Abiram (Russ Vincent) and Asa (Jack Mitchum) duke it out over Ellen's affections, but Hover wins the romantic battle. Originally released at 80 minutes in December of 1947, The Prairie had been shorn of 15 minutes by the time it premiered in New York in August 1948; bridging the many continuity gaps was the voiceover narration of Frank Hemingway.