''Pierre of the Plains'' is a 1942
Northern
Northern may refer to the following:
Geography
* North, a point in direction
* Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe
* Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States
* Northern Province, Sri Lanka
* Northern Range, a ra ...
film set in
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, directed by
George B. Seitz
George Brackett Seitz (January 3, 1888 – July 8, 1944) was an American playwright, screenwriter, film actor and director. He was known for his screenplays for action serials, such as '' The Perils of Pauline'' (1914) and ''The Exploits o ...
and starring
John Carroll John Carroll may refer to:
People Academia and science
*Sir John Carroll (astronomer) (1899–1974), British astronomer
*John Alexander Carroll (died 2000), American history professor
*John Bissell Carroll (1916–2003), American cognitive sci ...
and
Ruth Hussey
Ruth Carol Hussey (October 30, 1911 – April 19, 2005) was an American actress best known for her Academy Award-nominated role as photographer Elizabeth Imbrie in '' The Philadelphia Story''.
Early life
Hussey was born in Providence, Rhode I ...
. The supporting cast features
Bruce Cabot
Bruce Cabot (born Étienne de Pelissier Bujac Jr.; April 20, 1904 – May 3, 1972) was an American film actor, best remembered as Jack Driscoll in ''King Kong'' (1933) and for his roles in films such as ''The Last of the Mohicans'' (1936), Fri ...
,
Reginald Owen
John Reginald Owen (5 August 1887 – 5 November 1972) was a British actor. He was known for his many roles in British and American films and television programs.
Career
The son of Joseph and Frances Owen, Reginald Owen studied at Sir Herbert ...
,
Henry Travers
Travers John Heagerty (5 March 1874 – 18 October 1965), known professionally as Henry Travers, was an English film and stage character actor. His best known role was the guardian angel Clarence Odbody in the 1946 film ''It's a Wonderful Life' ...
,
Evelyn Ankers
Evelyn Felisa Ankers (August 17, 1918 – August 29, 1985) was a British-American actress who often played variations on the role of the cultured young leading lady in many American horror films during the 1940s, most notably '' The Wolf Man'' (1 ...
and
Sheldon Leonard
Sheldon Leonard Bershad (February 22, 1907 – January 11, 1997) was an American film and television actor, producer, director, and screenwriter.
Early life
Sheldon Leonard Bershad was born in Manhattan, New York City, the son of middle-clas ...
. The movie is a
remake
A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...
of a
1914 version co-written by and starring
Edgar Selwyn
Edgar Selwyn (October 20, 1875 – February 13, 1944) was a prominent figure in American theatre and film in the first half of the 20th century. An actor, playwright, theatre director, director and theatrical producer, producer on Broadway ( ...
.
Plot
Pierre (Carroll), a singing
French-Canadian
French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fr ...
trapper, acts as a non-commissioned law enforcement officer, punishing traveling salesman Clerou (Leonard) for "selling whiskey to Indians." When his intrusive nature gets him into trouble with the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...
, he is brought to the station. In order to avoid incarceration, he claims that he is engaged to be married to the lovely Daisy Denton (Hussey), a popular barmaid who runs the local saloon, but who is actually engaged to "Jap" Durkin (Cabot).
After Pierre's shrewd planning destroys the possibly of a marriage to Daisy, Durkin vows revenge. Meanwhile, Pierre spends his time romancing Daisy and simultaneously getting into scrapes with the mounties. While riding horseback en route to town and back to his rural campsite, he often breaks into the song "Saskatchewan."
Daisy's brother Val (Brown) shoots "Clerou" and is placed under arrest by Durkin. Through mutual conspiring on the part of Pierre and Daisy, they manage to help Val escape from jail, where the four of them hideout at Pierre's rural campsite. Durkin finds them and confronts Pierre, resulting in a gunfire battle that kills Durkin. After a very brief investigation, Pierre marries Daisy and rides off for their honeymoon, singing "Saskatchewan."
Production
The railroad scene was filmed on the
Sierra Railroad
The Sierra Railroad Corporation is a privately owned common carrier. Its Sierra Northern Railway freight division handles all freight operations for all branches owned by the Sierra Railroad. The company's Mendocino Railway group operates the ...
in
Tuolumne County, California
Tuolumne County (), officially the County of Tuolumne, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 55,620. The county seat and only incorporated city is Sonora.
Tuolumne County comprises the ...
.
Reception
According to MGM records, the film earned $289,000 in the US and Canada and $138,000 elsewhere, costing the studio a loss of $111,000.
References
[Leonard Maltin: Turner Classic Movies www.tcm.com]
External links
''Pierre of the Plains''in the
Internet Movie Database
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
{{George B. Seitz
1942 films
Films set in Saskatchewan
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
Films based on works by Gilbert Parker
Films based on short fiction
Films directed by George B. Seitz
Films scored by Lennie Hayton
Remakes of American films
Sound film remakes of silent films
American drama films
1942 drama films
American black-and-white films
1940s American films