''The Awakening Land'' is a 1978 television miniseries based on Conrad Richter's trilogy of novels: '' The Trees''; '' The Fields''; and '' The Town,'' published from 1940 to 1950. The series originally aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

in three installments from February 19 to February 21, 1978; directed by Boris Sagal, it starred

Elizabeth Montgomery Elizabeth Victoria Montgomery (April 15, 1932 – May 18, 1995) was an American actress whose career spanned five decades in film, stage, and television. She is best remembered for her leading role as the witch Samantha Stephens on the televisi ...

and

Hal Holbrook Harold Rowe Holbrook Jr. (February 17, 1925 – January 23, 2021) was an American actor, television director, and screenwriter. He first received critical acclaim in 1954 for a one-man stage show that he developed called '' Mark Twain Tonight!'' ...

Premise

The storyline follows the struggle of Sayward Luckett (Montgomery) after she travels to the unsettled

Ohio Valley The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

frontier from post- revolutionary

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. She and her family carve out a homestead in the forest, and a community with other settlers. The series follows Sayward from a young single woman, left with three sisters to raise after their mother dies and their father abandons the family, to a married woman who has her own family of seven. Her faithful devotion to her family is recounted against the day-to-day struggle for survival.

Main cast

... Sayward Luckett Wheeler *

... Portius Wheeler *

Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (c. 150824 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII of England from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne ...

... Genny Luckett *

Steven Keats Steven Keats (born Steven Paul Keitz; February 6, 1945 – May 8, 1994) was an American actor who appeared in such films as '' Death Wish'' (as Charles Bronson's character's son-in-law), '' Black Sunday'' and the Chuck Norris thriller ''Silent R ...

... Jake Tench *

Louise Latham Louise Latham (September 23, 1922 – February 12, 2018) was an American actress, perhaps best known for her portrayal of Bernice Edgar in Alfred Hitchcock's 1964 film ''Marnie''. Early years Latham came from Hamilton, Texas. She was from a fam ...

... Jary Luckett *

William H. Macy William Hall Macy Jr. (born March 13, 1950) is an American actor. His film career has been built on appearances in small, independent films, though he has also appeared in mainstream films. Some of his best known starring roles include those i ...

... Will Beagle *

Jeanette Nolan Jeanette Nolan (December 30, 1911 – June 5, 1998) was an American actress. Nominated for four Emmy Awards, she had roles in the television series '' The Virginian'' (1962–1971) and ''Dirty Sally'' (1974), and in films such as ''Macbeth'' ...

... Granny McWhirter * Bert Remsen ... Isaac Barker *

Charles Gowan Charles Gowan (February 6, 1850 – July 3, 1938) was an American and Canadian pioneer and politician. He served as mayor of Antigo, Wisconsin and as a municipal councillor in Edmonton, Alberta. Biography Charles Gowan was born in New York ...

... Alan Hamilton *

Sean Frye Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as '' Shaun/Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; anglic ...

... Resolve Wheeler, as youth * Tracy Kleronomos ... Dezia Wheeler *

Katy Kurtzman Katy Kurtzman (born September 16, 1965) is an American actress and modelist. Biography Kurtzman was born in Washington, D.C. on September 16, 1965, and began her career as a child actress. In 1977, Michael Landon cast Kurtzman as stuttering An ...

... Rosa Tench *

Byrne Piven Bernard Piven (September 24, 1929 – February 18, 2002) was an American stage actor, director, and co-founder of the Playwrights Theatre Club, a forerunner of The Second City. He was known as Byrne Piven. Life and career Piven was born in Sc ...

... Dr. Pearsall * Julie Gibson ... Lady Peddler

Production notes

Location

The series was shot in historic New Salem, Illinois. Interiors were filmed in a set constructed in a

gym A gymnasium, also known as a gym, is an indoor location for athletics. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasium". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learning spaces in educational i ...

nasium in Springfield, the state capital. The gym was also used to house the prop and wardrobe departments. Filming took months. As an incentive for the production company to choose the area, the Springfield city council agreed to fill a nearby lake to resemble the Ohio River. The city arranged for animals from the Elgin Zoo to be transported to the set.

Coaching of cast

The production was faithful to Richter's use of language characteristic of the Ohio Valley in those years. Actress/choreographer

Marge Champion Marjorie Celeste Champion ( Belcher; September 2, 1919October 21, 2020) was an American dancer and actress. At fourteen, she was hired as a dance model for Walt Disney Studios animated films. Later, she performed as an actress and dancer in film ...

instructed the actors in both speech and body language of the region to add to the authenticity of the historical drama.Hal Erickson, Overview: ''The Awakening Land''
''The New York Times''

Crew

*Directed by: Boris Sagal *"The Trees" and "The Fields" script: James Lee Barrett *"The Town" script: Liam O'Brien *Novels written by: Conrad Richter *Executive Producer: Harry Bernstein *Associate Producer: Robin S. Clark *Executive Producer: Tom Kuhn *Producer: Robert E. Relyea *Original Music by: Fred Karlin *

Cinematography Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens to foc ...

by: Michel Hugo * Film Editing by: Bernard J. Small * Production Design by: Jack DeShields *Set Decoration by: Fred Price *

Costume Design Costume design is the creation of clothing for the overall appearance of a character or performer. Costume may refer to the style of dress particular to a nation, a class, or a period. In many cases, it may contribute to the fullness of the arti ...

by: Frank Tauss *Key Costumer: Bill Blackburn *Hair Stylist: Sugar Blymyer *Assistant Director: Alan R. Green *First Assistant Director: Dennis E. Jones *

Property Master The property master, often called the prop(s) master, is an artistic and organizational employee in a film, television or theatrical production who is responsible for purchasing, acquiring, manufacturing, properly placing, and/or overseeing any p ...

: Matt Springman *Sound Mixer: Glenn E. Anderson *ADR Editor: Jerry Jacobson *Assistant Cameraman: Jim Mazzula * Choreographer:

* Dialogue Supervisor: Marge Champion * Extras Brian Halcomb, Allen Tomlin, Dan Yeager

Award nominations

References

External links

Hal Erickson, ''The Awakening Land''
''The New York Times'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Awakening Land 1978 drama films 1978 television films 1978 films American drama films 1970s American television miniseries 1970s English-language films Films based on American novels Films set in Ohio Films set in the 1790s Films set in the 19th century Films shot in Illinois Films directed by Boris Sagal NBC network original films 1970s American films