Marguerite Chapman
Deborah Matthews
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Synopsis
A stubborn farmer starts over on unfamiliar land with his four children. When illness leaves the family dependent on outside help, his eldest daughter must reconcile loyalty to her father with a different approach to farming. The younger children's ambitions bring another question into the home: how much room should tradition leave for change?
Cast
DirectorsWilliam D. Russell
Historical context
The film was conceived partly as a showcase for the 4-H movement and for debates about modern farming. Its family conflict brings soil conservation, agricultural advice and individual independence into the same story. Oil businessman Glenn McCarthy and actor Robert Paige helped finance the project.
Behind the scenes
A national competition brought 4-H member Jeanne LaDuke into the cast. Her participation connected the production's educational ambitions with the young people the film hoped to reach.
Sources and availability
The synopsis and editorial text were written for this collection. The references below were cross-checked to identify the film and its copy; each editorial section identifies its reference.
Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.
The reference concerns the original work. Restorations, colorization, translations and other territories may have different conditions. This site uses the player enabled by the channel.
Availability checked on September 10, 2026.
Photograph credit
Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.
- Marguerite Chapman — MCA-TV · Public domain
- Walter Brennan — ABC Television (ABC Photo); Bath & Wiener-photographer. · Public domain
- Robert Paige — CBS Television · Public domain
- Natalie Wood — Allan warren · CC BY-SA 3.0
