BOOTLEG FILES 640: “The Lawton Story” (1949 Christian film).
LAST SEEN: In a March screening at the Vaska Theater in Lawton, Oklahoma.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: VHS copies were briefly available in a single Oklahoma store.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It’s complicated.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: There are too many issues to address.
The first feature-length American production of the sound film era that depicted Jesus Christ as a full-frontal walking, talking central character was not made in Hollywood. Instead, it was shot in an Oklahoma site called Holy City of the Wichitas, located outside of the city of Lawton. In many ways, the back story on the film’s creation is more fascinating than the on-screen presentation, although the film is not without its value.
Continue reading
