The Prodigal (1955)
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- Approved
- 1h 52min
- Drama, Mystery
- 06 May 1955 (USA)
- Movie
A wealthy young Hebrew traveling in Damascus renounces his faith after he is seduced by an alluring pagan priestess and cheated of his fortune by the High Priest as well.
Director:
Writers:
Stars:
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Lana Turner | ... |
Samarra
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| Edmund Purdom | ... |
Micah
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| Louis Calhern | ... |
Nahreeb
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| Audrey Dalton | ... |
Ruth
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| James Mitchell | ... |
Asham
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| Neville Brand | ... |
Rhakim
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| Walter Hampden | ... |
Eli
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| Taina Elg | ... |
Elissa
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| Francis L. Sullivan | ... |
Bosra
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| Joseph Wiseman | ... |
Carmish
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| John Dehner | ... |
Joram
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| Sandy Descher | ... |
Yasmin
(as Sandra Descher)
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| Cecil Kellaway | ... |
Governor
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| Philip Tonge | ... |
Barber-Surgeon
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| David Leonard | ... |
Blind Man
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| Henry Daniell | ... |
Ramadi
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| Paul Cavanagh | ... |
Tobiah
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Dayton Lummis | ... |
Caleb
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| Tracey Roberts | ... |
Tahra
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| Jarma Lewis | ... |
Uba
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| Jay Novello | ... |
Merchant
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| Dorothy Adams | ... |
Carpenter's Wife
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Peter DeBear | ... |
Carpenter's Son
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Phyllis Graffeo | ... |
Miriam
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Patricia Iannone | ... |
Deborah
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| Eugene Mazzola | ... |
David
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George Sawaya | ... |
Kavak
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| Richard Devon | ... |
Risafe
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Ann Cameron | ... |
Lahla
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Gloria Dea | ... |
Faradine
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John Rosser | ... |
Lirhan
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| Charles Wagenheim | ... |
Zubeir
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Jessie Arnold | ... |
Townswoman (uncredited)
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Walter Bacon | ... |
Citizen (uncredited)
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Sam Bagley | ... |
Citizen (uncredited)
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Ray Beltram | ... |
Citizen (uncredited)
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| Eumenio Blanco | ... |
Prisoner (uncredited)
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Oscar Blank | ... |
Citizen (uncredited)
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| David Bond | ... |
Crier (uncredited)
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| Chet Brandenburg | ... |
Citizen (uncredited)
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| George Bruggeman | ... |
Citizen (uncredited)
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| Argentina Brunetti | ... |
Townswoman (uncredited)
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| Paul Bryar | ... |
Townsman (uncredited)
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Zev Bufman | ... |
Worshipper (uncredited)
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| Larry Chance | ... |
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
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Michael Cirillo | ... |
Citizen (uncredited)
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| John Cliff | ... |
Guard (uncredited)
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Bud Cokes | ... |
Citizen (uncredited)
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Tom Coleman | ... |
Citizen (uncredited)
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| Booth Colman | ... |
Barber (uncredited)
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Willa Pearl Curtis | ... |
Nubian Woman (uncredited)
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Joanna Dale | ... |
Bunny (uncredited)
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| John Damler | ... |
Jailer (uncredited)
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Linda Danson | ... |
Owl (uncredited)
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Mary Dean | ... |
Background Singer (uncredited)
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Diana Deane | ... |
Woman (uncredited)
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Patricia Denise | ... |
Chicken (uncredited)
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| Jimmy Dime | ... |
Citizen (uncredited)
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| John George | ... |
Citizen (uncredited)
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Jo Gilbert | ... |
Mother (uncredited)
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Diane Gump | ... |
Fox (uncredited)
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Maria Haro | ... |
Beggar (uncredited)
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| Allison Hayes | ... |
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
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| Chester Hayes | ... |
Opponent (uncredited)
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| John Hudkins | ... |
Salkhad (uncredited)
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Patricia Jackson | ... |
Lion (uncredited)
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| I. Stanford Jolley | ... |
Murderer (uncredited)
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| George Keymas | ... |
Scribe (uncredited)
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Richard LaMarr | ... |
Citizen (uncredited)
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| Rex Lease | ... |
Purveyor (uncredited)
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| George J. Lewis | ... |
Guard (uncredited)
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Melba Liston | ... |
Servant (uncredited)
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| Cliff Lyons | ... |
Harun (uncredited)
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| Herbert Lytton | ... |
Lame Man (uncredited)
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| Peter Mamakos | ... |
Guard (uncredited)
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Lucille Maracini | ... |
Ram (uncredited)
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| Joseph Mell | ... |
Tailor (uncredited)
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| Tina Menard | ... |
Servant (uncredited)
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Patrick Miller | ... |
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
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| Frank Mills | ... |
Beggar (uncredited)
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| Frank Mitchell | ... |
Forerunner (uncredited)
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Mike Morelli | ... |
Citizen (uncredited)
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| Dorothy Neumann | ... |
Mother (uncredited)
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Loulie Jean Norman | ... |
Background Singer (uncredited)
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| Harvey Parry | ... |
Citizen (uncredited)
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Milicent Patrick | ... |
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
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| Gil Perkins | ... |
Citizen (uncredited)
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Rose Plumer | ... |
Beggar (uncredited)
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| Jean Ransome | ... |
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
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Paul Ravel | ... |
Citizen (uncredited)
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William Reeves | ... |
Background Singer (uncredited)
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| Gordon Richards | ... |
Nahreeb's Scribe (uncredited)
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| Chuck Roberson | ... |
Chieftain (uncredited)
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George Robotham | ... |
Human Sacrifice (uncredited)
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| George Selk | ... |
Citizen (uncredited)
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| Almira Sessions | ... |
Woman Buying Grain (uncredited)
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| Ted Smile | ... |
Citizen (uncredited)
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| Stephen Soldi | ... |
Citizen (uncredited)
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| Tom Steele | ... |
Slave (uncredited)
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| Robert R. Stephenson | ... |
Beggar (uncredited)
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Gloria Stone | ... |
Mouse (uncredited)
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Louis Tomei | ... |
Abu (uncredited)
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| Sailor Vincent | ... |
Citizen (uncredited)
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Joe Waring | ... |
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
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Lila Zali | ... |
Monkey (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Richard Thorpe | ||
Written by
| Joseph Breen | ... | (adaptation from the Bible story) (as Joe Breen Jr.) and |
| Samuel James Larsen | ... | (adaptation from the Bible story) |
| Maurice Zimm | ... | () |
Produced by
| Charles Schnee | ... | producer |
Music by
| Bronislau Kaper | ||
Cinematography by
| Joseph Ruttenberg | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
| Harold F. Kress | ||
Editorial Department
| Alvord Eiseman | ... | color consultant |
Art Direction by
| Randall Duell | ||
| Cedric Gibbons | ||
Set Decoration by
| Henry Grace | ||
| Edwin B. Willis | ||
Costume Design by
| Herschel McCoy | ||
Makeup Department
| Sydney Guilaroff | ... | hair stylist |
| William Tuttle | ... | makeup designer |
Production Management
| William Dorfman | ... | production manager (uncredited) |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Arvid Griffen | ... | assistant director |
| Hank Moonjean | ... | second assistant director (uncredited) |
Art Department
| Mentor Huebner | ... | production illustrator (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Wesley C. Miller | ... | recording supervisor |
| Conrad Kahn | ... | sound (uncredited) |
Special Effects by
| A. Arnold Gillespie | ... | special effects |
| Warren Newcombe | ... | special effects |
Stunts
| Joe Canutt | ... | stunts (uncredited) |
| Chester Hayes | ... | stunts (uncredited) |
| Chuck Hicks | ... | stunts (uncredited) |
| John Hudkins | ... | stunts (uncredited) |
| Cliff Lyons | ... | stunts (uncredited) |
| Gil Perkins | ... | stunts (uncredited) |
| Chuck Roberson | ... | stunts (uncredited) |
| Louis Tomei | ... | stunts (uncredited) |
| Terry Wilson | ... | stunts (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Joan Joseff | ... | costume jeweller (uncredited) |
Music Department
| Alex Alexander | ... | musician: cello (uncredited) |
| John Caper Jr. | ... | music copyist (uncredited) |
| Robert Franklyn | ... | orchestrator (uncredited) |
| Virginia Majewski | ... | musician: viola (uncredited) |
| Jack Marshall | ... | musician: guitar (uncredited) |
| André Previn | ... | conductor (uncredited) |
| Max Rabinowitz | ... | musician: piano (uncredited) |
| Uan Rasey | ... | musician: trumpet (uncredited) |
| Robert Van Eps | ... | music copyist (uncredited) / musician: piano (uncredited) |
| Si Zentner | ... | musician: trombone (uncredited) |
Additional Crew
| Alex Romero | ... | choreographer (uncredited) |
Production Companies
Distributors
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1955) (United States) (theatrical)
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1955) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1955) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1955) (France) (theatrical)
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1956) (Austria) (theatrical)
- Suevia Films - Cesáreo González (1958) (Spain) (theatrical)
- MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1992) (United States) (video) (laserdisc)
- MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1993) (United States) (VHS) (pan/scan)
- Warner Home Video (2007) (United States) (DVD)
Special Effects
Other Companies
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
A young Hebrew named Micah, unsatisfied with his father's rural life, demands his inheritance so he can try his luck in the city. Once in the city he falls under the spell of a beautiful pagan priestess who induces him to squander his money and betray his faith. Only after many trials and tribulations does Micah recover his senses and return home to his forgiving father. Written by dinky-4 |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | Two Years In The Making! A Fortune To Produce! See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | Add content advisory for parents » |
| Certification |
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Additional Details
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Box Office
| Budget | $2,783,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | Lana Turner in her autobiography: [on "The Prodigal"] "The Prodigal Son they named Micah, and to play him, chose Edmund Purdom, a young man with a remarkably high opinion of himself. His pomposity was hard enough to bear; worse yet was the garlic breath he brought back from lunch. My lines were so stupid I hated to go to work in the morning. Even the costumes were atrocious. They were ornate concoctions dripping with heavy beads, and the material was so stiff that I felt I was wearing armor." "Well," I thought, "I may be trapped in this picture, but I'm going to make myself as sensuous, sexy, and gorgeous as possible." See more » |
| Goofs | In one scene, Edmund Purdom's character, Micah, writes a message on a wall, "Samarra, 1 piece of silver, Micah," but it's written in English, a language no one used in Damascus in 70 B.C. and wouldn't exist in written form for another few centuries. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in 1955 Motion Picture Theatre Celebration (1955). See more » |
| Quotes |
Micah:
[referring to his first sight of Samarra]
Nahreeb, you said that everything has its price. Nahreeb: She is not for a follower of Jehovah! Micah: I mean to have her one way or the other! See more » |