# The Awakening Land

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 in three installments from February 19 to February 21, 1978; directed by Boris Sagal, it starred Elizabeth Montgomery and Hal Holbrook.

## Premise

The storyline follows the struggle of Sayward Luckett (Montgomery) after she travels to the unsettled Ohio Valley frontier from post-revolutionary Pennsylvania. 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

* Elizabeth Montgomery ... Sayward Luckett Wheeler
* Hal Holbrook ... Portius Wheeler
* Jane Seymour ... Genny Luckett
* Steven Keats ... Jake Tench
* Louise Latham ... Jary Luckett
* William H. Macy ... Will Beagle
* Jeanette Nolan ... Granny McWhirter
* Bert Remsen ... Isaac Barker
* Charles Gowan ... Alan Hamilton
* Sean Frye ... Resolve Wheeler, as youth
* Tracy Kleronomos ... Dezia Wheeler
* Katy Kurtzman ... Rosa Tench
* Byrne Piven ... 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 gymnasium in Springfield, the state capital. The gym was also used to house the prop and wardrobe departments. Filming took 2+1⁄2 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 instructed the actors in both speech and body language of the region to add to the authenticity of the historical drama.

### 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 by: Michel Hugo
* Film Editing by: Bernard J. Small
* Production Design by: Jack DeShields
* Set Decoration by: Fred Price
* Costume Design by: Frank Tauss
* Key Costumer: Bill Blackburn
* Hair Stylist: Sugar Blymyer
* Assistant Director: Alan R. Green
* First Assistant Director: Dennis E. Jones
* Property Master: Matt Springman
* Sound Mixer: Glenn E. Anderson
* ADR Editor: Jerry Jacobson
* Assistant Cameraman: Jim Mazzula
* Choreographer: Marge Champion
* Dialogue Supervisor: Marge Champion
* Extras Brian Halcomb, Allen Tomlin, Dan Yeager

## Award nominations

| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
| 1978 | Emmy Award | Nominated | Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Drama Series | Jeanette Nolan For part one |
| 1978 | Emmy Award | Nominated | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series | Elizabeth Montgomery |
| 1978 | Emmy Award | Nominated | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series | Hal Holbrook |
| 1978 | Emmy Award | Nominated | Outstanding Individual Achievement in Any Area of Creative Technical Crafts | Sugar Blymyer For part three |
| 1978 | Emmy Award | Nominated | Outstanding Cinematography in Entertainment Programming for a Series | Michel Hugo |
| 1978 | Emmy Award | Nominated | Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) | Fred Karlin |