398:, having gained knowledge of the outside world through his travels. At his homecoming party, he and Jessie become attracted to each other, and over time they fall in love. To his father's chagrin, Isaac begins to reject the group's lifestyle, including the polygamy which allows the older men of the group to regularly take new young women as wives. Isaac further questions the group's beliefs when his younger sisters accidentally drown because they were not allowed to learn how to swim. Meanwhile, President King has confided to the men of the group that God has told him to take Jessie as his wife, in addition to the three wives he already has. Despite Jessie's youth, her father Jay accepts this as God's will.
387:
clothing and spend many hours a day doing domestic and agricultural chores with traditional equipment and few modern conveniences. The women are trained to serve and be subservient to their husbands. They rarely travel away from the community and are usually kept away from outside influences such as magazines and radio. Jessie's father Jay Jacobs has three wives, including Jessie's mother Mary, who only sees her husband on certain days when he is not with his other wives, and has mixed feelings about the arrangement. State authorities are also investigating the group due to its unlawful customs of polygamy and
557:
25:
581:
569:
405:
Isaac learns that his father is planning to marry Jessie and is furious, not only because of his own feelings for Jessie but because an additional wife will cause his mother to be further neglected by his father. President King also tells Jessie of his plan to marry her. A reluctant Jessie goes along
413:
Two years later, Jessie and her mother Mary, along with the other community women, are being transferred once again from one barracks to another and are in line to board the bus when Jessie sees Isaac, who has just arrived in a car. Mary, seeing that Isaac and Jessie still love each other, tells her
409:
Jessie and Isaac secretly confess their love for each other and plan to run away together. However, after going a short distance they see many armed police preparing to launch a raid on the group. Fearing for the lives of her mother and family, Jessie decides she must go back to warn them, and says
410:
an emotional goodbye to Isaac, who boards a bus alone as Jessie rushes back to warn the community just ahead of the police. The police arrive and separate the families, sending the women and children to barracks where they will be re-educated in a modern lifestyle, while the men are sent to jail.
386:
In 1953 Arizona, teenagers
Jessica Rae "Jessie" Jacobs (Diane Lane) and her friend Naomi (Helen Hunt) have grown up in Short Creek as members of an isolated patriarchal polygamist religious community, led by President Frank King (Conrad Bain). The members of the small group dress in old-fashioned
401:
Jessie's friend Naomi attempts to run away from Short Creek, planning to go to Las Vegas and become an actress. She naively accepts a ride from two young men who get her to drink alcohol for the first time and then try to rape her. She is rescued just in time by
President King and driven back to
126:
367:
666:
616:
671:
641:
676:
686:
35:
681:
93:
65:
482:
515:
72:
646:
636:
414:
daughter to "run, while you still have a chance". Jessie hugs Mary goodbye, and goes to join Isaac; they drive away together.
631:
601:
50:
79:
691:
656:
626:
61:
661:
621:
327:
651:
547:
611:
359:
86:
406:
with his plan because she wants to please her parents and do the will of God, but she is very unhappy.
394:
President King's 19-year-old son Isaac (Christopher Atkins) returns home safely from serving in the
606:
423:
335:
173:
540:
511:
230:
42:
355:
324:
240:
125:
561:
388:
371:
595:
478:
363:
331:
244:
147:
402:
Short Creek, where she is immediately married off to an old man to settle her down.
366:, United States, collectively known as "Short Creek," a community of members of the
195:
585:
573:
453:
447:
435:
351:
343:
254:
226:
181:
24:
441:
429:
395:
347:
339:
185:
177:
375:
534:
486:
295:
18:
508:
When
Hollywood came to town: a history of moviemaking in Utah
368:
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
354:. The film is a dramatization loosely based upon the 1953
46:
545:
301:
291:
286:
278:
270:
260:
250:
236:
222:
217:
209:
201:
191:
169:
161:
153:
143:
135:
116:
8:
51:introducing citations to additional sources
510:(1st ed.). Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith.
113:
667:Television episodes about child marriage
41:Relevant discussion may be found on the
552:
498:
617:American films based on actual events
7:
672:Child marriage in the United States
14:
642:Works about polygamy in Mormonism
677:Mormon fundamentalism in fiction
579:
567:
555:
459:Julianne Slocum: Jacobs Daughter
124:
34:relies largely or entirely on a
23:
687:American drama television films
477:Parts of the film were shot in
1:
468:Sharyn Christensen: Alma King
391:of young girls to older men.
682:1980s English-language films
62:"Child Bride of Short Creek"
465:Karyn Christensen: Ada King
462:Jake Johnston: Garth Jacobs
282:Schiller-Monash Productions
708:
536:Child Bride of Short Creek
320:Child Bride of Short Creek
305:December 7, 1981
118:Child Bride of Short Creek
370:, a group that practices
123:
506:D'Arc, James V. (2010).
647:Films set in the 1950s
637:Fiction about polygamy
481:, Rockville Road, and
360:Colorado City, Arizona
632:Films about Mormonism
602:1981 television films
358:that had occurred in
692:1980s American films
657:Films set in Arizona
627:Films about polygamy
237:Production locations
192:Theme music composer
47:improve this article
16:1981 television film
325:made-for-television
323:is a 1981 American
157:Michael Fessier Jr.
662:Films shot in Utah
622:NBC original films
450: : Bob Kalish
438: : Frank King
424:Christopher Atkins
336:Christopher Atkins
279:Production company
174:Christopher Atkins
652:Films set in 1953
316:
315:
231:Lawrence Schiller
210:Original language
202:Country of origin
112:
111:
97:
699:
612:1981 drama films
584:
583:
582:
572:
571:
570:
560:
559:
558:
551:
522:
521:
503:
483:Rockville Bridge
432:: Jessica Jacobs
356:Short Creek raid
312:
310:
287:Original release
266:Michael Economou
128:
114:
107:
104:
98:
96:
55:
27:
19:
707:
706:
702:
701:
700:
698:
697:
696:
592:
591:
590:
580:
578:
568:
566:
556:
554:
546:
531:
526:
525:
518:
505:
504:
500:
495:
475:
420:
384:
308:
306:
265:
243:
241:Rockville, Utah
229:
184:
180:
176:
131:
108:
102:
99:
56:
54:
40:
28:
17:
12:
11:
5:
705:
703:
695:
694:
689:
684:
679:
674:
669:
664:
659:
654:
649:
644:
639:
634:
629:
624:
619:
614:
609:
604:
594:
593:
589:
588:
576:
564:
544:
543:
530:
529:External links
527:
524:
523:
516:
497:
496:
494:
491:
474:
471:
470:
469:
466:
463:
460:
457:
451:
445:
439:
433:
427:
419:
416:
389:child marriage
383:
380:
372:child marriage
314:
313:
303:
299:
298:
293:
289:
288:
284:
283:
280:
276:
275:
272:
268:
267:
262:
258:
257:
252:
251:Cinematography
248:
247:
238:
234:
233:
224:
220:
219:
215:
214:
211:
207:
206:
203:
199:
198:
193:
189:
188:
171:
167:
166:
163:
159:
158:
155:
151:
150:
145:
141:
140:
137:
133:
132:
129:
121:
120:
110:
109:
45:. Please help
31:
29:
22:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
704:
693:
690:
688:
685:
683:
680:
678:
675:
673:
670:
668:
665:
663:
660:
658:
655:
653:
650:
648:
645:
643:
640:
638:
635:
633:
630:
628:
625:
623:
620:
618:
615:
613:
610:
608:
605:
603:
600:
599:
597:
587:
577:
575:
565:
563:
553:
549:
542:
538:
537:
533:
532:
528:
519:
517:9781423605874
513:
509:
502:
499:
492:
490:
488:
484:
480:
472:
467:
464:
461:
458:
456:: Mary Jacobs
455:
452:
449:
446:
443:
440:
437:
434:
431:
428:
425:
422:
421:
417:
415:
411:
407:
403:
399:
397:
392:
390:
381:
379:
377:
373:
369:
365:
364:Hildale, Utah
361:
357:
353:
349:
345:
341:
337:
334:, starring
333:
332:Joyce Eliason
329:
326:
322:
321:
304:
300:
297:
294:
290:
285:
281:
277:
273:
269:
264:John J. Dumas
263:
259:
256:
253:
249:
246:
245:Grafton, Utah
242:
239:
235:
232:
228:
225:
221:
216:
212:
208:
205:United States
204:
200:
197:
194:
190:
187:
183:
179:
175:
172:
168:
164:
160:
156:
152:
149:
148:Joyce Eliason
146:
142:
138:
134:
127:
122:
119:
115:
106:
103:November 2009
95:
92:
88:
85:
81:
78:
74:
71:
67:
64: –
63:
59:
58:Find sources:
52:
48:
44:
38:
37:
36:single source
32:This article
30:
26:
21:
20:
535:
507:
501:
476:
426:: Isaac King
412:
408:
404:
400:
393:
385:
319:
318:
317:
271:Running time
196:John Cacavas
165:Robert Lewis
117:
100:
90:
83:
76:
69:
57:
33:
454:Dee Wallace
448:Kiel Martin
436:Conrad Bain
352:Dee Wallace
344:Conrad Bain
330:written by
274:120 minutes
255:Gary Graver
227:Paul Monash
182:Conrad Bain
162:Directed by
607:1981 films
596:Categories
493:References
473:Production
442:Helen Hunt
430:Diane Lane
396:Korean War
348:Helen Hunt
340:Diane Lane
328:drama film
309:1981-12-07
218:Production
186:Helen Hunt
178:Diane Lane
144:Written by
73:newspapers
223:Producers
130:DVD cover
43:talk page
376:polygamy
170:Starring
154:Story by
562:Arizona
548:Portals
479:Grafton
444:: Naomi
307: (
302:Release
292:Network
261:Editors
213:English
87:scholar
514:
362:, and
89:
82:
75:
68:
60:
139:Drama
136:Genre
94:JSTOR
80:books
586:Utah
574:Film
541:IMDb
512:ISBN
487:Utah
418:Cast
382:Plot
374:and
350:and
66:news
539:at
485:in
346:,
296:NBC
49:by
598::
489:.
378:.
342:,
338:,
550::
520:.
311:)
105:)
101:(
91:·
84:·
77:·
70:·
53:.
39:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
