The Forgotten Frontier
Encyclopedia
The Forgotten Frontier (1931
) is a documentary film
about the Frontier Nursing Service
, nurses on horseback, who traveled the back roads of the Appalachian Mountains
of the eastern United States
. It was directed by Mary Marvin Breckinridge, and featured her cousin, Mary Breckinridge
, who was a nurse-midwife and founded the Frontier Nursing Service
.
Shot with a hand-cranked camera, often in extreme climate. Also documented in stills that are available at the Library of Congress
. and maybe at National Women's Arts Museum, who had a show of them in the late 80s, early 90s.
Also featured, the people of Hazard County, Kentucky
, many of whom reenacted their stories
A pseudo-hillbilly soundtrack was added in the 1990s by the Library of Congress.
The film has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry
.
Footage from the film was used in the 1984 documentary Frontier Nursing Service.
1931 in film
-Top grossing films:-Academy Awards:*Best Picture: Cimarron - MGM*Best Actor: Lionel Barrymore - A Free Soul*Best Actor: Wallace Beery - The Champ*Best Actor: Fredric March - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...
) is a documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about the Frontier Nursing Service
Frontier Nursing Service
The Frontier Nursing Service provides healthcare services to rural, underserved populations and educates nurse-midwives.The Service maintains six rural healthcare clinics in eastern Kentucky, the Mary Breckinridge Hospital, the Mary Breckinridge Home Health Agency, the Frontier School of Midwifery...
, nurses on horseback, who traveled the back roads of the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
of the eastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was directed by Mary Marvin Breckinridge, and featured her cousin, Mary Breckinridge
Mary Breckinridge
Mary Breckinridge was an American nurse-midwife and the founder of the Frontier Nursing Service. She also was known as Mary Carson Breckinridge.She started family care centers in the Appalachian mountains...
, who was a nurse-midwife and founded the Frontier Nursing Service
Frontier Nursing Service
The Frontier Nursing Service provides healthcare services to rural, underserved populations and educates nurse-midwives.The Service maintains six rural healthcare clinics in eastern Kentucky, the Mary Breckinridge Hospital, the Mary Breckinridge Home Health Agency, the Frontier School of Midwifery...
.
Shot with a hand-cranked camera, often in extreme climate. Also documented in stills that are available at the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
. and maybe at National Women's Arts Museum, who had a show of them in the late 80s, early 90s.
Also featured, the people of Hazard County, Kentucky
Hazard, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,806 people, 1,946 households, and 1,266 families residing in the city. The population density was 684.6 people per square mile . There were 2,291 housing units at an average density of 326.4 per square mile...
, many of whom reenacted their stories
A pseudo-hillbilly soundtrack was added in the 1990s by the Library of Congress.
The film has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008...
.
Footage from the film was used in the 1984 documentary Frontier Nursing Service.