lana turner be pure magic and emotion and sensation in her long walk through the temple of love . and the prodigal will remain the best showcase ever equip for her excellent figure . the film be m. g. m. entry in the cinemascope bible race . lana be cast a samarra and the lightly clad temptress who incite history first juvenile delinquent to leave home the film be base on the biblical story of the prodigal son a tell by st. luke in chapter xv of his gospel there and in few than 300 word be the bare suggestion of a youth who waste his substance in riotous living and later to return and repentant to farm and father the screenplay portray the prodigal a micah ( edmond purdom ) and the model son of a hebrew patriarch name eli ( walter hampden ) . a the film begin he have honor his father by become engage to ruth ( audrey dalton ) and a gentle girl of his own faith while visit damascus and however and the youth enter the tent of samarra and the high priestess of astarte and goddess of the flesh and and he be dazzle by her beauty to his father bitter dismay and he demand his share of the family fortune and leave his fiancée on the eve of their marriage and and go off to the city in pursuit of the pagan woman and whose duty include preside over human sacrificial rite among the fleshpots of damascus and micah uncontrollable infatuation for the priestess plunge him into a variety of mishap he be victimize by nahreeb ( louis calhern ) and the sinister high priest of baal and who conspire to destroy him for his irreverent interest in samarra while by bosra ( francis l. sullivan ) and an unscrupulous moneylender while and even by samarra herself and who withhold her love until he produce a certain valuable pearl a a gift for her goddess .