The Farmer's Daughter (1947)

Such a frustrating disappointment

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

"The Farmer's Daughter" is a wonderful drama and love story laced throughout with humor. The setting is a fictitious state somewhere in the United States. The plot revolves around politics and congressional elections. But, it is the story of a Swedish farm girl who comes to the city and by her natural charms, solid upbringing and intelligence, sweeps the people off their feet. Loretta Young was perfect for the part, and her superb performance as Katrin (Katie) Holstrom, won her the best actress Oscar in the 1947 Academy Awards. The entire cast performed superbly. Joseph Cotton plays the male lead, Glenn Morley, who is continuing a family tradition in politics. In the opening scenes, he is winning his third term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Another Oscar winner and Hollywood legend, Ethel Barrymore, plays Agatha Morley, Glenn's widow mother and wise matriarch of the family. Charles Bickford received the second of his three career Oscar nominations for his major supporting role as Joseph Clancy. He is a lifelong friend and companion of the deceased Senator Morley, and runs the household as a friend and confidant to Agatha and Glenn.A number of other supporting actors give very fine performances. James Arness makes his screen debut here as one of Katie's brothers, Peter. He is the future Marshal Matt Dillon of the longest running American TV series, "Gunsmoke," (1955-1975). This film was released in late March 1947. Harry Truman was filling out the presidential term of Franklin D. Roosevelt who had died April 12, 1945. There was more interest and participation in politics at the grassroots level. This film shows that, and it also takes a stab at politics. The satire is aimed at cronyism and nepotism, and the smear tactics sometimes used in dirty politics. But, overall, the film boasts of patriotism with some unashamed flag waving. RKO obviously wanted the film to be a hit. So, the screenplay doesn't name political parties. And, the setting is fictional, perhaps even idyllic in its time. Let's see how cleverly RKO kept partisan politics out of a movie that is a lot about politics. First, the locale. The outdoor scenes were shot near Petaluma, California. The rolling hills and open spaces of the countryside could be in any one of most of the states West of the Mississippi River. Yet there also was a mountain lodge at Lake Kaluma (a fictional name). It could be California, but for one thing – the distance from Capital City to New York. Glenn tells his mother that he will be leaving for Europe at noon the next day from New York. And, he has to be at the Capital City airport by 8 a.m. That would be about a three-hour flight to New York. In the mid-1940s, Douglas DC-4s and similar planes of the airlines cruised at 225 miles per hour. Flight times averaged much less than 200 mph. So, Capital City couldn't be more than 600 miles from New York. Sacramento is 2,500 miles away. Katie came from a Swedish farming community. Most of the Swedish immigration was in the upper Midwest (Illinois to Montana). But, the air distance from New York to Chicago is 715 miles. So, those states are out.Some other factors also help make the state fictitious. The district in which Katie runs for Congress is the 13th. In 1947, 10 states (of 48) had 13 or more congressional districts and seats in the U.S. House. That eliminates 38 states. Four more were too far from New York – California (23), Illinois (25), Missouri (13) and Texas (21). The others were too close and/or didn't have the Swedish population or the type of terrain in the movie -- Massachusetts (14), Michigan (18), New Jersey (15), New York (45), Ohio (22), and Pennsylvania (33). Second, the politics. There's no mention of chairmanships (the ruling party in the House) or ranking positions (the minority party). Joseph names senators who gave testimonials on the senate floor about Woodrow Wilson after he died in 1924. Of course, Sen. Morley was fictitious. But the others were real men – and a mix of Democrats and Republicans. Those included Robert M. La Follette (Republican, later Progressive) from Wisconsin, Carter Glass (Democrat) from Virginia, Oscar Underwood (Democrat) from Alabama, and Henry Cabot Lodge (Republican) from Massachusetts. Joseph also mentions "Porter," but there was no U.S. senator by that last name. It likely was Porter H. Dale, (Republican) from Vermont.One thing about this film puzzles me. The ending scenarios clearly put down the Ku Klux Klan, but the film never mentions it by name. Doubtless, many people in modern times won't know the direct reference. Still, this is a wonderful film for the plot and the acting. And, it can be educational for children (and adults) in its look at how politics should be and shouldn't be.My favorite scenario is Katrin's answer to Mrs. Morley (Agatha), who asked, "What do you do, Katrin?" Katie says, "Well, at home I do everything. Make six beds every morning. Do washing, ironing for mamma, papa, my three brothers, myself. Clean all seven rooms and do dishes of course. And I help mamma with the canning. I preserve meat, candle eggs, dill pickles, smoke ham and bacon. I wait on tables – 40 hands at harvest time. And I make glogg." Agatha, "You do?" Katie, "Yah, at Christmas time, with a hot poker. You want to know what I do outside?" Glenn, "I don't know about my mother, but I'd be fascinated." Katie, "Well, I plow with horse and tractor. I hoe potatoes, shock wheat, milk cows, bed horses, butcher pigs, kill and dress chickens, and I cut wood for mill and stove." Agatha, "You've got a job, Katrin."

This is a story of a farm girl who becomes a maid and steps into world of politics.She also happens to fall in love with a congressman.The Farmer's Daughter (1947) is directed by H.C. Potter.It's based on the Finnish play Juurakon Hulda, written by Hella Wuolijoki (under the pen name Juhani Tervapää).I haven't read the play, at least not yet, but I know the movie differs from the play a bit.Like the main character has been made Swedish-American.And what a wonderful job by Loretta Young as our protagonist Katie Holstrom.She won an Oscar she very much deserved.Joseph Cotten makes a perfect leading man, Glenn Morley.And Ethel Barrymore gives a powerful performance as his mother Agatha.Charles Bickford is terrific as Joseph Clancy.Lex Barker, Keith Andes and James Arness, who passed away last year, play Katie's brothers.Charles Lane plays the part of Jackson, campaign reporter.There's a lot to like in this movie.I very much enjoyed the skating scene.It's romantic, it's funny.It's everything a scene needs to work.Romance has rarely met comedy in such a successful way.

I love the premise of this movie - not only is a woman running for Congress, but she's the daughter of an immigrant, and on top of it, she is currently employed as a maid! Talk about aspirations and dreaming big! Not too bad considering women just won the right to vote in 1920 and this movie was released in 1947. "Women's participation in national political life remained low long after the right to vote was gained in 1920. No more than two women served in the Senate at any time until 1994, and fewer than a dozen were Congressional Representatives until 1955. Current representation is 16 senators and 67 representatives, around 15% of the United States Congress." (Wikipedia - History of Women in The U.S.) And here we are some 60+ years since this movie and we have a woman running for President!But I think this film was ahead of its time showing a woman running for Congress in the 40's. I'm sure it must have raised a few eyebrows in spite of its success and awards. I'm sure there were detractors in its day that dismissed the premise as foolishness or pure Hollywood fantasy. Either way, it is a great movie that stands the test of time and is just as relevant today (especially being an election year).Happy viewing!

When Loretta Young beat out Rosalind Russell in the Academy Award sweepstakes of 1947 it was considered one of the great upsets in the history of Oscar. Russell had gotten a lot of acclaim for her dramatic breakthrough performance in Mourning Becomes Electra which was RKO's prestige picture of the year. The O'Neill drama flopped at the box office. Young was nominated almost as an afterthought to round out the field in 1947. Of course RKO didn't care because The Farmer's Daughter was also one of their films.Young worked hard to get her proper Swedish accent for the film and the results would have made Greta Garbo proud. I can't see Garbo appearing in a film like The Farmer's Daughter though.Young plays Katie Holstrum who leaves the family farm to study nursing and in an almost Forrest Gump like set of circumstances winds up working as a maid in Congressman Joseph Cotten's home. She's not working for just Cotten. Presiding over the home and the state of Minnesota itself is Cotten's mother Ethel Barrymore. Ethel's not only queen of her own roost, but she's a Senator's widow and still one formidable power in her state of Minnesota. And there's Charles Bickford the family butler who got an Oscar nomination himself in this film for Best Supporting Actor as Young's gruff, but kindly mentor.Although at the time this film was made Young was 34 years old she does manage to convey youth here. It worked in this case because in 1947 a lot of people were starting their careers late. It's pointed out in the story that she stayed on the family farm while her beefcake brothers, James Arness, Keith Andes, and Lex Barker were all in the service during World War II.A long running television series was adapted from this film with the tragic Inger Stevens in the lead and William Windom in Cotten's role. Cathleen Nesbitt was the grande political dame. The butler's role was dropped and Windom was made a widower with two boys. Even with a genuine Swede like Stevens playing Katie, Young still comes out the better.Too bad Rosalind Russell never got an Oscar, but Loretta Young was one of the great survivors of Hollywood and her award was as much an award for a lifetime as for the still fresh and funny, The Farmer's Daughter.