The Farmer's Daughter

Loretta Young plays a Swedish "Cinderella" who rises from poor Minnesota farm girl to potential Washington official. This is very much a "Star Vehicle" for Ms. Young, and she is remarkable - lifting the routine rags-to-riches story far above the expected. Some of the supporting players seem a little silly - maybe playing caricatures - but, Ethel Barrymore and Charles Bickford are recommended viewing; and, Young is admirably assisted by Joseph Cotton as "leading man". There were some surprises in the predictably - at one time, the film looks like it's going to end poorly, but turns around nicely. The production values are relatively high, so ignore the fake snow scene. Surprisingly, the behind-the-scenes political dealings pulled few punches, with Ms. Barrymore's presence strongly felt. A much better film than expected. ******** The Farmer's Daughter (3/25/47) H.C. Potter ~ Loretta Young, Joseph Cotten, Ethel Barrymore

Loretta Young and Joseph Cotten star in The Farmer's Daughter, a 1947 film also starring Ethel Barrymore and Charles Bickford. Young, in a role originally intended for Ingrid Bergman, won an Oscar for her portrayal of Katie Holstrom, a young woman who lives on a farm with her family. She saves her money and goes off to the big city to become a nurse. Unfortunately, thanks to taking a ride from someone who once worked for her family, she ends up loaning him her money and he won't pay her back. So she takes a temporary job as a second maid in the house of a Congressman (Cotten) until she can save enough for school. It turns out that Katie is pretty outspoken when it comes to politics and, not only that, knows her stuff. When a congressman dies, Katie goes to a rally for the replacement that the party has put forward and embarrasses him with her questions. Political leaders from the other side are impressed and want her to run against him. It's always fascinating to me, and a little sad, that films with political themes, no matter how old they are, always seem timely. I guess that's where the term "politics as usual" comes from, though no one adds "for the last hundred years." In this film, 100$ American is described by Finley, the party's candidate, as "white, not foreign born, of the right religion." Now tell me that couldn't be a scene today. The search for dirt is in this film, as is all the back office manuevering. Loretta Young as a blond is every bit as beautiful as she was as a brunette, and she is a delight as the efficient, intelligent Katie. One can easily see how Joseph Cotten could fall for her. Ethel Barrymore, as Cotten's mother and the widow of a political great, does a wonderful job, strong-willed, clever, and no-nonsense. Charles Bickford, as the family's butler and friend is excellent as tough taskmaster who is nevertheless very impressed with his new charge. This is a very warm film with a terrific cast that will give you some chuckles and make you realize that the more things change, the more they remain the same - in politics. In movies - well, that's another matter.

source: The Farmer's Daughter

Brilliantly written social comedy drama about a farmer's daughter who ends up in the employ of a congressman, and then ends up running for office herself. Loretta Young was at the height of her powers as the country girl and Joseph Cotten is the congressman. As I have never cottoned to Cotten, I will say nothing about his performance other than I wish someone else -- anyone else -- had been given the role. I never bought Cotton as an actor, especially as a leading man. Ethel Barrymore is Cotten's politically savvy mother, and the supporting cast is first-rate. The film could just as easily have been made in the 1930s, as it has that era's feel. While it takes a simplistic view of Ame4rican politics, it is still delightful to watch. The subsequent TV series with Inger Stevens was not nearly as interesting.

It's taken me a while to finally appreciate the charms of Loretta Young, who has never stood out this much in any other movie I've seen her in. It's no wonder she picked up an Oscar for this role. Here she plays a Swedish immigrant - replete with a braided pigtail around her head - who, through a series of events, finds herself a maid in the household of a US congressman, and subsequently, as a nominee to be a congresswoman as well. It's a charming story in itself, but I also loved the performances. Besides Young, this movie also showcased Joseph Cotten as a romantic lead - a role I've never seen him in, and Ethel Barrymore - a grande dame of stage and screen - is perfection in her role as a kingmaker. It's remarkable that all three actors managed to stand out without overshadowing each other.

When a senator dies in office, Congressman Morley and his fellow party leaders have to come up with a candidate to run in the election to replace him. Everyone is agreement, accept for Morley's second maid. A Swedish-American farm girl who came to the city to become a nurse, she had to take temporary jobs when she was conned out of her tuition money. Not nearly as naive or helpless as she appeared, she was quickly given a permanent position at the Morley household. She isn't one to hold back on expressing her own political views, and by the end of the movie she's running against the Morley political machine even as she is finding romance with Congressman Morley. The movie is a bit dated, but because of the excellent script and acting it still manages to be a fresh and amusing comedy. The political satire is much more restrained then what modern audiences are used to, but the topics haven't aged at all. You've got two parties with no obvious ideological differences engaged in partisan bickering and mudslinging while a small group of wealthy and powerful men decide who is going to run for office. Integrity takes a back seat to party politics and favors. Even an unnamed white supremacy group rears its ugly head. When asked what type of politician she would be, the farmer's daughter tells us exactly what she would not be - a typical politician who only represents the wealthy people who financed their campaign and the powerful elite who backed them. Has anything actually changed in the last 50 years?

Perhaps this is Loretta Young's best film ever, and best performance ever. This attractive B/W classic satire stars Joseph Cotten as her handsome politico boss, Ethel Barrymore as his understanding mother, and an outstanding cast who support their political and romantic involvements. But Katie Holstrom does not begin this film as a candidate nor anyone's fiancée; she begins it on a farm with her large family with a plan to go to school as a nurse in the big city.What happens next is she leaves, and within one day has been bilked of her savings. The need for a job drives her to seek employment as housemaid to a Congressman, Glenn Morley, played by Cotten, and his mother. Ethel Barrymore. Under the house major-domo Charles Bickford, she proves herself to be possessed of charm, common sense, lively intelligence and honesty--qualities which please well when they are not exasperating her employers, unused to such qualities in a world of politicians. Katrin and Glenn find themselves attracted, despite his having a fiancée (Rose Hobart). But when the party's candidate for Congress has to be dumped, it is Katie who somehow gets chosen to run, and wins. The film's climax is Katie's victory, the ending is the romantic pair's arrival in Washington. The values of this award- winning films are not hidden ones. Milton S. Krasner, cinematography, sets by Darrell Silvers and Harley Miller , Edith Head's costumes and many more contribute to the overall effect. The lighting throughout is like a sunny outdoors; and the actors are outstanding. Along with the leads, the director, H.C. Potter, featured Harry Shannon and Anna Q. Nilsson as Katie's parents, Lex Barker, James Arness and Keith Andes as her brawny brothers, Art Baker, Rhys Williams, William Harrigan, Tom Powers, Thurston Hall and many others. The script by Allen Rivin and Laura Kerr adapts Juhani Tervapää's delightful play seamlessly to the screen. The film's pace is interestingly steady and unhurried, its dialogue good or better at all points. The theme of the plot it to be true to oneself; and the story develops this in terms of a time when an individual could be offered as a candidate on the basis of his/her attributes, not of inherited millions. As refreshing as a summer breeze, and often as delightful. This is a classic of anti- Establishment thinking that is only occasionally political at all. Dservedly popular achievement.

Loretta Young with blonde hairdo and Swedish accent is a congressman's housekeeper with lots of common sense ideas herself of how things ought to be. Soon she herself is running for office--but not before romantic developments occur between Young and Joseph Cotten (as Congressman Morley). This is the sort of fresh comedy with warm appeal that made the most of Young's abilities--as did her roles in other such warmhearted comedies as "The Bishop's Wife" and "Come to the Stable". She surprised everyone (including herself) by winning an Oscar against stiff competition--Rosalind Russell, Susan Hayward, Joan Crawford among the nominees. It was quite a year for Loretta. Her other film, "The Bishop's Wife", was nominated in the Best Picture category. Ethel Barrymore and Charles Bickford lend solid support (Bickford won a Supporting Actor nomination) and a young actor by the name of Lex Barker had a small role as one of Loretta's hunky brothers. Still a fresh and charming comedy.

I have read all 16 previous reviews containing glowing admiration for Loretta Young in this film. While I enjoyed watching Cotton and Barrymore, I felt uncomfortable watching and listening to Ms. Young. Firstly,she appears to be so much older than her brothers. In fact, if someone said that Ms. Young was the mother of Peter, Sven...it wouldn't have been too much of a stretch to imagine just that. Secondly, are we to believe that two weeks worth of robust projection lessons would decrease her accent to the point of making Ms. Young sound like no stranger to Toastmasters? If anything, her accent would be more pronounced during such high pressure activities, such as speech-making in front of potential constituents. Finally, sometimes, one heard a decrease in accent, only to hear a full come back in the following scene. I would have preferred my accent in one of the following three ways:1)a lessoning of accent in direct correlation with the length of the movie; 2)a complete absence of accent; or 3)include in the movie something explaining away the accent, such as diction lessons with Barrymore during the six months of waiting for Cotton's return, The accent grew so annoying after awhile.

Loretta Young and Joseph Cotten's talented work in this genre of Hollywood leftism. An apt display of its' penchant for the disdain of capitalism, and the glorification of the common working man, there are scenes with script reminiscent of the writings of Karl Marx. It's typical portrayal of populism is typical of the thinking of the Hollywood left that was and still is prevalent to this day. See this film as a set-piece for the views of the era, and its' communist leanings. Young is an attractive and idealistic immigrant, albeit with leftist leanings who sees an establishment corrupt because it doen't guarantee a living wage to all,even as she agrees that one should be responsible for ones own security. It falsely portrays a political machine that allows sinister establishment characters to prey on the public, while idealistic candidate Katie only wants the best for the common man,who has been duped by the establishment.Pure Eugene Debbs propaganda. Cotten is among that establishment, that as a matter of birth, he has been incorporated into the capitalist rip-off, but comes to realize the error of his ways in an epiphany of love of the innocent Katie. Young plays Katie,a wise and sweet maid servant turned political" do gooder" candidate. All and all, a totally implausible script, but wonderfully Hollywood, and totally conformed to the political left leanings of the elite who rule Hollywood, then and now.