The Farmer Takes a Wife (1953 film)

The Farmer Takes a Wife
The Farmer Takes a Wife
Directed by	Henry Levin
Written by	Marc Connelly (play); Walter Bullock; Sally Benson; Joseph Fields
Based on	The Farmer Takes a Wife; 1934 play; by Frank B. Elser; Rome Haul; 1929 novel ; by Walter D. Edmonds
Produced by	Frank P. Rosenberg
Starring	Betty Grable; Dale Robertson; Thelma Ritter
Cinematography	Arthur E. Arling
Edited by	Louis R. Loeffler
Music by	Harold Arlen; Dorothy Fields; Orch./Arr.; Cyril J. Mockridge
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date	June 12, 1953;
Running time	81 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$1,150,000 (US)

The Farmer Takes a Wife is a 1953 Technicolor musical comedy film starring Betty Grable and Dale Robertson. The picture is a remake of the 1935 film of the same name which starred Janet Gaynor and Henry Fonda. Grable and Dale Robertson first appeared together in the movie Call Me Mister (1951).

Plot[edit]

During the 19th century, where Molly Larkins (Betty Grable), the girlfriend of rough-and-tumble canal-boat captain Jotham Klore (John Carroll) she hires mild-mannered farmer Daniel Harrow (Dale Robertson) to work on the boat. Molly and Dan fall in love and marry.^[2]

Cast[edit]

Betty Grable as Molly Larkins
Dale Robertson as Dan Harrow
Thelma Ritter as Lucy Cashdollar
John Carroll as Jotham Klore
Eddie Foy, Jr. as Fortune Friendly
Charlotte Austin as Pearl Dowd
Kathleen Crowley as Susanna
Merry Anders as Hannah
May Wynn as Eva Gooch
George 'Gabby' Hayes as Uncle Ben
Nancy Abbate as Little Girl (uncredited)
Doreen Tracey as Little Girl (uncredited)

Songs[edit]

Harold Arlen & Dorothy Fields composed the following songs for the movie:

"Can You Spell Schenectady?"
"The Erie Canal"
"I Could Cook"
"I Was Wearin' Horse Shoes"
"Look Who's Been Dreaming"
"On The Erie Canal"
"Somethin' Real Special"
"Today I Love Everybody"
"We're Doin' It For The Natives In Jamaica"
"We're In Business"
"When I Close My Door"
"With The Sun Warm Upon Me"
"Yes!"

Radio adaptation[edit]

The Farmer Takes a Wife was presented on Best Plays June 28, 1953. The one-hour adaptation starred John Forsythe and Joan Lorring.^[3]

References[edit]

^ 'The Top Box Office Hits of 1953', Variety, January 13, 1954
^ "The Farmer Takes a Wife (1953) - Henry Levin | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie".
^ Kirby, Walter (June 28, 1953). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. The Decatur Daily Review. p. 44. Retrieved July 1, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.

External links[edit]

The Farmer Takes a Wife at IMDb
The Farmer Takes a Wife at AllMovie
The Farmer Takes a Wife at the TCM Movie Database
The Farmer Takes a Wife at the American Film Institute Catalog

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[1] 'The Top Box Office Hits of 1953', Variety, January 13, 1954

[2] "The Farmer Takes a Wife (1953) - Henry Levin | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie".

[3] Kirby, Walter (June 28, 1953). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. The Decatur Daily Review. p. 44. Retrieved July 1, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.

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