''B.F.'s Daughter'' is a 1948 drama film directed by

Robert Z. Leonard Robert Zigler Leonard (October 7, 1889 – August 27, 1968) was an American film director, actor, producer, and screenwriter. Biography He was born in Chicago, Illinois. At one time, he was married to silent star Mae Murray with the two formin ...

and starring

Barbara Stanwyck Barbara Stanwyck (; born Ruby Catherine Stevens; July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American actress, model and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career she was known for her strong, realistic sc ...

and

Van Heflin Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin Jr. (December 13, 1908 – July 23, 1971) was an American theatre, radio and film actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man. H ...

. It was adapted from

John P. Marquand John Phillips Marquand (November 10, 1893 – July 16, 1960) was an American writer. Originally best known for his Mr. Moto spy stories, he achieved popular success and critical respect for his satirical novels, winning a Pulitzer Prize for '' ...

's 1946 novel of the same name, about a prominent couple whose marital tensions come to a boiling point during World War II. The book was controversial for its treatment of social conflicts and adultery, but the film is a sanitized and fairly conventional love story. The film was released in the UK as ''Polly Fulton'', because "B.F." was a euphemism there for "bloody fool" in the 1940s.

Plot

Polly Fulton is the only daughter of rich industrialist B.F. Fulton. She is involved in a long engagement to family friend Bob Tasmin, an affable, scrupulously honest lawyer who is such a steady guy that he sometimes seems boring. Then she meets brash intellectual Tom Brett, who blames many of the world's problems on the rich. Tom and Polly heartily dislike each other at first, but she finds him exciting compared to the well-meaning "stuffed shirt" Bob. Soon Tom and Polly fall passionately in love and get married. Tom has a tense relationship with Polly's family from the start. When he gradually realizes that his in-laws are using their connections to advance his career, he is not grateful but bitter. Polly is painfully torn between her strong-willed husband and her devoted father, whom everyone calls "B.F." When World War II arrives, Tom takes a high-level civilian position in Washington, doing work that he cannot discuss. He and Polly rarely see each other and begin to lead separate lives. Two wartime developments eventually bring the relationship to a crisis point. First, Polly hears a rumor that Tom is having an affair. Then she is stunned by a news report that Bob Tasmin, now a dashing military officer happily married to Polly's best friend, has apparently been killed on a mission behind enemy lines. As the truth about both situations is revealed, Polly and Tom confront their own problems and learn what they mean to each other.

Cast

as Pauline "Polly" Fulton Brett *

as Tom Brett *

Charles Coburn Charles Douville Coburn (June 19, 1877 – August 30, 1961) was an American actor and theatrical producer. He was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award three times – in ''The Devil and Miss Jones'' (1941), ''The More the Me ...

as Burton F. "B.F." Fulton * Richard Hart as Robert S. "Bob" Tasmin III *

Keenan Wynn Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn (July 27, 1916 – October 14, 1986) was an American character actor. His expressive face was his stock-in-trade; and though he rarely carried the lead role, he had prominent billing in mos ...

as Martin Delwyn "Marty" Ainsley *

Margaret Lindsay Margaret Lindsay (born Margaret Kies; September 19, 1910 – May 9, 1981) was an American film actress. Her time as a Warner Bros. contract player during the 1930s was particularly productive. She was noted for her supporting work in successf ...

as "Apples" Sandler *

Marshall Thompson James Marshall Thompson (November 27, 1925 – May 18, 1992) was an American film and television actor. Early years Thompson was born in Peoria, Illinois. He and his parents, Dr. and Mrs. Laurence B. Thompson, moved to California when he was a ...

as The sailor *

Spring Byington Spring Dell Byington (October 17, 1886 – September 7, 1971) was an American actress. Her career included a seven-year run on radio and television as the star of ''December Bride''. She was a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player who appeared in ...

as Gladys Fulton *

Barbara Laage Barbara Laage (30 July 1920 – 21 May 1988) was a French film actress who flourished in the 1950s. After fleeing Paris with her family during the German occupation in World War II, Laage returned to the city after the war and commenced her acti ...

as Euginia Taris * Thomas E. Breen as Maj. Isaac Riley * Fred Nurney as Jan (the butler) *

Pierre Watkin Pierre Frank Watkin (December 29, 1887 – February 3, 1960) was an American character actor best known for playing distinguished authority figures throughout the Golden Age of Hollywood. He is best remembered for his roles of Mr. Skinner the b ...

as Joe Stewart, Brett's Boss (uncredited)

Reception

The film earned $1,449,000 in the US and Canada and $461,000 elsewhere, recording a loss of $565,000.

Radio adaptation

On December 11, 1950, ''

Lux Radio Theater ''Lux Radio Theatre'', sometimes spelled ''Lux Radio Theater'', a classic radio anthology series, was broadcast on the NBC Blue Network (1934–35) (owned by the National Broadcasting Company, later predecessor of American Broadcasting Company ...

'' broadcast a radio adaptation of ''B.F.'s Daughter'' with Barbara Stanwyck reprising her role in the film.IMDB entry
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References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:B.F.'S Daughter 1948 films 1948 drama films American black-and-white films Films based on American novels Films directed by Robert Z. Leonard Films scored by Bronisław Kaper Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films American drama films 1940s American films