''The Harvester'' is a 1936 American
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
directed by
Joseph Santley
Joseph Mansfield Santley (born Joseph Ishmael Mansfield, January 10, 1890 – August 8, 1971) was an American actor, singer, dancer, writer, director, and producer of musical theatrical plays motion pictures and television shows. He adopted ...
and written by
Homer Croy, Robert Lee Johnson,
Elizabeth Meehan
Elizabeth Meehan (22 August 1894 – 24 April 1967) was a British screenwriter who worked in both Britain and Hollywood.
Early life
Meehan was born on the Isle of Wight, and lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Career
As a young woman, B ...
and Gertrude Orr. It is based on the 1911 novel ''The Harvester'' by
Gene Stratton-Porter
Gene Stratton-Porter (August 17, 1863 – December 6, 1924), born Geneva Grace Stratton, was an American author, nature photographer, and naturalist from Wabash County, Indiana. In 1917 Stratton-Porter urged legislative support for the conservat ...
, which had previously been turned into a 1927
silent film of the same title. The film stars
Alice Brady
Alice Brady (born Mary Rose Brady; November 2, 1892 – October 28, 1939) was an American actress who began her career in the silent film era and survived the transition into talkies. She worked until six months before her death from cancer in ...
,
Russell Hardie
William Russell Hardie (May 20, 1904 – July 21, 1973) was an American film actor.
He appeared in ''The Costello Case'', '' Broadway to Hollywood'', '' Stage Mother'', ''Christopher Bean'', '' As the Earth Turns'', '' Men in White'', ''Opera ...
,
Ann Rutherford
Therese Ann Rutherford (November 2, 1917 – June 11, 2012) was a Canadian-born American actress in film, radio, and television. She had a long career starring and co-starring in films, playing Polly Benedict during the 1930s and 1940s in the And ...
,
Frank Craven
Frank Craven (August 24, 1875September 1, 1945) was an American stage and film actor, playwright, and screenwriter, best known for originating the role of the Stage Manager in Thornton Wilder's ''Our Town''.
Early years
Craven's parents, John T ...
,
Cora Sue Collins and
Emma Dunn
Emma Dunn (26 February 1875 – 14 December 1966) was an English actress. After starting her acting career on stage in London, she became known for her works in numerous films and Broadway productions.
Career
Emma Dunn appeared onstage in ...
. The film was released on April 18, 1936, by
Republic Pictures.
Plot
In rural 1890s Indiana, farmer David Langston, a single man who has focused his time on his work, is pressured to wed the daughter of the wealthy Mrs. Biddle, Thelma. While David's orphaned friend, Ruth Jameson, is in love with him, David ends up accepting Mrs. Biddle's demands and agrees to wed Thelma. After technological advancements make their way to the town, Mrs. Biddle attempts to pressure David to leave his job as a farmer and join her husband, Mr. Biddle, in a career of real estate. However, Mr. Biddle, who is discontented with his current life, cautions David against selling his farm. Meanwhile, Mrs. Biddle, in an effort to secure David's marriage to her daughter, has Ruth's younger sister, Naomi, whom he adores, put into an orphanage.
Soon after, Ruth's grandmother, who opposed David's marriage to Thelma, dies, David and Ruth are drawn closer together, making David question his decision, and soon figures out Mrs. Biddle put Naomi in the orphanage. David then publicly confronts Mrs. Biddle, and boldly announces his intentions to adopt Naomi himself. Thelma, infuriated, breaks their engagement, and Ruth, David, and Naomi are reunited, with David deciding to remain a harvester.
Criticisms of the Film
This adaptation of the original 1911 novel by
Gene Stratton-Porter
Gene Stratton-Porter (August 17, 1863 – December 6, 1924), born Geneva Grace Stratton, was an American author, nature photographer, and naturalist from Wabash County, Indiana. In 1917 Stratton-Porter urged legislative support for the conservat ...
features many plot differences, which some claim detract from the overall quality of the film. This is especially true considering how well received the novel was at publication.
According to a review published by the
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
, there "has been lost the simple nobility of its central figure that made the book a best seller when it was written."
The author of this review, referenced as J.T.M., claims the movie could not be seen as parallel to the vision Stratton-Porter had when writing the novel. The portrayal of the titular figure, David Langston, is seen as "a most naïve young man, far too easily urged away from his herb patches and the rural destiny that so patently befits him by an extremely transparent plot of feminine scheming."
Cast
*
Alice Brady
Alice Brady (born Mary Rose Brady; November 2, 1892 – October 28, 1939) was an American actress who began her career in the silent film era and survived the transition into talkies. She worked until six months before her death from cancer in ...
as Mrs. Biddle
*
Russell Hardie
William Russell Hardie (May 20, 1904 – July 21, 1973) was an American film actor.
He appeared in ''The Costello Case'', '' Broadway to Hollywood'', '' Stage Mother'', ''Christopher Bean'', '' As the Earth Turns'', '' Men in White'', ''Opera ...
as David Langston
*
Ann Rutherford
Therese Ann Rutherford (November 2, 1917 – June 11, 2012) was a Canadian-born American actress in film, radio, and television. She had a long career starring and co-starring in films, playing Polly Benedict during the 1930s and 1940s in the And ...
as Ruth Jameson
*
Frank Craven
Frank Craven (August 24, 1875September 1, 1945) was an American stage and film actor, playwright, and screenwriter, best known for originating the role of the Stage Manager in Thornton Wilder's ''Our Town''.
Early years
Craven's parents, John T ...
as Mr. Biddle
*
Cora Sue Collins as Naomi Jameson
*
Emma Dunn
Emma Dunn (26 February 1875 – 14 December 1966) was an English actress. After starting her acting career on stage in London, she became known for her works in numerous films and Broadway productions.
Career
Emma Dunn appeared onstage in ...
as Granny Moreland
*
Joyce Compton
Olivia Joyce Compton (January 27, 1907 – October 13, 1997) was an American actress.
Biography
Compton was born in Lexington, Kentucky, the daughter of Henry and Golden Compton. (Despite frequent reports to the contrary, her name was not ...
as Thelma Biddle
*
Edward Nugent
Edward James Nugent (February 7, 1904 – January 3, 1995) was an American film and stage actor.
Biography
Born in 1904 in New York City, Nugent appeared in more than 80 films between 1928 and 1937. He subsequently had a second acting career o ...
as Bert Munroe
*
Roy Atwell
John Leroy "Roy" Atwell (May 2, 1878 – February 6, 1962) was an American actor, comedian and composer, known for playing characters that mis-deliver their lines or stammer, most notably Doc from Walt Disney's classic Snow White and the Seven Dwa ...
as Jake Eben
*
Spencer Charters
Spencer Charters (March 25, 1875 – January 25, 1943) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 220 films between 1920 and 1943, mostly in small supporting roles.
Biography
Charters was born in Duncannon, Pennsylvania. Until ...
as Stubby Pratt
*
Russell Simpson as Abner Prewett
*
Phyllis Fraser
Phyllis Cerf Wagner (born Helen Brown Nichols; April 13, 1916 – November 24, 2006), also known as Phyllis Fraser, was an American socialite, writer, publisher, and actress. She was a co-founder of Beginner Books.
Early life
Fraser was born H ...
as Gladys
*
Fern Emmett
Fern Emmett (March 22, 1896 – September 3, 1946) was an American film actress. She appeared in 212 films between 1930 and 1946. Emmett's film debut came with Universal in a two-reel production in 1914.
Personal life
Emmett was married to ...
as Miss Sophronia
*Burr Caruth as Dr. Carey
*
Lucille Ward
Lucille Ward (February 25, 1880 – August 8, 1952) was an American film actress. She appeared in more than 140 films between 1915 and 1944. She was born and died in Dayton, Ohio.
Ward's career began in 1907 when she acted in a production ...
as Mrs. Griggs
*
Harry Bowen as Carl
*
Grace Hayle
Grace Hayle (July 24, 1888 – March 20, 1963) was an American actress who appeared in more than 300 films.
In the fall of 1917, Hayle was the "new leading woman" with the Knickerbocker Players at the Knickerbocker Theatre in Philadelphia. She ...
as Mrs. Kramer
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harvester
1936 films
1930s English-language films
American comedy films
1936 comedy films
Republic Pictures films
Films directed by Joseph Santley
American black-and-white films
Films produced by Nat Levine
Films based on works by Gene Stratton-Porter
Films based on American novels
Remakes of American films
Sound film remakes of silent films
1930s American films