''The Farmer Takes a Wife'' is a 1953

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

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 ...

starring

Betty Grable Elizabeth Ruth Grable (December 18, 1916 – July 2, 1973) was an American actress, pin-up girl, dancer, model, and singer. Her 42 films during the 1930s and 1940s grossed more than $100 million; for 10 consecutive years (1942–1951) she reign ...

and

Dale Robertson Dayle Lymoine Robertson (July 14, 1923February 27, 2013) was an American actor best known for his starring roles on television. He played the roving investigator Jim Hardie in the television series '' Tales of Wells Fargo'' and railroad owner Be ...

. The picture is a remake of the 1935 film of the same name which starred

Janet Gaynor Janet Gaynor (born Laura Augusta Gainor; October 6, 1906 – September 14, 1984) was an American film, stage, and television actress. Gaynor began her career as an extra in shorts and silent films. After signing with Fox Film Corporation (later ...

and

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics. Born and rai ...

. Grable and Dale Robertson first appeared together in the movie ''

Call Me Mister ''Call Me Mister'' is a revue with sketches by Arnold Auerbach and words and music by Harold Rome. The title refers to troops who are happily returning to civilian life and no longer want to be addressed by their military ranks. The Broadway pr ...

'' (1951).

Plot

During the 19th century, where Molly Larkins (

), the girlfriend of rough-and-tumble canal-boat captain Jotham Klore (

John Carroll John Carroll may refer to: People Academia and science *Sir John Carroll (astronomer) (1899–1974), British astronomer *John Alexander Carroll (died 2000), American history professor *John Bissell Carroll (1916–2003), American cognitive sci ...

) she hires mild-mannered farmer Daniel Harrow (

) to work on the boat. Molly and Dan fall in love and marry.

Cast

as Molly Larkins *

as Dan Harrow *

Thelma Ritter Thelma Ritter (February 14, 1902 – February 5, 1969) was an American actress, best known for her comedic roles as working-class characters and her strong New York accent. She won the 1958 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, and received s ...

as Lucy Cashdollar *

as Jotham Klore * Eddie Foy, Jr. as Fortune Friendly * Charlotte Austin as Pearl Dowd *

Kathleen Crowley Kathleen Crowley (born Betty Jane Crowley; December 26, 1929 – April 23, 2017) was an American actress. She appeared more than 100 times in movies and television series in the 1950s and 1960s, almost always as a leading lady. Biography E ...

as Susanna *

Merry Anders Merry Anders (born Mary Helen Anderson; May 22, 1934 – October 28, 2012) was an American actress and model who appeared in a number of television programs and films from the 1950s until her retirement from the screen in 1972. Early life Ander ...

as Hannah *

May Wynn Donna Lee Custer ( Hickey, January 8, 1928 – March 22, 2021), better known as May Wynn, was an American dancer, singer, and actress. Early life Wynn, who grew up in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, was descended from a line of performers. Her ...

as Eva Gooch *

George 'Gabby' Hayes George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

as Uncle Ben * Nancy Abbate as Little Girl (uncredited) *

Doreen Tracey Doreen Isabelle Tracey (April 13, 1943 – January 10, 2018) was a British-born American performer who appeared on the original ''Mickey Mouse Club'' television show from 1955–59. Early life Tracey was born in St Pancras, London, England. Her ...

as Little Girl (uncredited)

Songs

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

''The Farmer Takes a Wife'' was presented on ''Best Plays'' June 28, 1953. The one-hour adaptation starred

John Forsythe John Forsythe (January 29, 1918 – April 1, 2010) was an American stage, film/television actor, producer, narrator, drama teacher and philanthropist whose career spanned six decades. He also appeared as a guest on several talk and variety s ...

and

Joan Lorring Joan Lorring (born Madeline Ellis; April 17, 1926 – May 30, 2014) was an American actress and singer known for her work in film and theatre. For her role as Bessy Watty in ''The Corn Is Green'' (1945), Lorring was nominated for the Academy Aw ...

References

External links

* * * * 1953 films 1953 musical comedy films 1953 romantic comedy films 1950s historical comedy films American historical comedy films American musical comedy films American romantic comedy films American romantic musical films Films based on American novels American films based on plays Films based on romance novels Films set in the 19th century Films set in New York (state) 20th Century Fox films Films directed by Henry Levin Films based on adaptations Films scored by Cyril J. Mockridge American historical romance films 1950s historical romance films American historical musical films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films {{historic-musical-film-stub