This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
From Farm to Fame
Plot Overview
It's rough for Adolph Petree (Rhys
Williams) in the sign painting business, but prospering immigrant
farmer Mr. Holstrom (Harry Shannon) has him come back every
two years to touch up his barns & out buildings. He has his eye
on farmer Holstrom's only daughter, a Swedish beauty named Katrin
"Katie" (Loretta Young,) waiting for her to grow up. Now, 1947,
that her three brothers are back from the war, Katie sets out for
the city to prepare for her nursing career, and Adolph offers her
a lift with ulterior motives. He wants her in her cups, and him in
her pants and his palm in her pocket. He succeeds in one out of three.
To recoup her money for nursing school, Katrin takes an agency position as second maid in a generational political household. They are so impressed with her versatility that they hire her directly, and to divert her homespun comments about their special election candidate, they have her come to his rally where she can question him directly. The opposition party after hearing her and having no better candidate run her.
Her household in this political satire demonstrate continued allegiance to her especially after hearing their own candidate's hidden agenda of promoting WASPs. But upon her arriving in Capital City, the streets were teeming with Whites, Adolph had given her the sobriquet “Miss Nightingale” after Florence (1820–1910) an Englishwoman who'd founded modern nursing, and as for Protestant work ethic, she was performing both the domestic chores on the farm and field work when her brothers were off fighting a war. Seems to me the WASPs don't need any help.
Due to Katie's familiarity with men
in her bros, her maid's close quarters with third term
congressman Glenn Morley (Joseph Cotton,) and an ice skating
foray with him on her day off, they end up falling in love and want
to get married. But they have to ask her papa.
Ideology
TFD highlights Katie's attire both in image and dialogue so we shall compare it with scripture. The apostle Paul enjoins (1Tim. 2:9) “that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array.” Her apparel was modest, she didn't drink except for glogg at Christmas, and she wore no fancy gewgaws. Her hair was done up in double Dutch braided buns, which the female competition marked as “plain” compared to the Swedish crown braid she had it in for special occasions. “Shamefacedness” has to do with being easily embarrassed. The note on my Franklin Electronic Bible reads, “Early printer's error for ‘shamefastness’, which means modesty of character.” The New Cambridge Paragraph Bible restores the original. The modernized New King James Version (NKJV) opts for a simplified vocabulary of “with moderation.”
All three meanings are illustrated in the movie but in different places; “with moderation” could apply in several spots. Lena the cook's uniform was too big for Katie, immoderately loose on her slim frame. The twelve uniforms she charged on the matron's account were a trim fit, but did she need so many? The four plain ones worn for regular household duties were short-sleeved for ease of movement, the other eight long-sleeved for when others were around. For that matter she rolled up her sleeves in Lena's uniform to get down to business, and she rolled them up on her sweater to give Glenn a Swedish massage. In a 1947 movie, we can't expect to see much skin exposure regardless. Several uniforms were of flamboyant colors. Newspaperwoman Virginia (Rose Hobart) was making a money-saving dress out of used silk parachute panels. One can pick apart various aspects of moderation here to see how they line up with the NKJV's moderation, but I suppose moderate skin exposure might look different to a teenage girl than to her worried mother, and a moderate outlay for clothes might seem different to a wife than to her penny-pinching husband.
“With shamefacedness” here is most applicable to Congressman Glenn. He wore a running uniform to limber up with Katie but was embarrassed when he couldn't keep up with her. He'd been captain of his Yale hockey team but was embarrassed in wet clothes when he fell through the thin ice (again.) He hurried to change into a more fulsome robe when Katie showed up on him & his mother. He seemed easily embarrassed. The hippies taught us not to be ashamed of our bodies, but cultural norms are hard to shake. Still, I don't feel I need be embarrassed on account of some past printer's flub.
"With shamefastness" has to do with
modesty of character. In this movie it comes out in the
accessories. When Adolph propositioned Katie, she poured a pitcher
of water over his head adorning it with dripping water. Her father
gave her some sage advice when she was running from controversy;
“Voman or man, if you don't want to fight for the troot, den
you shouldn't be in Congress!” When her brothers went to
retrieve the slanderer from the lodge where he was held
incommunicado by some heavies, she stayed on the porch
demurely holding an accessory piece of firewood to club him with if
he tries to get by her, only I'm not so sure we should count it as but a
modest weapon in the hands of a fit farmer. As in Patrick Ness:
“You hit me in the face with a branch,” I say.
She puts her hands on her hips. “Well, what did you expect? You came at me with a knife. But I didn't hit you hard enough to hurt you badly, did I?” (265)
Production Values
“” (1947) was directed by H.C. Potter. It was written by Allen Rivkin, Laura Kerr and Hella Wuolijoki as inspired by the Finnish play Juurakon Hulda, written by Hella Wuolijoki (under the pen name Juhani Tervapää.) It stars Loretta Young, Joseph Cotten, Ethel Barrymore and Charles Bickford. Young won a best actress Oscar for it in 1947. She did a credible Swedish accent. The whole cast was tops. Ethel Barrymore was splendid. James Arness made his screen debut here as Katie's brother Peter. He plays the future Marshal Matt Dillon in the American TV series, “Gunsmoke” (1955–1975).
It passed the now dated Hayes Production Code. It was well done in black and white but jumped at the splices. The political satire seemed ahead of its time, or maybe I'm just kidding myself. The parties seemed interchangeable. I don't think the word sheeple had been invented yet in 1947 but it could apply here. Runtime is 1 hour 37 minutes.
Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation
The satire was humorous and the romance touching. Alas that they don't make them like this anymore.
Movie Ratings
Action factor: Well done action flick. Suitability for children: Suitable for children with guidance. Special effects: Average special effects. Video Occasion: Good for Mixed Groups. Suspense: A few suspenseful moments. Overall movie rating: Four stars out of five.
Works Cited
Unless otherwise indicated scripture is quoted from the King James Version. Pub. 1611, rev. 1769, 1873, 2005. Software. Print.
Scripture quotation marked NKJV is from the New King James Version, Copyright © 1979 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Print.
Franklin note is from “The Bible Word Book,” R. Bridges and L. Weigle, Thomas Nelson 1960.
Ness, Patrick. The Knife of Never Letting Go. Copyright © 2008 by Patrick Ness. Somerville, Mass: Candlewick Press, 2008. Print.
bibles.n7nz.org