The Farmer Takes a Wife

THE FARMER TAKES A WIFE (Fox, 1935), directed by Victor Fleming, stars Janet Gaynor in one of her finer film roles of her latter-day career at her home studio. Often teamed opposite Charles Farrell in as many as twelve feature films that began in 1927, the role of the farmer didn't go to Farrell this time, now that Farrell's career has already past its prime, but to a newcomer to the motion picture screen by the name of Henry Fonda (1905-1982). An appropriate choice considering it was Fonda who starred in the original stage production in 1934, a role that earned him recognition, enough to be selected the lead for his movie debut. As much as Fonda didn't receive any special screen introduction in the opening credits, a common practice that would occur in later years, at least he did have his name placed below his leading lady and above the title, which is an honor in itself.

The setting takes place in New York State around the year 1850, where the Erie Canal is the most important means of transportation route through the area. Yet there is new means of progress that's to change all this, and that's the railroad rumored to become its rival force. Molly Larkin (Janet Gaynor), an Irish-spirited girl who comes from a long line of fighters, works as a cook on the boat "Emma" for Jotham Klore (Charles Bickford), known to many as both "the bully of the canal" and roughneck who's never lost a fight in his life. Entering the scene is Dan Harrow (Henry Fonda) who arrives in time to stop a fight between two men on the street, much to the dismay of Molly. Eventually Molly becomes acquainted with the quaint but soft-spoken Dan, who's come looking for work on the canal in order to earn enough money to buy a farm. He is soon hired as a driver boy of the "Starsey Sal" boat for Samson Weaver (Roger Imhof). After Klore becomes drunk and unruly towards Molly, she quits his employ and goes to work on Weaver's boat. Now sober, Klore learns about Molly leaving him, thus becoming violent enough to go after Dan. Before carrying on his threat, Klore is taken to jail for where he spends three months to think things over. After Weaver wins a $5,000 lottery, he makes Dan captain, offering him half interest on the boat, which would help him earn enough money to buy a farm within the year. Because of his good fortune, Dan, who thinks of nothing but Molly, proposes marriage to her. Her reply is that she will marry him in due time on the promise she not talk about the canal while he not talk about farming for an entire year. As the year passes, Dan goes against her wishes by buying a farm from Mr. Butterworth (Frederick Burton). While this upsets Molly, nothing can further get her Irish blood boiling when she comes to believe Dan is a coward for leaving for his farm rather than fight with Klore, who's come looking for him to settle a score.

Other members of the cast include: Andy Devine (Elmer Otway); Sig Rumann (The Blacksmith); Margaret Hamilton (Lucy Gurget); and John Qualen (Sol Tinker). Slim Summerville, then a new resident of Fox Films from Universal, offers some comedy relief as Fortune Friendly, a dentist, who, in his opening sequence with the apple on a stick eating Della (Jane Withers), explaining through the map of the process of the railroad, allowing himself to pull the wrong tooth from Ivy (Kitty Kelly), one of his first patients (or victims). There's even one moment of amusement where he's seen examining the teeth of a horse. Summerville comes in and out of the story with some more comedy relief, even to the point of getting Dan to break away from his farm to fight for Molly's honor.

Leisurely paced and traditional Fox Films production of early America with songs and background music as "Oh, Susannah" and "I've Been Working on the Railroad" to reflect the spirit of the times. Because Fonda has worked his way to a long range of motion pictures that ended shortly before his death in 1982, earning a Best Actor Academy Award for his final motion picture of ON GOLDEN POND (1981) indicates how such a performer had the rare distinction of starring in both his first and last movie in the span of 45 years. Even if Fonda made this this his one and only movie, somehow there would be something about his presence that would continue to stand out, even today. With Gaynor and Fonda being a good combination, this was to be the only time they worked together.

Remade as a Technicolor musical by 20th Century-Fox (1953) starring Betty Grable and Dale Robertson, the remake was fine but didn't seem to have the lasting appeal as the 1935 original. Regardless of its then success, the original THE FARMER TAKES A WIFE, never distributed to video cassette during the home video era of the 1980s and 90s, has become one of those rarely seen products, at least not until cable television resurrected it briefly in 1983 on Cinemax, and decades later on Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: August 1, 2009).

This is where the legend of Henry Fonda begins. It's also a look back into the near forgotten career of both Janet Gaynor back in the days before the old Fox studio converted to 20th Century-Fox the year of its release. (***)

Fate plays a big factor in people's lives, especially if the profession is acting. Henry Fonda, at 30, was happy with his five years so far acting on the stage, especially in New York City. In Hollywood, Fox Films was winding down its productions with its pending consolidation with 20th Century Pictures when the studio began casting for its August 1935 "A Farmer Takes A Wife." First Gary Cooper, then Joel McCrae were approached to play Dan Harrow, an Erie Canal boat driver in the mid-1800s who sees farming as his future. Both actors were unavailable. Studio scouts then pointed to the young actor, Henry Fonda, on the Broadway stage as befitting the character's personality. It was a huge gamble to take such a neophyte unfamiliar with studio lights and filmmaking methods and hand him the lead in a major Hollywood production. Director Victor Fleming was willing to take the chance on Fonda and commit the extra work to familiarize him with Hollywood's ways.

"With this first movie, Fonda established himself as an earnest screen presence - a young man of ideals and integrity," described film reviewer Paddy Lee. Fleming gave Fonda the film presence that reflected the humbleness the actor showed off camera. "The debut of that soon-to-be-iconic screen persona is immediately engaging," wrote reviewer Paul Mavis. "The tentative glances, the long, slow gait, the stillness and inner resolve, and the romanticized plaintiveness of his speech as he quietly rhapsodizes about simple rural pleasures. No wonder he was a big hit right out of the gate with this turn." Henry Fonda was a shy six-foot tall Omaha, Nebraskan native when his mother's friend recommended that he try out for a part in a local community theatre's play. The 20-year-old credit bank clerk got the part. Soon after he received the lead in another play, where he realized acting was something he enjoyed. He joined the University Players in Cape Cod, meeting his future wife actress Margaret Sullivan. Before long, Fonda journeyed to New York City, reconnecting with fellow University Players alumni Jimmy Stewart, where the two became roommates honing their acting skills on Broadway for the next several years. Fate took over after two major Hollywood stars were unavailable to play the canal driver. Fonda assumed the lead in the movie version of the Frank Elser/Marc Connelly play 'The Farmer Takes a Wife.'

Janet Gaynor's character Molly Larkins was the love interest to Fonda's Dan Harrow in "The Farmer Takes a Wife." As one of the main stars for Fox Films, Gaynor's luster with the newly merged 20th Century-Fox dropped from number one to 24th. Her frustration in the two roles she played the following year caused her to seriously think about retiring. That's when producer David O. Selznick offered her a part of a rising actress in his 1937 "A Star Is Born."

The framework of "The Farmer Takes a Wife" illustrates the transformation from canal transportation to the railways. Molly Larkins is a cook who works for Jotham Klore (Charles Bickford), a rough, rowdy canal driver who locks horns with Dan, who believes there's no future working on the canals. Ironically, although Bickford played a major role alongside Fonda in his movie debut, the two never acted in the same film again until Bickford's final motion picture, 1966's 'A Big Hand for the Little Lady.' Two other character actors, Andy Devine and Margaret Hamilton, also contributed largely to "The Farmer Takes a Wife." Devine's distinctive voice set him apart from other actors. The Arizonian performer claimed a curtain rod he was holding between his teeth as a child while running jammed into his mouth when he fell. One reporter later asked about his anodes causing his raspy voice. Devine replied, "I've got the same nodes as Bing Crosby, but his are in tune." The actor began his entertainment career in a comedy act called 'Three Fat Guys' with David Arvedon and Jackie Gleason, the well-known comic entertainer with his long-running TV show. Devine left for Hollywood, where he appeared in over 400 movies, mostly Westerns.

Margaret Hamilton, known famously for her role in the Wicked Witch of the West in 1939's "The Wizard of Oz," initially loved teaching, earning a college degree at Wheelock College in Boston as a kindergarten instructor. But Hamilton gravitated towards the theater, and made her film debut in 1933's 'Another Language.' "A Farmer Takes a Wife" was Hamilton's sixth feature film appearance and was consistently active in movies and television well into the early 1980s.

"The Farmer Takes a Wife" was remade into the Technicolor 1953 musical with Betty Grable and Dale Robertson. But the original film version is more known today as the movie that introduced the public to the unique talents of Henry Fonda.

In 1853 upstate New York, sweet 'n' bossy Janet Gaynor (as Molly Larkins) admires boatmen laboring along the Erie Canal, but frowns upon railroad-loving farmers like handsome Henry Fonda (as Dan Harrow), who only wants to work on the canal until he can buy a farm. Despite their differences, Mr. Fonda and Ms. Gaynor are obviously smitten with each other. Fonda wants Gaynor to cook for him, rather than boozy boating rival Charles Bickford (as Jotham Klore). But, Gaynor wants Fonda show he can be strong 'n' rough.

The crew at Fox created Award-worthy sets and locations for this film, which photographer Ernest Palmer and director Victor Fleming display beautifully. More about gender roles than farm and boatmen, the story is very silly. Yet, Gaynor elevates it by using cooking as a metaphor for sex. She and Fonda, reprising his stage success as a debut film appearance, are a radiant couple. And, the supporting cast is excellent. Watch out for veteran actor Robert Warwick (as Junius Brutus Booth) and his politically-interested young son.

******* The Farmer Takes a Wife (8/2/35) Victor Fleming ~ Janet Gaynor, Henry Fonda, Charles Bickford, Slim Summerville

In 1934, a new actor named Henry Fonda was receiving glowing reviews on Broadway for his performance in the play The Farmer Takes a Wife. Based on the 1929 novel Rome Haul by Walter D. Edmunds, Farmer was the tale of love and conflict along the Eerie Canal during the mid 19th century. Fonda, under contract to Walter Wanger, was called to Hollywood to reprise his role when Fox Film Corp. decided not to use Gary Cooper or Joel McCrea in the role of farmer Dan Harrow for their upcoming film version. Fonda's engaging naturalism and classically humble style in the film version would pave the way for his quick meteoric rise as the great "All-American" star. Declared the top box-office attraction in 1934, Janet Gaynor was wisely as the female lead. The Character Molly Larkins would allow Gaynor to stray a bit from her diminutively wholesome reputation into a meatier role with forthright spunkiness. Character actress Margaret Hamilton reprised her Broadway role as the character Lucy Gurget.

The film's Producer, Winfield Sheehan, had a very successful career producing and supervising such Fox hits as CALVALCADE, STATE FAIR, and CHANGE OF HEART. In 1935 alone, Sheehan would produce a total of five films for Fox. Before the shooting date arrived, the crew completed the one set that was to be used on the film with fastidious period detail. Sheehan would repeat this technique the same year with WAY DOWN EAST, also with Fonda.

Although he never received the great successes or recognition of other directors, Victor Fleming consistently and successfully delivered solid, well-crafted films. His work on FARMER and throughout the 1930's reflected his professionalism and ability to get sensible and honest performances from his actors. He would finish the decade overseeing two of the most memorable motion pictures in Hollywood history, GONE WITH THE WIND and THE WIZARD OF OZ.

Bucolic and slow-moving in the '30s Fox tradition, this comedy-drama from a mild Broadway hit preserves what was probably best about it--Henry Fonda, in his film debut--and adds some beautiful photography that may be back-lot but sure looks like the real Erie Canal in the 1850s, complete with morning haze, small-town unpaved streets, and modest canal skiffs. Not a lot happens as would-be farmer Fonda romances a proud Canal gal (Janet Gaynor, feistier and less goody-goody than usual), but it gets by on mood and a gallery of vivid supporting roles, ably handled by Charles Bickford, Slim Summerville, Andy Devine, Margaret Hamilton, and the appealingly un-cute child actress Jane Withers. Victor Fleming brought a lot of feeling to this, and Alfred Newman's scoring, for a change, isn't overemphatic. It's a lazy, outdoorsy movie that builds nicely to an unsurprising, satisfying conclusion.