Come and Get It

If you wonder why the inimitable Howard Hawks would state that Frances Farmer was the finest actress he ever worked with, simply take the time to watch "Come and Get It" and see the two totally distinct characters Frances creates in her dual performances as Lotta Morgan (mother) and Lotta Bostrom (daughter). The two women speak differently, sing differently, walk differently--they are two incredible, and individual, creations. The rest of the film unfortunately does not rise to the level of Farmer's performance(s), but it is enjoyable on its own terms in its somewhat sordid tale of a man pursuing the daughter of his long-lost true love. All of the performances are uniformly excellent, the production design is outstanding, and the second unit direction includes some thrilling logging scenes. And while Walter Brennan may have given the Academy Award winning performance from this film, it is the luminous Frances Farmer whose work here elevates her to the ranks of screen legend and who remains lodged in the memory long after the film has ended.

COME AND GET IT (United Artists, 1936), directed by Howard Hawks and William Wyler, is another winning drama from producer Samuel Goldwyn, whose previous 1936 efforts, THESE THREE and DODSWORTH, remain true classics. Adapted from the popular novel by Edna Ferber, author of "Cimarron," COME AND GET IT can be summed up as a soap opera for men, or best categorized as a "guy flick," in which the story centers upon lumbermen, particularly two best friends and their love for one woman. Of the major actors to enact the lead, Edward Arnold, a robust 200-pound plus actor, became the chosen one. Arnold, a veteran character performer with some leads to his credit, gives a sincere and brilliant portrayal in what's regarded as his very best role. While this is Arnold's showcase from start to finish, his co-stars have turned out to be winners in the end. First there's Walter Brennan in his first of three Academy Award wins in the supporting actor category; and Frances Farmer, on loan from Paramount, a newcomer with three films to her credit, in a challenging but rewarding role as a saloon singer and later, her daughter. Joel McCrea, whose name is billed second following Arnold's, has a few scenes, and comes close to being overshadowed, however, his part is crucial to the story.

In true Edna Ferber tradition, COME AND GET IT is set during a passage in time. It opens in Iron Ridge, Wisconsin, 1884, where Barney Glasgow (Edward Arnold) is introduced as the overseer of a group of lumbermen. After a couple of brawls showing Barney is a fighter and natural born leader, enter his best friend, "Swan" Bostrom (Walter Brennan), a lumberjack whom Barney affectionately calls "that crazy Swede." Barney, who is ambitious enough to prepare himself to marry his employer's (Charles Halton) daughter, is quite a ladies man. After meeting Lotta Morgan (Frances Farmer) and winning a bundle of money at the roulette table, he takes a sudden interest in her. The two get acquainted as Lotta agrees on getting the money back for her employer (Edwin Maxwell) by placing something into Barney's drink. Lotta changes her mind as she gets to know him, and following a now classic saloon brawl involving metal serving trays, Lotta runs off with Barney and Swan. However, in spite of Barney's true affection towards Lotta, he breaks away without a word of goodbye to follow his ambition to go into a loveless marriage in order to become a very rich man. Upset over the rejection, Lotta in turn marries Swan. Shifting to 1907, Barney is now president of his lumber company, father of two children, Richard (Joel McCrea), who acts as his assistant in the plant, and Evvie (Andrea Leeds). His marriage to Emma Louise (Mary Nash) is relatively unhappy mainly because he is unable to forget Lotta, who has since died. When Barney takes time away from his business to be with Swan, all of his cherished memories and love for Lotta are brought back when he is introduced to Swan's grown daughter, also named Lotta (Frances Farmer), thus, falling in love all over again, and doing everything possible to spend much time with the Bostroms, especially Lotta. Conflict arises between father and son as Richard has now fallen in love with Lotta and wants to marry her.

The supporting players include Mady Christians as Karie, Swan's spinster cousin; Frank Shield as Tony Schwerke; and Cecil Cunningham as Barney's nosy and acid-tongue secretary, Josie.

While not strong on marquee names, the strength of the movie relies on the characters they play, especially Frances Farmer. In enacting the role as mother and daughter (although they never share the same scenes), Farmer is introduced 16 minutes from the start of the story as the tough, gum chewing saloon singer with a throaty voice memorably singing a popular Civil War song titled "Aura Lee," immortalized in the 1950s by Elvis Presley as "Love Me Tender." This is Farmer at her finest. The second portion of the story in which she plays her daughter, Farmer's hairstyle is lighter blonde, naive but ambitious to want to break away from her dead-end surroundings, and speaks as well as sings in her slightly higher toned voice. Her second character doesn't come off as strong as her first, but there's a dramatic change in the story after she comes to realize that Barney, her father's best friend, is coming on to her. Farmer ranked COME AND GET IT as her personal favorite performance, and rightfully so. A pity she seldom got more chances to play stronger characters such as this. She and Arnold reunited once more in another period setting drama, THE TOAST OF NEW YORK (RKO Radio, 1937) opposite Cary Grant and Jack Oakie in support. As with COME AND GET IT, Farmer's character is torn between her love for an older rich man and a much younger one, but without the father/son conflict.

At one point in time during commercial television revivals, COME AND GET IT used to be overplayed. Today, it's not shown often enough. Available on video cassette during the 1990s and later DVD, COME AND GET IT made its introduction to cable television on Turner Network Television in 1991, followed by frequent showings on American Movie Classics from 1993 to 1995, and on Turner Classic Movies where it premiered February 6, 2007. To get a real eye-view on the career of Frances Farmer, COME AND GET IT is a good introduction to the actress whose personal and professional career has become overshadowed by her years committed into a mental institution. For a really good tear-jerker for guys, simply "come and get it!!" (***)

No need to repeat the plot. Fortunately Arnold delivers a rousing performance. His big personality as the lumber tycoon helps distract from certain paunchy shortcomings as a screen lover. Seeing him in passion clinches with a nubile young Farmer takes some getting used to. Happily, Farmer also shines, especially in the saloon girl part, before giving way to a more routine turn as the daughter.

According to film historian David Thomson, Farmer's performance was affected by Hawks' replacement by Wyler as director. Apparently, she and Hawks were more than sympatico off the set. So, Thomson's account goes, Hawks brought on writer Furthman to slant the film towards his beauteous blonde, thus causing novelist Ferber to complain to head honcho Goldwyn, resulting in Hawks' departure and a feud between Farmer and Wyler. I mention these behind-the-scenes shenanigans to maybe account for some of the plot's half-digested elements and Farmer's noticeable downturn.

Nonetheless, it's still a compelling movie, thanks mainly to Arnold's dominating presence that holds the various threads together. I also like the logging footage, which lends a dramatically realistic air to Glasgow's empire. Then there's Lotta's haunting rendition of "Aura Lee", which evidently Farmer herself crooned. However, I'm still trying to figure out the title that appears to have little resemblance to the storyline. But however you cut that or the purported intrigues, it's still a dynamic movie.

Old fashioned to be sure, but this film version of the Edna Ferber novel boasts some great film acting by Edward Arnold and Frances Farmer (in a dual role).

Story has the ruthless Arnold working his way up in the Wisconsin lumber business, grabbing at everything in sight, including saloon gal Farmer. He seems to care about nothing but getting ahead. When he gets the chance to marry the boss' daughter (Mary Nash), he dumps Farmer and moves on.

Twenty year later, he has it all plus two children: Joel McCrea and Andrea Leeds. By chance he runs into old pal (Walter Brennan in his first Oscar win) who married Farmer. She's dead but her daughter (Farmer again) lives with him along with a niece (Mady Christians). The daughter is a dead ringer for the mother, and Arnold decides to move in on her (in a last gasp at youth).

But when the daughter meets McCrea, it's all over for Arnold. The father and son have a confrontation and the old man sees the light.

This film offers some of the best acting of any 30s film. Edward Arnold is superb, and his final scene is just plain chilling. Farmer is glorious in her dual role, her best chance at film stardom (that never happened). Also solid are McCrea, Brennan, Leeds, and Nash. Supporting cast offers Cecil Cunningham as the wise-cracking and wise secretary.

The film may set a Hollywood record in listing THREE directors. Both Howard Hawks and William Wyler are listed as co-directors while Richard Rosson is credited with the timber scenes (which are great).

Worth a look for Frances Farmer and Edward Arnold!

Edna Ferber had several of her novels made into films including Giant, Showboat a couple of times and Dinner at Eight among the well known. Come and Get it is based on the Ferber novel adapted to the screen by Jules Furthman and Jane Murfin. I grew up in the area where the story is set. In the story the town is called Iron Ridge but Ferber did her research for the story while staying at the Burton House hotel in the old lumber and mining town of Hurley, Wisconsin on the Michigan border with Ironwood, Michigan. The Burton House was a grand old three story 100 room wooden hotel that President Grover Cleveland once stayed at. It would burn down in the 1940's. In the character name Lotta Morgan she used the actual name of a famous Hurley saloon singer of the 1880's. Actually, the real Lotta Morgan earned her living from something other than just singing in the saloons. She was also an unsolved murder victim whose body was found floating in the river with a hatchet in her forehead. Ferber put together her romantic tale of the north woods and it's many lumber camps. This is a good movie set in the late 19th century. Frances Farmer plays dual roles of mother and daughter in the fourth leading role of her career and maybe her best. She would go on to star in only six more lead roles before being relegated to supporting actress in four more films and then her film career was over. Edward Arnold, Joel Mcrea, Walter Brennan and Mary Nash round out the fine cast. Howard Hawks directed and this was his project until an argument with the studio boss caused his dismissal and William Wyler was called in to finish the film. Excellent Cinematography from Rudolf Maté and Greg Toland. One of the last films of famed costume designer Omar Kiam. Walter Brennan won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in his role of the Swedish logger Swan Bostrom. The first of three career Academy Awards he would win. Come and Get it also received an Academy Award nomination for Edward Curtis for editing which was well deserved being that he had to put together the work of three directors, Hawks, Wyler and Richard Rosson who directed the logging scenes. Farmer should have been nominated for Best Actress but was over looked by the Academy for Irene Dunn, veterans from silent film days Gladys George, Carole Lombard, Norma Shearer and German actress Luise Rainer who won. The studio in promoting this film had Farmer signing the book Come and Get it at autograph opportunities. She once found it exceptionally strange that she would be signing a book she had not written when she was doing a signing at the Bon Marché department store in her hometown of Seattle where she had been fired from a few years before. I've seen this several times in television over the years and it's worth a look. I would give it an 8.0 out of 10.