The Farmer's Daughter: An Affair of State

The Farmer's Daughter
Season 1, Episode 5: An Affair of State
Originally aired October 18, 1963

Katy catches the eye of an out-of-towner Ali (Nico Minardos) when she continuously interrupts a Lincoln Memorial tour to correct the guide (Charles Nelson Reilly) on his facts. Ali and Katy make a date for the evening, but their plans change when Congressman Morley needs to go out to a dinner to discuss oil lease negotiations with the Shah of Iraq. Morley needs Katy to stay at home with the boys so Katy, determined to keep her date, invites Ali over. She prepares a nice meal and while she's basting her roast, Ali sneaks and spikes her drink with an entire bottle of alcohol.

On his way to dinner, Glen Morley is reading a newspaper article about the Shah, who has 15 wives and has brought 3 of them to America and realizes that the man in the picture is the very same man alone in his house with Katy. Senator Ames (David Lewis) and Morley are upset that the Shah skipped out on the important dinner and insulted the president. They call Ambassador Bati (Leon Belasco) to get involved and all arrive at the Morley house to find Katy drunk and entertaining a marriage proposal from Ali, now knowing he is the Shah.

The next day, however, Katy is clearheaded and back to her usual assertive self. She refuses to go to the Shah's suite, so Ambassador Bati gets involved.

Ambassador Bati: You don't seem to understand. This is not an invitation. This is a command. In my country a woman has not the right to refuse his highness anything.

Katy: That may be so in Iraq, but in America a girl can say no.

In response to Katy's refusal to wed him, the Shah backs out of oil negotiations. When secretary Philip Coolidge lets her know that the loss of oil will be a defeat for Congressman Morley and that he will lose the esteem of his colleagues, Katy decides to go along with the Shah for Morley's sake. Katy goes to the Shah's suite and meets his three wives and is told that their duty as wives is to serve their master. Katy tells the wives that they shouldn't hide their beauty behind veils and that they shouldn't allow the Shah to take their children and have them be raised by others.

Then Katy puts on an exaggerated performance as an ecstatic future wife of the Shah. Knowing that Ali will not want anything to do with an assertive woman eager for change, Katy tells him that she can't wait to be his queen so she can donate his money to schools and homes for the poor, write a new constitution, have free elections, unions, institute divorce and establish equal rights for women.

Ali has Katy dragged out of his suite, agrees to the oil deal and returns to Iran as quickly as possible. With her clever performance, Katy scores another win for an unknowing Congressman Morley.

Inger with Nico Minardos. Scan from my collection.

Production Notes

In Eddie Foy, III's Day Out of Days Schedules, An Affair of State is listed as Production # 3807 and the report was typed on June 13, 1963.

Schedule Days: 5
Producer: Peter Kortner
Director: Don Taylor
Associate Director: Don Gold

An Affair of State required 2 days of rehearsal on June 17th through 18th and 3 days of shooting from June 19th through 21st.

Katy (Inger Stevens), Glen (William Windom) and Cooper (Philip Coolidge) reported all 5 days., Steve (Mickey Sholdar) and Senator Ames (David Lewis) worked 4 days. Ambassador (Leon Belasco) and Ali's three wives (including Margarita Cordova) were on set shooting just one day on June 21. The notes also mark Charles Nelson Reilly's one day shooting in Washington, D.C. Ali (Nico Minardos) is listed as on set 6 days. Minardos spent 1 day rehearsing, 4 days shooting, and one day idle.