The Farmer's Daughter: From 1947 Film to 1960s Television Series

On March 20, 1948, Loretta Young won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance in the 1947 comedy The Farmer's Daughter. The announcement was a surprise as Loretta's close friend Rosalind Russell was favored to win the honor. It would be the only Academy Award Loretta would take home—though she was nominated once more for the 1949 film Come to the Stable. Loretta would state that The Farmer's Daughter was her favorite movie "because that won me an Academy Award and that makes it special in my career." After an impressive film career that began in childhood, Loretta (truly an unsung female trailblazer of early television) found new success on her weekly television anthology The Loretta Young Show. It's only fitting that The Farmer's Daughter story should also transition to a small screen situational comedy for new audiences to enjoy. 

The Farmer's Daughter television series was produced by Screen Gems for ABC and ran for three seasons from 1963 to 1966. The Swedish-American maid named Katie Holstrum that Loretta portrayed now became a Swedish-American governess as the alternately spelled Katy Holstrum. The new Katy was played by Inger Stevens, who Screen Gems banked on matching "Loretta's Oscar-winning performance with an Emmy win." Inger only received an Emmy nomination for The Farmer's Daughter, but she did win the Golden Globe for the series.

Inger wins the Golden Globe.

Inger's television series was actually not the first remake of the 1947 film. A year before the television show premiered, Lee Remick starred in a special tv movie of The Farmer's Daughter in 1962. The Theatre 62 production was shot in color and costarred Peter Lawford, Charles Bickford, and Cornelia Otis Skinner. Reviewer Ben Gross wrote, "Although I didn't believe a word of it, I must admit that this did provide enjoyable escapist entertainment for the viewers...And if you accept the fact that it's no more than a corny political fairy tale, you must say that the TV adaptation was an expert one. The starry cast gave the show all it had. Lee was captivating and touching as Katrina, the farm lass."

The Farmer's Daughter (1962)

Prior to starring in her own television show, Inger had been freelancing as a television actress since 1954 and starring in motion pictures between 1957 and 1959. It was Inger's freelance work on shows such as The Twilight Zone, Bonanza, and Dick Powell Theatre that brought her high praise from critics. When asked what made her commit to playing Katy on television, Inger said that the series was "the first one that seemed good enough to take" and that production chief Bill Dozier "fed my ego to the bursting point...How could I turn it down after that?" 

Loretta as Katie and Inger as Katy

Inger was quick to point out that the series and her role were strikingly different from the previous versions. Inger said, “I have deliberately avoided both the screen and one-shot presentations of The Farmer’s Daughter. Truly, I’m quite an admirer of the work of both Miss Young and Miss Remick but I didn’t want to be accused of imitating either one, consciously or unconsciously. Besides, the elements are different. The Katy Holstrum I play isn’t a maid or servant as much. She is a governess, who is steeped in American history because she is a naturalized citizen."

Like Loretta, Inger was a consummate professional known for her charm and beauty in Hollywood. Both women knew that there was more to life than Hollywood and gave back to children in need; Loretta served on the board of the Daughters of Charity and Inger served on the Advisory Board of the Neuropsychiatric Institute at UCLA, both aiding children with disabilities. Loretta and Inger also shared an intense desire to maintain their private lives and protect the family members they loved from the press. Loretta kept the parentage of her adopted daughter Judy a secret—Judy was not adopted at all, but rather the daughter of Loretta and Clark Gable, which the press always suspected. The press also suspected that Inger was married to African American Ike Jones, but Inger refused to divulge any information. The marriage was not commonly known until Ike came forward to claim her estate following Inger's death in 1970.

Inger had a great advantage over Loretta when it came to Katy Holstrum's Swedish accent. Inger was born in Sweden and moved to America when she was just shy of 10 years old. As an adolescent living in New York then Kansas, Inger rid herself of her native accent. She re-learned it for her role in The Farmer's Daughter, remarking, "I'm beginning to think in Swedish again." (From personal experience, Inger felt it important that Katy slowly lose her Swedish accent as the show went on.)

Inger shooting external scenes in D.C.

The Farmer's Daughter was a moderate success, often receiving positive notices from critics. However, the show was never able to match the ratings and popularity of shows like The Beverly Hillbillies, Bonanza, The Andy Griffith Show, and Bewitched. In fact, Inger was concerned that the show "wouldn't last beyond the first 13 weeks...I must admit I'm proud we did it."

The Morning Call stated that the success of The Farmer's Daughter "can be credited to the charm of Inger, her accent, and her good looks. She’s a Loretta Young type with humor who will wear well over the years. That is, if Inger is interested…Sweetness with occasional fire will prevail on the Washington show and little change is in the wind."

The Farmer's Daughter (1947)

The Farmer's Daughter (1963-1966)

In the 1947 film, Katie Holstrum leaves the family farm to attend nursing school in Washington, D.C. Needing money, Katie takes a job as a maid in the household of Congressman Morley (Joseph Cotten) his political broker mother Agatha (Ethel Barrymore), and butler Joseph Clancey (Charles Bickford). When an unprincipled politician is chosen for Congress, Katie publicly disapproves at a meeting and ends up being elected herself. Katie and Congressman Morley fall in love and he supports her political career.

Like Loretta's Katie, Inger's Katy is a thoughtful, intelligent woman who speaks up with a dissenting voice and clear wisdom in the series' episodes. In the television series, Katy arrives in Washington, D.C., because she wants to travel to Congo to aid underprivileged children and needs Congressman Morley to approve the application. While she awaits application approval, Katy sees a great need for guidance and companionship for Glen's sons and takes a job as their governess. Soon, Katy feels that she belongs in the Morley household and can create great change, in the family dynamics and in Washington politics, as a governess. 

In the show, Katy provides many lessons to politicians, but she only campaigns for herself twice. In the season 1 episode "Katy and the Imagemaker", Katy abandons a bid for the State Assembly because the political team aspires to change everything about her. In season 2's "Katy's Campaign", Katy wants to be president of the Washington's Women's Club. Politically, Katy serves mostly as an advisor for Congressman Morley, often pointing out his missteps and broadening his belief system. The series very quickly focused on the romance between Glen and Katy, and they would be married in what would become a highly publicized episode in the final season.

Inger Stevens as Katy Holstrum

Inger was the star of the show, but the entire cast and their chemistry as a family unit contributed to the success. As Congressman Glen Morley, William Windom instantly sparked with Inger in their scenes together and the two made their love story believable and downright sexy, despite limitations with the censors. (I would be remiss if I didn't include here a link to the William Windom Tribute Site.) Actress Cathleen Nesbitt as Glen's mother Agatha Morley is a wonderful observer, instinctively mending miscommunications between the two leads. Mickey Sholdar and Rory O'Brien (as Glen's sons Steve and Danny) are some of the most talented, pleasant child actors to grace the small screen. Their roles add to the drama and believability of the scenes where other less skilled child actors might distract from the story. The show featured many notable guest stars throughout its three-year run, including: Charles Nelson Reilly, John Astin, Paul Lynde, Maureen McCormick, and Davy Jones.

The cast and crew expressed concerns that marrying the two main characters could spell ruin for the show, but also knew that an unmarried woman would only be allowed to live in a man's house for so long before censors urged a wedding. In November 1965, Katy married Congressman Morley in a beautiful color episode called "To Have and To Hold." You can read about the making of that special episode here on my blog and also watch it for yourself on Youtube.

Inger hoped that the marriage would bring new opportunities for her character.  While filming the wedding scene, she told reporters, "I hope we will be able to show that a married couple can be sophisticated—yes, and even sexy. After all, he found her attractive and appealing enough to marry her. Why should we try to hide their love just because they're married?"

Inger also used the marital status as a chance to update Katy's look, saying, "Katy wears more sophisticated clothes now and her hair is shorter and more stylish. I think that's only natural. It shows that he has an effect on her." 

Inger with William Windom for TV Guide

Inger with Mickey Sholdar and Rory O'Brien

The Farmer's Daughter ended after its third season, but it was not a sad occasion for Inger. She was eager to return to movies and said, "I enjoyed working on the series, but it was quite exhausting. For five days a week I had to be up at 5 a.m. and never got home before 8 p.m. Weekends were often spent studying my lines. I like doing movies presently because the roles are dramatic ones. It is the type of material with which I was involved before taking on the comedy role of Katy on television. Only by varying your roles can you learn more about your craft and sharpen your talents."

Following the end of The Farmer's Daughter, Inger starred in four westerns, four dramas, and one comedy. She would also film two made-for-television movies and was slated as the lead in the ABC crime drama The Most Deadly Game in the last year of her life. Loretta would end her weekly reign on television in 1963 just before The Farmer's Daughter premiered; at 73, she would return to star in the 1986 television movie Christmas Eve and snag a Golden Globe for her performance.

The 1947 movie and the 1963-66 series stand alone as two individual takes on a shared theme. The sitcom was able to borrow the film's characters and their motivations in order to move the storyline in new, unexpected directions. Whether you prefer maid-to-politician or governess-to-wife, the big and small screen versions of the Katie/Katy character exhibit an independent and charming woman encouraging positive change in the political and social worlds around her.

This post is part of Hometowns to Hollywood's Take Two Blogathon which focuses on Hollywood re-makes. Please read additional entries here.

Sources:

 “A Quiet Session with Inger Stevens.” Evening Sun. January 31, 1964. 

“Inger Stevens: Accent on Acting.” Star Gazette. September 8, 1962. 

“In Sweden with Inger.” The Morning Call. September 2, 1964. 

"Loretta Young Works for Charity." Tampa Bay Times. September 8, 1991.

"No Wedding Yet for Inger Stevens. Daily Press. August 9, 1964.

"The Farmer's Daughter is Pretty Bright." Call-Leader. September 15, 1966.