Inger Stevens, Student Nurse

In preparation for her role in the Playhouse 90 production "Diary of a Nurse", Inger worked as a student nurse in a local hospital. This was not a requirement, but something Inger felt would make her portrayal more convincing. Inger said, "They wanted to hire a technical advisor to teach me enough to get by, but I needed the emotional impact that a nurse goes through every day to be convincing on the screen."

While on the job, Inger answered bells for assistance which led to her changing beds, delivering dressing trays, feeding patients, and giving baths. She spoke with the nurses and they gave her insight into how the job made them feel during their daily rounds. Inger reflected on the experience:

I had to bathe a 10-year-old girl who was due to undergo a heart operation the next day. It was heartbreaking. She didn't know what was happening. The first thing I thought about the next morning was how she was pulling through. Fortunately, she is recovering beautifully. Right now I feel very much like a nurse. I'm still thinking about my patients and their lives. 

 

In the teleplay, Inger's character is a student nurse named Gail Lucas who becomes so emotionally involved in the lives of her patients that, as one reviewer said, "life for her becomes sadder with each new admission." Inger remarked on those attachments:

The transition from actress to student nurse seemed natural and normal. I didn't have time to be frightened. As I went my rounds, I heard the problems of each patient, and I learned you can't get too involved emotionally with them. Otherwise, all nurses would break down. 

Certainly, Inger was all too familiar with the routines and relationships discoverable within a hospital by the spring of 1959. She'd spent 16 days as a patient at Columbus Hospital in New York City in January of that year. Inger had survived a suicide attempt, but faced several medical setbacks that required the lengthy stay. Although a Paramount Pictures spokesman predicted that she would vacation in a warm climate to recover, Inger had no plans to take a break. In reality, surviving the attempt seemed to recharge Inger and spur her on to an even busier acting schedule and gave her the independence and confidence to break away from the studio, be more vocal about her desires, and embody the frail yet indestructible characters she so often played with a more knowing approach.

"Diary of a Nurse" would be Inger's first job following her recovery and her hands-on preparation as a student nurse indicates just how dedicated she was to the task. Inger enjoyed the experience, saying:

No, I don't want to become a nurse now. But I realize how badly they're needed. And I do plan to do some volunteer nursing work in the future. It was very pleasant being called 'nurse.' I was proud of it.

True to her word, Inger would go on to volunteer at Kedren Community Health Center and work with children with disabilities in hospitals for the rest of her life. But she also proved herself as a dependable, quality actress by performing in poignant episodes of Bonanza, The Twilight Zone, Route 66, and 19 other shows between her role in "Diary of a Nurse" in 1959 and starring in her own sitcom The Farmer's Daughter in 1963.

The production ran 1 hour and 30 minutes and was deemed a "well-knit show" with great performances by Inger, Mary Astor, Victor Jury, Mildred Dunnock, and Suzanne Pleshette. It aired on CBS on May 7, 1959. Unfortunately, the show is not available online or on physical media. Fortunately, a copy of the episode does exist and is preserved in the Paley Archive.

 

 

 

Sources:

"Inger Stevens." Los Angeles Mirror. May 7, 1959. 

"Inger Stevens, Student Nurse." TV Guide. June 1959. 

"Overdosed Actress Leaves Hospital." Guam Daily News. January 22, 1959. 

Scott, Vernon. "Inger Stevens Totes Bedpans." The Duncan Banner. May 7, 1959. 

"Talking TV by Jack Miller." The Hamilton Spectator. May 9, 1959.  

"TV and Radio Program Guide." Toledo Blade. May 7, 1959. 

Inger Stevens in Sweden (1965)

I had the chance to watch the 1965 documentary Inger Stevens in Sweden in the Library of Congress archives last year. Actually, I watched it twice—once for pleasure and once more for pleasure and note-taking so that I could share a full summary with you. To be honest, I would have enjoyed watching it a thousand times. Some of the photographs from my collection that I'm using in this post are in full color, but the video itself is in black and white. I have added some of my own observations and extra information and placed those in parenthesis throughout the summary.  Following the summary, you'll find behind-the-scenes facts and press responses.

The Documentary

Inger exits a plane and remarks that "the world is smaller than ever. Our understanding between people is more important now than ever before." As she introduces the film, Inger says she was only twelve years old when she left Sweden. (She was actually nine years old when she arrived in America in July 1944.)

Inger takes direction from Don Taylor during filming.

Walking down the cobblestone streets of the old town, Inger says, "People say these streets put their arms around you. I agree." Inger hears the chimes of St. Gertrude and travels down Priest Street. She notices that many of the businesses have closed so that the owners can go fishing and explains that in Sweden, "Time to live is more important than time to make money." Inger then has coffee with a local woman named Vera Siocrona, who helped preserve the town's history. As they sit at an outdoor cafe, they discuss Queen Christina and how she gave away houses to her lovers. On the street, the camera zooms in and Inger humorously reflects on the conservative fashion choices of the male and female residents.

Next, Inger is sitting poolside with boxer Ingemar Johansson outside of a Stockholm hotel. She asks him for his opinions on America and American women. When Ingemar responds that American women are "spoiled", Inger asks "In what way?" "Now you really got me!", Ingemar laughs as he explains that he finds it odd that men must wait for women to exit elevators first and that women expect men to open their car doors. When Ingemar says women shouldn't wait for a man to open the door, Inger smiles and responds much like Katy Holstrum with a Swedish "Ja? Why not?" She lights up and responds, "That's right" about women exiting elevators first. Showing she enjoys American customs, Inger states, "I like that you wait. I mean there are so few nice things left." (A girlish and charming Inger saying "I mean there are so few nice things left" is my favorite line of the film. I cannot tell you how many times I've used it in my own conversations since. I cannot emphasize just how charming, kind, and friendly appears in each of her conversations throughout the documentary.)

Inger and Ingemar talk about American and Swedish customs.

When asked whether he prefers Swedish or American girls, Ingemar answers that Swedish girls are superior. Inger quickly asserts that she is very much a Swedish girl. (Later, Inger would say that she “would’ve preferred to discuss Swedish men but that wasn’t in the script.”) Inger says, "It's wonderful to be back in Sweden...a peaceful feeling. Sweden represents all the inside feelings." Curiously, Inger also shares, "My family is here. I have no family that live in the United States." (Inger, of course, had many relatives including her mother and siblings in Sweden. But she also had a father, stepmother, brother, and half-sister that lived in America. Though she had strained relations with her father and stepmother, it was still shocking to hear her erase her connection to her family in America.)

In the hotel scene with Ingemar, Inger recalls her Swedish childhood. She says that she lived just three blocks from the hotel as a child and thought that the hotel was enormous, too grand for her. She shares that she was more comfortable in the farm and country and always "longed to be up in the woods."

At one point, Inger asks Ingemar if he thinks "In US they say things they don't mean or words become meaningless?" (Inger often brings this point about insincerity up in interviews throughout her career. Typically, she remarks on this insincerity permeating the culture of entertainers.)

Inger waits to shoot a scene.

In the scene that follows, Inger looks at sculptures in Millesgården. (She later remarked, "The day we spent filming there is one I’ll never forget. It’s almost incredible loveliness is difficult to put into words.") Inger then boards a water taxi. The boat's tour guide is sixteen-year-old Peter who works on his summer break. Peter takes a seat by Inger and tells her he would like to become a psychiatrist. Inger asks if he hopes to help people and he answers that he does plus he'd like the money associated with it. The money answer makes Inger laugh. Inger is amused when Peter tells her he has ten girlfriends, all in different locations and unaware of each other's existence.

Inger amused with tour guide Peter's answers

Actor Max von Sydow joins Inger for a car ride to the Royal Palace. We learn that the royal family only lives in the palace during the Christmas season. They stroll through a garden then enter the Drottingholm Theater which Max explains is now "used as storage for a lot of unimportant things." Inger is awed by the theater. As they speak, Inger cannot keep her eyes from taking in the magnificent ceiling, exclaiming breathlessly, "Oh, it's amazing!" (Inger was equally awed by Max, writing in a letter that he was "that kind of man, a Prince Charming, but nothing put on. He is entirely simple, gentle and direct and interested in you. There is a wonderful purity to him. He's terribly sexy, too.")

In a brief transition, Inger can be seen eating a hot dog while wearing an evening gown as she talks about nightlife in Sweden.

In daylight, Inger watches kids play in a park. All the kids gather round as Inger shares a story in Swedish (months before, she had told reporters that she hoped to read a Swedish fairytale) and teaches them to say in English, "I want a drink of water."

Inger visits the workshop of artist Bo Besko. Besko shows Inger his stained glass and they remark that making your own glass is like making pancakes. Inger tells Bo that they have a special connection: Bo's father, when a clergyman, actually confirmed her mother. Inger and Bo take a look at fish being sold from the fish peddler's truck and discuss Sweden's history. They look at a castle's ruins and Bo asks, "You want to keep Sweden the way it is, don't you?" and Inger answers, "Oh, yes."

Inger with Bo Besko

Following the art segment with Mr. Besko, Inger sits down with Prime Minister Tage Erlander who served as the country's leader from 1946 to 1969. They converse about his policies and hope for the future. Erlander states that he regrets Inger left the country and Inger, almost apologetically, relays the oft-told story, "My father received a Fulbright scholarship and went to America. I was only twelve years old." (In truth, Inger's father did come to America for academic study, but the Fulbright scholarship did not exist until several years after his arrival. As mentioned earlier, Inger often changes her age of arrival in America. In this documentary, Inger says that she was twelve. In reality, she was just nine years old.) As she speaks with the Erlander, Inger stands by her decision to remain in the United States, stating, "I think it is very nice that Swedes are all over the world."

Inger in Sweden

Dalarna

Inger explores her home county of Dalarna. Admiring children in traditional garb, Inger trades in her high heels for a pair of wooden shoes. She rides a bicycle through the woods, where, as a child, she learned "the wonder of nature. I loved the sounds and music of the forest." Inger passes a waterfall that she recalls was "her sanctuary" and then enters the school she attended as a girl. In an emotionally moving scene, Inger walks into a small church and recalls Christmas services she attended with her family. She remembers that there was "always an inner warmth, a warmth I'll never forget of the whole family being together at Christmas." The documentary ends with Inger concluding that home will always be Dalarna.

Inger in the Dalarna nature scenes at Lake Siljan.

Behind the Scenes

The shoot was exhausting for Inger. In letters, she wrote of her lack of sleep, that they filmed seven days a week, and that everything seemed to go wrong. Rain ruined much of the shooting schedule and any fun that could have taken place on the weekends. Scenes with Max von Sydow had to be reshot when they realized there had been no film in the camera. Her professional hair dryer mysteriously disappeared from the hotel and a mouse kept her awake.  In letters, Inger wrote:

Life after work is rather normal—shove food down, fall exhausted into bed, get up and sit in the living room since you can't get to sleep and boom!—there's a mouse behind the wastebasket.

Most things that can go wrong have gone wrong, including the worst offense in "filmdom"—no film in the camera. 

It's no wonder that an exhausted Inger was sick with pneumonia as soon as she returned to the U.S. She was a trooper though, calling the situations "exasperating, but you learn to shut yourself off. And when you really boil, hunt for something funny—it's the only saver."

Much of the travelogue focuses on the interesting personalities of the Swedish people. This pleased Inger, who said she felt "more like a peasant girl than a sophisticated American." She said, "I really want to tell about the people. I think some Americans still believe we're going about in costumes at home. We hope to get away from that level if possible."

Inger speaks to her mother upon arrival in Sweden.

Inger had serious reservations about the reception she would receive by her family, who she'd only visited a handful of times since her childhood, and the Swedish people. She said:

I felt a little funny about it, too. After being in America for so long and then coming over to do a special on Sweden—they could have resented that, I think, but they didn't. I cried a little when I saw my mother. Then all the photographers wanted me to cry for them. How do you cry when you have already finished crying?...I was hoping to take my mother to Paris or London on weekends, but bad weather forced us to work whenever the sun came out, so there wasn't any vacation.

While I was walking with Max von Sydow at the old theater the other day, I looked up and saw a young man with two children. He was pushing a baby carriage. "Hey!" I hollered and jumped over a hedge and grabbed him. It was my brother. I've been so busy I haven't had time to see him. He was just on his way to the market and didn't know I was anywhere around. Whenever my family wants to see me, they wander around until they see the lights and they know that's where I am. The other day we were shooting at one of the big squares and a woman came up and said, "Hello, Inger." I didn't know her, of course. She turned out to be a lady who used to be my baby sitter—that is, she sat with me when I was a baby.

The nature scenes in Dalarna included the unique challenge of wooden shoes: 

It is not easy to ride a bicycle in wooden shoes. The guy driving the camera truck didn't know what he was doing and I had to pedal like the very devil and keep up with him and then slow down and smile and contemplate nature and then pump like crazy to catch up again. This went on for four days. 

Also, there was a slight misrepresentation of location in the Dalarna scenes. The scenes of Inger's hometown were filmed in Boda and Tällberg, but Inger actually grew up in Mora, a city in the Dalarna province. Boda and Tallberg are both in Dalarna County but on different points of Lake Siljan. Inger lived in Bromma, Stockholm until 1938 when her family relocated to Mora, Dalarna.

Hometown scenes were shot in Boda and Tallberg,
but Inger actually grew up in Mora.

The Response

The travelogue was a trend at the time and Inger's tour of her homeland followed Jackie Kennedy's White House tour, Elizabeth Taylor's exploration of London, and Princess Grace's tour of Monaco. The documentary was well-received by critics, who deemed it a "beautifully photographed travelogue” worth watching for its “picture postcard views” and “brought to life by the lovely Miss Stevens in short, interesting interviews." Inger was called a "perky guide" and praised for highlighting modern Sweden as equally as its historical monuments.

For me, viewing the TV special confirms several points. One, that my admiration for Inger is reaffirmed (though it was never doubted). The charm and intelligence Inger shows in the varied interviews are unique. Her voice modulates to reflect the wonder, excitement, and warmth she experiences throughout her Swedish exploration. In fact, Inger is so poised and appealing, a person can’t help but imagine her hosting a successful talk show or writing clever bestsellers. She is utterly lovable. 

Secondly, I realize more than ever how isolated Inger must have felt throughout her life. A Swedish girl whose parents left her behind while pursuing their own lives and making new families with other partners. A child pushed from her homeland to be reunited with a father who she'd not seen for years, far away, in a strange country. A child eager to please her father but never able to feel the closeness she desired. A Swedish teenager desperate to shed her traditional, dated clothing to be accepted by her American peers. And, in a matter of years, an independent woman, outwardly American in accent and prospective, traveling back to her European birthplace to visit with family she hadn't seen since childhood. Not wholly belonging in either Sweden or America; not feeling a desired kinship with either parent in their separate places. 

Inger's favorite aspect of filming the show was the positive response she received from the Swedish people. Inger would later say:

The nicest thing about the show for me personally is that when I arrived there the people treated me as one of their own.

Inger in Sweden

Sources:

Daily Press. February 21, 1965.

Inger Stevens in Sweden.  Associated Arts, N.V. ; 1965. Reference print 2 reels : sd., b&w ; 16 mm.

Patterson, William T. The Farmer's Daughter Remembered. 2000.

Portland Press Herald. February 26, 1965.

The Reporter Dispatch. February 26, 1965.

The State February 26, 1965. 

Inger's "First Impression"

Inger was featured in numerous game and quiz shows during the 1960's, including The New Truth and Consequences, Your First Impression, You Don't Say, and Personality. Inger was known for her quick, clever responses and she learned much about her fellow man through observation. In August 1962, Inger was a guest columnist for UPI and wrote about what she'd learned through her appearances as a panelist. The complete essay by Inger reads:

In the last several months I've learned that actors are selfish people (as if I didn't already know that); that some of the happiest married couples really hate each other; that hardly any stimulating conversation exists anymore.

This possibly startling data comes from some on-the-job training as an analyst-panelist on television shows. My analysis sans couch should have provided me with enough experience to hang out my own shingle and start psyching people. Heaven help them.

It isn't easy to guess the mystery guest on "Your First Impression," the show that throws questions and gets answers back with the speed of a computer. Once, I did get a clue to a guest's identity. She said a word that I knew was a unique part of her vocabulary. 

Actors are the hardest to guess. They're trained to react quickly to say at times what they wish to believe instead of what might be the strict truth. One of the prime traits that come out in this free association quiz is—selfishness. Some actors reveal, without knowing it, a trait which makes you feel sorry for them—their loneliness.

Another segment of "Your First Impression" deals with husbands and wives. From the answers they give such as "If we had to do over again, we'd never get married," you wonder how they've stayed "happily" married for 20 years. It's mostly the men who seem to wish they were free souls. 

I find it stimulating to do panel shows because I'm out there on my own fending for myself against some very sharp wits and it gives me a fine mental workout.

It makes me realize that people don't really know how to talk anymore. Everybody is so busy talking about his own work or being so diplomatic that the conversation has no bones to it. If you start a discussion, all the straw people run away because they think you're trying to start a fight.

There's a paradox here somewhere. The very medium which has stifled, nay killed, conversation is the only place left where one can get a chance to talk.

Note from Emily:

Although I've found some clips of the game shows online, I've yet to find a clip featuring Inger. I remain eternally optimistic that I will unearth one of Inger's episodes in time. 

Source:

"Inger Stevens Discovers Actors are Selfish People." Portland Press Herald. August 30, 1962.

George Maharis and Inger Stevens: An Enduring Friendship

George and Inger during the filming of the
1961 Route 66 episode "Burning for Burning".

When asked about the great actors and actresses he worked with in the past, actor George Maharis listed Inger first. In 2021, Maharis told Rock Goldschmidt of ReMIND Magazine, “I got to work with some wonderful actors and actresses including Inger Stevens, Boris Karloff and Buster Keaton."

George, who recently died at the age of 94 on May 24th, became close friends with Inger after she guest starred in "The Beryllium Eater" episode of Route 66 in 1960. I cannot help but think that Inger would have lived much longer had she possessed more friends as true as George during her lifetime.

George told Inger's biographer William Patterson:

I liked her humanness and warmth. But, at first, she seemed almost afraid of me. Knowing I was a bachelor, she thought that I might be on the make, eager to make a conquest rather than a friend.

George was attracted to Inger's "stubby nose, a crooked mouth, freckles, and listening eyes." Three years after their first episode together (the second would be 1961's "Burning for Burning"), George described Inger as "a marvelous woman, really" and added:

I like Inger. She has a heart as big as the world. I've always had the feeling she needs me. She's the kind of girl who haunts you. You get up in the morning thinking of her and how sweet she is. You want to do things for her. It's a great feeling. Inger and I never went out to fancy places, we just sat around and talked. She's the kind of girl who listens with her big, blue eyes. She gives me the feeling that's she's a sort of trusting child to whom you can say, 'I have four legs,' and she'd believe you. 

George and Inger in the 1960
Route 66 episode "The Beryllium Eater".

After filming "Burning for Burning" in 1961, Inger and George didn't work together again until 1970, but the two remained good friends due to their mutual respect for and understanding of each other. In 1964, George and Inger attended Young Citizens for President Johnson' barbecue party for Luci Baines Johnson in Beverly Hills, California. The photos below show them speaking with Steve McQueen.

George and Inger had many traits in common. As George said after Inger's death in 1970, a major shared characteristic was "falling in love with the wrong people...it's usually harder on a woman, though." 

Both lived without regrets. In 1970, George said:

Everything I do is on the spur of the moment. I've made a lot of rash decisions and mistakes in my lifetime. But I don't regret any of them for one minute. I've never lost any sleep over them. My creed is, do what you think is right, do the best you can, and the heck with it.

Years earlier, Inger shared a similar philosophy:

I hate the word mistakes...I regard life as a series of steps. Maybe I've stumbled on some of those steps. Lots of young people do. But I don't regret it. Everything that has happened to me has helped make me the person I am.

Although both Inger and George valued the artistic rewards of acting, neither were smitten with the business itself. George stated:

I'm only interested in artistic endeavors. The rest you can have. I don't care about business. I don't want to be a millionaire. I tell my manager just to put the money working so people won't tread on me and I won't be a nuisance to other people or to the state when I get old, if I do.

Inger talked about the business of Hollywood, too, sharing:

I was afraid of the people who were handling me at the time. They gave me so much advice contrary to my own ideas...The more I tried to follow their advice, the less inner peace I found.

This town has a tendency to swallow you up...Sometimes people here do everything for the mythical career. Some people sacrifice everything to get on top of the heap. They sacrifice friendship, their own individuality, and become a slave to a career.

Like George, Inger, in 1969, insisted she would never be a nuisance to others. She said:

They'll never hold a benefit for me. And the only reason I'll ever go to the motion picture country home is to entertain the old timers out there.

To maintain privacy surrounding their individual romantic lives, George and Inger cited their busy work schedules on popular television shows.

George answered why he hadn't settled down by stating:

This TV series has given me countless opportunities for that sort of thing but the heavy work schedule, the constant moving around have prevented me from doing very much about it.

Though she was already married to Ike Jones at the time, Inger responded:

Yes, I want to get married, but it will take a very special understanding man to put up with my schedule. I have to be up at 5 a.m. to leave for the studio, and I usually don't get home until 8:20 at night. I never have a day off in the series, and when I do, I have to shoot commercials or photographs.

If they found themselves hemmed in by their public images, Inger and George turned to painting as an outlet of free expression. 

Inger commented:

I like to paint for relaxation. I think the reason that actors and actresses paint is that it's the one thing that they can do that other people really don't tamper with.

George echoed this sentiment in 2021:

I have always loved painting, as you are free to do what you want to do. Just me, the paint and the canvas!

In 1970, after starring in Aaron Spelling's television movie Run, Simon, Run, Inger signed on to costar with George Maharis and Ralph Bellamy in the forensic crime drama Zig Zag (soon renamed The Most Deadly Game). Inger and George worked together preparing promotional videos of the show in the months leading up to her death. 

George recalled learning of Inger's death:

I heard about it at home. Aaron Spelling phoned me. Inger had appeared to be in good spirits, in good health. We had had several conferences on the series. We had just made some promotional films together. It was a great shock...Inger was a personal friend of mine. I loved her and the idea of working with her. We both liked all the elements. It was going to be a great combination. 

After Inger's death, the female lead in The Most Deadly Game was played by Yvette Mimieux and the show did not last its first season. Though we were robbed of watching Inger and George costar once more, the promotional video still exists. 

Zig Zag (1970)

Zig Zag (1970)

Zig Zag (1970)

Thank you, Mr. Maharis, for the indelible mark you left in the world of television and movies. Thank you for enhancing the soundtrack of the 1960's with your smooth, swinging recordings. Thank you most of all for treating our Inger with the kindness and respect she deserved from all of her peers and for continuing to speak her name and share her talents until the end of your life.

Sources:

Boston Globe. October 4, 1970.

Cincinatti Enquirer. October 23, 1970.

Daily News. December 18, 1960.

Miami Herald. August 26, 1962.

Orlando Evening Star. July 3, 1970.

Photoplay. January 1962.

San Francisco Examiner. July 26, 1970.

Kraft Theater: Strangers In Hiding (1954)

Inger's star was on the rise as 1954 concluded. Inger had spent the last two years modeling, studying at the Actor's Studio, endlessly auditioning for roles, and working hard at summer stock. On August 9, 1954, after appearing in summer stock productions of "The Women" with Gypsy Rose Lee and "Glad Tidings" with Signe Hasso, Inger was introduced to television audiences in the "Sue Ellen" Studio One production. Three months later, Inger costarred with Paul Newman in a Goodyear Playhouse —the first of five TV gigs in five weeks! Between November 21 and December 29, Inger could be seen on Goodyear Playhouse, Armstrong Circle Theater, Mister Peepers, Danger, and Kraft Theatre. 

Inger was on a sensational streak and audiences took notice. She was noted as "the fast-rising Swedish discovery with the pensive face" by "Strangers in Hiding" critics. The Memphis Press predicted that she was "headed for Hollywood and a movie." Following "Thunder of Silence" with Paul Newman in November, Inger became an instant hit with the United States Navy Hospital Corpsmen. The men wrote her a letter praising her performance and beauty and crowned her "The Queen of Dorm 6." From New York City, Inger Stevens wrote a reply, "I have never been 'Sweetheart' or 'Queen' of anything in my whole life, but now I feel that I can die happy."

Inger's performance in "Thunder of Silence" earned her a notice in the December 6, 1954 issue of Time Magazine. Time defined Inger's beauty as "fragile and hauntingly attractive" and wrote, "her big-eyed  silences were more eloquent than all the speeches of her fellow actors."

Inger sudden success made it impossible to undergo a much-needed tonsillectomy, which would finally occur on February 11, 1955. The press assured that Inger was "taking her time about succumbing to the lure of Hollywood. Wants to make it via Broadway stage route and is perfectly willing to wait for a couple of years to do it, despite high-salary deals that have already been waved under her pretty nose." (Inger did not have to wait long. By the end of 1956, Inger had starred in an unfortunate Broadway flop entitled "Debut" and was in Hollywood filming her first movie role as Bing Crosby's love interest.)

Inger's final television role of 1954 was that of Kriste in Kraft Television Theatre's "Strangers in Hiding". Like so many of Inger's television parts, Kriste is a foreigner searching for the American dream while being misunderstood by the Americans she meets. The show costars Harold Lang, Bradford Dillman, and Doro Merande. The Minneapolis Star reported, "Dancer Harold Lang is well cast along with Inger Stevens in straight dramatic roles concerning an immigrant couple who hide out after their work permits expire so that their child may be born an American. Story is simply written and has several touching moments."

Inger Stevens in "Strangers in Hiding", 1954.

I was able to view "Strangers in Hiding" in the archives of the Library of Congress earlier this year and was struck by its similarity to Inger's Emmy-nominated role in "The Price of Tomatoes" eight years later.

Pregnant dancer Christe (Inger Stevens) and her dancer husband Mikail fail to get back on the bus when it stops in New Hampshire. Hoping to hide out until the birth of their baby in a few weeks, the couple sleep in a barn-turned-theater. They're happy to know their baby may be born an American citizen. Mikail dances on the deserted stage. Someone begins to open the door and the couple hides in the adjoining room. College flunkout Tom (Bradford Dillman) frequently sneaks in to play the piano when he's supposed to be studying at the library. Tom finds and pockets a locket by the piano, but he does not discover the couple. Tom's deceased father was a Hungarian violinist, and his American Aunt Ella (Doro Merande) is concerned that her nephew be a prominent real estate agent. 

When Mikail goes off to find food, Kriste encounters Tom. Terrified that he will report the couple to immigration, Kriste explains that her husband is German and she is Polish and that they did not have opportunities as dancers in Germany. They were able to make a good living as dancers in the United States until their six month work permit expired. Tom assures Kriste that his father was also an immigrant and he will keep their secret. Still, Kriste goes to sleep full of anxiety. 

The following morning, a gossiping friend visits Tom's house. She tells Aunt Ella about the fugitive couple rumored to be hiding in town. Ella is not surprised. "They're foreigners, you know...Nazis, communists. They're foreigners, aren't they?..If I had my way, they wouldn't let them in here in the first place." Soon after, Ella reminds Tom to be "just like the other real American boys." She becomes suspicious when she finds an inscribed locket in Tom's jacket pocket.

Back in the barn, Kriste is distraught over the missing locket, a good luck charm for the couple. Mikail assures her, "Our luck will not change." Tom returns to the barn with groceries and goodwill. He encourages the couple to dance and sing while he accompanies them on piano. At the market, Ella learns that her nephew has already purchased groceries and realizes he's feeding the fugitives. 

When Ella arrives at the barn, Kriste goes into labor. Instead of reporting the couple to the authorities, Aunt Ella shifts into maternal mode and protects Kriste and her unborn child. Ella confesses that she was never able to have a child of her own. To ensure that Kriste and her child, arriving prematurely, are healthy, Ella rides with Kriste in the ambulance to the hospital. When the local sheriff Sam and an immigration officer arrive at the hospital, Ella orders them to "go out and catch some criminals or take some change out of some parking meters." Kriste delivers a healthy baby boy ("We have an American son!") and her locket, which reads 'Have Faith' in German, is returned. 

As Inger's name appeared on the closing credits, the show's host announced:

We welcome lovely young Inger Stevens this evening in her first appearance in Kraft Television Theatre. Her theater experience includes Glad Tidings and The Women.

The themes of otherness and acceptance that Inger's Kriste and Doro's Ella, respectively, represent follow a common pattern in Inger's work. Inger's a Hungarian mother-to-be here, had been a Czechoslovakian teen in "Thunder of Silence", would be a new Swedish mother in "Burning for Burning", a pregnant Romanian widow in "Price of Tomatoes", and of course Swedish Katy in The Farmer's Daughter. Having moved to America just shy of ten years old, Inger knew what it felt to be non-native. Before settling in Kansas, the Stensland family lived in Manhattan where Inger noted:

I felt like a real foreigner...it was difficult adjusting to new people. My English was still broken and the atmosphere was so strange...I couldn't have [new clothes] for the realistic reasons that my serviceable Swedish clothes were worn ten times longer than they should have. I wallowed in self-pity to a revolting degree. I fit nowhere...I was...well...Swedish. I was embarrassed because I didn't look or act like anybody else...Everything was new...my stepmother, the country, and the language. Finding myself with a language barrier at such an impressionable age left me with a shyness I still haven't overcome. But I discovered that an easy way to make friends is to be a good listener.

Watching young Inger as Kriste in "Strangers in Hiding" on videotape in the archives of the Library of Congress was a rare delight. The thrill continued as I exited the library to the sight of Washington, D.C. monuments all around me. Katy Holstrum's monuments. Katy Holstrum's D.C. Being in the nation's capital where Inger (as Katy) walked, one could not help but to reflect on the compelling course of Inger's life—from a shy, fearful Swedish girl in New York City to the hopeful young actress on Kraft Television Theatre to the celebrated star of her own American television sitcom. 

Sources:

"Actress Finds Regular Work a Nuisance." Waco Tribune-Herald. December 25, 1954.

"From Sweden to Hollywood." St. Louis Globe-Democrat. February 15, 1959.

Chicago Tribune. December 25, 1954.

Memphis Press-Scimitar. December 29, 1954.

Minneapolis Star. December 29, 1954.

"TV Actress is Popular with USNH Corpsmen." Great Lakes Bulletin. December 30, 1954.

Time Magazine. December 6, 1954.

"Kraft Theatre: Strangers in Hiding." Library of Congress archives.

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.

"Camille on Horseback" and Inger in Reno

Inger Stevens arrived at Reno Municipal Airport via United Airlines on August 22, 1959. She wasn't alone that Saturday morning. The plane carried a passenger list that included Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Michael Landon, Dan Blocker, Yvonne DeCarlo, and Vaughn Moore. The group exited the plane to cheers from a crowd of local officials, press, Native Americans from the Nixon, NV reservation plus the Twirleens and Reno Rodeo Queen. After receiving gifts (cowboy hats, of course) and posing for publicity, Inger and the others were rushed to downtown Reno for the Bonanza parade. It would be a full two days of publicity and celebration in honor of a new all-color western drama set to air on NBC the following month. Inger and Yvonne DeCarlo's episodes ("The Newcomers" and "A Rose for Lotta", respectively) were selected for a special premiere at Granada Theater that evening.

Inger (center) arrives in Reno.

Inger examines the cowboy hats with Dan Blocker and Lorne Greene.

There was much for the stars to do between the noon parade (in which Miss Nevada was none other than a 21-year-old Dawn Wells) and the eight o'clock premiere. After traveling in stagecoach from the State House, Inger headed north on Virginia Street to follow a route to Fifth then Sierra before the parade ended in front of the Riverside Hotel on the Truckee River. 

Former actor-turned-politician, Rex Bell led the parade.
Bell was married to actress Clara Bow.

Although she is not visible in this poor quality photo, Inger is in this
 stagecoach shared with Yvonne DeCarlo.

The celebrities were then whisked away for lunch in the Shore Room of the Holiday Hotel before touring the downtown stores—merchants had dressed their windows in western wear and theme for a Bonanza contest. By 5:00 p.m., Inger was meeting citizens and signing autographs at Powning Park. Dinner was at the Nugget in Sparks before entertaining the crowd again at the Granada Theater, where "The Newcomers" and "A Rose for Lotta" were screened for the public (adults only) free of charge.

RCA sponsored the premiere and RCA recording artist Vaughn Moore served as the emcee. Moore received a key to the city for his efforts.

Inger at dinner with the cast in Reno.

Invisible except for the top of her blonde hair and lovely hands,
Inger signs autographs beside Lorne Greene.

After a day full of action, the cast and crew retired to their rooms at the Riverside, Mapes, and Golden hotels. On Sunday, they viewed the gun collection at Harold's Club before traveling back to Los Angeles on Sunday evening.

On Tuesday, August 25, the Today television show devoted a segment to the premiere footage. The massive publicity campaign, color episodes, engaging actors, and highly popular western genre would make Bonanza a hit for 14 seasons. Many don't realize that Inger Stevens was a major player in its initial publicity campaign and contributor to the show's success.

"The Newcomers"

Columnist Dwight Newton summarized the "The Newcomers" as “Inger Stevens…Camille on horseback.” And he's not wrong. Inger played many fragile, sickly or trauma-stricken characters between 1959 and 1962. However, Inger enjoyed freelancing on television and made light of the tragic string when she stated:

Come to think of it, my TV career is beginning to look as if it were sponsored by Blue Cross. I was a nurse in the last Playhouse 90 I did. I play a tubercular in Bonanza. And in Twilight Zone I haven’t long to live.

This interview and the Bonanza premiere came just eight months after Inger's suicide attempt. It cannot be emphasized enough how diligently Inger worked after recovering from the attempt. She participated in two routines on the April 6, 1959 broadcast of the 31st Academy Awards and received an "unusually warm reception...like an outstretched hand of sympathy for a girl who has undergone emotional stress." After that welcome, Inger went back to work on "Diary of a Nurse" for Playhouse 90, "The Indestructible Mr. Gore" for Sunday Showcase, and this Bonanza episode. 

Her suicide attempt, outspokenness about the loneliness and superficiality associated with Hollywood success, and refusal to appear in subpar movies would find Inger working solely in television—after The World, The Flesh, and The Devil premiered in 1959, audiences wouldn't see Inger on their theater screens until 1964 when she appeared in a small, but striking role in the unfortunately subpar movie The New Interns. The amount and quality of the work Inger did on television in those five years between movies is quite astounding—two Twilight Zones, an Emmy-nominated part in Dick Powell Theater, two Route 66 episodes, a powerful Sam Benedict plot and suspenseful Alfred Hitchcock Hour. That list is merely a third of the shows in which Inger appeared at that time and does not even include her starring role in her own show The Farmer's Daughter!

Inger as Emily Pennington

Inger studies "The Newcomers" script.

Inger liked the role of Emily Pennington in "The Newcomers". She said:

They kind of apologized when they asked me to play it, because it’s a western. But I liked the script and it turned out so well that it will be released in Europe as a motion picture–if Paramount approves.

The episode can be viewed in full on Youtube (click here.) In it, Inger's Emily Pennington is the fiancé of prospector Blake McCall (John Larch), a man Emily's brother John (Robert Knapp) says "will do anything for gold." McCall believes there's gold hidden on the Cartwright company but is warned that mining for it will destroy the land. A man who was born without wealth, McCall believes he must make his fortune in order to keep up with the more prosperous Penningtons. Emily assures her fiancé that money means nothing to her and says:

Just give me a chance to get well and just give me a chance to be everything you want me to be.

Battling tuberculosis, Emily Pennington coughs frequently ("Can't you control that miserable coughing?" Blake barks at her. ) but doesn't reveal the gravity of her situation to Hoss (Dan Blocker). Hoss accompanies the Penningtons for protection and is hurt when she backs away from him in fear. Emily softens when she watches the gentle way Hoss brushes and speaks to his horse. 

Emily: You really love horses, don't you?

Hoss: Oh, yes ma'am. I love all animals. You can trust 'em.

Emily: But you can't trust people?

Hoss: Well, I wouldn't say that. It's just that some folks have got a natural mean streak in them that animals just don't know nothin' about, I guess.

As her fiance's mean streak becomes more obvious, Emily develops feelings for gentle giant Hoss.

Inger with Dan Blocker behind the scenes.

Sources: 

“Bonanza Day Premier—” Reno Evening Gazette. August 20, 1959. 

“Bonanza Premir is Staged Here.” Reno Evening Gazette. August 24, 1959. 

“Delegation Arrives for Bonanza Premier.” Reno Evening Gazette. August 22, 1959. 

“Reno Merchants.” Reno Evening Gazette. August 21, 1959. 

“Inger Stevens Gets No Money for TV Stints. Philadelphia Enquirer. September 24, 1959. 

“Movie Stars Arrive for Bonanza Premier Saturday.” Reno Evening Gazette. August 21, 1959. 

“Reno’s Bonanza Permiere in Pictures.” Reno Evening Gazette. August 24, 1959. 

TV-Radio Highlights. San Francisco Examiner. September 26, 1959.