The setting for "Dear Ruth" is a suburb of New York City. It's 1944 and World War II is still going on. A bombardier in the U.S. Army Air Corps, Lt. William Seacroft has flown from Italy on a two-day leave. He pops in on the Wilkins family to meet Ruth, his pen pal sweetheart in person, and to marry her. Only he's a surprise to Ruth's parents, and to Ruth who just said "Yes!" to wed her childhood sweetheart, Albert. So, Ruth is a ruse of sorts, impersonated in the mail by her well-meaning and precocious teenage sister, Miriam. Bedlam breaks loose around the Wilkins household over the next two days. But the place was ripe for it, with a cast of characters that make up one of the zaniest sane families of film. Joan Caulfield and William Holden have top billing here as Ruth and Lt. William Seacroft. But the principals of the supporting cast are the sources of most of the humor. Edward Arnold has one of his many excellent roles in films as the dad, Judge Harry Wilkins. Mona Freeman is the sister, Miriam, who is the cause of much of the turmoil with its associated humor. Billy De Wolfe is Ruth's childhood sweetheart, Albert Kummer, who's frustrated and funny throughout. Mary Philips is Mrs. Edie Wilkins, the matron of the Wilkins household. Others of the cast all give fine performances. The screenplay for this film is a running dialog of humor; and the facial expressions, looks and other gestures just multiply the comedy. For more humorous dialog, see the Quotes section under this IMDb web page of the movie. Here are some samples. Miriam, "Your stomach has to have something to work on, Dad. In the morning, you have an empty 30-feet of small intestine." Judge, "Hasn't everybody?" Edie, "I'm in charge of your father's small intestine -- all 30 feet of it. And I don't care for such talk at breakfast."Miriam, "As a judge, I thought you had an additional responsibility to set an example." Judge, "I'm a traffic judge. Let the Supreme Court give blood."Judge, "No. Let her take it with her. I'd like to see that petition go through." Miriam (happily), "Dad …" Judge, "It would solve everything if that girl were drafted."Miriam, "Dad, you went to the blood bank today… was it hard for you?" Judge, "Oh, there were 20 women in the room. I was the only person put to bed with a blanket over him. I hope the young fellow that gets my blood doesn't need it too badly because I have no confidence in it." Edie, "How do you feel, Harry?" Judge, "Oh, fine, dandy, never felt better." Edie, "You looked terrible stretched out on that cot." Judge, "Were you there too?" Miriam, "My contribution to the war effort today was two pints of blood?" Judge and Edie in unison, "Your contribution?" Miriam, "Well it was my idea, wasn't it?"Ruth, "Miriam, do you realize what you did?" Miriam, "Yes I do. I have made a soldier out of a lonely, frightened youngster." Judge, "Oh, he is a grown man." Miriam, "Not in spirit." Judge, "I'm not talking about his spirit. The poor sucker's come home to see his sweetheart. He's entitled to something, and he's going to get it. Miriam, "The game of man and woman maneuvering in pursuit of a mate I consider on the level of a game of checkers." Ruth, "What do you know about checkers?" Judge, "You're ahead, Ruth. It's your turn, Miriam." Miriam, "A witticism is no answer for logic." Judge, "You lose, Ruth."Lt. Seacroft, looking at a picture of Ruth, "Be seeing ya', baby. That's what I call here – baby. You might as well know it." Edie, "I used to call her that." Judge, "It's not the same, dear." Ruth, "I'm going to be married. Right away. Well, aren't you going to say anything?" Judge, "We're glad to get rid of you." Ruth, "That's what I thought."Miriam, "I'm not sorry for what I've one. I've given a soldier to the war." Edie, "His mother will be happy to hear that." Lt. Seacroft, "A toast. To the Post Office Department… for bringing us together."Edie, "Miriam, Hitler started by burning books. You must be tolerant of every opinion."Ruth, "He's nothing like he seems." Edie, "He seems like a nice clean cut young fellow." Albert, "What are they paying lieutenants in this war?" Ruth, "I've never met anyone who cared so little about money. Albert, "We meet that type at the bank. Squander dollars on peanuts then try to borrow nickels for bread." Edie, "Harry, I just thought of something… They're not supposed to meet." Judge, "Well if they're not supposed to meet, this is the place for it."Sgt. Vincent, "Well, that's the way it goes. Bill gets his girl through mail. I lose mine the same way." Ruth, "You know I'm going to wear your ring." Albert, "Why not? You have 10 fingers. There's room enough for 10 engagement rings."

This is my absolute favorite movie. They used to play it on the old movie chancels pretty often, but I have not seen it in a while. I will watch this movie every time it comes on TV. Even though there are plenty of sight gags, the best part of the movie is the interaction between the characters. This movie has some of the best dialog. I laugh out loud every time I watch it. I especially love the scene at the train station where Bill talks the group into "playing railroad". Even though it was made in the forties, it still stands up today. If you like romantic comedies, this is the movie for you. Great characters; Great acting; Great writing. I highly recommend it. (It truly should be on DVD. Who decides these things?)

what a wonderful movie and how handsome does that William Holden look?? a love story i can see repeated in some modern movies too such as "you've got mail".....i wonder how many times letters were written during the war under false pretenses....its story plot is simple: Ruth's younger sibling writes letters to a serviceman in her name and he learns to care for her...Ruth losing her heart in spite of herself seems to sum it all up...would love to have a copy but the movie never seems to be around... i have a grainy VCR recording of it from the eighties..would love to see it on DVD..Joan Caulfield (not a particularly gifted actress in my opinion) shines in this performance and i laugh at Billy DeWolfe's antics each time i see him.i guess i long for a simpler time of life, though i imagine those who lived through WWII would say i was crazy..i cannot believe i found this site and that others enjoyed the movie too!!! i have an original program from the play also....

This was one of the most delightful films I have ever seen. Film makers have forgotten what the elements of a good film are. This one has it all: character development, snappy dialogue, humor, love, and a happy ending. The actors and actresses tell their story not only with words, but with their expressions and other non-verbal communication. Who needs fantastic stories, mindless violence, etc. This kind of film really entertains.