Even as far back as 1947 the progressive left agenda is inserted: social justice and Woodrow Wilson...too bad it didn't make an impact when I first watched this movie in 1947...good movie but insinuations not subtle...Enjoyed Miss Barrymore, grande dame of both stage and screen...Ms. Young was terrific, as was the supporting staff,ie, the butler...even then the corruption of this city was and is known...makes an impact of the danger of one party in power too long...the attention to detail in the props, the costuming is outstanding...the patronizing tone, the attempt to shut down debate are all too reminiscent of present times...if we neglect the errors of the past it is too easy to repeat our mistakes...surprised this movie is not required for film studies to pour over for relevance.

Before I say all the positives I plan on saying about THE FARMER'S DAUGHTER, I feel I must point out that the Oscar that Loretta Young received for her performance was a gift. While her competition was relatively weak that year, there were better ones. One reviewer pointed out that Rosalind Russell was the presumed favorite, but relative newcomer Susan Hayward's performance in SMASH UP was exceptional and truly deserved the Oscar (watch this film--you'll see what I mean). As for Young, she was amusing to watch but also a bit embarrassing with her silly Swedish accent (which, at times, she forgot to employ). Plus, her role was so slight and light-weight that I just can't understand the committee's decision to award her the statuette for such an ordinary performance. There I said it...now on to the film itself.THE FARMER'S DAUGHTER was a cute little comedy about a nice lady (Young) from the country that moves to the city and becomes the maid to a US congressman (Joseph Cotton) and his mother (Ethel Barrymore). Because she is such a nice, bright and hard-working lady, Young is almost instantly accepted into the family. Cotton, in particular, seems very taken with her and considering how sweet she is, it didn't seem all that surprising.Quite unexpectedly, in the middle of the film it is announced that another congressman has died and they need to have a special election to fill the post. Cotton and Barrymore are THE party machine for the state and they decide to put up a man who Young dislikes. At the rally to introduce this candidate, Young is so annoyed at the nominee that she gets up and voices her concerns for his fitness. As a result, she receives a lot of media attention and is soon tapped to be the candidate for the opposition party--creating quite a dilemma for Cotton and his party! There's a lot more to the film, but the overall effort seems a lot like a comedic version of MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON. Cute and entertaining throughout and written very cleverly--it's well worth a look and is sure to provide a few laughs.By the way, look at Young's three brothers in the film. NONE of them has a Swedish accent and one of them is a young James Arness.

When Loretta Young beat out Rosalind Russell in the Academy Award sweepstakes of 1947 it was considered one of the great upsets in the history of Oscar. Russell had gotten a lot of acclaim for her dramatic breakthrough performance in Mourning Becomes Electra which was RKO's prestige picture of the year. The O'Neill drama flopped at the box office. Young was nominated almost as an afterthought to round out the field in 1947. Of course RKO didn't care because The Farmer's Daughter was also one of their films.Young worked hard to get her proper Swedish accent for the film and the results would have made Greta Garbo proud. I can't see Garbo appearing in a film like The Farmer's Daughter though.Young plays Katie Holstrum who leaves the family farm to study nursing and in an almost Forrest Gump like set of circumstances winds up working as a maid in Congressman Joseph Cotten's home. She's not working for just Cotten. Presiding over the home and the state of Minnesota itself is Cotten's mother Ethel Barrymore. Ethel's not only queen of her own roost, but she's a Senator's widow and still one formidable power in her state of Minnesota. And there's Charles Bickford the family butler who got an Oscar nomination himself in this film for Best Supporting Actor as Young's gruff, but kindly mentor.Although at the time this film was made Young was 34 years old she does manage to convey youth here. It worked in this case because in 1947 a lot of people were starting their careers late. It's pointed out in the story that she stayed on the family farm while her beefcake brothers, James Arness, Keith Andes, and Lex Barker were all in the service during World War II.A long running television series was adapted from this film with the tragic Inger Stevens in the lead and William Windom in Cotten's role. Cathleen Nesbitt was the grande political dame. The butler's role was dropped and Windom was made a widower with two boys. Even with a genuine Swede like Stevens playing Katie, Young still comes out the better.Too bad Rosalind Russell never got an Oscar, but Loretta Young was one of the great survivors of Hollywood and her award was as much an award for a lifetime as for the still fresh and funny, The Farmer's Daughter.

Loretta Young's Oscar-winning performance in "The Farmer's Daughter" was a major upset in 1947. All the so called experts had predicted that Rosalind Russell would win for "Mourning Becomes Electra." Ms. Young had some hefty competition besides Russell. We had Susan Hayward for "Smash-up: The Story of A Woman," and Dorothy McGuire, for the Oscar winning film, "Gentleman's Agreement"Nonetheless, Loretta is to be congratulated for her authentic Swedish accent as a maid who works for a Congressman and by the end is elected to that high office herself.We see corruption in politics;unfortunately, not something unusual even for these times. What makes it somewhat scary is the bigotry that is introduced along with the corruption.With fine support by Ethel Barrymore, Joseph Cotten and Charles Bickford, "The Farmer's Daughter" is a wonderful movie.