This is a story of a farm girl who becomes a maid and steps into world of politics.She also happens to fall in love with a congressman.The Farmer's Daughter (1947) is directed by H.C. Potter.It's based on the Finnish play Juurakon Hulda, written by Hella Wuolijoki (under the pen name Juhani Tervapää).I haven't read the play, at least not yet, but I know the movie differs from the play a bit.Like the main character has been made Swedish-American.And what a wonderful job by Loretta Young as our protagonist Katie Holstrom.She won an Oscar she very much deserved.Joseph Cotten makes a perfect leading man, Glenn Morley.And Ethel Barrymore gives a powerful performance as his mother Agatha.Charles Bickford is terrific as Joseph Clancy.Lex Barker, Keith Andes and James Arness, who passed away last year, play Katie's brothers.Charles Lane plays the part of Jackson, campaign reporter.There's a lot to like in this movie.I very much enjoyed the skating scene.It's romantic, it's funny.It's everything a scene needs to work.Romance has rarely met comedy in such a successful way.

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.

Farmer's Daughter, The (1947) *** (out of 4) Loretta Young won an Oscar for her performance of a Swedish maid who goes to work for a Senator (Joseph Cotten) but then ends up running against his party for a seat in Congress. This film really is two separate movies with the first half being a romantic comedy and the second half being a political drama. The first half is decent but nothing special, although Cotten really steals this half with his comic timing. The second half belongs to Young who really goes powerhouse with her political speeches and hopes for the country. I think the film should have paid more attention to the political side of things because it made for some nice drama while the love story is very predictable. Cotten and Young have wonderful chemistry together but the supporting cast is just as good. Ethyl Barrymore and Charles Bickford nearly steal the film Rhys Williams, Harry Davenport and Tom Powers adding nice support. The film has Frank Capra written all over it and I'm sure he would have made more out of the overall film but for what's here there's plenty to enjoy.

I have never forgotten one magnificent scene from "The Farmer's Daughter" which I saw many years ago when it was first released. Since then, I have never watched a political convention on TV without thinking about it. A very naive and innocent Loretta Young goes to a gigantic political convention with Charles Bickford, an old-timer in the political arena. She is overwhelmed by the crowd's enthusiasm and the confusion. But Bickford is disparaging and tells her to jump up in the midst of everything and simply shout, "Fresh fish!!" She doesn't understand why but does it anyway. Immediately the crowd yells and cheers wildly. It's a magnificent comment on how well convention goers listen to what's going on. I'm waiting for someone who has seen "The Farmer's Daughter" to do the same thing today. But no luck yet!!