The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935)

Studio: 20th Century Fox
Theatrical Release: August 2, 1935
DVD Release: April 16, 2013
Director: Victor Fleming
NR

Review by Richard Rey

The Farmer Takes a Wife stars newcomer Henry Fonda in his first major motion picture as Dan Harrow, a man looking to save up enough money to buy a farm by working as a boater on the Erie Canal. Local tough guy Jotham Klore, (Charles Bickford) has his own boat that he sails up and down the Erie transporting local goods. His on deck cook, Molly Larkins (Janet Gaynor), plays alongside him as a tough-titty gal, born and bred to love the canal and its beauty.

When Dan and Molly first meet, they fall madly in love for one another. After Molly quits her job as a cook, she and Dan end up working on the Sarsey Sal boat for Mr. Weaver (Roger Imhof).  As they fall deeper and deeper in love, the point of conflict for the couple lies in Dan’s love for farming and Molly’s passion for the canal. With the railroad being built from the Atlantic to the Pacific, it’s only a matter of time until the transportation of goods will shift from the use of small boats on the canal to trains.

Directed by Victor Fleming, the movie’s lightheartedness in troubling times mood undoubtedly influenced his later work in Academy Award-winning films The Wizard of Oz and Gone With The Wind. Featuring a number of old time tunes, this film is the refreshingly happy-go-lucky dose of optimism that American audiences needed so desperately. I found myself half-smiling through the movie and remembering when my grandfather and I would watch Hal Roach’s The Little Rascals on old beta and VHS tapes. Another pleasant reminder came to me when I saw Margaret Hamilton (The Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz) in a supporting role as Molly’s longtime friend and confidant. Actor Andy Devine had such a distinct voice that I couldn’t place until the films end when I realized he was the voice actor for Friar Tuck from Walt Disney’s Robin Hood. Apart from recognizing the actors, there are a few cheesy quips in the film that give it a little lift. When the famous Shakespearean actor playing Richard III named Booth comes to town, a reference to Abraham Lincoln is made by his son, who turns out having the name John Wilkes. Fonda’s boyish charm is present in his acting, yet he’s much more timid and soft spoken. If you’re looking for the Henry Fonda from 12 Angry Men, you won’t find him here.

The most effective scene comes in consequence of Dan’s purchase of a farm behind his fiancée’s back. After making a pact they will never bring up the topic of the canal or the farm, Gaynor’s reaction to the situation is both memorable and alive.

Little Jane Withers was only nine years old when The Farmer Takes a Wife was released. At the time, an American nation weighed down by the Great Depression took to the cinema and its child actors and actresses for uplifting movies that would divert their attention from the dark cloud that loomed over them.

While The Farmer Takes a Wife was not Wither’s first film as a child actress, it characterizes the type of role she would play in years to come. Playing across from child star Shirley Temple, Withers made a career out of roles like the one she played here. Only getting three or four minutes of screen time in this film, Withers effectively portrayed the bratty little girl licking a caramel apple and disagreeing with the town dentist, Fortune Friendly (Slim Summerville). Later she’s seen headed to the fair with a milking cow that she brags will win first prize. Trumping other characters and walking all over them seemed to come naturally to the up-and-coming child actress.

The picture quality as a whole is pretty clear considering the film is nearly eighty years old. It’s not grainy or choppy. There are a few hiccups here and there where a scene has been restored and the audio doesn’t match the lips, but it happens so scarcely it doesn’t become a distraction. Other than that, the sound is crisp and clear – especially when the ensemble sings. The DVD contains no special features nor language/subtitle options.

For modern audiences in need of constant Michael Bay Transformer action sequences, this film will be a tuckering out to say the least. On the other hand, patient moviegoers who can place the film in its appropriate timeframe in cinematic history may find this corny, happily ever after piece delectably predictable.

[Rating: 3.5]