Laddie (1940 film)

Last updated
Laddie
Laddie lobby card 1.JPG
Lobby card
Directed by Jack Hively
Screenplay by Jerome Cady
Bert Granet
Based onLaddie, A True Blue Story
by Gene Stratton-Porter
Produced by Cliff Reid
executive
Lee Marcus
Starring Tim Holt
Virginia Gilmore
Joan Carroll
Cinematography Harry J. Wild
Edited by George Hively
Music by Roy Webb
Distributed by RKO Radio Pictures
Release date
  • October 18, 1940 (1940-10-18) [1]
Running time
70 minutes / 6,297ft
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

RKO Radio Pictures's Laddie is a 1940 American drama film starring Tim Holt, Virginia Gilmore and Joan Carroll and directed by Jack Hively. It is the third film adaptation based on Gene Stratton-Porter's novel, Laddie, A True Blue Story (1913), and previously had been filmed in 1926 and by RKO in 1935. [2] [3]

Contents

Plot

An honest farmer's son, Laddie Stanton, falls in love with Pamela Pryor, the daughter of the Englishman who just bought the land next door. Her father is a disdainful and morose man fixated at the dishonorable discharge of his son Robert and isn't at all happy with the prospect of having Laddie as a son-in-law forbidding Pamela's hand in marriage to Laddie a "field hand".

Mr. Pryor disapproving of Laddie and Pamela's marriage. Laddie lobby card 4.jpg
Mr. Pryor disapproving of Laddie and Pamela's marriage.

Pamela tries to make Laddie get another profession, to please her father and to be able to continue their relation. The insulted Laddie is very upset and regards Pamela's plead as disrespectful to him and his family. After speaking with his family, Laddie decides to prove himself to Mr.Pryor by buying a portion of his estate and grabs his attention as he begins to farm on his plot of land. This infuriates Mr.Pryor who rejects the sale of his land to Laddie and further worsens his hopes of marrying Pamela. Furthermore, Pamela perceives Laddie's actions as childlike and unhelpful.

However, from Pamela's introduction in the film, Laddie's kid sister, commonly referred to as 'Little Sister', sees Pamela as 'the princess' and as the woman who is meant to be with Laddie and thus, she attempts to reconcile the lovers and their relationship. When her initial efforts are unsuccessful, Little Sister sees her opportunity when Robert Pryor, Mr.Pryor's disowned and disgraced son, comes to visit and falls ill.

Upon Pamela's request, the Stanton family takes him in when his father doesn't and call Dr. Barnes to help take care of him. While 'hunting' in the woods, Little Sister comes across Mr.Pryor and mistakenly blurts out that Robert is staying with them. The old man is infuriated and goes to visit the family immediately with the intent to kill his disgraceful son. When Little Sister informs Laddie of her encounter, Laddie stands up to Mr.Pryor demanding that he leave his gun behind before he can enter their house. After this, Mr. and Mrs. Stanton mitigate Mr. Pryor's anger by retelling the story of the prodigal son and informing him of Robert's illness. After accepting the Stanton family's wisdom, Mr.Pryor forgives his son and gives Pamela's hand in marriage to Laddie.

Later on, we see the teary eyed Pamela apologize to Laddie belittling his family and their profession of farming. The two lovers are reconciled. [4]

Cast

Background

The novel Laddie, A True Blue Story by Stratton-Porter on which the film is based was published in 1913. [5] [6] The inspiration for Stratton-Porter's novel came from an early life experience of when her teenage brother Leander drowned in the Wabash River on July 6, 1872. The title character of Laddie is modeled after Stratton-Porter's deceased older brother, Leander, to whom she gave the nickname of Laddie. As in Stratton-Porter's own family, Laddie is connected with the land and identifies with Stratton-Porter's father's vocation of farming. Furthermore, Stratton-Porter considered this novel to be quite autobiographical and so the character of Little Sister played by Joan Carroll on screen is representative of Stratton Porter's childhood self sharing a similar personality, interests and family dynamic.

Production and reception

The actress Virginia Gilmore (plays Pamela Pryor) was borrowed from Samuel Goldwyn Productions. [7] Filming had started on 1 June 1940. [8] The film was reviewed and rated consistently rated as above average in various newspapers, film magazines and film review journals upon its release. However, the common view was that the film was overall unremarkable and was "best for the hinterlands."

Related Research Articles

Madeleine Carroll English actress

Edith Madeleine Carroll was an English actress, popular both in Britain and America in the 1930s and 1940s. At the peak of her success in 1938, she was the world's highest-paid actress.

Gene Stratton-Porter American writer and naturalist (1863–1924)

Gene Stratton-Porter, born Geneva Grace Stratton, was an American author, nature photographer, and naturalist from Wabash County, Indiana. In 1917 Stratton-Porter urged legislative support for the conservation of Limberlost Swamp and other wetlands in Indiana. She was also a silent film-era producer who founded her own production company, Gene Stratton Porter Productions, in 1924.

Virginia Weidler American actress

Virginia Anna Adeleid Weidler was an American child actress, popular in Hollywood films during the 1930s and 1940s.

Joan Carroll Child actress active 1936–1950

Joan Carroll was an American child actress who appeared in films until retiring in 1945.

Tim Holt American actor

Charles John "Tim" Holt III was an American actor. He was a popular Western star during the 1940s and early 1950s, appearing in forty-six B westerns released by RKO Pictures.

Laddie is the word for boy in Scottish English.

Kenyon Nicholson was an American playwright and screenwriter.

Miles Mander English actor

Miles Mander, was an English character actor of the early Hollywood cinema, also a film director and producer, and a playwright and novelist. He was sometimes credited as Luther Miles.

Martha ODriscoll American actress (1922–1998)

Martha O'Driscoll was an American film actress from 1937 until 1947. She retired from the screen in 1947 after marrying her second husband, Arthur I. Appleton, president of Appleton Electric Company in Chicago.

George Irving (American actor) American actor

George Henry Irving was an American film actor and director.

<i>Bundle of Joy</i> 1956 film directed by Norman Taurog

Bundle of Joy is a 1956 Technicolor musical remake of the comedy film Bachelor Mother (1939), which starred Ginger Rogers and David Niven. It stars Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, and Adolphe Menjou. An unmarried salesgirl at a department store finds and takes care of an abandoned baby. Much confusion results when her co-workers assume the child is hers and that the father is the son of the store owner.

Golden Age of Indiana Literature

The Golden Age of Indiana Literature is a period between 1880 and 1920, when many nationally and internationally acclaimed literary works were created by natives of the state of Indiana. During this time, many of the United States' most popular authors came from Indiana. Maurice Thompson, George Ade, Booth Tarkington, Theodore Dreiser, Edward Eggleston, Frank McKinney Hubbard, George Barr McCutcheon, Meredith Nicholson, Gene Stratton Porter, Lew Wallace, and James Whitcomb Riley were foremost among the Hoosier authors.

<i>The Man Who Found Himself</i> 1937 film by Lew Landers

The Man Who Found Himself, also known as Wings of Mercy, is a 1937 American aviation film based on the unpublished story "Wings of Mercy" by Alice F. Curtis. The film marked the first starring role for 19-year-old Joan Fontaine, who was billed as the "new RKO screen personality", highlighted following the end of the film by a special "on screen" introduction. Unlike many of the period films that appeared to glorify aviation, it is a complex film, examining the motivations of both doctors and pilots.

Gene Stratton-Porter Cabin (Rome City, Indiana) Historic house in Indiana, United States

The Gene Stratton-Porter Cabin, known as the Cabin at Wildflower Woods and the Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site, is the former home of Gene Stratton-Porter, a noted Indiana author, naturalist, and nature photographer. The two-story, fourteen-room cabin, which was built in 1914, is located at Sylvan Lake near Rome City in Noble County, Indiana. Stratton-Porter lived full-time in the cabin from 1914 through 1919, then relocated to homes in California, where she continued to write and founded a movie studio. She returned to Wildflower Woods in Rome City for brief visits until her death in 1924. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

<i>Laddie</i> (1935 film) 1935 film by George Stevens

Laddie is a 1935 American comedy-drama film directed by George Stevens from a screenplay by Ray Harris and Dorothy Yost, based on the 1913 novel, Laddie: A True Blue Story, by Gene Stratton-Porter. The film stars John Beal, Gloria Stuart, and Virginia Weidler.

<i>Freckles</i> (1935 film) 1935 film directed by Edward Killy and William Hamilton

Freckles is a 1935 American drama film directed by Edward Killy and William Hamilton from a screenplay written by Dorothy Yost, adapted by Mary Mayes from Gene Stratton-Porter's 1904 novel of the same name. Two earlier adaptations of Stratton-Porter's novel had been produced, the first by Paramount in 1917, and the second in 1928 by FBO, both were also titled Freckles. This 1935 version was released by RKO Radio Pictures on October 4, and stars Tom Brown, Virginia Weidler, and Carol Stone.

Gene Stratton Porter Cabin (Geneva, Indiana) Historic building

Gene Stratton-Porter Cabin, , known as the Limberlost Cabin and the Limberlost State Historic Site, was the former home of Gene Stratton Porter, a noted Indiana author who lived in the home from 1895 to 1913. The two-story, fourteen-room log cabin is located near the Limberlost Swamp on the outskirts of Geneva in Adams County, Indiana. Stratton-Porter designed the Queen Anne-style rustic home with the help of an architect. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

<i>The Harvester</i> 1936 film by Joseph Santley

The Harvester is a 1936 American comedy film directed by Joseph Santley and written by Homer Croy, Robert Lee Johnson, Elizabeth Meehan and Gertrude Orr. It is based on the 1911 novel The Harvester by Gene Stratton-Porter, which had previously been turned into a 1927 silent film of the same title. The film stars Alice Brady, Russell Hardie, Ann Rutherford, Frank Craven, Cora Sue Collins and Emma Dunn. The film was released on April 18, 1936, by Republic Pictures.

<i>Laddie</i> (1926 film) 1926 film

Laddie is a 1926 American drama film directed by James Leo Meehan with John Bowers in the title role. It was based on Gene Stratton-Porter's novel, Laddie, A True Blue Story (1913).

James Leo Meehan (1891–1943) was an American film director and screenwriter. He married the daughter of writer Gene Stratton-Porter, and adapted several of his mother-in-law's novels for the screen.

References

  1. "Laddie: Detail View". American Film Institute. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  2. Richard Jewell & Vernon Harbin, The RKO Story. New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1982. p153.
  3. Eric Grayson (Winter 2007). "Limberlost Found: Indiana's Literary Legacy in Hollywood". Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society. 19 (1): 42–47. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  4. "Laddie (1940) – Overview". Turner Classic Movies.
  5. Judith Reick Long (1990). Gene Stratton-Porter: Novelist and Naturalist. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society. pp.  45. ISBN   0871950529.
  6. Pamela J. Bennett, ed. (September 1996). "Gene Stratton-Porter" (PDF). The Indiana Historian. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Bureau: 3–4. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  7. Schallert, Edwin (May 25, 1940). "New Producers Plan to Film 'Burro Alley': Douglas to Do 'Skylark' 'Letter' Cast Stellar Brown May Join U.A. Hayward, R.K.O. in Deal Welles to Reveal Opus". Los Angeles Times. p. 14.
  8. DOUGLAS W. CHURCHILL (May 25, 1940). "NEWS OF THE SCREEN: Ann Sheridan Gets Role Opposite Gary Cooper in 'Life of John Doe' -- 'Flying Angels' Opens Here Of Local Origin". New York Times. p. 23.