Product Details

• Actors: Betty Grable, Dale Robertson, Thelma Ritter, John Carroll, Eddie Foy Jr.
• Directors: Henry Levin
• Writers: Frank B. Elser, Joseph Fields, Marc Connelly, Sally Benson, Walter Bullock
• Producers: Frank P. Rosenberg
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• VHS Release Date: May 25, 1989
• Run Time: 81 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6301302958
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #100,424 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Farmer Takes a Wife (1953) [VHS] [VHS Tape] (1953) Betty Grable; Dale Robertson

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Canal girl Grable falls for earthy farmer Dale Robertson, September 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Farmer Takes a Wife [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Colorful remake of the 1935 Fonda-Gaynor drama, this 1953 Technicolor musical comes across as fresh, vibrant and as American as apple pie.The story is based on fact - when the Rome Canal, NY, is under threat from the advance of the railroads. When farmer Dale Robertson is hired to work on the canal, Betty Grable falls for him, but their romance is in conflict with his interest in the land, and her loyalty to the canals. Betty Grable - in her first film after a year-long suspension - is excellent as the feisty canal boat cook and showed she had lost none of her glamour during her long absence. A tuneful show, with lots of homespun comedy numbers, the Grable leg show suffers due to the 1850s costumes, but she does manage a number or two with Broadway dancer Gwen Verdon as they dance to choreographer Jack Cole's tune. Great support from love rival John Carroll, and some excellent comedy from scene-stealers Thelma Ritter and Eddie Foy junior. Spectacular outdoor settings, for which the studio built a complete working canal, including locks, on their backlot. Glorious piece of Americana! Well worth having if only to watch Grable singing the opening number "Today I Love Everybody" - a breath of fresh air.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Canal girl Grable falls for earthy farmer Dale Robertson, September 30, 1999

By 

Tom McGee (Glasgow, Scotland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Farmer Takes a Wife [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Colorful remake of the 1935 Fonda-Gaynor drama, this 1953 Technicolor musical comes across as fresh, vibrant and as American as apple pie.The story is based on fact - when the Rome Canal, NY, is under threat from the advance of the railroads. When farmer Dale Robertson is hired to work on the canal, Betty Grable falls for him, but their romance is in conflict with his interest in the land, and her loyalty to the canals. Betty Grable - in her first film after a year-long suspension - is excellent as the feisty canal boat cook and showed she had lost none of her glamour during her long absence. A tuneful show, with lots of homespun comedy numbers, the Grable leg show suffers due to the 1850s costumes, but she does manage a number or two with Broadway dancer Gwen Verdon as they dance to choreographer Jack Cole's tune. Great support from love rival John Carroll, and some excellent comedy from scene-stealers Thelma Ritter and Eddie Foy junior. Spectacular outdoor settings, for which the studio built a complete working canal, including locks, on their backlot. Glorious piece of Americana! Well worth having if only to watch Grable singing the opening number "Today I Love Everybody" - a breath of fresh air.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A classic Betty Grable slice-of-life on the Erie Canal., December 16, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Farmer Takes a Wife [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is a classic Betty Grable movie. Betty plays a lovable and cheerful young cook on an Erie Canal boat. As usual, her love life is giving her troubles. This movie is a slice-of-life about living on the Erie Canal, just as Oklahoma was for homesteading in the west. It is a treat to watch with just enough tongue-in-cheek to keep it from taking itself too seriously.