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Dear Ruth (film)

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Dear Ruth
Movie poster
Directed byWilliam D. Russell
Written byArthur Sheekman
Based onDear Ruth
1944 play
by Norman Krasna
Produced byPaul Jones
Starring
CinematographyErnest Laszlo
Edited byArchie Marshek
Music byRobert Emmett Dolan
Production
company
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • June 10, 1947 (1947-06-10)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$3.8 million (US rentals)[1]

Dear Ruth is a 1947 American romantic comedy film starring Joan Caulfield, William Holden, Mona Freeman, Billy De Wolfe and Edward Arnold. It was based on the 1944 Broadway play of the same name by Norman Krasna.

The film's plot concerns a teenage girl who uses her older sister's identity to communicate with a soldier pen pal.

Two sequels to Dear Ruth were later produced: Dear Wife (1949), with all of the principal actors reprising their roles, and Dear Brat (1951), featuring Freeman, Arnold and De Wolfe.

Despite the popular belief that J. D. Salinger based the name of his character Holden Caulfield, who appears in The Catcher in the Rye and other works, on a marquee for the film showing the last names of the film's two leads, the first Holden Caulfield story, "I'm Crazy", was published in December 1945, a year and a half before the film's release.

Plot

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Teenager Miriam Wilkins is an energetic activist during World War II. She blithely involves her family by enlisting them for causes without first gaining their consent. Her father Judge Wilkins and mother Edie are puzzled when Lieutenant William Seacroft, a complete stranger, appears at their home asking for their 22-year-old daughter Ruth. Bill has just returned from Italy, where he flew 25 missions over Germany as the bombardier of a B-26 bomber, but he has only two days of leave. He explains that he has been corresponding with their daughter and has fallen in love with her. He makes a favorable impression and promises to return later to meet her for the first time in person.

Ruth comes home and tells her parents that she is engaged to be married. They assume that she had encountered Bill, but she is engaged to her boyfriend Albert. They soon discover that Miriam had written Bill 60 letters but with her sister's name and photograph. Ruth wants to tell Bill the truth immediately, but when he arrives, she cannot bring herself to do so. When Albert arrives for a date with Ruth, she slips away with Bill so that she can tell him privately.

Bill takes Ruth to a play, dinner and dancing late into the night. Later, Ruth tells Albert that after Bill leaves for the Pacific, she will write to him and gently break off their relationship. She then reads the letters from Miriam.

The next morning, Ruth insists on taking Bill's young sister Martha out with them in order to keep Bill's amorous behavior in check, so Bill invites Albert along as well. Bill takes every opportunity to kiss Ruth, infuriating Albert. After Albert becomes separated from the group at a subway station, he is arrested when trying to enter another station without paying.

Martha arrives at the Wilkins residence with Bill's friend Sergeant Chuck Vincent. Martha had very recently broken off her relationship with Chuck, making for an awkward lunch. Bill and Ruth then appear and announce that they are engaged. When Bill leaves the room, Ruth reassures Albert that the ruse must only persist for a few more hours. However, Bill receives a telephone call informing him that he and Chuck will be instructors in Florida. Chuck and Martha reconcile and decide to be married, and Judge Wilkins conducts the ceremony.

Ruth tells Bill that she had only agreed to marry him because he was returning to combat. Miriam inadvertently reveals the whole truth to Bill, who accepts the situation, but after Martha and Chuck are married, Ruth has a change of heart. She and Bill are also married by her father before leaving for Florida. A sailor then appears, asking for Ruth, and a startled Miriam blurts out his name.

Cast

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Production

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Norman Krasna's play Dear Ruth had been hugely popular on Broadway. Film rights were sold to Paramount in February 1945 for a reported $450,000 but with the proviso that a film not be produced until the play had finished a two-year run.[2][3] The amount was the highest that Paramount had ever paid for a property, exceeding the $283,000 paid for the film rights to Lady in the Dark. Studio executive Henry Ginsberg announced the male lead as Sonny Tufts and that Ruth would be played by Joan Caulfield or Paulette Goddard, while Miriam would be played by Diana Lynn or Mona Freeman.[4]

In March 1946, Paramount announced the film as part of its slate for the following year.[5] The husband-and-wife writing team of Albert and Frances Hackett was assigned the script.[6]

The same year in July, Caulfield and William Holden were cast as the leads and Edward Arnold joined the cast.[7] It was Holden's first film since his military duty had concluded in November 1945. Filming was set to begin in August with Sidney Lanfield directing and Paul Jones producing. In addition to the Hacketts, Arthur Sheekman had worked on the script.[8]

Lanfield became ill and was replaced by William D. Russell.[9] Mona Freeman had tested for her role several times, but Lanfield did not want her. However, when Russell came on as director, Freeman was added to the cast[10] in August.[11]

Lawsuit

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Columbia Pictures sued Krasna and the filmmakers for plagiarism, claiming that the story infringed the copyright of "Dear Mr. Private", a story that they intended to film with Lee Bowman. Columbia was unsuccessful, appealed the decision and lost the appeal.[12][13][14][15]

Reception

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Critical

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Bosley Crowther praised the film in The New York Times, calling it "one of those simon-pure excursions in fun, which bubbles and sparkles its way into your heart and completely disarms any resistance which an unadorned outline of its conventional plot might invoke" and noting that "the pace never drags, even though the slim story is stretched out over ninety minutes".[16]

Box office

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The film was successful at the box office,[17] earning almost $4 million during its first year of release in North America.

Sequels

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Paramount purchased the rights to use the characters again. A sequel, Dear Wife, was released in 1949.[18] This was followed in 1951 with Dear Brat, the final installment in the series.

References

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  1. ^ "Top Grossers of 1947". Variety. January 7, 1948. p. 63.
  2. ^ "Screen News: 'Dear Ruth' Is Bought For Reported $450,000". The New York Times. February 8, 1945.
  3. ^ Joseph W. Taylor (July 21, 1947). "Biggest Film Firm: Paramount's Puzzler: Will Attendance Slide Be Brief or Prolonged? Takes Precautions: Markets Borderline Movies, Keeps Best in 9-Month Backlog Televised Newsreels Tried Paramount Pictures' Puzzler: Will Drop In Attendance Be Brief Or Prolonged? Company Is Taking Precautions Markets Borderline Movies, Keeps Best in 9-Months Backlog; Pre-Tests Films". The Wall Street Journal.
  4. ^ 'Dear Ruth' Paramount Purchase; Holt Signs, Schallert, Edwin. Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb 1945: A7.
  5. ^ Paramount Lists Films for This Year, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar 1946: 12.
  6. ^ The Theatre: Doings Down-Under Wall Street Journal, 31 Mar 1945: 3.
  7. ^ FOX GIVES 'AMBER' TO LINDA DARNELL, New York Times, 25 July 1946: 17.
  8. ^ NEWS OF THE SCREEN: New York Times, 24 July 1946: 24.
  9. ^ 'MAGIC TOWN' ROLE TO LORETTA YOUNG: SIGNED FOR NEW SHOW Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES, New York Times, 7 Aug 1946: 19.
  10. ^ Mona's Still Hunting for Fountain of Age: Actress of Many Problems Finds Biggest Difficulty Is Her Youth Mona Freeman Hunting for a Fountain of Age Hopper, Hedda. Los Angeles Times 19 July 1953: D1.
  11. ^ Contested 'Arch' Role Goes to Ruth Warrick, Scheuer, Philip K., Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug 1946: A3.
  12. ^ "Col. Loses Again On 'Dear Ruth' Appeal". Variety. March 26, 1947.
  13. ^ Davis, George Kidder. "Columbia Pictures vs Krasna". Supreme Court Appellate Division-First Department.
  14. ^ "Col vs Krasna". Variety. June 12, 1946. p. 24.
  15. ^ "Court Says Krasna did not theft 'Ruth'". Variety. August 21, 1946. p. 12.
  16. ^ Bosley Crowther (June 11, 1947). "The Screen In Review; 'It Happened on Fifth Avenue', With Victor Moore in Bright, Gay Mood, Opens at Rivoli – Charles Ruggles Also in Cast 'Dear Ruth' Based on Krasna's Successful Play, Is Feature at the Paramount – Holden and Coalfield in Top Roles". The New York Times.
  17. ^ "H'Wood Sour on Costly Legits". Variety. August 25, 1948. During 1947, there were 10 pix from plays, with Paramount's "Dear Ruth" ($450,000) the only real sockeroo.
  18. ^ Thomas F. Brady (December 6, 1947). "Paramount Plans 'Dear Ruth' Sequel: Studio's Production 'Dear Wife' Will Use Available Members of Original Film's Cast". The New York Times.
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