''Dear Ruth'' is a 1947 American

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

film starring

Joan Caulfield Beatrice Joan Caulfield (June 1, 1922 – June 18, 1991) was an American actress and model. After being discovered by Broadway producers, she began a stage career in 1943 that eventually led to signing as an actress with Paramount Pictures. Ear ...

William Holden William Franklin Holden (né Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film '' Stalag 17'' (1953) and the Pri ...

Mona Freeman Monica Elizabeth "Mona" Freeman (June 9, 1926 – May 23, 2014) was an American actress and painter. Early years Freeman was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and grew up in Pelham, New York. A lumberman's daughter, she was a model while in hig ...

Billy De Wolfe William Andrew Jones (February 18, 1907 – March 5, 1974), better known as Billy De Wolfe, was an American character actor. He was active in films from the mid-1940s until his death in 1974. Early life and early stage career Born William Andrew ...

and Edward Arnold. It was based on the 1944

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

play of the same name by

Norman Krasna Norman Krasna (November 7, 1909 – November 1, 1984) was an American screenwriter, playwright, producer, and film director who penned Screwball comedy film, screwball comedies centered on a case of mistaken identity. Krasna directed three films ...

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

pen pal Pen pals (or penfriends, penpals, pen-pals) are people who regularly write to each other, particularly via postal mail. Pen pals are usually strangers whose relationship is based primarily, or even solely, on their exchange of letters. Occasion ...

. Two sequels to ''Dear Ruth'' were later produced: ''

Dear Wife ''Dear Wife'' is a 1949 comedy film starring Joan Caulfield and William Holden. It is the sequel to '' Dear Ruth'', which was based on the Broadway play of the same name by Norman Krasna. Plot Miriam Wilkins is a teenage girl who is campaigni ...

'' (1949), with all of the principal actors reprising their roles, and ''

Dear Brat ''Dear Brat'' is a 1951 American comedy film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Mona Freeman and Billy De Wolfe. It is the third in a series following '' Dear Ruth'' (1947) and ''Dear Wife'' (1949). Plot Miriam Wilkins has founded an ass ...

'' (1951), featuring Freeman, Arnold and De Wolfe. Despite the popular belief that

J. D. Salinger Jerome David Salinger ( ; January 1, 1919 – January 27, 2010) was an American author best known for his 1951 novel '' The Catcher in the Rye''. Salinger published several short stories in '' Story'' magazine in 1940, before serving in World Wa ...

based the name of his character

Holden Caulfield Holden Caulfield (identified as "Holden Morrisey Caulfield" in the story "Slight Rebellion Off Madison", and "Holden V. Caulfield" in ''The Catcher in the Rye'') is a fictional character in the works of author J. D. Salinger. He is most famous f ...

, who appears in ''

The Catcher in the Rye ''The Catcher in the Rye'' is the only novel by American author J. D. Salinger. It was partially published in serial form in 1945–46 before being novelized in 1951. Originally intended for adults, it is often read by adolescents for its theme ...

'' 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 "I'm Crazy" is a short story written by J. D. Salinger for the December 22, 1945 issue of ''Collier's'' magazine. Despite the story's underlying melancholy, the magazine described it as "the heart-warming story of a kid whose only fault lay in und ...

", was published in December 1945, a year and a half before the film's release.

Plot

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

as Ruth Wilkins *

as Lieut. William Seacroft *

as Miriam Wilkins * Edward Arnold as Judge Harry Wilkins *

as Albert Kummer * Mary Philips as Mrs.

die Die, as a verb, refers to death, the cessation of life. Die may also refer to: Games * Die, singular of dice, small throwable objects used for producing random numbers Manufacturing * Die (integrated circuit), a rectangular piece of a semicondu ...

Wilkins * Virginia Welles as Martha Seacroft *

Kenny Morrison Kenny Morrison is an American actor, who began his career as a child actor. Morrison took over the role of Atreyu in '' The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter''. His first role was as Tom McKaskel in the TV movie '' The Quick and the Dead'', ...

as Sgt. Chuck Vincent *

Marietta Canty Marietta Canty (September 30, 1905 – July 9, 1986) was an American actress, community activist and recipient of numerous humanitarian awards. Early days Canty was born in Hartford, Connecticut, the daughter of Mary and Henry Canty, who atten ...

as Dora he Wilkins' maid*

Irving Bacon Irving Ernest Bacon (September 6, 1893 – February 5, 1965) was an American character actor who appeared in almost 500 films. Early years Bacon was the son of entertainers Millar West Bacon (who was a teenager) and Myrtle Vane. He was born ...

as Delivery Man

Production

's play ''

Dear Ruth ''Dear Ruth'' is a successful 1944 Broadway play written by Norman Krasna. It ran for 680 performances. History Krasna wrote a serious play, '' The Man with Blond Hair'', which received a tepid response. He said that Moss Hart suggested he w ...

'' 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. 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 ''Lady in the Dark'' is a musical with music by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book and direction by Moss Hart. It was produced by Sam Harris. The protagonist, Liza Elliott, is the unhappy editor of a fashion magazine who is undergoing p ...

''. Studio executive

Henry Ginsberg Henry Ginsberg (April 29, 1897 – June 10, 1979) was an American film studio executive who was head of production at Paramount Studios in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He subsequently produced ''Giant'' (1956). Born to a Jewish family, he arr ...

announced the male lead as

Sonny Tufts Bowen Charlton "Sonny" Tufts III (July 16, 1911 – June 4, 1970) was an American stage, film, and television actor. He is best known for the films he made as a contract star at Paramount in the 1940s, including '' So Proudly We Hail!''. He ...

and that Ruth would be played by

Paulette Goddard Paulette Goddard (born Marion Levy; June 3, 1910 – April 23, 1990) was an American actress and socialite. Her career spanned six decades, from the 1920s to the early 1970s. She was a prominent leading actress during the Golden Age of Hollywood ...

, while Miriam would be played by

Diana Lynn Diana Marie Lynn (born Dolores Eartha Loehr, July 5, 1926 – December 18, 1971) was an American actress. She built her career by starring in Paramount Pictures films and various television series during the 1940s and 1950s. Two stars on th ...

. In March 1946, Paramount announced the film as part of its slate for the following year. The husband-and-wife writing team of

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert Computers, Inc., a computer manufacturer in the 1980s * Albert Czech Republic, a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street mar ...

and Frances Hackett was assigned the script. The same year in July, Caulfield and

were cast as the leads and Edward Arnold joined the cast. 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 Sidney Ivanovich Lanfield (April 20, 1898 – June 20, 1972) was an American film director known for directing romances and light comedy films and later television programs. The one-time jazz musician and vaudevillian star started his first di ...

directing and Paul Jones producing. In addition to the Hacketts,

Arthur Sheekman Arthur Sheekman (February 5, 1901 – January 12, 1978) was an American theater and movie critic, columnist, playwright, and editor—but best known for his writing for the screen. His specialty was light comedy. Groucho Marx called him "The Fast ...

had worked on the script. Lanfield became ill and was replaced by William D. Russell.

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 in August.

Lawsuit

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

sued Krasna and the filmmakers for

plagiarism Plagiarism is the representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 ''Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close ...

, claiming that the story infringed the copyright of "Dear Mr. Private", a story that they intended to film with

Lee Bowman Lee Bowman (December 28, 1914 – December 25, 1979) was an American film and television actor. According to one obituary, "his roles ranged from romantic lead to worldly, wisecracking lout in his most famous years". Career Born in Cincinnati, ...

. Columbia was unsuccessful, appealed the decision and lost the appeal.

Reception

Critical

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though some ...

praised the film in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', 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".

Box office

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

Sequels

Paramount purchased the rights to use the characters again. A sequel, ''

'', was released in 1949. This was followed in 1951 with ''

'', the final installment in the series.

References

External links

* * * {{AFI film, 25135
''Dear Ruth''
at Letterbox DVD
''Dear Ruth''
at BFI
Review of film
at Variety 1947 films 1947 romantic comedy films 1940s English-language films American black-and-white films American films based on plays American romantic comedy films Films directed by William D. Russell Films scored by Robert Emmett Dolan Films set in 1944 Films set in New York (state) Films set in New York City Films set on the United States home front during World War II Paramount Pictures films 1940s American films English-language romantic comedy films