''Our Vines Have Tender Grapes'' is a 1945 American drama film directed by Roy Rowland and starring Edward G. Robinson and Margaret O'Brien.

Plot

Martinius Jacobson is a Norwegian immigrant farmer in Wisconsin with his wife Bruna and their seven-year-old daughter Selma, who is often bedeviled by her playmate and five-year-old cousin Arnold. Martinius simply wants to work his land and to be a loving husband and father to his family. His one great ambition is to build a new barn, but tragedy strikes. Selma lives a carefree, joyous life, which is only temporarily clouded by the sudden death of Ingeborg Jensen, an emotionally disturbed young woman whose stern father had refused her permission to attend school despite the pleas of newly arrived schoolmarm Viola Johnson. The entire town of Fuller Junction comes to the aid of proud Bjorn Bjornson, who has lost his livestock when lightning struck and burned down his newly erected—but uninsured—barn. When Selma generously donates her pet calf to the impoverished farmer, the townspeople in general, and Martinius in particular, follow suit, prompting Viola to reconsider her harsh views on country life and retract her letter of resignation to the school board.

Cast

* Edward G. Robinson as Martinius Jacobson * Margaret O'Brien as Selma Jacobson * James Craig as Nels Halverson * Frances Gifford as Viola Johnson *

Agnes Moorehead Agnes Robertson Moorehead (December 6, 1900April 30, 1974) was an American actress. In a career spanning five decades, her credits included work in radio, stage, film, and television.Obituary '' Variety'', May 8, 1974, page 286. Moorehead was th ...

as Bruna Jacobson * Morris Carnovsky as Bjorn Bjornson * Jackie "Butch" Jenkins as Arnold Hanson *

Sara Haden Sara Haden (born Catherine Haden, November 17, 1898 – September 15, 1981) was an American actress of the 1930s through the 1950s and in television into the mid-1960s. She may be best remembered for appearing as Aunt Milly Forrest in 14 of the ...

as Mrs. Bjornson * Greta Granstedt as Mrs. Faraassen * Dorothy Morris as Ingeborg Jensen * Arthur Space as Pete Hanson * Elizabeth Russell as Kola Hanson * Louis Jean Heydt as Mr. Faraassen * Charles Middleton as Kurt Jensen * Francis Pierlot as Minister * Johnnie Berkes as Circus Driver

Background

The film is based on the 1940 novel of the same name by George Victor Martin about the

Norwegian-American Norwegian Americans () are Americans with ancestral roots in Norway. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the latter half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th century. There are more than 4.5 milli ...

residents of New Hope,

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, a fictitious small farming community inspired by the real town of Benson Corners in Portage County. The screenplay, written by Dalton Trumbo, was his last before being

blacklisted Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list; if people are on a blacklist, then they are considere ...

for refusing to testify before the

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative United States Congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 19 ...

; Margaret O'Brien later said that the film was largely ignored for decades because of Trumbo's political troubles. Told from the viewpoint of little Selma (O’Brien), the film explores grand childhood adventures: making friends, a pet calf, Christmas, a terrifying trip down a flood-swollen river, a barn fire and a ride on a circus elephant’s trunk. Its title comes from Chapter 2, Verse 15 in the Song of Solomon in the

King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version (AV), is an Early Modern English Bible translations, Early Modern English translation of the Christianity, Christian Bible for the Church of England, wh ...

of the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

, which reads "Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes." The quote is also the source of the title of the

Lillian Hellman Lillian Florence Hellman (June 20, 1905 – June 30, 1984) was an American playwright, Prose, prose writer, Memoir, memoirist, and screenwriter known for her success on Broadway as well as her communist views and political activism. She was black ...

play '' The Little Foxes'' and its 1941 film adaptation.

Reception

In a contemporary review for ''

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 ...

'', critic Thomas M. Pryor called the film "beautifully made" and wrote: "This is an eloquent and touchingly simple outpouring of the love in a little girl's heart ... If you can watch Margaret O'Brien's ecstatic expression without emotion then 'Our Vines Have Tender Grapes' was not meant for you." Pryor concluded his review by writing: "It is just unfortunate that this splendid entertainment had to arrive so near the end of the school vacation period, for the youngsters (not to overlook their elders) couldn't have asked for anything better." According to MGM records, the film earned $2,770,000 domestically and $1,426,000 foreign, resulting in a profit of $1,407,000.

References

External links

* * *
Solomon's Song of Songs, Book 2
{{Dalton Trumbo 1945 films 1945 drama films American drama films American black-and-white films Films based on American novels Films directed by Roy Rowland Films scored by Bronisław Kaper Films set in Wisconsin Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films with screenplays by Dalton Trumbo Works about Norwegian-American culture 1940s English-language films 1940s American films