The Farmer's Wife (play)
The Farmer's Wife is a romantic comedy play by the British writer Eden Philpotts, based on the scenario of his novel Widecombe Fair (1913).[1] It was first staged in Birmingham in 1916. Its London premiere was at the Royal Court Theatre in 1924.[2][3] By 1926 when Laurence Olivier went on tour in the lead role, the play had already been performed 1,300 times.[4]
Synopsis[]
After his wife dies, a farmer goes through an elaborate attempt to persuade one of his various female neighbours to marry him without realising that the ideal woman is already working as his housekeeper.
Adaptations[]
Film[]
THe source novel was itself made into a separate film in 1928, directed by Norman Walker. The play was twice adapted to film: the 1928 silent film The Farmer's Wife, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Jameson Thomas and Lillian Hall-Davis, and the 1941 sound film The Farmer's Wife, directed by Leslie Arliss and starring Basil Sydney and Patricia Roc.[1]
Television[]
Two versions of the play were made for UK television: in 1955, adapted and directed by Owen Reed,[3] and in 1959, directed by Patrick Dromgoole as part of the Saturday Playhouse series.[5]
Radio[]
In 1934, a recording for BBC Radio was adapted and produced by Cyril Wood.[6]
References[]
- ^ a b "Alfred Hitchcock Collectors' Guide: The Farmer's Wife (1928)". Brenton Film.
- ^ Williams p.172
- ^ a b "The Farmer's Wife". 1 February 1955. p. 26 – via BBC Genome.
- ^ Coleman p.27
- ^ "Saturday Playhouse presents: The Farmer's Wife". 5 December 1959. p. 27 – via BBC Genome.
- ^ "'The Farmer's Wife'". 12 February 1934. p. 28 – via BBC Genome.
Works cited[]
- Coleman, Terry. Olivier: The Authorised Biography. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2005.
- Williams, Gordon. British Theatre in the Great War: A Revaluation. Continuum International Publishing Group, 2003.
External links[]
- The Farmer's Wife at Faded Page (Canada)
- 1916 plays
- British plays adapted into films
- Plays set in England
- West End plays
- Works by Eden Phillpotts
- 1910s play stubs