A Farming We Will Go!

 

I want to say a heartfelt and huge Thank you to everyone who wrote such beautiful congrats to me in last week’s post. I read all of them and I’m sorry I didn’t respond…but I did love it. Thank you!!!

Last week I ate corn on the cob and, yesterday, I picked green beans off of our small garden area. Soon the cherry tomatoes will be going like gang busters which made me think of farms. The first movie that popped into my head was “The Egg And I” but I already spoke about that very funny movie  last year so I  went with the following films…

1. TOBACCO ROAD-1941

This is a better film than I thought it would be and quite funny for a John Ford movie. Charles Grapewin is the lazy ass patriarch of hillbillies on a property that used to be a prosperous farm run by his ancestors. The bank wants the farm but Charly may have a way to get some money to keep the farm plus find a husband for his daughter played by the beautiful Gene Tierney. The film is well acted and directed and worth a look. I hope this is not in Spanish…hard to find a trailer

2. SHENANDOAH-1965

This film stars James Stewart as the patriarch of a large family of boys and one girl. He is a believer in peace and refuses to have his children enter the civil war despite his eldest thinking very differently. Due to unfortunate events the youngest ends up in the war and James and his family go out on the road to bring him home leaving behind one son with that son’s wife and baby home to watch over the farm. The family go through some funny moments, action and some very sad times that really hit me hard. The music is excellent along with the cinematography and the acting. Worth a look.

3. FIELD OF DREAMS-1989

This is, quite rightly, called a Capraesque film that stars Kevin Costner as a young farmer struggling to keep his farm while the mean banks are hot on his heels to grab his tranquil farm. While he is in the corn field, he hears a voice say, “If you build it, he will come”. He looks all around seeing nothing but the voice continues until he sees a young Ray Liotta, playing Shoeless Joe Jackson come out of his cornfield wanting to play ball. At first, only he and his daughter sees the ball players who keep coming out of the corn field but soon, his wife sees them too. He creates a baseball spot and embarks on a journey to find an irascible author, played perfectly by James Earl Jones and an old man, played by Burt Lancaster who always wished he could have played professional baseball. The film is magical, hopeful, sweet and just well acted. When filming wrapped, the outdoor location became a big tourist attraction with many people coming to that farm to play baseball. I don’t know what it’s like now but I hope it still attracts people. 

So what farm movies come into your mind? Ever live on a farm? I didn’t but was surrounded by farms and did pick fruit and veggies when I was young. It’s not easy.