The Farmer's Daughter (TV series)


The Farmer's Daughter is a filmed American situation comedy series, loosely based on the identically titled 1947 film, that was produced by Screen Gems Television and aired on ABC from September 20, 1963 to April 22, 1966. It was sponsored by Lark Cigarettes and Clairol, for whom the two leading stars often appeared at show's end promoting the products. It also enjoyed a brief run in syndication when it aired on CBN Cable in the 1980s.

Overview

The series starred Inger Stevens as Katy Holstrum, a young Swedish woman who becomes housekeeper for a widowed U.S. Congressman, Glen Morley. In the series Glen has two sons, aged 14 and 8 at the time of the premiere. Steve, the older of the two boys, was played by Mickey Sholdar, while Danny was played by Rory O'Brien. The Congressman's mother, Agatha Morley, was played by Cathleen Nesbitt.
, 1963.
In its first season, The Farmer's Daughter competed against Twilight Zone on CBS and the short-lived Larry Blyden series, Harry's Girls, on NBC. The series never broke into the top 30, but during its first two years it earned respectable ratings and proved to be moderately successful. The last episode of the second season featured the two leads becoming engaged.
The third season brought some changes to the format, as the series began filming episodes in color. However, the fourth and fifth episodes had been shot in black and white.. On Monday, November 1, 1965, Katy Holstrum and Glen Morley were married in a wedding ceremony attended by 300 invited guests. When the couple went on their honeymoon, the network censors objected to the original script that had Glen bringing his new bride to a hotel room with twin beds, then saying, "But I asked for a double bed!" Forbidding use of the word "bed," the censors allowed it to be replaced with "accommodations," along with a glance at the bed.
After the wedding episode the show's ratings fell, and ABC canceled The Farmer's Daughter. In the second to last episode, "Is He or Isn't He?", Katy adopted Glen's sons, thereby providing the series closure as well as a "happy ending."
Unlike the 1947 film, Katy never ran for Congress in the series.

Cast

Season 1 (1963–64)

All episodes in black-and-white
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Season 2 (1964–65)

All episodes in black-and-white
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Season 3 (1965–66)

All episodes in color
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Awards and nominations