ERIE CANAL BICENTENNIAL – The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935)

Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the Erie Canal, which opened on this
exact date in 1825, the Capitol will screen Hollywood’s best film about the Erie,
the 1935 Fox release, The Farmer Takes a Wife. Directed by Victor Fleming
(Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, et. al.), the movie stars Janet Gaynor,
Henry Fonda (screen debut), Charles Bickford, Slim Summerville, and Andy
Devine. The Farmer Takes a Wife is based on the 1934 Broadway play of the
same name (with both Fonda and Margaret Hamilton repeating their stage roles)
which, in turn, was based on the novel, Rome Haul, by Boonville native Walter D.
Edmonds.

Set in Rome, New York and the Erie Canal in the mid’ 19 th Century, the story
revolves around a farmer (Fonda) who takes a job on a canal boat to earn
enough to buy a farm. His plans take a detour when he falls in love with the canal
cook (Janet Gaynor) of the possessive bully of the Erie (Charles Bickford).
Preceding the special screening will be remarks by dignitaries, including
historic commentary about the Canal, the construction of which started in Rome,
New York.

The Farmer Takes a Wife runs 91 minutes, is in black and white, and is not
rated. The 35mm film print comes from the UCLA Film & Television Archive, and
is screened by special permission of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Adults $8, seniors/students/military $7, Capitol Friends $6, children (12 and
under) $4.