Dear Ruth (1947) on Netflix
Approved19471h 35mComedyRomance
Teenager Miriam Wilkins writes to Lieutenant William Seacroft using her older sister Ruth's name and photograph. When Bill arrives on leave, Ruth, newly engaged to Albert Kummer, plays along.
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- Netflix3.6/5
- IMDb7.1/10774 votes
- Rotten TomatoesNot available
Plot summary
Miriam Wilkins, a teenage activist during World War II, signs her family up for her causes without asking them first. She has also been writing to Lieutenant William Seacroft, a bombardier just back from Italy, using her older sister Ruth's name and photograph. Bill arrives at the Wilkins home in New York on two days of leave and tells Ruth's parents he has fallen in love with their daughter. Ruth comes home with news of her own: she has just become engaged to Albert Kummer. The family learns about Miriam's sixty letters. Ruth intends to tell Bill the truth, but when he arrives, she cannot.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Dear Ruth (1947)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- A popular belief holds that J. D. Salinger named his character Holden Caulfield after a marquee showing the last names of the film's two leads; the first Holden Caulfield story, "I'm Crazy", was published in December 1945, a year and a half before the film's release.
- Paramount paid a reported $450,000 for the film rights to Norman Krasna's play Dear Ruth, on the condition that no film be made until the play had finished a two-year run, and it was the highest sum Paramount had ever paid for a property, topping the $283,000 for Lady in the Dark.
- Mona Freeman tested for her role several times but director Lanfield did not want her; after Lanfield fell ill and was replaced by William D. Russell, Freeman was added to the cast in August.
- Columbia Pictures sued Krasna and the filmmakers for plagiarism, claiming the story infringed the copyright of "Dear Mr. Private", a story Columbia intended to film with Lee Bowman; Columbia lost the case, appealed and lost the appeal.
