In October, 1932, wealthy industrialist B. F. Fulton (Charles Coburn) tells his wife (Spring Byington) and daughter, Polly (Barbara Stanwyck), that he is optimistic about the Depression. Having started years earlier as a little guy and worked himself to his present powerful position, B. F. has faith in Americans to pull themselves up out of the economic downtimes.
On the opposite side of the political spectrum is Martin Ainsley (Keenan Wynn), an activist who is continually denouncing B. F. and others like him and blaming them for the Depression. Most of Ainsley's ideas come from the books and economic ideas of university professor Tom Brett (Van Heflin). Both men are completely opposed to and have little use for wealthy capitalists.
At a speakeasy one afternoon, Polly and her friend Apples Sandler (Margaret Lindsay) find themselves entering into conversation with Tom Brett.
Not knowing who he is, or how much he despises wealth and luxury, Polly is rather taken with Tom's boldness and ends up having lunch with him. When he takes her home and discovers she lives in a fancy Park Avenue apartment, he is rather unsettled; yet, he is even more unsettled when he realizes that Polly is none other than the daughter of B. F. Fulton---a man about whom he has written three not-so-nice chapters in his recent book. Despite their completely different political viewpoints, though, Tom and Polly are very much attracted to one another and fall in love. Breaking her engagement to a rather stuffy attorney, Polly marries Tom, declaring that she wants to make him into a great man.
Tom, however, doesn't want the financial and social "bonuses" which come through being married to B. F. Fulton's daughter. He wants to make it on his own and, in fact, yearns for Polly to need him and what he can do for her as opposed to needing what she can do for him. Therefore, not using his connections with the rich and powerful Fulton's, Tom seeks to make a life for him and Polly on his own, but in the midst of the Depression, there aren't any who are willing to send an unknown man on a political and economic lecture tour.
Wanting to help Tom become the successful lecturer he longs to be, Polly uses her money and influence, even pressuring the lecture committee to give him a chance. After Polly promises to guarantee any financial loss, things begin to change for Tom, and eventually, his career is completely successful, even landing him on a presidential-appointed fact finding committee. As the years go by, though, the radical difference in Tom's and Polly's idealogy becomes more and more pronounced. Whereas she is used to wealth and luxury, Tom despises those things, and he continues to resent her father's money being used for his comforts. How will he react when Polly purchases a museum-sized house for them? And what will he do when he discovers that the Fulton name is the only reason he was given a lecture opportunity in the first place? Can Tom, who wants a wife who needs him, and Polly, whose financial and social status have always precluded her from needing anyone, keep their love alive? Can their marriage survive the vast differences in their political and economic idealogies? These are the questions which play out in the balance of this film.
While B.F.'s Daughter is not a spectacular film, it is definitely a solid, 3-star viewing experience. The storyline is interesting, and I came to really care about both characters. I adore Barbara Stanwyck and think she was her usual terrific self; Van Heflin, though, was definitely her equal. While Miss Stanwyck takes top billing, Van more than holds his own with her and makes a very enjoyable romantic lead. Plus, the two of them had great chemistry together here. Incidentally, I've seen them together in another film (East Side, West Side), and I think they connected very well there too. Charles Coburn---always fantastic in his roles---is wonderful here, as is Keenan Wynn as the liberal, anti-capitalist radio announcer.
This film is not out on DVD, and I've also been unable to locate it on YouTube. However, TCM airs it quite regularly, so you can probably catch it there fairly soon.
Happy viewing!!
