Dear Ruth
| Dear Ruth | |
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Movie poster
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| Directed by | William D. Russell |
| Produced by | Paul Jones |
| Written by |
Norman Krasna (play) Arthur Sheekman |
| Starring |
Joan Caulfield William Holden Mona Freeman Edward Arnold |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $3.8 million (US rentals) |
| Dear Ruth | |
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| Written by | Norman Krasna |
| Date premiered | 13 December 1944 |
| Place premiered | Henry Millers Theatre, Broadway |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Setting | The living-room of the Wilkins home, Kew Gardens, Long Island. Late Summer, 1944. |
Dear Ruth is a 1947 romantic comedy film starring Joan Caulfield, William Holden, Mona Freeman, and Edward Arnold. It was based on the Broadway play of the same name by Norman Krasna. A teenage girl has a soldier for a pen pal, but uses her older sister's name and photograph. Then the man shows up while on a two-day leave.
Norman Krasna had written a serious play, The Man with Blond Hair, which received a tepid response. He says Moss Hart suggested he write a commercial comedy instead along the lines of Junior Miss. Krasna based the family in the play on that of Groucho Marx, who was a good friend and occasional collaborator. The play was named in honour of Krasna's first wife, Ruth.
The original production of the play was directed by Moss Hart and starred John Dall. It was a large success, running for 680 performances.
Film rights were sold for a reported $450,000 with the proviso that any movie not be made until the play finished a two year run.
As part of the purchase price for the play, Paramount had the rights to use the characters for a sequel.
Columbia Pictures sued Krasna and the filmmakers for plagiarism claiming the story infringed copyright in a story they had bought called Dear Mr Private. They were unsuccessful.
The film was successful at the box office.
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Wikipedia