The Farmer's Daughter (1963–1966)

"Ja, Ja!" Being a native Washingtonian, I truly appreciate the historical footage depicted in "The Farmer's Daughter". When this show aired on ABC in 1963 I was only 3 years old. However, by the time it ended in 1966 I was aware of it, mainly because of its star, Inger Stevens. "The Farmer's Daughter" was unlike any other TV show that aired before it. I'm not aware of any other show before it in which an employee and her boss were in love with one another. In almost every episode, Katy and Congressman Morley were jealous of the opposition. For example, in my favorite episode (#21), "The Playboy of Capitol Hill", Peter Graves played the playboy who falls in love with Katy. This, of course, makes Congressman Morley jealous. This is what made this show and other shows special during the early years of television. There was a level of innocence that has been forever lost. Katy and the Congressman finally married in November of 1965 but the final episode aired in April of 1966.. Inger Stevens was never more glamorous than she was in the role of Katy Holstrum. She was like a Swedish version of June Cleaver. However, she was single and somewhat of a feminist for that era. The writers and producers clearly had Inger Stevens in mind when they created the show. I suspect that they allowed her to be herself because the show seemed almost biographical in nature. Unfortunately, Stevens real life didn't have a happy ending. She committed suicide in April 1970. During the 1980's, the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) aired the series in it's entirety. Thankfully, because of CBN I have in my collection the entire series. In 2000, "The Farmer's Daughter Remembered" by William Patterson was published. A. Zachary Sanders