FRIENDLY PERSUASION
PRODUCED & DIRECTED BY WILLIAM WYLER
MUSIC BY DIMITRI TIOMKIN
B-M PRODUCTIONS
ALLIED ARTISTS PICTURES CORPORATION (William Wyler's Production)
Photo with the courtesy of lasbugas
Information from IMDb
Plot Summary
The story of a family of Quakers in Indiana in 1862.
Their religous sect is strongly opposed to violence and war.
It's not easy for them to meet the rules of their religion in everyday life
but when Southern troops pass the area they are in real trouble.
Should they fight, despite their peaceful attitide?
Written by Olaf Mertens
Full Cast
Gary Cooper ... Jess Birdwell
Dorothy McGuire ... Eliza Birdwell
Anthony Perkins ... Josh Birdwell
Richard Eyer ... Little Jess Birdwell
Robert Middleton ... Sam Jordan
Phyllis Love ... Mattie Birdwell
Peter Mark Richman ... Gard Jordan (as Mark Richman)
Walter Catlett ... Professor Quigley
Richard Hale ... Purdy
Joel Fluellen ... Enoch
Theodore Newton ... Major Harvey
John Smith ... Caleb Cope
Edna Skinner ... Opal Hudspeth
Marjorie Durant ... Pearl Hudspeth
Frances Farwell ... Ruby Hudspeth
Samantha the Goose ... Herself
Marjorie Main ... The Widow Hudspeth
James Anderson ... Poor Loser Dunked by Jess (uncredited)
Edward Andrews ... Soldier (uncredited)
Irvin Ashkenazy ... Farmer (uncredited)
Nick Borgani ... Wrestling Match Spectator (uncredited)
Mary Carr ... Emma - Quaker Woman (uncredited)
Noble 'Kid' Chissel ... Barker (uncredited)
Edmund Cobb ... Operator (uncredited)
John Compton ... Rebel Lieutenant (uncredited)
Chuck Courtney ... Reb Courier (uncredited)
John Craven ... Band Leader (uncredited)
Billy Curtis ... Midget at County Fair (uncredited)
Charles Delaney ... Drinker (uncredited)
John Dierkes ... Farmer (uncredited)
James Dobson ... Rebel Soldier (uncredited)
Billy Engle ... Small Role (uncredited)
Duke Fishman ... Wrestling Match Spectator (uncredited)
Robert Fuller ... Youthful Soldier at Shooting Gallery (uncredited)
Ralph Gamble ... Medicine Man (uncredited)
Richard Garland ... Rebel Bushwhacker Grabbed by Jess (uncredited)
Everett Glass ... Brother Amos - Elder (uncredited)
James Goodwin ... Coward (uncredited)
Frank Hagney ... Lemonade Vendor (uncredited)
Charles Halton ... Brother Cope - Elder (uncredited)
Ron Hargrave ... Farmer (uncredited)
Harry Hines ... County Fair Barker (uncredited)
Earle Hodgins ... Shooting Gallery Operator (uncredited)
Jean Inness ... Mrs. Purdy (uncredited)
Tom Irish ... Young Rebel (uncredited)
Mary Jackson ... Country Woman (uncredited)
Frank Jenks ... Shell Game Man (uncredited)
Diane Jergens ... Elizabeth - Quaker Girl (uncredited)
Leroy Johnson ... Forager (uncredited)
King Karlo ... Fire Eater (uncredited)
Don Kennedy ... Buster - Whacked by Eliza (uncredited)
Donald Kerr ... Billy Goat's Manager (uncredited)
Wright King ... Forager (uncredited)
Helen Kleeb ... Old Lady (uncredited)
Norman Leavitt ... Clem - Looter (uncredited)
Nelson Leigh ... Methodist Minister (uncredited)
Tom London ... Farmer on Front Line with Gard (uncredited)
Jack Macy ... Small Role (uncredited)
Doug McClure ... Soldier (uncredited)
Jack McClure ... Union Soldier (uncredited)
Tyler McVey ... Farmer (uncredited)
Dennis Moore ... Farmer (uncredited)
Charles Morton ... Farmer (uncredited)
James O'Hara ... Forager (uncredited)
Murray Parker ... Sword Swallower (uncredited)
Jack Perrin ... Wrestling Match Spectator (uncredited)
John Pickard ... Ex-Sergeant on Front Line with Josh (uncredited)
Ivan Rasputin ... Billy Goat - Wrestling Challenger (uncredited)
Gene Roth ... Farmer (uncredited)
Henry Rowland ... O'Hara (uncredited)
Ralph Sanford ... Businessman (uncredited)
William Schallert ... Young Husband (uncredited)
James Seay ... Rebel Captain (uncredited)
Russell Simpson ... Brother Griffith - Elder (uncredited)
Jack Sterling ... Rebel (uncredited)
Frank Sully ... Rebel Looter (uncredited)
William Tannen ... Supply Sergeant (uncredited)
Joe Turkel ... Poor Loser (uncredited)
William Vedder ... Farmer (uncredited)
Sailor Vincent ... Wrestling Match Spectator (uncredited)
Steve Warren ... Haskell (uncredited)
Hart Wayne ... Farmer (uncredited)
Writing Credits
Michael Wilson (screenplay) originally uncredited
Jessamyn West (book) contributing writer (uncredited)
Produced
Robert Wyler .... associate producer
William Wyler .... producer
Harry F. Hogan .... assistant producer (uncredited)
Walter Mirisch .... executive producer (uncredited)
Original Music
Dimitri Tiomkin
Cinematography
Ellsworth Fredericks
Trivia
Originally released without screenwriting credit due to blacklisting of Michael Wilson;
credits restored in 1996.
The official name of the Quaker religion is Society of Friends. Members of the faith
are called Friends and nicknamed Quakers.
The book is called "The Friendly Persuasion", meaning the faith.
The film is simply called "Friendly Persuasion,"
which more specifically refers to the Quakers' way of communicating.
Final film of Charles Halton.
Gary Cooper initially turned the film down because he didn't believe the American public
would accept him as a devout Quaker father.
This was President Ronald Reagan's favorite film.
In May 1988 he presented Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev with a VHS copy.
The role of Jess Birdwell was originally intended for Bing Crosby,
who turned it down and recommended his close friend Gary Cooper for the part.
Katharine Hepburn turned down the role of Eliza Birdwell.
Gary Cooper wanted Ingrid Bergman to play Eliza Birdwell, but she turned the part down.
Gary Cooper hated the way he appeared in the film
so much that he never even watched it after seeing the rushes.
Jean Arthur was considered to play the mother.
Gary Cooper originally did not want to play a father of grown up children.
This was despite the fact that he was 55 in real life.
The battle depicted in the film, against the Confederate raiders
led by General John Hunt Morgan, is based on an actual battle.
On July 9, 1863, 450 members of the Indiana Home Guard met
John Hunt Morgan's raiders in battle south of the town of Corydon, Indiana
(although not, as depicted in the film, at a creek crossing).
The Home Guard held off the raiders for a half-hour,
but the raiders numbered 11,000, and the Home Guard was eventually forced to retreat.
The Morgan raiders occupied the town of Corydon for a single afternoon,
during which time they looted stores in the town and forced
several mill owners to pay cash ransoms in return for not burning their mills.
At 5 o'clock, the raiders moved on. During the battle, the Morgan raiders suffered
11 men killed and 33 wounded, while the Indiana Home Guard lost only 5 men.
Before Gary Cooper became involved Montgomery Clift
was offered the film but turned it down.
Goofs
Anachronisms
The Minneapolis steam engine at the fair is too new for a Civil War movie.
Character error
When Jess Birdwell sends the children upstairs after mother Eliza
retires to the barn, he says, "up stairs to bed, all of thee!"
In Quaker dialect, the pronoun thee is used as the objective case of thou,
and is used only when addressing an individual.
He should have said, "up stairs to bed, all of you!".
Continuity
When Jess is grazed by a Rebel bullet, the cut runs across his forehead.
In the next scene, the cut runs up and down.
Crew or equipment visible
When the two Rebel scouts come upon the creek, and one of them rides into the water,
the light from a reflector panel becomes clearly visible across his face.
Filming Locations
Bidwell Park - Manzanita Avenue, Chico, California, USA
Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California, USA
Chico, California, USA
Los Angeles, California, USA
M & T Ranch, California, USA
North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
Rowland V. Lee Ranch - Fallbrook Avenue, Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California, USA
The Mabel Normand Sound Stage, Republic Studios - 4024 Radford Avenue, North Hollywood,
Los Angeles, California, USA (county fair exteriors)