Blending a realistic perspective concerning politics of the era, a yearning for something better and an absolutely delightful performance by Loretta Young (she won a Best Actress Oscar for it), The Farmer’s Daughter (1947) is at the top of the list of great political comedies.

The story is as idealistic as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and much more fun.  Swedish maid Young publicly humiliates one party’s candidate and is recruited by the other party to run against him.  Complicating matters are her former employer (Congressman Joseph Cotten, who loves her) and an unfortunate, but innocent, situation that threatens to publicly humiliate her.

Ethel Barrymore and Charles Bickford are terrific in supporting roles but the lasting joy of H. C. Potter’s movie is following Loretta Young’s character Katie as she leaves home for the first time and learns how other people live and behave.  Katie remains constant and forever truthful, even when her candor embarrasses other people.

The Farmer’s Daughter — a terrible title, insinuating sexual shenanigans which do not occur — remains a wise and wonderful film more than sixty years after its creation.  When Katie is asked to describe her ideal Congressman, her lucid response makes one yearn for a politician honest enough to fill that position.  My rating:  ☆ ☆ ☆ 1/2. (10:1).