The Vanishing Virginian
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1940 novel
by Rebecca Yancey Williams
Frank Borzage
| The Vanishing Virginian | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Frank Borzage |
| Written by | Jan Fortune |
| Based on | The Vanishing Virginian 1940 novel by Rebecca Yancey Williams |
| Produced by | Edwin H. Knopf (as Edwin Knopf) Frank Borzage |
| Starring | Frank Morgan Kathryn Grayson |
| Cinematography | Charles Lawton Jr. |
| Edited by | James E. Newcom |
| Music by | David Snell (score) Earl Brent (adaptation) Lennie Hayton (director) Daniele Amfitheatrof (uncredited) |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Loew's Inc. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $499,000[1] |
| Box office | $905,000[1] |
The Vanishing Virginian is a 1942 American drama film directed by Frank Borzage and starring Frank Morgan and Kathryn Grayson. It is based on the memoirs of Rebecca Yancey Williams and set in Lynchburg, Virginia, from 1913 to 1929.
Based on the true story of turn-of-the-century Robert Yancey, lawyer and ever-popular politician in Virginia. The film starts with the statement, "This is the story of a vanishing era when simple men so loved their country, their families and their friends that America became a better place in which to live. Such a man was Cap'n Bob Yancey."[2]
The film is based on a 1940 memoir of the same name by Rebecca Yancey Williams. The book's central figure was her father, Robert Davis Yancey, and detailed the story of Cap'n Bob Yancey, his charming and absent‐minded wife and all the Yancey children.[3] The film explores societal roles in plantations of the "Old Dominion" around Lynchburg and their socio-economic implications, as well as the movement for women’s suffrage, among other things. It is also the town's story, and various eminent Virginians cross the pages, including Carter Glass, General Jubal Early, Lady Astor's father, "Chilly" Langhorne, and others.[4] Katharine Alexander portrays an outspoken woman who moved north and got a divorce; the character is held to be loosely based on Nancy Langhorne Astor.[5]
Cast
- Frank Morgan as Robert Yancey
- Kathryn Grayson as Rebecca Yancey
- Spring Byington as Rosa Yancey
- Natalie Thompson as Margaret Yancey
- Douglass Newland as Jim Shirley (as Douglass Newland)
- Mark Daniels as Jack Holden
- Elizabeth Patterson as Grandma
- Juanita Quigley as Caroline Yancey
- Scotty Beckett as Joel Yancey
- Leigh Whipper as Uncle Josh
- Louise Beavers as Aunt Emmeline
- Katharine Alexander as Marcia Templeton
- J.M. Kerrigan as John Phelps
- Harlan Briggs as Mr. Rogard
- Katharine Alexander as Marcia Marshall
Box office
According to MGM records, the film earned $589,000 in the U.S. and Canada, and $316,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $63,000.[1]
