Claudelle Inglish

Claudelle Inglish is a 1961 American film directed by Gordon Douglas and based on the 1958 novel by Erskine Caldwell. It stars Diane McBain and Arthur Kennedy. It was nominated for an Academy Award in 1962 for Best Costume Design (Howard Shoup). The film was cast with many Warner Bros. Television contract stars, including Diane McBain who replaced the original choice for the lead Anne Francis. McBain was then co-starring in Surfside 6 and had previously appeared in Parrish. Plot Pretty and shy young Georgia farmgirl Claudelle Inglish (Diane McBain), the daughter of a poor sharecropper Clyde Inglish (Arthur Kennedy) and his wife Jessie (Constance Ford), starts dating the poor neighbor, handsome farmboy Linn Varner (Chad Everett) during the spring of their senior year in high school. Claudelle and Linn instantly hit it off together, and soon they fall in love. Her mother objects to the relationship, fearing Claudelle will end up in the same rut she is, being married to a poor farmer, resulting in a stormy marriage. Claudelle is forced to endure her parents' many arguments stemming from Jessie's unhappiness having to be married to Clyde, a poor but hard-working farmer. At the same time, rich, middle-aged, portly landowner S.T. Crawford (Claude Akins), who owns the farm where the Inglish family live, begins to secretly eye Claudelle. Despite her mother's protests, Linn wins her dad's approval by helping him on the farm. Shortly before graduation, Linn takes Claudelle to a neighborhood carnival, where he wins her a musical dancing doll. That same night, Linn asks Claudelle to marry him and she happily says yes. Linn gets drafted into the army, and he and Claudelle are spending their last night together before Linn's departure at the senior prom. The two leave the dance to go for a walk, where Claudelle tells Linn her fears about him being away in the army for two years and how she is afraid they will never be together again. Linn calms her fears by promising her he will marry her the day he comes home from the service. Claudelle, still fearing about Linn leaving her, has him make love to her that night in the woods. Claudelle and Linn exchange letters through the summer, fall, and the following winter, with Claudelle looking forward to the day when he will return to marry her. During the winter, Claudelle makes payments on a trousseau for her wedding at Harley Peasley (Frank Overton) and his wife Ernestine's (Hope Summers) general store.