Sarah, Plain and Tall (film)

Sarah, Plain and Tall is an American television film in the Hallmark Hall of Fame anthology series. It first aired in February 1991. It is the first of three installments in the film adaptation of Patricia MacLachlan's novel of the same name.

Plot summary

The story is set in Kansas in 1910. Jacob Witting, a widowed farmer who is still saddened by the death of his wife during childbirth around six years earlier, finds that the task of taking care of his farm and two children, Anna and Caleb, is too difficult to handle alone. He advertises in the newspaper for a mail-order bride. Sarah, from Maine, responds describing herself as "plain and tall", and travels out to become his wife. Upon arriving at the farm, she proves to have good sense, an interest in helping with even the most physically demanding chores, and a quiet, warm personality. But she grows homesick: miles and miles of Kansas farmland prove no substitute for Maine's ocean vistas. Sarah is under no obligation to marry Papa and is free to leave if she so desires; much of the story's suspense depends on whether or not she will decide to stay.

Cast

• Glenn Close as Sarah Wheaton
• Christopher Walken as Jacob Witting
• Lexi Randall as Anna Witting
• Malgorzata Zajaczkowska as Maggie Grant (as Margaret Sophie Stein)
• Jon DeVries as Matthew Grant
• Christopher Bell as Caleb Witting
• James Rebhorn as William Wheaton
• Woody Watson as Jess Stearns
• Betty Laird as Mrs. Parkley
• Marc Penney as Ticket Agent
• Kara Beth Taylor as Rose

Reception

Generally well received by the public, it was considered "Fresh" at Rotten Tomatoes with 80% approval based on five reviews. It was nominated for nine Emmys in 1991, it won one, for "outstanding sound mixing for a drama miniseries or a special". It was also nominated for two Golden Globes.

External links

• Sarah, Plain and Tall at the Internet Movie Database
• Sarah, Plain and Tall at Rotten Tomatoes
• Sarah, Plain and Tall at TV.com