Sarah, Plain and Tall (film)

Sarah, Plain and Tall is an American drama television film that premiered on CBS on February 3, 1991, as part of the Hallmark Hall of Fame anthology series. It is directed and produced by Glenn Jordan from a teleplay by Patricia MacLachlan and Carol Sobieski, based on the book of the same name by MacLachlan. The film stars Glenn Close, who also serves as an executive producer, and Christopher Walken. It tells the story of a Maine spinster who goes to Kansas in the early 1900's in response to a widower's newspaper advertisement seeking a wife.

The film was nominated for nine Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special and Miniseries, winning one for its editing. It also received two Golden Globe Award nominations, for Best Miniseries or Television Movie and Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Movie for Close. It was followed by two sequels, Skylark and Sarah, Plain and Tall: Winter's End.

Plot
The story is set in Kansas in 1910. Jacob Witting is a widowed farmer who is still saddened by the death of his wife, Katherine, during childbirth six years before. Since then, the task of taking care of his farm and two children, Anna and Caleb, is too difficult for him to handle alone. He advertises in the newspaper for a mail-order bride. Sarah Wheaton of Maine responds describing herself as "plain and tall". She travels to Kansas to become his wife.

Upon arriving, Sarah 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 because miles and miles of Kansas farmland prove no substitute for Maine's ocean vistas. She is under no obligation to marry Jacob 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
 * Margaret Sophie Stein as Maggie Grant
 * 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

Critical response
John J. O'Connor of The New York Times praised the story for "the kind of clean, simple line that television handles most skillfully", but opined that it "proceeds charmingly to a conclusion that is far from surprising." O'Connor concluded his review by writing, "Sarah, Plain and Tall delivers an affecting portrait of that rare phenonmenon in popular mythology: the good stepmother." Scott D. Pierce of the Deseret News stated that the film "deals with emotions - love, loss, loneliness, yearning - on a very mature level" and called it "a television treasure." Patricia Brennan of The Washington Post described it as "a beautifully filmed story set at the turn of the century in the Kansas farmlands."

Audience viewership
According to Nielsen ratings, Sarah, Plain and Tall was the top-rated program of the week, attracting viewers in about 21.5 million homes.