The Barefoot Mailman

The Barefoot Mailman is a 1951 American historical comedy adventure film directed by Earl McEvoy and starring Robert Cummings, Terry Moore and Jerome Courtland. It was distributed by Columbia Pictures. The film was based on the 1943 novel The Barefoot Mailman by Theodore Pratt. Filmed in Super Cinecolor on location in Florida where the events take place, it features many elements of the Western.

Plot
Set in 1895, Robert Cummings plays a con man, Sylvanus Hurley, who is trying to raise the selling price of land he owns by convincing the residents of Miami that a railroad is coming to town. Jerome Courtland plays the barefoot mailman, Steven Pierton, who leads Sylvanus along the beach from Palm Beach to Miami, and who is skeptical of Sylvanus's scheme. Terry Moore is a run-away teenager, Adie Titus, who joins Sylvanus and Steven on their walk by impersonating a child. John Russell plays Theron, a swamp gang leader who tries to carry Adie away.

Cast

 * Robert Cummings as Sylvanus Hurley
 * Terry Moore as Adie Titus
 * Jerome Courtland as Steven Pierton
 * John Russell as Theron
 * Will Geer as Dan Paget
 * Arthur Shields as Ben Titus
 * Trevor Bardette as Oat McCarty
 * Arthur Space as Piggott
 * Frank Ferguson as Doc Bethune
 * Percy Helton as Dewey Durgan
 * Ellen Corby as Miss Della
 * Renie Riano as Miss Emily

Production
The film was based on a novel by Theodore Pratt published in 1943. The New York Times called it "salty and colorful."

In April 1950 Columbia reported that Alfred Lewis Levitt was writing a screenplay based on the book for the studio. In September, Columbia said they would film the bulk of the movie in Florida starting October 3.

Cummings was cast in November 1950.