B.F.'s Daughter
B.F.'s Daughter is a 1948 drama film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Van Heflin. It was adapted from John P. Marquand's 1946 novel of the same name, about a prominent couple whose marital tensions come to a boiling point during World War II. The book was controversial for its treatment of social conflicts and adultery, but the film is a sanitized and fairly conventional love story. The film was released in the UK as Polly Fulton because "B.F." is a euphemism for "bloody fool." Plot. Polly Fulton is the only  daughter of rich industrialist B.F. Fulton. She is involved in a long engagement to family friend Bob Tasmin, an affable, scrupulously honest lawyer. Then she meets brash intellectual Tom Brett, who blames many of the world's problems on the rich. Tom and Polly heartily dislike each other at first, but she finds him exciting compared to the likable but predictable "stuffed shirt" Bob. Soon Tom and Polly fall passionately in love and get married. Tom has a tense relationship with Polly's family from the start. And when he gradually realizes that his in-laws are using their connections  to advance his career, he is not grateful but bitter. Polly is painfully torn between her strong-willed husband and her devoted father, whom everyone calls "B.F." When World War II arrives, Tom takes a high-level civilian position in Washington, doing work that he cannot discuss. He and Polly rarely see each other and begin to lead separate lives. Two wartime developments eventually bring the relationship to a crisis point. First, Polly hears a rumor that Tom is having an affair. Then she is stunned by a news report that Bob Tasmin, now a dashing military officer happily  married to Polly's best friend, has apparently been killed on a mission behind enemy lines. As the truth about both situations is revealed, Polly and Tom confront their own problems and learn what they mean to each other. Reception. The film earned $1,449,000 in the US and Canada and $461,000 elsewhere, recording a loss of $565,000. Radio adaptation. On December 11, 1950, "Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a radio adaptation of "B.F.'s Daughter" with Barbara Stanwyck reprising her role in the film.