Earthworm Tractors is a 1936 American comedy film directed by Ray Enright[1] and starring Joe E. Brown, June Travis and Guy Kibbee. The film is also known as A Natural Born Salesman in the United Kingdom.
The film is based on characters created by William Hazlett Upson in a series of stories that appeared in The Saturday Evening Post. The series featured Alexander Botts, an eternally optimistic self-proclaimed "natural-born salesman", and the Earthworm Tractor Company, and was inspired in part by Upson's actual work experience with the Caterpillar Tractor Company.
Plot: A salesman tries to sell tractors to an old-fashioned lumberman, despite the man being opposed to tractors of any kind. The daughter of the lumberman encourages the salesman, so he pulls out all stops to sell the tractors and win the woman's love. It's not going to be easy.
Credits
Joe E. Brown as Alexander Botts
June Travis as Mabel Johnson
Guy Kibbee as Sam Johnson
Dick Foran as Emmet McManus
Carol Hughes as Sally Blair
Gene Lockhart as George Healey
Olin Howland as Mr. Blair
Joseph Crehan as Mr. Henderson
Charles C. Wilson as H.J. Russell
William B. Davidson as Mr. Jackson
Irving Bacon as Taxicab Driver
Stuart Holmes as The Doctor
Frederick Schmitt as tractor driving stunt double for Joe E. Brown
Directed by Ray Enright
Screenplay by Hugh Cummings, Richard Macaulay, Paul Gerard Smith,
Joe Traub & Peter Milne
Based on short stories in The Saturday Evening Post
by William Hazlett Upson
Produced by Samuel Bischoff (producer)
Hal B. Wallis (executive producer)
Cinematography Arthur L. Todd
Edited by Doug Gould
Music by Leo F. Forbstein
