 The film was written by William Roberts very loosely based on a British novel, "The Darling Buds of May" by H. E. Bates, which was later adapted into a more faithful 1991–93 British miniseries, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones in the role that Debbie Reynolds plays in the film.The film has been featured on Turner Classic Movies, and was released on DVD by The Warner Archive in March 2009.Irritated neighbor Wendell Burnshaw (Philip Ober) brings the Larkin family to the attention of the Internal Revenue Service.