Directed by Richard Brooks
Written by Gore Vidal from a teleplay by Paddy Chayefsky
1956/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
First viewing/YouTube
Agnes Hurley: You’re going to have a big wedding whether you like it or not! And if you don’t like it, you don’t have to come!
Once I got used to Bette Davis playing a dowdy Irish-American housewife, I began to enjoy this kitchen-sink drama.
Tom Hurley (Ernest Borgnine) is a cab driver. He has been saving all his life to buy a taxi cab medallion and own a cab and now has the $4,000 necessary to do so. His buddy will go in halves with him on the taxi. When he arrives home dead tired, his daughter Jane (Debbie Reynolds) announces to him and her mother Agnes (Davis) that she plans to get married that Saturday. Jane and her intended have the opportunity to drive a friend’s car cross country and want to use the time for a honeymoon. She wants only her parents at the simple wedding. That means her Uncle Jack (Barry Fitzgerald) who lives with them will not be able to attend. He is mightily offended to be excluded.
That night the family entertains the fiance’s parents at dinner. The Hallorans are much better off financially than the Hurleys. They start talking about their daughters’ formal weddings and the apartment they plan to gift to the couple. Between her brother threatening to move out, the Hurleys’ comments, and implications of acquaintances that Jane must be “in trouble” to want such a rushed marriage, Agnes rebels and insists on a fancy catered wedding. Her hidden reason is that she was denied a big wedding and never has felt really loved by her husband.
The formal wedding turns out to be a bad idea for a number of reasons, not least that Tom will not be able to afford his cab. We follow the tense wedding preparations for the remainder of the film. With Rod Taylor as Jane’s fiancé.
Ernest Borgnine had one golden year following his Oscar-winning performance in Marty before he was relegated to playing one-dimensional bad guys (expertly I might add). This is one of the nuanced and moving roles he had in him. Davis is good too but slips in and out of a New York Irish accent. It’s quite a shift from her glamour roles and she ends up being very moving. Debbie Reynolds is fine but has the same trouble maintaining a consistent accent. The writing is solid and I was in tears by the ending of the film. Recommended for fans of domestic drama.
Clip
This was my contribution to the Bette Davis Bogathon hosted at “In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood”. Many excellent articles about the actress’s films and life are gathered here.
I like THE CATERED AFFAIR — a whole lot. It would be nice if we had never seen Davis before. I don’t think I paid much attention to the accents. I’ll listen closer next time. How was the YouTube print?
It was a great print. You do have to pay $2.99 to rent it, though.
Thanks!
I’d really like to see this – Bette as a dowdy housewife sounds intriguing! I’m not sure if you do blogathons, but there is a Bette Davis one at the moment and I don’t think anyone else has done this film, so here is the link just in case you want to get it added in to the blogathon list.
https://crystalkalyana.wordpress.com/2016/02/27/announcing-the-bette-davis-blogathon/
I could add my name but I fear I don’t put as much effort as you all do into my posts. Do you think my post would be OK as is?
I’m sure it would be fine! Not all posts in blogathons are really long (I tend to get carried away and probably write too much for people to read.) Also your posts are great. 🙂
There is now another thread about the postings going up, https://crystalkalyana.wordpress.com/2016/04/03/the-bette-davis-blogathon-has-now-arrived/, so you could leave a link there if you like and ask to be added in.
I did it. We’ll see how it goes. I love all the info in your posts. My insatiable movie watching and the blog’s format allow me little more but to dip my toe in.
I like this movie a lot!
I consider it part of a trilogy of movies where Bette Davis is the unlikely mother of several beautiful actresses. I like this movie quite a lot, but you have to recover from the idea that Debbie Reynolds is the child of Bette Davis and Ernest Borgnine before you can really enjoy it.
The other two movies in the trilogy are: The Star (Natalie Wood is Bette Davis’s daughter); and Pocketful of Miracles (Ann-Margret is Bette Davis’s daughter).
I’ve seen Pocketful of Miracles but not in years and years. I’ve got that in front of me as well. Unfortunately, looks like The Star was 1952. I’ll have to get around to it some day though.
You sure are right that Ernie and Bette could never have produced Debbie Reynolds!
Sorry to hijack again and also sorry if this is unnecessary but they are old classics somewhat in my defence LOL
Zavvi have a steeply discounted blueray special of 14 Hitchcock classics (unfortunately misses North by Northwest or Notorious) as I type, titled (in case link fails to send properly, it’s the first one listed) Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection Blu-ray
http://www.zavvi.com/elysium.search?search=Alfred+Hitchcock%3A+The+Masterpiece+Collection+Blu-ray
Please tell me if you do not wish me to type these here again, no offence will be taken at all. Only added as it was such a worthwhile offer.
You may write anything you wish (keep it clean!!) anywhere on my site. Problem with DVD tips is that I am trying very hard not to buy them anymore. But someone else might find them useful.
Thanks Bea.
I have a real soft spot for this film, the dodgy accents notwithstanding. I adore Davis for embracing that character – I find her quite believable.
Thanks for the reminder about this film. It’s been a few years since I’ve seen it, and your review has made me yearn (Yearn!) to see it again.
I had never even heard of it. I’m really glad I came across it on YouTube when I was researching what I could watch for 1956. I believed Davis by the end as well. I think part of my problem going in was all the glamorous parts I had seen her in.
‘Dowdy Irish-American housewife’ isn’t the first type of character when you think of Davis, but I can imagine exactly how she played it. Discovering so many Davis films I need to watch through this blogathon – clearly I’m not the fan I though I was!
She was a real actress and not just a movie star.
Thanks so much for contributing this great post to the blogathon. I’ve always enjoyed this movie, and think that it’s quite underrated, especially when it comes to Bette’s filmography, but she perfectly executes her portrayal of a dowdy housewife who is far from being opulent. In my opinion Davis’ performance was worthy of an Academy Award.
Oh by the way, I announced another blogathon a few weeks ago, and even though you are knew to the blogathons I would love to invite you to join in. The link is below with more details.
https://crystalkalyana.wordpress.com/2016/03/14/announcing-the-animals-in-film-blogathon/
Oddly, just today I reviewed a wonderful animal movie I had never heard of. It’s called Good-bye My Lady and stars Brandon De Wilde, Walter Brennan and Sidney Portier. I’ll see if I have another animal movie coming up in the May time frame and let you know.
Hey. I just thought I would drop by to let you know that I’ve just announced my Second Annual Barrymore Trilogy Blogathon, and I would love to invite you to participate. The link is below with more details.
https://crystalkalyana.wordpress.com/2016/05/02/announcing-the-second-annual-barrymore-trilogy-blogathon/
I’m trying to work my blogathon enties in with the years I am covering in in my blog. The Barrymores weren’t working in 1957, which is where I will be in August. Too bad, I love them all.
One of my favorite movies! A wonderful story, its brilliantly performed and perfectly cast..(I think Bettie Davis was great in this role..and Barry Fitzgerald lovable!I cant understand all the negative reviews..It is Funny,Sad ,and Warm,and perfectly believable as a Human Situation Story!
I’m with you on this one. One can always pick nits but when something moves me to tears it’s something memorable. Thanks for commenting!