Father of the Bride (1950)

Father of the Bride
Directed by Vincente Minnelli
Written by Francis Goodrich and Albert Hackett from a novel by Edward Streeter
1950/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Stanley T. Banks: No one paid any attention to the orchestra. Ellie could have saved that 85 bucks![/box]

This fun look at some things that never change features Spencer Tracy at his best and Elizabeth Taylor perhaps at her most beautiful.

Stanley Banks (Tracy) sits among the detritus of his daughter’s wedding and looks back at all the drama leading up to it.  It all seems very funny to us in the audience.  We weren’t there.

Stanley and Ellie (Joan Bennett) Banks have three children – sons Ben and Tommy (Russ Tamblyn) and daughter Kay (Elizabeth Taylor).  Kay is definitely a daddy’s girl.  She calls him “Pops” and he calls her “Kitten”.  Then one day Kay begins to look especially glowing and dreamy eyed.  Yes, she is in love.  She announces that she will marry beau Buckley, date unknown.  One of the views of this paragon is that people should marry young and their patents should help them get started.

This sends Stanley into a tizzy and soon he’s made the unflappable Ellie pretty nervous herself.  But when they meet Buckley he turns out to be a steady 26-year-old with a bank account and his own business.

Kay professes to want a small, simple wedding at home.  Ellie, who married Stanley at City Hall, wants a orange blossoms and bridal gown church wedding. Stanley reluctantly agrees.  After that everything is a whirlwind of shopping sprees, exploding guest lists, snooty caterers, and tearful breakups.  It’s a comedy so everyone survives the ordeal.

I waited to see this for way too long despite seeing clips from it numerous times.  Spencer Tracy is perfect as the harassed title character.  I’m sure that everyone who has been through this will identify.

The premiere took place just six weeks after the 18-year-old Taylor’s wedding to Nicky Hilton for which MGM supplied a one-off Edith Head wedding gown.  Obviously, it was a publicity coup.  Evidently she liked weddings a lot.  She had seven more of them.

Father of the Bride was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor (Tracy), and Best Writing, Screenplay.

Trailer