Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Running time: 93 minutes
Father of the Bride (1950)
“‘I would like to say a few words about weddings,’ a weary man says from the middle of a muddle of rice and scattered bottles. What follows is a warm, witty look at what it means to be Father of the Bride. Spencer Tracy is the father and Elizabeth Taylor the bride in this lively Vincente Minnelli-directed classic. Taylor is glowingly showcased — and reflected in three mirrors when first seen in a wedding gown. Tracy’s performance captures every loving father’s exasperations and joys as the day approaches. It also captured the fourth of his nine Best Actor Academy Award nominations. The film also earned nominations for Best Picture and Screenplay. Here comes the bride, there goes dad’s wallet…and everyone’s heart. What sparkling fun!” (From the Blu-ray)
Cast
Stanley T. Banks: Spencer Tracy
Kay Banks: Elizabeth Taylor
Ellie Banks: Joan Bennett
Buckley Dunstan: Don Taylor
Doris Dunstan: Billie Burke
Mr. Massoula: Leo G. Carroll
Herbert Dunstan: Moroni Olsen
Mr. Tringle: Melville Cooper
Tommy Banks: Rusty Tamblyn
Warner: Taylor Holmes
The Reverend A. I. Galsworthy: Paul Harvey
Joe: Frank Orth
Ben Banks: Tom Irish
Delilah: Marietta Canty
Dixon: Willard Waterman
Fliss: Nancy Valentine
Effie: Mary Jane Smith
Peg: Jacqueline Duval
Miss Bellamy: Fay Baker
Duffy: Frank Hyers
Usher: Chris Drake
Organist: Douglas Spencer
Fat Man: Paul Maxey
Young Man (Usher): Peter Thompson
Young Man With Coke (Usher): Carleton Carpenter
Timid Guest: Frank Cady
Teacher: Lillian Bronson
Stranger: Thomas Browne Henry
Movers: Dewey Robinson, Ed Gargan, Ralph Peters, Dick Wessel, Dick Alexander, Joe Brown, Jr., Jim Hayward, Gil Perkins
Foreman of Movers: William “Bill” Phillips
Crew
Director: Vincente Minnelli
Producer: Pandro S. Berman
Screenwriters: Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett
Based on the Novel by: Edward Streeter
Cinematographer: John Alton
Art Directors: Cedric Gibbons and Leonid Vasian
Set Decorators: Edwin B. Willis and Keogh Gleason
Musical Score: Adolph Deutsch
Editor: Ferris Webster
Costumes: Helen Rose
Did You Know?
In one of many examples of real life mirroring “reel” life for Elizabeth, she announced her engagement to Nicky Hilton during the making of Father of the Bride. “Every time we did the shot of me walking up the aisle to the altar, I was living it!” recalled Elizabeth.
The film’s commercial success was due in no small part to the fact that its June release coincided with Elizabeth’s own wedding, which had taken place the previous month. MGM took full advantage of this in their publicity for the film and even largely commandeered the wedding. Helen Rose, who designed the white satin wedding gown in the film (which was said to weigh in at a hefty fifty-six pounds), also created the dress Elizabeth wore when she married Hilton, a gift from the studio.
Elizabeth and Tracy formed a friendship that would endure long after the cameras stopped rolling. Forever after, whenever the two would correspond, they would always affectionately refer to each other as ‘Pops’ and ‘Kitten,’ their characters’ nicknames in the films.
The film was a hit with both critics and moviegoers. Capitalizing on its tremendous success, the cast quickly reassembled to make Father’s Little Dividend (1951), with Minnelli again directing. This time Kay is expecting her first child and hilarity, of course, ensues.
