Father of the Bride | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Vincente Minnelli |
Produced by | Pandro S. Berman |
Screenplay by |
Frances Goodrich Albert Hackett |
Based on |
Father of the Bride 1949 novel by Edward Streeter |
Starring |
Spencer Tracy Elizabeth Taylor Joan Bennett |
Narrated by | Spencer Tracy |
Music by | Adolph Deutsch |
Cinematography | John Alton |
Edited by | Ferris Webster |
Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date
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June 16, 1950 |
Running time
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92 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $1,215,000 |
Box office | $6,084,000 |
Father of the Bride is a 1950 American comedy film directed by Vincente Minnelli, about a man trying to cope with preparations for his daughter's upcoming wedding. The movie stars Spencer Tracy in the titular role, Joan Bennett, Elizabeth Taylor, Don Taylor, Billie Burke, and Leo G. Carroll. It was adapted by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett from the novel by Edward Streeter. Father of the Bride was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay.
Following the wedding of his daughter Kay (Elizabeth Taylor), Stanley T. Banks (Spencer Tracy), a suburban lawyer, recalls the day, three months earlier, when he first learned of Kay's engagement to Buckley Dunstan (Don Taylor). At the family dinner table, Kay's casual announcement that she is in love with Buckley and has accepted his proposal makes Stanley feel uneasy, but he soon comes to realize that his daughter has grown up and the wedding is inevitable. While Ellie (Joan Bennett), Kay's mother, immediately begins making preparations for the wedding, Stanley lies awake at night, fearing the worst for his daughter.
Stanley's misgivings about the marriage eventually make Ellie anxious, and she insists that Kay introduce them to Buckley's parents. Kay calls the tradition "old-fashioned rigamarole," but arranges the meeting nevertheless. Before the introduction, Stanley has a private conversation with Buckley, and is pleased to learn that the young man is the head of a small company and that he is capable of providing a comfortable life for Kay. The Bankses' first meeting with Doris and Herbert, Buckley's parents, gets off to an awkward start, and goes from bad to worse when Stanley drinks too much and falls asleep in the wealthy Dunstans' living room.