Film Festival: Weddings, Hollywood Style The Philadelphia Story (1940) starts off with a bang. C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant) is angrily packing his car to leave his house. His wife, Tracy Samantha Lord Haven (Katherine Hepburn) brings out his pipe stand and golf clubs, then trashes them on the porch. Dexter almost decks her, thinks…
Movies
Swing Time wedding and gambling: Lisa’s Home Bijou
Film Festival: Weddings, Hollywood Style Swing Time (1936) opens with John “Lucky” Garnett (Fred Astaire) dancing on stage with all male dance troupe. His manager Pop Cardetti (Victor Moore) is backstage playing card tricks for money. Lucky is leaving show business to get married, to the dismay of his troupe. Lucky dresses beautifully in a…
Palm Beach Story screwball fun: Lisa’s Home Bijou
Film Festival: Weddings, Hollywood Style Palm Beach Story (1942) gets off to a madcap start during the opening credits! A maid faints. A pastor paces and looks at his watch. A groom and best man hurry into a taxi. A beautiful woman is tied up in a closet. A bride hails a taxi. The wedding…
Whoopee! 1920s wedding comedy: Lisa’s Home Bijou
Film Festival: Weddings, Hollywood Style In triumphant lettering the opening credits of Whoopee! (1930) announce “Florenz Ziegfeld and Samuel Goldwyn present Eddie Cantor in Whoopee! A Musical Comedy of the Great Wide West.” FLORENZ “FLO” ZIEGFELD was best known for his Follies, his elaborate musical stage revues. Whoopee! is one of the few book musicals…
Father of the Bride wedding fun: Lisa’s Home Bijou
Film Festival: Weddings, Hollywood Style Father of the Bride (1950) opens with a scene of complete chaos: bottles, confetti, and trash all over a home. Stanley Banks (Spencer Tracy), the father of the bride, speaks to us about his opinion of marriage and weddings. “Someday in the far future I may be able to remember…