Father of the Bride is a 1950 American comedy film which tells the story of a man trying to cope with all of the disasters that happen along the way from the time that his daughter announces that she's engaged until the wedding actually occurs. The movie stars Spencer Tracy (Stan), Joan Bennett (Ellie), Elizabeth Taylor (Kay), Don Taylor (Buckley), Billie Burke, and Leo G. Carroll, and was adapted by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett from the novel by Edward Streeter, and directed by Vincente Minnelli.
It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay.
Father of the Bride had a sequel the following year, called Father's Little Dividend, in which Taylor's character has a baby.
Father of the Bride was also made into a television series which aired on CBS during the 1961-62 season. The cast included Leon Ames (Stan), Ruth Warrick (Ellie), and Myrna Fahey (Kay).
A remake of the same name starring Steve Martin and Diane Keaton was released in 1991. It had a numeraled sequel, Father of the Bride Part II, in 1995, also starring Martin and Keaton. Just like the original's sequel, the daughter has her first child. In the latter production, the mother of the bride has a child as well, her third.
There is also a three act comedy Father of the Bride play by Caroline Francke based on the novel.
Photo taken at Taylor's real wedding weeks earlier:
The Steve Martin and Diane Keeton 1991 remake and 1995 sequels of this were very popular 'date' movies in those days. Such a light hearted film with quaint comedy it's a must watch for any dads who've dealt with the glee and glum that accompanies trying to marry off one's little girl, and almost always invariably having to do so on a budget regardless of one's means haha
And the parallel between this film and the 17 year old Elizabeth Taylor's real life marriage to Hilton Hotel heir Nicky Hilton in 1950 shortly before this film's release was no doubt used by producers to promote the release. This film represented the teenage Taylor's move to more adult roles - Liz had already given one of the best performances in Academy Award history for her role in "A Place in the Sun" released in 1951; and had even played the love affair of a 38 yr old Robert Taylor when she was 16. But I'm not sure anyone could have imagined just "appropos" and indeliable the image of Liz Taylor standing in her white wedding dress in "Father of the Bride" would become. SEVEN marriages with one widower to boot throughout her life, and even today, one can scour the recesses of online blather and find wedding rumors concerning the now mostly confined Liz.
And as much as I love Spencer Tracy's performance as the sometimes bumbling but always steady father of the bride in this original, I absolutely would consider Steve Martin's fatherly performance very comporable in the remake. However, there is just nothing quite comparable to the sheer radiance emitted on screen by a young Elizabeth Taylor in this film:
