New Picture

Father of the Bride (M-G-M). Hustled into the theaters before Heroine Elizabeth Taylor's real-life bridal bouquet had time to wilt, this adaptation of Edward Streeter's gently sardonic 1949 bestseller* has all it takes to send moviegoers hustling right in after it. In the expert hands of Scripters Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, the story of an adoring parent's ordeal is still pointedly human, delightfully funny.

The picture opens with the camera poking among the abused remnants of a wedding reception--empty bottles, broken glasses, cigarette butts--and finally settling on the most pathetic: the father (Spencer Tracy) of the bride (Actress Taylor). Tracy, slumped in an armchair, massages a stockinged foot and begins to recount the events leading up to the disaster. Then, with his wry comments as counterpoint on the soundtrack, the movie takes up the account in flashback.

One evening his "little girl," aged 19, casually breaks the news that she plans to marry a "terribly wonderful" young man. Tracy conjures up nightmarish notions of what the suitor may be like, browbeats his wife (Joan Bennett) for her unseemly calm. At their first meeting, he coldly appraises the young man (Don Taylor), fumbles with small talk, sighs resignedly as he sees the couple's eyes for each other. "Right then," he recalls, "I realized that my day was over."

Uneasily, Tracy moves from one debacle to another: an awkward chat with Don about his fitness to support Elizabeth; the first meeting with his future son-in-law's proud parents; the engagement party, at which he is too busy mixing drinks in the kitchen to make his carefully prepared announcement. His consternation grows as the plans for a "small wedding" burgeon into guest lists of 572 for the ceremony and 280 for the reception. As a way out, he offers Elizabeth $1,500 to elope, withdraws the offer when he sees her disappointment.

A haughty caterer (Leo G. Carroll) sniffs through Tracy's suburban home, orders it thoroughly revamped for the reception. Tracy's 20-year-old cutaway splits a seam. A lovers' quarrel threatens briefly to end the whole show. The wedding rehearsal turns into bedlam. Then comes the ceremony itself and the ultimate chaos--the reception. Tossed about in a maelstrom of thirsty guests and burdened with such undignified chores as untangling traffic jams out front, Tracy cannot find his daughter to say goodbye before she rushes off on her honeymoon. Finally he is alone and at peace with the debris and the bills.

Under Vincente Minelli's crisp direction, the fun rarely lets up. Actress Taylor, perfectly cast, gives a winning performance. But in a production that makes a happy blend of many talents, Veteran Tracy is by far the most conspicuous. The role of the harassed, neglected father is his best in years, and from start to finish his flawless playing is a joy to watch.

* Author Edward (Dere Mable) Streeter's sixth book in a writing career that he manages to combine with banking. Since 1931, he has been a vice president at Manhattan's Fifth Avenue Bank.

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