Weddings in Film ~ Big Wedding or Small Wedding? ~ The Catered Affair (1956)

My Weddings in Film series explores the different stages of getting married as seen through classic movies. The second film, The Catered Affair (1956), asks the question: Big wedding or small wedding?

Now that you've found the right person and you are engaged to be married, it's time to plan the wedding. But should it be a big catered affair or a small intimate gathering? This is a common dilemma among many families. While a rich family can throw money around for a lavish spectacle, poor and middle-class families are not at liberty to spend such money without putting a lot of thought into whether a big wedding would be worth the expense.

Sometimes it's not a matter of just choosing whether it should be a big or small wedding. There are other factors in play, including familial pressure and obligation as well as reputation and appearance of status. A couple can have the best intentions for a small wedding but things can quickly spiral out of control. 

For any bride or groom who expects the world to stop for their wedding, watching The Catered Affair (1956) should be a sobering experience. The movie stars Bette Davis and Ernest Borgnine as Mr. and Mrs. Hurley. They live in a poor neighborhood and Mr. Hurley, a taxi driver, has been saving and scrimping for years to get enough money to buy cab and a medallion with his buddy Sam. This would be a step up for Mr. Hurley and could earn him and his family more money in the long run.

The story hits you upside the head at the very beginning. Just watching poor Mr. Hurley (Ernest Borgnine) get excited over his new cab and you know something is going to get in the way of his big dream.

Mr. and Mrs. Hurley's only daughter Jane (Debbie Reynolds) is recently engaged to Ralph (Rod Taylor). Both Jane and Ralph are perfectly content to go to their church and have a small wedding with no reception. Problem is, they have to get married within the next few days as Ralph will be able to borrow a car for a limited amount of time so they can go on a honeymoon. Everyone, including Mr. and Mrs. Hurley seem okay with this. But then people start getting ideas. Neighbors, friends, family and especially Uncle Jack (Barry Fitzgerald). At first they weren't even going to invite Uncle Jack, because even though he lives with them he's not immediate family. If they invite him, they'll have to invite all their aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. Uncle Jack is terribly offended that he can't come and doesn't understand why they can't have a big wedding. This is where the problem really starts.

You can't help but feel terrible for all of the main characters. Should Mr. Hurley give up his money to give his only daughter a wedding with all the trimmings? Mrs. Hurley feels terrible that she didn't have a proper relationship with her daughter Jane. She wants to give Jane the wedding she herself never had. How can they make it up to a daughter whom they've neglected for years and who didn't even think to ask her parents for a catered affair?

Mrs. Hurley is determined, despite the protests from Mr. Hurley and Jane. to give her daughter the "real wedding" she deserves. This is where the costs start to mount up: food, limos, flowers, centerpieces, wedding dress, etc. It's too much! What's a poor family from the Bronx to do?

"Look, I want you to have this one fine thing, with all the trimmings. Something to remember when the bad days come and you are all wore out." - Bette Davis as Mrs. Hurley

This film just kills me! It made me more grateful for the wedding I'm about to have, which isn't small but isn't a big lavish affair either. This movie should be required viewing for all couples getting married! So do Jane and Ralph have a big catered affair? You'll just have to watch the movie to find out.

The Catered Affair (1956) is available on DVD-R through Warner Archive. 

Warner Archive Wednesday - On (random) Wednesdays, I review one title from the Warner Archive Collection. Movies selected are rented from Classicflix or purchased from Warner Archive, Classicflix or TCM. This series is not sponsored by Warner Archive.

'Til Death Do Us Part ~ Cyd Charisse and Tony Martin

Cyd Charisse and Tony Martin

Married 60 years

Cyd was a dancer and actress and Tony a singer and actor. They met as a result of having the same talent agent. It was a second marriage for both of them. They went on to perform on TV and night clubs together. What a match! Thanks to @averybliss for suggesting this couple for the feature!

Weddings in Film ~ Meeting the Right Person ~ Seven Chances (1925)

My Weddings in Film series explores the different stages of getting married as seen through classic movies. The first film, Seven Chances (1925), starts at the very beginning; meeting the right person.

The most difficult part of the path to the altar is finding that special someone to whom you want to marry. Some people like to refer to that person as their “soulmate”. I like to describe him or her as that one human being on the planet who is willing to put up with you for life. For those of us who are (very) lucky, we just happen to stumble upon that person. It can be love at first sight, love at tenth sight or love after a few months of pretending you hate the person and then giving in to those feelings you have been suppressing all that time. For the rest of us, it’s like searching for a needle in a haystack. The more time you spend searching, the better your chance that you’ll actually find the “One”.

For Buster Keaton’s character Jimmie Shannon in Seven Chances (1925)  he’s already found his soulmate in his girl Mary Jones played by Ruth Dwyer  .

What’s unusual about Jimmie is that his dating history has been sped up by circumstances beyond his control. By dating history, I mean that period of time between developing an interest in romantic partnership, the search for that special someone and the mutual agreement to a long-term relationship. In normal circumstances, he would have continued his very slow, shy pursuit of Mary Jones. We see just how slow it is in those first few scenes of the film. Jimmie gifts Mary a Dalmatian puppy and a few more scenes later we see that the puppy is now a full-grown dog and seasons have past but Jimmie has not been able to take things to the next level with Mary. He’s stuck in the "friend zone" because up until this point he hasn’t been able to tell her he loves her.

Jimmie’s business is in serious trouble. His bad luck seems to change when his grandfather passes away and leaves him a tidy fortune of $7 million. However, he can't just deposit the money in the bank and call it a day. His grandfathers will stipulates that Jimmie must marry by 7 o’clock on his 27^th birthday. Or he doesn't get a dime. No problem, right? The tricky part is that he finds out about the will on the exact day of the deadline. His plan is simple. Ask Mary to marry him, inherit his grandfather's fortune and live happily ever after. But sometimes life gets in the way of even the best laid plans.

The absurdity of the story lies in the fact that love is being put on a schedule. It's like the famous song says "you can't hurry love, no you'll just have to wait." Love takes it's own sweet time. And marriage is an arrangement that has to be mutually agreed upon. There is a terrible moment of miscommunication between Jimmie and Mary. Jimmie only wants Mary, Mary thinks his motivations are purely for money but figures out later that his intentions are genuine. While Mary searches for Jimmie, his business partner convinces Jimmie that he must marry immediately. So Jimmie does the worst possible thing. He looks for a new bride. He gets more than he bargains for and all sorts of hilarity ensues.

There are a few lessons about love that can be extracted from Buster Keaton’s comedy. 1) Love can never be rushed 2) Communication is key 3) Money always complicates relationships and 4) if you advertise for a bride in your local newspaper, make sure to bring your running shoes (just joking!).

Folks who are single and still searching for their special someone may take comfort in the ridiculousness of dating/proposing as depicted in the movie. Viewers in committed relationships will watch and be glad they don’t have to go through that again! However, everyone, no matter their age or relationship status, will laugh heartily at Buster Keaton’s special brand of comedy.

Make sure you check out my post about my experience watching Seven Chances (1925) on the big screen with live musical accompaniment.