Royal Wedding (1951)

Tom and Ellen Bowen are a brother and sister dance act whose show closes in New York. Their agent books them in London for the same period as the Royal Wedding. They travel by ship where ... See full summary »

Director:

Stanley Donen

Writers:

Alan Jay Lerner (story), Alan Jay Lerner (screenplay)

Stars:

Fred Astaire, Jane Powell, Peter Lawford

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Fred Astaire	...	Tom Bowen
Jane Powell	...	Ellen Bowen
Peter Lawford	...	Lord John Brindale
Sarah Churchill	...	Anne Ashmond
Keenan Wynn	...	Irving Klinger / Edgar Klinger
Albert Sharpe	...	James Ashmond

Storyline

Tom and Ellen Bowen are a brother and sister dance act whose show closes in New York. Their agent books them in London for the same period as the Royal Wedding. They travel by ship where Ellen meets and becomes involved with Lord John Brindale. This causes her to miss a rehearsal. Tom (Astaire) uses the time to dance with a hat rack and gym equipment. Later Tom and Ellen attempt a graceful dance number as the ship rolls. Upon arrival Tom holds auditions and meets Sara. There is much indecision by the siblings about their romantic partners even though they are in-the-clouds. Tom dances on the walls and ceiling of his hotel room. All ends well in this light musical. By the way, there is a vaudeville-style dance number in their show that features slapstick. It's a hoot.

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Plot Keywords:

dance | dancing | royal wedding | wedding | steamship | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 March 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mariage royal

Filming Locations:

Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,590,920 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Fred Astaire and Jane Powell sing "How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Love You When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life," the longest song title in a Hollywood film

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Goofs

London streets have American fire hydrants. Also the same London bus drives backwards and forwards across the set.

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Quotes

Tom Bowen: Sorry, I thought you were *him*.
Anne Ashmond: How odd.

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Connections

Featured in Great Performances: The Fred Astaire Songbook (1991)

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Soundtracks

"I LEFT MY HAT IN HAITI"
Music by Burton Lane
Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Sung by Fred Astaire
Danced by Fred Astaire, Jane Powell, and Chorus

User Reviews

Trite Script, Colorless Love Interests, But OH! THAT DANCING

I wouldn't waste the keystrokes to comment on the trite story in ROYAL WEDDING. Worse, Sarah Churchill can't dance and has no chemistry with Fred Astaire. HOWEVER, Jane Powell is WONDERFUL as Astaire's sister. She's even more impressive here than in the wonderful SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS. And, OH! THOSE DANCE NUMBERS. Astaire's singles numbers are the BEST dancing I've ever seen in a movie. His numbers with Powell are equally marvelous. Great music, great songs. Forget the romance (and weak comedy with Keenan Wynn) and enjoy the music and dance. SUPERFINE!