Here Comes the Groom (1951)

Foreign correspondent Pete Garvey has 5 days to win back his former fiancée, or he'll lose the orphans he adopted.

Director:

Frank Capra

Writers:

Robert Riskin (story and treatment "You Belong to Me"), Liam O'Brien (story)

Stars:

Bing Crosby, Jane Wyman, Alexis Smith

Won 1 Oscar. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bing Crosby	...	Peter 'Pete' Garvey
Jane Wyman	...	Emmadel Jones
Alexis Smith	...	Winifred Stanley
Franchot Tone	...	Wilbur Stanley
James Barton	...	William 'Pa' Jones
Robert Keith	...	George Degnan
Jacques Gencel	...	Bobby (as Jacky Gencel)
H.B. Warner	...	Uncle Elihu
Beverly Washburn	...	Suzi
Nicholas Joy	...	Uncle Prentiss
Connie Gilchrist	...	Ma Jones
Ian Wolfe	...	Uncle Adam
Walter Catlett	...	Mr. McGonigle
Ellen Corby	...	Mrs. McGonigle
Alan Reed	...	Walter Godfrey

Storyline

Pete Garvey, foreign correspondent, has been running an impromptu adoption agency for war orphans in Paris, when an ultimatum from his erstwhile fiancée Emmadel Jones draws him back to Boston, complete with two adopted orphans to melt her heart. Too late! She's now engaged to rich, handsome Wilbur Stanley. And if Pete's not married within five days, he loses the kids. He'll have to work fast...

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Plot Keywords:

reference to cinderella | boston massachusetts | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

20 September 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

You Belong to Me

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,117,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on September 15, 1952 with Jane Wyman reprising her film role.

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Goofs

When Winifred seeks shelter in Garvey's home, George is on the phone. In a close-up, the phone is to his ear, but in the next medium shot, the phone is hung up, and he picks up the receiver again.

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Quotes

Baines: Shall I break your egg, Sir?
Pa Jones: No thank you. I have me own teeth!

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Connections

Featured in Paramount Presents (1974)

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Soundtracks

IN THE COOL, COOL, COOL OF THE EVENING
Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Music by Hoagy Carmichael
Performed by Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman

User Reviews

Capara does romantic comedy again

One has to wonder why Frank Capara is so renowned with books written about him till this day. His hey day was the thirties where more than a couple of gems were made but even then his direction was that notch. It was the sharp story with good performances that sinewed and chugged along these movies disguising his directorial flaws. After Mr. John Doe, I think the scripts were not up to snuff, the movies too long and the dialog draggy and haltingly haughty. This movie has all the recipe to be a sharp portrait on the perennial battle of the sexes roles as perceived in society but regurgitation and elemental whimsical and cloying make a peg round as a square. Pardon my regurgitatant riff and whimsical drift. Fair is fair, this was a contract movie and he did it to fulfill his contract, so maybe it's not all his fault. Crosby is a reporter in France, who lives his poor girlfriend waiting on him without ever getting down on his knees and pulling the doodad out of his inner pockets. Her clock ticking, she jumps for the wealthy Franchot Tone. Crosby returns to hear the news, two annoying French orphans in tow and of course tries to win her back. The musical numbers are perfunctory apart from the Oscar winner and chart topper "In the cool, cool, cool of the evening" which is slyly done, introduced and well choreographed to make me smile. Crosby and Wyman have a good chemistry but Tone and Crosby just sparkle especially in a scene in the back of Tone's car which is so well-written and is what the whole movie needed. Alexis Smith, an actress who had never left an impression on me in her previous works, sparkles as a comic ingénue. And then cloying starts again. It began if I have not mentioned in the scenes in Paris which really serve no purpose but to show the kind of guy Bing is. It is way two heavy-handed. And anytime, there is hope, the distracting cloying comes in again. The ending made me want to puke. This movie bares a similarity to a Crosby movie "Waikiki Wedding" which has a similar ending to this movie but is better handled in that movie. In fact Crosby does this role and part better in 1956 in the smarter and delightful remake High Society. So watch this movie if you are fans of the stars in the cool of the evening. It might go down best that way.