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

James Finlayson's uncredited cameo as a drunk was his final 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

Emmadel Jones: No, I'm not going to live Ma's life all over again, waiting on shore for a sailor who comes to land every three years. It's like being married to a salmon!

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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

Very enjoyable fluff

"Here Comes the Groom" is the sort of schmaltzy fluff that Bing Crosby did best. While I am quick to admit that this is a very slight film, it is also a very, very enjoyable film. Deep? Nah--but fun.

The film begins with Bing hanging out with a bunch of cute orphans in post-war France. He's supposed to be coming back to the USA to marry his fiancée (Jane Wyman) but he cannot leave the kids in a lurch--particularly two cute kids who he plans to adopt. The only trouble is that after he's done all the paperwork to bring them to America, he's returned so late that his girlfriend has called off the wedding and is now planning to marry her boss (Franchot Tone). You really can't blame her too much--Bing never told her he'd be late or why he'd be late. In other words, she wasn't feeling very appreciated.

There is a problem with Bing not getting married, however. In order to adopt the kids and keep them he MUST get married...and quick. Bing isn't about to try to find another girl and he really does care about Jane, so he's determined to break up the engagement and marry her himself. Here is where it gets interesting--Bing tells Franchot and Franchot actually allows him a chance to win her back. After all, if she isn't 100% ready to marry him, why not let her marry Bing? Where all this ends is very predictable--but a film like this always is. Along the way, you have some nice comedy (particularly the portions with Alexis Smith) and really nice songs--and it's quite enjoyable and cute. Perhaps it's too cute and saccharine for some--I could understand that. But, if you don't mind and are looking for an old fashioned family film, it's well worth your time.