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IMDbPro

The Catered Affair

  • 1956
  • Approved
  • 1h 34m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
3.5K
YOUR RATING
The Catered Affair (1956)
At breakfast, Jane announces that she and Ralph are getting married the next week. All Jane and Ralph want is a small wedding with the immediate family and no reception, because Jane's parents are poor and Jane and Ralph can borrow a car for their honeymoon. But at dinner that night, all Ralph's parents talk about are the big weddings they gave their daughters, and everything escalates. Suddenly it's a big wedding breakfast with hundreds of guests. The problem is that for 12 years, Tom has been saving money to buy his own cab and license, but now that he can, all of that money is going towards a wedding that neither he nor Jane nor Ralph really want.
Play trailer2:26
1 Video
33 Photos
ComedyDramaRomance

When Jane tells her parents that she is getting married to Ralph Halloran, her mother Agnes starts planning an elaborate wedding, even though Jane does not wish it.When Jane tells her parents that she is getting married to Ralph Halloran, her mother Agnes starts planning an elaborate wedding, even though Jane does not wish it.When Jane tells her parents that she is getting married to Ralph Halloran, her mother Agnes starts planning an elaborate wedding, even though Jane does not wish it.

  • Director
    • Richard Brooks
  • Writers
    • Gore Vidal
    • Paddy Chayefsky
  • Stars
    • Bette Davis
    • Ernest Borgnine
    • Debbie Reynolds
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.4/10
    3.5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Richard Brooks
    • Writers
      • Gore Vidal
      • Paddy Chayefsky
    • Stars
      • Bette Davis
      • Ernest Borgnine
      • Debbie Reynolds
    • 59User reviews
    • 11Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:26
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos33

    Bette Davis, Ernest Borgnine, and Debbie Reynolds in The Catered Affair (1956)
    Bette Davis and Debbie Reynolds in The Catered Affair (1956)
    Debbie Reynolds in The Catered Affair (1956)
    Debbie Reynolds and Rod Taylor in The Catered Affair (1956)
    Debbie Reynolds in The Catered Affair (1956)
    Barry Fitzgerald in The Catered Affair (1956)
    Bette Davis and Ernest Borgnine in The Catered Affair (1956)
    Debbie Reynolds and Rod Taylor in The Catered Affair (1956)
    Bette Davis and Ernest Borgnine in The Catered Affair (1956)
    Bette Davis, Ernest Borgnine, and Barry Fitzgerald in The Catered Affair (1956)
    Bette Davis and Ernest Borgnine in The Catered Affair (1956)
    Bette Davis, Ernest Borgnine, and Debbie Reynolds in The Catered Affair (1956)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Bette Davis
    Bette Davis
    • Aggie Hurley
    Ernest Borgnine
    Ernest Borgnine
    • Tom Hurley
    Debbie Reynolds
    Debbie Reynolds
    • Jane Hurley
    Barry Fitzgerald
    Barry Fitzgerald
    • Uncle Jack Conlon
    Rod Taylor
    Rod Taylor
    • Ralph Halloran
    Robert F. Simon
    Robert F. Simon
    • Mr. Joe Halloran
    • (as Robert Simon)
    Madge Kennedy
    Madge Kennedy
    • Mrs. Joe Halloran
    Dorothy Stickney
    Dorothy Stickney
    • Mrs. Rafferty
    Carol Veazie
    Carol Veazie
    • Mrs. Casey
    Joan Camden
    Joan Camden
    • Alice Scanlon
    Ray Stricklyn
    Ray Stricklyn
    • Eddie Hurley
    Jay Adler
    Jay Adler
    • Sam Leiter
    Dan Tobin
    Dan Tobin
    • Hotel Caterer
    Paul Denton
    • Bill Scanlon
    Augusta Merighi
    • Mrs. Musso
    Joan Bradshaw
    Joan Bradshaw
    • Girl on Phone
    • (uncredited)
    Janice Carroll
    • Mrs. Casey's Daughter-in-law
    • (uncredited)
    Mae Clarke
    Mae Clarke
    • Saleswoman
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Richard Brooks
    • Writers
      • Gore Vidal
      • Paddy Chayefsky
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Craggy-faced Ernest Borgnine was 39 when this film came out, only 15 years older than his film daughter Debbie Reynolds, who was 24. His wife in the film, Bette Davis, was 48.
    • Goofs
      Real-life radio soap opera "The Romance of Helen Trent" is heard on the radio while Hurley family members are waking up, eating breakfast, and preparing to leave for work; in reality, radio soaps weren't broadcast until late mornings/afternoons and/or evenings.
    • Quotes

      Agnes Hurley: You're going to have a big wedding whether you like it or not! And if you don't like it, you don't have to come!

    • Alternate versions
      Also shown in a computer colorized version.
    • Connections
      Featured in AFI Life Achievement Award: AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Bette Davis (1977)
    • Soundtracks
      Cailín Deas Crúite na mBó (A Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow)
      Traditional 18th-century Irish ballad

    User reviews59

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    A gem - "Father of the Bride" without the sugar-coating.
    I had seen this movie mentioned here and there for years, but neither the title nor the cast list suggested to me that I would enjoy it. (Ive never been that big a fan of either Ernest Borgnine or Bette Davis, although I knew they were fine actors; and putting sweet young Debbie Reynolds in the same scenes with them did not seem promising.) Finally someone whose taste I respected recommended it, so I gave it a try. What a delight! A subtle, intelligent script, with a cast that absolutely did it justice. None of the characters are perfect; none are terrible; and above all, none are simple. What is remarkable to me is the complexity and depth of the characters that is revealed without any one of them ever explaining him- or herself any more articulately than real people do. It took fine writing (Chayevsky may have done this better than anyone else), fine directing, and fine acting all around to accomplish this. Somehow it escapes being distinctly melodramatic, "gritty," bleak, or even particularly sentimental - while at the same time avoiding being too light, or too witty. It is just eminently watchable.
    helpful•12
    0
    • Steve G-2
    • Oct 19, 2012

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 22, 1956 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Svadbeni ručak
    • Filming locations
      • Bronx, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $1,008,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 34 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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