Credited cast: | |||
Fred Astaire | ... | Biddeford 'Pogo' Poole | |
Debbie Reynolds | ... | Jessica Poole | |
Lilli Palmer | ... | Katharine Dougherty | |
Tab Hunter | ... | Roger Henderson | |
Gary Merrill | ... | James Dougherty | |
Charles Ruggles | ... | Mackenzie Savage | |
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Harold Fong | ... | Toy |
Elvia Allman | ... | Mrs. Mooney | |
Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Lynne Martin | ... | Young Woman |
San Francisco debutante, Jessica Poole, is marrying Napa Valley cattle rancher, Roger Henderson, and hopes her peripatetic father, "Pogo" Poole, whom she hasn't seen for years, comes to the wedding. He arrives, disrupting the household of his ex-wife, Katharine, and her long-suffering husband, and befriending their cook, Toy. At first it seems that Pogo is set on breaking up the engagement, making up for years of neglect by wining and dining Jessica, showing up Roger as a hick, and enticing her to come to Europe with him. Then it seems his real goal is to win back Katharine's heart: why else would he have two tickets to Paris booked on a plane leaving right after the reception? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
American Movie Classics channel has just started showing this 1961 flick, and I can't speak too highly of it. A charming domestic comedy with some real dramatic tension, the film boasts a superb cast with the venerable Fred Astaire (yes, of course he dances...), the elegantly funny Lilli Palmer, and a befuddled Gary Merrill. Charley Ruggles as grampa positively steals the show as a sort of geriatrically comic Greek chorus; his brief rejoinders and observations always perfectly set off a scene. The production values, as well, are sumptuous; today's movies don't look as good as this 40-year-old number (the Technicolor process has it all over contemporary processes). Sparkling dialogue and wonderful acting make this story of a playboy father's disruptive effects on his daughter's impending wedding a delightful must-see. I just can't figure it out; how can a movie without no swear words, no violence, no nudity, and not a single sex scene be so captivating???