Father’s Little Dividend *** (1951, Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett, Elizabeth Taylor, Don Taylor) – Classic Movie Review 3082

MGM’s hastily organised 1951 sequel to the studio’s big hit original 1950 Father of the Bride reunites the four original stars – Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett, Elizabeth Taylor and Don Taylor – with director Vincente Minnelli and expert writers Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett.

This time grumpy old father Stanley Banks (Tracy) is finally recovering from his daughter’s wedding when he learns she is going to have a baby. So he is set to be a grandfather and this sign of his advancing years makes him even more grouchy than usual.

Elizabeth Taylor plays his daughter Kay, Don Taylor is her husband, Buckley Dunstan, and Joan Bennett is the mom Ellie.

Although it may not quite be up to the marvellous standard of its predecessor, Minnelli’s sparkling farce still a highly entertaining movie, full of blustering good humour and witty remarks. It is a bit cosy and sitcom-y but still very amusing. And it is greatly enlivened by the attractive, expert playing of the appealing stars and the notable character actors, including Billie Burke, Moroni Olsen, Frank Faylen, Marietta Canty, Richard Rober, Tom Irish, Hayden Rorke, Paul Harvey and Russ Tamblyn.

It was remade as Father of the Bride Part II in 1995.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 3082

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