They All Kissed the Bride *** (1942, Joan Crawford, Melvyn Douglas, Roland Young, Billie Burke, Allen Jenkins, Andrew Tombes, Helen Parrish, Mary Treen) – Classic Movie Review 7804

Director Alexander Hall’s 1942 screwball comedy They All Kissed the Bride provides a typical powerful career woman role for Joan Crawford as Margaret Drew, who inherits her father’s trucking firm – and the only kind of affairs she has are business affairs. She is much put out that reporter Michael Holmes (Melvyn Douglas) is writing an annoying book on some of her tough business methods. But finally she falls for Holmes at her sister Vivian (Helen Parrish)’s wedding.

The familiar story (by Gina Kaus and Andrew Solt) gets a carefully scripted workover by P J Wolfson and Henry Altimus, and the stars respond sparkily to their ideal situations. Billie Burke has a good time as Crawford’s dithery mum, though admittedly it is hard to imagine Joan having a mother like this.

It may be a typical Joan Crawford star role, but it was intended for Carole Lombard, who was killed in an air crash on 16 January 1942 aged 33, and Crawford took over and gave her whole fee to the American Red Cross charity in her memory.

These were the happy days when a film could be advertised as ‘There’s Never Anything Wrong With A Woman That A Man’s Lips Won’t Cure!’

They All Kissed the Bride stars Joan Crawford, Melvyn Douglas, Roland Young, Billie Burke, and Allen Jenkins, and also in the cast are Andrew Tombes, Helen Parrish, Mary Treen, Emory Parnell, Nydia Westman, Ivan F Simpson, Roger Clark, Edward Gargan, Ernie Adams, Charles Coleman, Charles Halton, Charles Lane, Frank Dawson, John Dilson, Neal Dodd, Ann Doran, Tom Dugan, Paul Hurst, Gordon Jones, Kitty Kelly, Richard Kipling, Lyle Litell, Charles W Miller, Charles Sullivan, Harry Strand, Dale van Sickel, Norman Willis, Douglas Wood, Shirley Patterson, Rosalie Miller, Larry Parks, Ralph Peters, Ralph Sanford and Wyndham Standing.

They All Kissed the Bride is directed by Alexander Hall, runs 85 minutes, is made and released by Columbia Pictures Corporation, is written by P J Wolfson and Henry Altimus, based on a story by Gina Kaus and Andrew Solt, is shot in black and white by Joseph Walker, is produced by Edward Kaufman, is scored by Werner R Heyman and Morris Stoloff, and is designed by Lionel Banks and Cary Odell.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7804

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com