Hochzeitsparade

"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.

When the best thing about a BING CROSBY/JANE WYMAN film is a song called "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening", you know you're in trouble. What is supposed to be harmless fluff is pretty empty fluff at that. And why anyone is surprised that Jane Wyman can carry a tune with the best of them, mystifies me. Miss Wyman made her debut playing dizzy chorus girls who usually tossed off a song and dance number before the first reel was over, in a number of films, mainly at Warner Bros. And later on, after she became a big star, she still contributed nicely to the Cole Porter bio, NIGHT AND DAY.

Anyway, here she has one of her brisk, no nonsense roles as a gal who's tired of waiting around for her globe trotting boyfriend (Crosby) to take her down the aisle, so she's engaged to FRANCHOT TONE. But Crosby manages to use all of his wiles to coax her back, even if it includes some shenanigans involving ALEXIS SMITH (of all people), who gives one of her best comedic roles all the spirit it deserves.

But when all is said and done, HERE COMES THE GROOM seems sub-standard and a bit foolish, unworthy of talents like Crosby and Wyman. Their best moment comes when they croon the title tune while choreographed waltzing around a huge office, but it's not enough to keep the rest of the story from floundering amid too many missed opportunities.

Summing up: Capra running on empty can be tiresome.

For the last several days, I had been watching a series of films made in the '40s that coincidentally had a player from my favorite movie It's a Wonderful Life in it. Well, now I'm commenting on one from that picture's director, Frank Capra, which happened to have several players from his movie. Among them were H.B. Warner, J. Farrell MacDonald, Charles Lane, and Charles Halton. IMDb also lists Ellen Corby, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, and Jimmy Hawkins but I didn't recognize them. The site also mentioned frequent Laurel & Hardy player James Finlayson in here but, once again, I didn't find him. Anyway, this was an uneven romantic musical comedy starring Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman that didn't become funny to me until Bing's character starting living in Jane's potential future husband's mansion. That possible husband was played by Franchot Tone whose straight presence brings a steady tone that makes some of the more silly or over-the-top moments more tolerable. Alexis Smith plays a cousin, fourth removed, of Tone's whose transformation to something closer to Ms. Wyman's actual demeanor is one of the more genuinely charming moments. I also liked a sequence in which Ms. Wyman appears in hologram form when Bing plays a record from her in which she basically declares her through with him especially the way the scene ended. A couple of people I didn't find funny were Jane's parents especially the drunk father. As for the songs, Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer's "In the Cool, Cool, Cool, of the Evening" with Crosby and Wyman is a great number that seems played with no cuts whatever and possibly in one take. I also loved that one-of several they wrote here-Ray Evans and Jay Livingston song "Misto Christofo Columbo" that features Bing with Dorothy Lamour, Phil Harris, Cass Daley, Frank Fontaine (in his Crazy Gugenheim character), and the one and only Satchmo-Louis Armstrong. What a gas that was! There's also a nice operatic number from a young girl named Anna Maria Alberghetti in the beginning. By the way, I first saw her several months ago when I watched her grown-up in Ten Thousand Bedrooms, Dean Martin's first solo picture. In summation, Frank Capra's Here Comes the Groom is no great shakes but it's still quite enjoyable fluff overall.

A new and improved Jane Wyman appears in this picture with Bing Crosby. She is no longer the violated waif we saw in Johnny Belinda, but a self-confident woman who knows how to sing and clown around. Check out the moment where she visits Mr. Crosby in the guest house and proceeds to fall flat on her face in that larger-than-life dress! And she's sweet in the scenes with the kids, too.

But in case we forget that she's also a serious dramatic actress, there are moments of toughness between her and costar Alexis Smith. The film is a treat for any Wyman fan who enjoys watching the actress prove her versatility time and again, not that she ever had to. We have known about her talent for quite some time now.

"Here Comes the Groom" was a surprise when it was shown by TCM recently. This film brings together two talented men, Frank Capra and Bing Crosby. This light comedy, with some music, is seldom seen these days, and it's a shame. Although not one of the best films of the director, the film is entertaining and fun to watch.

The great achievement of Mr. Capra was the way he brought together a fabulous cast that work well together. Bing Crosby shows why he was one of the best performers of his time. He is always charming and generous to his fellow players. The other surprise in the film is Jane Wyman. Playing a light role she is delightfully playful as the woman who has found a rich man who wants to make her his wife, but she is still in love with the absent Pete Garvey, who just happens to reappear with two cute war orphans that immediately "adopt" her as their mother.

The other principals, Franchot Tone and Alexis Smith, are in terrific form. Ms. Smith, especially, is a delight to watch. It's a shame Hollywood didn't give her better vehicles in which to shine. Mr. Tone is suave as Wilbur Stanley, the millionaire who finds out in the worst way, his bride-to-be is in love with another man.

Another coup of Mr. Capra is the way he brings a lot of those excellent character actors that had worked with him in other films. Such is the case with Charles Lane, H.B. Warner, Charlest Halton, among others. There is a nice sequence that takes place in the plane that is bringing Pete back to America in which he sings a number with Phil Harris, Frank Fontaine, and Dorothy Lamour. Also in the early part of the film we saw a young and beautiful Anna Maria Alberghetti singing.

"Here Comes the Groom" shows why Frank Capra was one of the best directors, and it also helped that he had Bing Crosby on board.