Here Comes the Groom (1951) User Reviews (27)

It's a wonderful Bing Crosby (helped by Frank Capra)

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 24 May 2006]

"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.

Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman show sparks in Frank Capra's Here Comes the Groom

[tavm · 6/10 · 31 January 2012]

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.

Very enjoyable fluff

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 15 November 2012]

"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.

The cool, cool, cool of Capra and Crosby

[Irie212 · 7/10 · 17 September 2006]

It's a lightweight comedy, but this film has unforgettable moments. Plotwise, it's postwar Capra claptrap complete with French orphans-- but also some dazzling camera work and a few did-I-just-see-that? surrealistic touches.

The first is a hologram of sorts: Bing's in France listening to an audio letter from fiancée, Jane Wyman-- a Dear John recordio-gram. As it's playing, Wyman materializes on the spinning record, Princess Leia-like. So I should have been prepared for anything, but when Der Bingle is on the plane back to America, he (of course) starts singing to the orphans. The tune is "Misto Cristofo Columbo"-- and suddenly Louis Armstrong walks into the airline cabin, complete with trumpet and hankie-- well, talk about ferblunjet! Then up pops the bottom of the Hollywood barrel: Dorothy Lamour, Frank Fontaine and Phil Harris, all singing.

When the plane, and the plot, land in Boston, Bing has to win Jane back from Franchot Tone, which he does via a Pygmalion subplot involving Alexis Smith and men's pajamas. Hubba hubba. Best of all though is one of film's great tracking shots (nothing compared to "I Am Cuba," but still), a song-and-dance number through an office building to "In the cool cool cool of the evening." If only they'd brought Satchmo back for the big double-wedding ending.

Here Comes a Grin

[wordsmith_57 · 7/10 · 27 March 2009]

If you like fun, whimsical, mostly predicable plots that involve a couple of well-known stars, then pop in Here Comes the Groom. Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman aren't exactly Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn, but they definitely made a great team in this Capra vehicle. It doesn't matter this is a patchwork quilt of other movie plots, (The Philadelphia Story, for instance,which der Bingle did his own way with Grace Kelly), it's a cute little bit of cinema fun that had me grinning and even out right laughing in parts. Some will slice and dice the movie for editing and extraneous bits, yet movies from this era, as ones from today, were sometimes supposed to be fluff. So enjoy this one in the cool, cool, cool of the evening, or any time you want a lift and a smile.

Alexis Smith--another talent underused and abused by Hollywood

[17268 · 7/10 · 2 March 2007]

"Here Comes the Groom" is a better than usual musical. It's overriding virtue is the cast. Crosby is, as usual good. Wyman is extremely good as a musical star--after "Johnny Belinda," she here shows she can play virtually anything. Franchot Tone is also quite good.

However, the best performance comes from Alexis Smith, looking more glorious than ever and displaying a wonderfully relaxed and natural talent for comedy. Too bad she didn't really come into her own until 1971 and the legendary Broadway show "Follies."

"In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" is the best and best-known song in the score. I wonder what Wyman could have done in a good Broadway musical.

Bing and Jane Deserved Better Than This Capra Dud

[malvernp · 3/10 · 21 June 2006]

The Good: the film has very fine performances by the principals, particularly Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman. Why Ms. Wyman was not used more as a musical comedy lead is a mystery to me. She is cute, sassy, spirited and talented. When you see her in this movie and her other film with Crosby, "Just for You," it is quite obvious that Ms. Wyman had a career in musicals that was a missed opportunity.

The Bad: "Here Comes the Groom" is so derivative of several other similar plots (i.e. "It Happened One Night," "The Front Page," "The Philadelphia Story," etc.) that it is a wonder why nobody took its screenwriters to task for plagiarism------although Robert Riskin was involved in both "Here Comes the Groom" and "It Happened One Night".

The Ugly: Frank Capra was clearly running on empty when he made this film. It is poorly paced, badly edited, filled with extraneous scenes and loaded with his not so subtle brand of social commentary (the rich must always lose in the end, a charming heel is preferable to a more substantial but bland alternative, a smart and independent career woman will inevitably succumb to the machinations of the charming heel, etc.).

Still-----if for no other reason------viewers ought to see this film for the delightful work done by Jane Wyman------and wonder about what her body of screen work might have been if she had been given more similar roles.

Not "Capra," but quite enjoyable

[ceals · 9/10 · 5 January 2002]

This film is never considered one of Frank Capra's best, but that shouldn't keep potentially interested viewers from seeing it. On its face, it doesn't seem to be what has come to be known as a Capra film because it isn't issue-laden and doesn't really make a point other than the "follow your heart" admonition that most romantic comedies invoke. In many ways, it's a remake of Capra's "It Happened One Night" (1934), and while it doesn't have the financially and emotionally gut-wrenching backdrop of the Depression to give it the weight of the original, it's nonetheless pleasant and clever.

To appreciate "Here Comes the Groom" is to embrace a bunch of disparate parts. First and foremost, this is a Bing Crosby film, replete with seemingly ad-libbed asides that filled the Hope/Crosby "Road" pictures. Bing, who plays a newspaper reporter (one of Capra's favorite devices) but basically plays himself, has as his foil not just one but three adult characters (his editor, his would-be father-in-law and his romantic competitor), plus a passel of kids, in particular a French boy and girl whom he has virtually adopted as his own. The two kids are cute and genuinely good-natured, so when they are on screen, as they often are, they light up the place. Their repeated mimicry of the Crosby character's signature farewell gesture -- a tooth-filled smile and open-fingered hand wave -- never fails to please (except for the final time, in the film's closing seconds, in which it appears that the duo is starting to run out of steam).

Jane Wyman is a strong presence in the film as well, and quite appealing as someone torn between an elusive true love and the biological clock. She is every bit the musical equal of Crosby in their imaginatively choreographed presentation of the movie's theme song "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," staged in various parts of a huge office, then down a half-dozen floors in an elevator and out to the street.

Franchot Tone is the other big name among the actors, and he plays his role as Wyman's rich fiance with characteristic aplomb. Nothing seems to rattle Tone's character, even the possibility of losing Wyman, which may be part of the film's "follow your heart" message.

Easily outshining Tone is Alexis Smith, who never received the career-making, starring roles that she deserved. She plays a caterpillar whom Crosby, in his own strategic interest, turns into a butterfly, and while Crosby's tutelage is over-the-top sexist by today's standards, her transformation and resulting passion are eye-popping, for the Tone character and his staid relatives as well as for the viewer.

With such stong characterizations and actors, Capra for some reason decided he needed something more, so he threw in a grab bag of other elements. Before Crosby and his two adoptees fly back to the States, there's an extended operatic solo by the quite young and show-stopping Anna Maria Alberghetti. And when Crosby and the youthful pair finally get on the plane, they happen to sitting next to a group of USO entertainers, so of course there's a song, "Cristofo Columbo," which brings in fleeting contributions by Louis Armstrong, Frank Fontaine, Dorothy Lamour and Phil Harris. These are tangents, to be sure, and they make the viewer wonder momentarily if Capra has lost his narrative thread, but they don't last long and are engaging in their own right. (Perhaps the "Cristofo Columbo" scene is supposed to echo the "Man on the Flying Trapeze" scene from "It Happened One Night.")

Those looking for further Capra touches will be warmed by the brief appearances of H.B. Warner (the judge in "Mr. Deeds," a senator in "Mr. Smith" and Mr. Gower in "It's a Wonderful Life"), Charles Lane (Potter's real-estate man in "Wonderful Life") and Charles Halton (bank examiner in "Wonderful Life"). The cinematography in this film is serviceable, but there are frustrating instances of sloppiness. At one point, in a reaction shot, the camera mysteriously lingers on Crosby's editor as he does nothing for about five seconds. It's an inconsequential flub, but it feels long enough to make the viewer wonder if the film's cutter and Capra himself just went to sleep. (It's reminiscent of a similar and even longer gaffe in Capra's "You Can't Take It with You" from 1938.)

A more egregious example of visual inattention comes during a physical argument between the Wyman and Smith characters. For the actual fight, in which the two flip each other over with quick arm twists, it's all too obvious that stunt doubles are used. The doubles' faces, which look nothing like those of the two actresses (they may even be men), are repeatedly shown, and the hair color and length of the Smith double doesn't come close to matching the hair of Smith. Who was minding the store when this was shot? It's the kind of mistake that makes all kinds of viewers, not just movie buffs, roll their eyes.

To its credit, the film does lay out, in albeit cliche form, the reality of class differences. But both rich and not-so-rich are given gentle appreciative treatment. Clearly, the viewer is supposed to side with the more down-to-earth characters of Crosby and Wyman, but the rich are not cardboard villains, either. It's almost as if the message is that there is a time and place (and hope) for people from all walks of life.

"Here Comes the Groom" (a clever title in itself) is a product of the pop culture of its time; it's all-white (save for Armstrong), and traditional gender roles hold sway. But look beyond that and you will find a film that you probably didn't know you would like so well. Crosby, as top comic banana, plays his likeable persona perhaps better than ever, and the film leaves lots of smiles in its wake. The ending may be predictable, but this is a movie in which it's just fun to see the character-based twists and turns that steer the plot to its conclusion.

Capara does romantic comedy again

[raskimono · 7/10 · 25 June 2005]

One has to wonder why Frank Capara is so renowned with books written about him till this day. His hey day was the thirties where more than a couple of gems were made but even then his direction was that notch. It was the sharp story with good performances that sinewed and chugged along these movies disguising his directorial flaws. After Mr. John Doe, I think the scripts were not up to snuff, the movies too long and the dialog draggy and haltingly haughty. This movie has all the recipe to be a sharp portrait on the perennial battle of the sexes roles as perceived in society but regurgitation and elemental whimsical and cloying make a peg round as a square. Pardon my regurgitatant riff and whimsical drift. Fair is fair, this was a contract movie and he did it to fulfill his contract, so maybe it's not all his fault. Crosby is a reporter in France, who lives his poor girlfriend waiting on him without ever getting down on his knees and pulling the doodad out of his inner pockets. Her clock ticking, she jumps for the wealthy Franchot Tone. Crosby returns to hear the news, two annoying French orphans in tow and of course tries to win her back. The musical numbers are perfunctory apart from the Oscar winner and chart topper "In the cool, cool, cool of the evening" which is slyly done, introduced and well choreographed to make me smile. Crosby and Wyman have a good chemistry but Tone and Crosby just sparkle especially in a scene in the back of Tone's car which is so well-written and is what the whole movie needed. Alexis Smith, an actress who had never left an impression on me in her previous works, sparkles as a comic ingénue. And then cloying starts again. It began if I have not mentioned in the scenes in Paris which really serve no purpose but to show the kind of guy Bing is. It is way two heavy-handed. And anytime, there is hope, the distracting cloying comes in again. The ending made me want to puke. This movie bares a similarity to a Crosby movie "Waikiki Wedding" which has a similar ending to this movie but is better handled in that movie. In fact Crosby does this role and part better in 1956 in the smarter and delightful remake High Society. So watch this movie if you are fans of the stars in the cool of the evening. It might go down best that way.

Capra running on empty...except for a song...

[Doylenf · 5/10 · 18 December 2007]

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.

Master of the Cultured Ad-lib

[bkoganbing · 9/10 · 22 June 2004]

Frank Capra in his autobiography called Bing Crosby, "the master of the cultured ad-lib." A lot of time Crosby would drop several ad-libs into a script and Capra kept them in. According to Capra they were better

than what the screenwriter had written. Of course partnering with Bob Hope in several films and thousands of radio, television, and live shows Bing had to be quick on the uptake.

Capra wanted to do another of his populist films like Mr. Deeds etc., in the three picture deal he signed with Paramount. But after doing Riding High and doing it well with Bing Crosby, he wanted to do one of his type film. The Paramount brass said no, but since he was unhappy at Paramount they agreed to drop their last picture commitment on his contract for one more Crosby film. Just make a good one.

Capra was as good as his word. This film is entertainment plus and a lot of that has to do with the chemistry between Bing and Jane Wyman. Most of Crosby's leading ladies were nice women who just melted with the Crosby charm. Not so here. Ms. Wyman gives as good with the wisecracks as Crosby does and is no pushover. What she is here is a fiancé who's grown tired of waiting for her man who's out gallivanting all over the world as per his job as correspondent. When he finally does come back he has two French orphans in tow. But Jane's decided to marry millionaire Franchot Tone. Bing has to get her back or those kids will be deported. That's where the fun starts.

By now Paramount was giving Crosby vehicles some respectable budgets and that included letting Frank Capra hire a lot of his favorite supporting players. Those folks make a Capra film an enjoyable experience.

Franchot Tone does nicely as millionaire rival and critics were astounded at Alexis Smith who turned out to have a real flair for comedy. Funny parts she wasn't getting at Warner Brothers. She plays a "kissing" cousin of Franchot Tone and figures prominently in Bing's machinations.

They were also astounded at Jane Wyman who nobody realized could sing. Why they were is beyond me since she did start in musical choruses. The song In the Cool Cool Cool of the Evening by Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer won an Oscar for best song and became one of Bing's million selling records, dueted with Jane Wyman on screen and on vinyl.

The rest of the score is by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans who were under contract to Paramount and for some reason or other never wrote another Crosby film score. Probably because Paramount didn't assign them because many years later they scored and arranged a whole album of duets with Bing and Rosemary Clooney called That Traveling Two Beat Time. And Bing did pretty good with a song written for his friend Bob Hope by them called Silver Bells.

One of the Livingston-Evans songs was a patented philosophical number called Your Own Little House. A nice song on record, on screen it's a great impromptu style number that so many of Crosby's seemed to be. Sung with a group of kids who are French war orphans, Bing does some gentle kidding of fellow entertainers Jimmy Durante and Maurice Chevalier.

This is one of Bing's best and great entertainment.

Slight, overlong, and a little weird

[davidmvining · 6/10 · 9 February 2024]

Another Bing Crosby vehicle and another job for Frank Capra at Paramount, his last, Here Comes the Groom is a light and frilly affair that takes too long to do too little but is intermittently charming along the way. It's a largely unremarkable film that doesn't try to make a whole lot of sense, especially in its ending, but at least Crosby and Jane Wyman work well together.

Pete Garvey (Crosby) is a war correspondent still in Paris several years after the end of WWII, latching onto an orphanage of war orphans about whom he is writing a series of stories about in order to get them adopted and sending them back to his editor George (Robert Keith) who is getting tired of them since the world has moved on. He also has a girl back home, Emmadel (Wyman), who has grown sick of waiting for her beau to return and sends him a record of her voice telling him that she's leaving him. It's really the only fun bit of filmmaking in the whole thing since Capra has her superimposed on top of the record to speak the lines and even ends with a fun bit of nonsense around the mechanics of the player itself.

Well, Pete gets the bug to go back home, but not before he disappears for two months to find the birth certificates of his two favorite orphans Bobby (Jacques Gencel) and Suzi (Beverly Washburn). I think this is supposed to establish Pete as forgetful but dedicated, and yet the rest of the film is him laser focused on getting what he needs without wavering. It's almost like the script by Virginia Van Upp, Liem O'Brien, and Myles Connolly was kind of just slap-dashed together, or something.

Anyway, the only real reason to see this film is Crosby himself. He's a charming lead and much more in line with the tenor of the overall picture here than he had been in Riding High. Here, he's a lovable heel who needs to find a way to get back home, convince the woman he loves that she still loves him, and undermine her quickly scheduled marriage to Wilbur Stanley (Franchot Tone), the latest in the line of a wealthy and powerful Bostonian family. The competition that develops between Pete and Wilbur is friendly and leads to no real hard feelings on any front, even when Wilbur conspires to have the orphans adopted if and when Pete doesn't get married on time (a condition of the adoption since he's a bachelor). It's almost like none of the characters consider there to be anything like stakes around the place.

Well, the bulk of the film is Crosby charming his way back into Emmadel's heart (the first rendition of the Oscar winning song "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" is a delightful narrative treat since it shows the two still having a connection that develops over the song), spruce up Wilbur's cousin (fourth-cousin once removed) Winifred (Alexis Smith) so that she can become attractive to Wilbur instead, all while George hangs around for little reason other than to give some funny quips now and then. The finale is the big, to do wedding with many important guests and some bit of farce to get Pete on the altar instead of Wilbur that everyone just accepts because the feelings of the orphans are important and this very real ceremony isn't real, or something. It makes just this side of no sense, made all the weirder by Wilbur's reaction to it all which is like he didn't care.

So, it's very slight. It has some real charm to it. It's loosely told and kind of nonsensical. It has a nice song that it overplays (I didn't need to hear "Evening" three times, but whatever, it's not like there's a whole lot else). It's primarily a vehicle to showcase Bing Crosby's charm, and it does that reasonably well.

I think it would have worked better at 90 minutes instead of 110, though.

A Shining Example

[TanakaK · 4/10 · 6 April 2011]

Bing Crosby! Jane Wyman! Alexis Smith! Franchot Tone! And directed by ...(wait for it)...Frank Capra!! What could be wrong with this picture? As it turns out, just about everything. This is a perfect example of how so many wonderfully talented ingredients can produce a stinker. As usual, the writing seems to be the main culprit. The script seems to be swinging for comedic home runs in nearly every scene but spends no time building the characters or their rapport. And speaking of the characters, sheesh! Mostly shrill, self-centered and un-charming. Jane Wyman comes of as a harpy while Bing just sings (un-memorable tunes). Meanwhile Tone and Smith spend most of their time as bystanders. Each character just seems to be doing his/her own thing. This was very surprising to see in a Frank Capra film.

Yes, I realize that audiences had panned this dud long before I was even born. But for newcomers...watch this only to see a contrast example of how all the best ingredients can be cooked to create an indigestible dish.

Bing Crosby sings the Oscar winning "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening"

[jacobs-greenwood · 6/10 · 6 December 2016]

Produced and directed by Frank Capra, one of his last films (he didn't direct another film, his next to last, until 1959), with a story by his frequent collaborator Robert Riskin, and Liam O'Brien, this slightly above average musical (late screwball) comedy features Bing Crosby in the title role.

Crosby, who's always ready with a song to smooth over any situation, plays the kind of easy going, unflappable character that marked his career. Jane Wyman, Alexis Smith, Franchot Tone, James Barton, Robert Keith, and Connie Gilchrist, among others, round out the cast. The Hoagy Carmichael-Johnny Mercer song "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" won an Academy Award; Riskin and O'Brien also received a nomination for their Motion Picture Story. This Oscar winning song is sung throughout, including during one of the film's several well choreographed numbers (another with uncredited Louis Armstrong, Phil Harris, and Dorothy Lamour) featuring Crosby and Wyman!

Boston foreign correspondent Pete Garvey (Crosby) has spent the last three years in Paris helping to find homes for war orphans. His ring-less "fiancée" Emmadel Jones (Wyman) and newspaper editor George Degnan (Keith) are impatient for his return. Bobby (Jacques Gencel) and Suzi (Beverly Washburn), two of the orphans, have found their way into Pete's heart and he decides to adopt them. This takes time, which delays his return home.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to him, an exasperated Emmadel, who's been employed as the secretary to real estate mogul Wilbur Stanley (Tone) for the past two years, accepts her boss's proposal of marriage. George's paper has dubbed Emmadel "Cinderella Jones". However, the stipulation on Pete's adoption of Bobby and Suzi states that he must have a wife within 5 days of his arrival in Boston with the orphans.

So, Pete goes straight to Emmadel's where he's warmly greeted by her somewhat drunken, and former Navy captain father William 'Pa' Jones (Barton), and is not so well received by her Ma (Gilchrist), who foresees Pete messing up her daughter's engagement to the $40 million man. Sure enough, Pete conspires to stop the wedding, which is conveniently scheduled the same day as his deadline, in part by appealing to Emmadel's maternal instincts towards the orphans, who are not only cute, but have adopted some of Pete's mannerisms.

Though you can probably figure out how the story will end, it's the "getting there" that satisfies, at least most of the time. Pete meets Wilbur, to whom he's open about his intentions (e.g. that he plans to marry Emmadel himself), and the two make a gentleman's agreement - "may the best man win". Wilbur, confident of his position, even allows Pete to move in to the Stanley estate guest house in the days immediately preceding the wedding. This delights Emmadel's Pa, but infuriates her and her mistrusting Ma. Smith plays Wilbur's prim and proper fourth cousin Winifred Stanley, who's always had a crush on him. Pete, who senses this, plays a Pygmalion- like role, with George's assistance, to help Winifred loosen up in order to appear more attractive to her cousin Wilbur.

A lot of slapstick humor, only some of which is funny, follows. If it weren't for the overtly contrived (indeed, incredible) ending, I'd probably rate this as an above average comedy.

H.B. Warner, Nicholas Joy, Ian Wolfe, and Adeline De Walt Reynolds (uncredited) play other members of the Stanley family; Irving Bacon plays their butler. Charles Halton appears, as an immigration official, and so does Charles Lane - both are uncredited.

Taking two adorable war orphans to America to warm up the jilted fiancée.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 11 May 2013]

That's the premise of this Frank Capra musical where war corespondent Bing Crosby has remained in Europe to try and find homes for a series of orphans, taking two back to the United States with him in hopes of melting former fiancée Jane Wyman's heart after she frustratingly agrees to marry her wealthy boss (Franchot Tone) after constantly being kept under wraps by Bing. She even sends him a recording of her demands, appearing in Bing's memory standing on the record while talking. Audiences who only know Wyman from her dramatic performances and TV's "Falcon Crest" will be delighted here to find out that she's a very talented singer, dancer and comedienne, not content with simply dramatic emoting, as she showed by immediately moving into these comedy's and musicals after winning her Oscar for "Johnny Belinda".

An above average musical score highlights the songs, with some of Bing's Paramount pals joining in for the airplane set "Christopho' Columbo", including trumpet playing Louis Armstrong, "Road to..." co-star Dorothy Lamour, wailing Jerry Colonna and funny lady Cass Daley. The theme song, though, is the Oscar Winning "In the Cool, Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening", which seems to warm Wyman up every time she hears it. Rising child soprano Anna Maria Alberghetti sings an operatic song in a touching moment as a war orphan who happens to be blind. James Barton and Connie Gilchrist are very funny as Wyman's less than high society parents, Robert Keith seen as Bing's frustrated boss, and Alexis Smith rather wasted as Tone's dowdy cousin who obviously has heavy feelings for him. A ton of veteran Hollywood character actors pop in and out very fast, some of their bit roles more amusing than others. Jacques Gencel and Beverly Washburn steal every scene (and your heart) as the two war orphans who do nothing but fight with each other, but obviously could bear to be separated from each other. While the plot line might seem a trifle bit saccharine, the writing helps minimize any potential tooth decay you might get from the stickiness of the plot.

I'm a Sucker for Old Capra Movies-Good but not Great

[mike48128 · 7/10 · 20 January 2017]

Within the first 15 minutes the viewer already knows that Bing is going to get his girl, which takes the movie down a notch. Not exactly a musical, but Bing manages to sing a few. Most annoying opus is Cole Porter's "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" which gets sung-to-death. Bing plays Peter Garvey, an American newspaper corespondent stationed in France while his fiancé is back home. She finally loses her patience and sends him a "Dear John" homemade phonograph record while he visually imagines her every word. It's very cute. When the record skips, she skips! He is delayed from his original flight home in order to get the paperwork to adopt two adorably cute war orphans from France. By the time he finally flies home, she is engaged and to be wed to her millionaire boss Wilbur Stanley that Saturday. The girl-in-question is wasp-waisted Jane Wyman, (as Emmadel Jones) who looks like a confection in her beautiful white satin wedding gown. Her fiancé gives her a wedding present in the form of a check for half a million dollars! Garvey actually strikes up a friendly-rivalry with Wilbur. So, in 5 days, Bing (Garvey) must marry Miss Jones or the kids might have to return to France. Enter 4th-cousin Winifred Stanley (Alexis Smith) who, once dressed for the part, is a beautiful and statuesque gal who has been carrying a torch for her distant cousin Wilbur since her childhood. All ends as it should with a few minor Capra-corn plot twists. Several colorful characters played by familiar actors. Not quite the Capra-classic, but most enjoyable.

Is there really a choice?

[HotToastyRag · 3/10 · 19 November 2018]

When Jane Wyman announces her engagement to Franchot Tone, Bing Crosby gets jealous that she finally got tired of waiting around for him. After all, she waited for five years and could have had children by now! So, in a ridiculous scheme to get her back, Bing adopts two orphans-the law states he has to get married within a week in order to legally adopt the kids-and descends on Jane before her wedding. What woman in her right mind would ever think that's romantic? After wasting her childbearing years on a scoundrel, he shows up with two adopted kids and expects her to swoon? As if!

Sorry, Bing, but I'm not rooting for you in this movie. He's ridiculous. In a hilarious scene where he confronts his competition, Franchot Tone says, "Well, I'm a little taller than you, probably a little younger, and definitely a little richer. What do you have that can outset forty million dollars?" Bing says he has the kids, and Franchot quickly quips, "We plan to have triplets within a year." They make a friendly wager on who can win the girl before Saturday, and to set the bargain, they both light their lighters. Bing's lighter doesn't light, and Franchot smirks as his flame immediately ignites. Really, Jane, is there a choice?

I'm retracting my previous statement. Bing isn't the ridiculous one; Jane is. The fact that she even considers leaving Franchot for Bing makes her ridiculous. She gets a nostalgia kick from Bing singing "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the evening" when, as Franchot so eloquently put, her fiancé is taller, younger, and richer. And he can give her her own children! But, since this is a silly comedy, you can expect tons of silly situations that would never happen in real life, screwball style pratfalls, and a man more perfect than anyone could be in real life who, for no reason, isn't irresistible to the heroine. Come now, ladies, isn't Franchot Tone just a doll? He's charming, handsome, poised, patient, and his four different types of smirks speak volumes. Here's a good rule of recommendations: If you liked High Society, or the original The Philadelphia Story, you'll love Here Comes the Groom. Me, I only sat through it so I could drool over Franchot.

It's Bing. It's Capra.

[mkilmer · 8/10 · 16 February 2007]

If Frank Capra had a message in this film, it might have been that the in America, the wealthy, though as personable as anyone, do not always "get the girl." But they, as everyone, get something, and there is happiness to be had.

Bing Crosby was Bing Crosby, an incredible talent who could light up a motion picture with his facial expressions; when he sings, wow.

This is not a movie for those uptight with notions of a "Patriarchy"; it was 1951, and the general relationship between men and women had changed somewhat between then and now. You do the film a disservice by trying to do that, so put yourself in their shoes for an hour, thirteen, and let yourself feel good.

Hollywood doesn't make reporters like Pete Garvey anymore.

Hidden Gem

[Mutoto · 7/10 · 25 May 2016]

So, this is no Capra masterpiece, but it is still clear why Capra was one of the best of his generation. The innocence portrayed seems out of place in 1951, but seeing it now, just adds to the film's nostalgic feel. Capra lets Cosby do his improv, Wyman is somehow rehearsing for the Douglas Sirk roles she would take in only a few years, only with a comedy twist. There are some hilarious scenes also (like the duel between the two female rivals - with the old grandma saying "this is better than television" - little did she know!- or the wedding scene leading to the obvious happy ending)showing that Capra had not lost his touch. Definitely worth seeing.

A loud, long-winded bore.

[JohnHowardReid · 4/10 · 24 May 2018]

Academy Award for Best Song, "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening", defeating "A Kiss To Build a Dream On" from The Strip, "Never" from Golden Girl, "Too Late Now" from Royal Wedding, and "Wonder Why" from Rich Young and Pretty.

Robert Riskin and Liam O'Brien were nominated for Best Motion Picture Story, losing to Seven Days to Noon.

PRINCIPAL MIRACLE: In some respects, this is a comic version of Bing Crosby's later vehicle, Little Boy Lost (1953).

COMMENT: A combination of Bing Crosby and Frank Capra should have produced something really special. Maybe because that didn't happen is why the picture received such a drubbing from the critics. But how explain the appeal of this disappointingly mediocre offering to the public. Particularly the American and Australian public?

Here are two of my original reviews. The first from Photoplayer, published when the movie was first released. The second is extracted from my TV page in Shout written about twenty years later:

Capra well below par with this noisy, static, over-talkative comedy. There are a few flashes of the old master's genius, notably in the visit to a vast office pile at night, but most of the action takes place in some very cramped sets and the handling (in long takes) closely resembles that of a filmed stage play. Most of the jokes are poor. They are stretched so thin, that when they do come along they are delivered so portentously as to drain off any vestiges of sparkle. If the script had been drastically shortened by 30-45 minutes and if the direction and playing had been suitably light, it would doubtless have provided fairly agreeable entertainment. But as it is, it's a loud, long-winded bore.

OTHER VIEWS: It was no wonder that director Frank Capra did not make another film after this for some time. It's a very noisy affair with some good ideas but far too much talk. A brisk hand in the cutting room would have helped considerably. The songs are by a very uninspired Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, although one number is helped out by some surprise guest appearances. Even George Barnes' photography is not quite up to his usual superb standard.

Bing's best

[dhosek · 10/10 · 5 June 2000]

This is my favorite of Bing's movies, a light comedy with great musical numbers, centering on the fantastic song and dance routine with Bing and Jane Wyman in the office building singing, "in the cool cool cool of the evening". Rent this or catch it on cable or do what you have to, it will be worth your while. Frank Capra's light touch does not disappoint.

Pretty bad but worth watching for one musical performance

[den_quixote · 4/10 · 21 January 2017]

If you were told that a movie was produced and directed by Frank Capra and starred Jane Wyman, Bing Crosby, Franchot Tone and Alexis Smith you might be forgiven for having great expectations. Sadly there is only one thing great about it and that is an operatic performance by a teenage Anna Maria Alberghetti. AMA plays a teenage war orphan in Paris who was up for adoption and when Bing Crosby, playing a journalist involved with the placement of orphans, fails in his first attempt at placing a child with prospective parents and discovers that the husband is a conductor of a major orchestra, he strongarms the couple into listening to AMA. They are transfixed as they should be and when they discover she is blind they are hooked, since she will be a great concert performer. Ugh! The rest of the movie is almost that bad, save for the operatic performance, though many of the stars are adequate. The absolute low point for me was a series of cameos taking place on the airplane bringing Bing and some prospective adoptees to the States. During the flight he breaks out into song and low and behold Louis Armstrong, Dorothy Lamour, Phil Harris and the insufferable Frank Fontaine were all on the plane with him and ready to perform. How anyone could ever have laughed at Fontaine (and his Crazy Guggenheim character) is a mystery for the ages.

Entertaining and Funny

[marmee46 · 8/10 · 22 January 2004]

I feel this movie is well done and if you like Bing Crosby or Jane Wyman you will enjoy watching this one. It is full of music, is entertaining, full of action, and funny. There are parts that will really make you laugh. I own a copy of this movie and would recommend it for anyone to watch. It can also be considered a family movie.

Here Comes the Groom Comes Loads of Fun ****

[edwagreen · 9/10 · 22 November 2009]

What a wonderful Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman vehicle. No wonder the two were used again the following year in "Just for You."

Wyman needed a break after such heavy dramas as "Johnny Belinda," and "The Blue Veil." This was a perfect movie for her, playing the tired fiancée of Bing (Pete Garvey). Fed up waiting for him from returning from France as a foreign correspondent, she agrees to marry her boss, Franchot Tone, worth $40 million.

The 2 adorable children that Bing brings to America provide charm and elegance. There is always Connie Gilchrist, who brings her charm by doing what she knows best- playing a common woman full of love and joy. She is glad that the wedding is over, even though it didn't go her way, because she can now take off her corset. That was Gilchrist for you.

The big surprise of the movie is Alexis Smith, who nearly steals it. She is a riot as Tone's 4th neglected cousin. Spurred on by Crosby, to win Tone away from Wyman, she provided side-splitting hysterics in the film.

The film makes us remember that it was impossible for single people to adopt children. With the Oscar winning song, In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, the film is an absolute hit in so many ways.

Fantastic romance and musical comedy

[SimonJack · 9/10 · 6 June 2014]

"Here Comes the Groom" is a marvelous comedy romance with some very good music and performers. Johnny Mercer and Hoagy Carmichael won the 1951 Oscar for best original song with "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening." This film has a superb cast all around, and some special cameo appearances. But this is foremost a superb comedy. The plot in bringing two war orphans home has a nice touch, but it too feeds the comedy. The several raucous scenes are capped and interspersed with very funny dialog and some hilarious zingers.

Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman star as Pete Garvey and Emmadel Jones. Franchot Tone is Wilbur Stanley, and Alexis Smith is his "kissin' cousin" Winnifred (four times removed, as Pete tells Emmy). A great supporting cast (more than 150 roles) fills out this film, several with very meaty and funny parts. The two young French war orphans, Bobby and Suzi, are played exquisitely by Jacques Gencel and Beverly Washburn. Crosby's Garvey is a real conniver here - but with a big heart. Tone is excellent and humorous as a sparring opponent with Pete, over Emmy. And Wyman plays Emmy to a T - as the determined woman, tired of waiting for Pete, and now wanting to marry her boss, millionaire Wilbur.

This was the first view most movie fans had of Anna Maria Alberghetti. The 15-year-old Italian-born soprano just one year before had made her Carnegie Hall debut. Here, she plays a blind young teen who is a war orphan, Theresa. In her one scene, she gives a captivating rendition of the beautiful song, "Caro Nome" from Verdi's opera, "Rigoletto." On his plane back to the States from Paris with Bobby and Suzi in tow, Garvey is prodded to sing and the USO troupe just happens to include a handful of big name entertainers of the day. The cameos include Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong on trumpet, comedian Phil Harris, and Dorothy Lamour and Frank Fontaine.

This may be Crosby's best comedic role in movies. His humor and trademark asides that he ad-libbed seemed natural here. The wedding rehearsal is a hoot all the way, and the climax wrestling match between Emmy and Winnie is a riot. And, wow, is it done well by these women - or their stand-ins, if such were used.

"Here Comes the Groom" is a great film with two tales. One is about efforts to place war orphans in families after WW II. The other is a love story about a guy who keeps backing off his planned trip to the altar with a childhood sweetheart. The two mixed together make for a great mayhem and much humor. The title may seem wacky, but it will make sense when one watches the film.

Although the plight of hundreds of thousands of homeless and lost children at the end of World War II was a serious matter, this film manages to give a light-hearted touch of hope for the future of the war orphans. It's a movie fit for all ages and one that should delight the whole family. The small faults that will be obvious to some, don't hinder this from being an outstanding musical comedy and superbly enjoyable movie.

Here are some favorite lines form this film.

Pa Jones, "He's not even a man. He's a tradition."

Ma Jones, "You watch yourself, Emmy. Rattlesnakes can look pretty harmless sometimes."

Emmy Jones, "Where you off to next, Pete - Alaska, Yugoslavia?"

George Degnan, " He's younger than you thought he was, isn't he, Pete?" Pete nods his head, and George continues, "And, he, he's better looking than you thought he was, isn't he, Pete?" Pete looks at George and says, "All that, and $40 million besides."

Pa Jones, getting breakfast served in bed in the Stanley mansion, "Only birds eat in the same nest they sleep in."

Emmy Jones, "Wilbur, do me a favor. Ask him to sing at our wedding. He thinks he can sing, you know. And nothing would give me greater pleasure than to marry you if he has to sing to us."

George Degnan, "You know, Miss Stanley, men seldom make passes at flat-heeled lasses." Pete Garvey, "George, that's beautiful (sic) put, beautifully put." George, "Yes, I thought so."

Winifred Stanley, "You'll still be here too, won't you?" George Degnan, "Sure, sure. Running a newspaper's just a hobby with me."

George Degnan, referring to Pete and the two children, "Three orphans in search of a mother."

Emmy Jones, "Oh, and you used to be such a good reporter. Now you sound like a journalist."

George, Degnan, "If this works, I'm a duck-billed platypus." Pete Garvey, "Meet me down at the zoo in the morning."

Emmy Jones, "Wilbur, I, I mustn't let the children see me marrying another man." Wilbur Stanley, "Another man? Me?" Emmy, "Well, Pete's their father, and not you, and they think I'm their mother, and, well, couldn't you just send them away or something?"

Wilbur Stanley, to the minister, "I beg your pardon. Would you mind waiting a moment? I'll be right back." Ma Jones, "Throw 'em out!"

Emmy Jones, "Marry Pete Garvey - are you crazy?" Wilbur Stanley, "Yes, darling, I am." Emmy, "Oh, Wilbur." Ma Jones, "Watch yourself, Emmy."

Pete Garvey, "I'd rather go to prison for the rest of my life." Emmy Jones, "Oh, you're always thinking about yourself all the time. What about Bobby and Suzi?"

Aunt Abby, "Who's marrying who?" Uncle Adam, speaking into her hearing piece, "Whom, my dear."

Ma Jones "No, Emmy, don't do it."

Emmy Jones, "I'm sorry, Wilbur." Cousin Winnie, "Aw, phooey, nobody's sorry."

Uncle Prentiss, "What's happened to Winnifred? She's completely lost her dignity." Aunt Amy, "She's completely lost her girdle."

Aunt Amy, laughing at the wedding rehearsal mayhem, "This is better than television."

George Degnan, "Got any clues?" Pa Jones, "Well, nothing that I can't be hanged fer."