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Father of the Bride (1950);
The Actress (1953)

Father of the Bride (1950)
March 16, 2012 - 7:30 pm

Father of the Bride (1950)

Directed by Vincente Minnelli

As the harried father of a beautiful, betrothed daughter, fretting over her coming marriage and burgeoning wedding plans, Tracy trades on his hard-earned credibility as a man of emotional depth. Where previously he stood as a monument of masculinity, here he plays the patriarch as object of fun. The role of “Daddy” became a Tracy staple in the second half of his career.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp. Producer: Pandro S. Berman. Based on the novel by Edward Streeter. Screenwriter: Frances Goodrich. Cinematographer: John Alton. Editor: Ferris Webster. Cast: Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett, Elizabeth Taylor, Don Taylor, Billie Burke.

35mm, b/w, 93 min.

Print courtesy of George Eastman House

The Actress (1953)

Directed by George Cukor

Adapted from the autobiographical play by Ruth Gordon (a close friend of Tracy’s) the film regards Tracy as Gordon’s father, yielding to his daughter’s strong desire to make her way as an actress. Parsing his own lost dreams as a former fisherman now working in a factory, the father’s difficulty is evident, as is Tracy’s sensitivity to the emotions of both characters, as a lifelong actor who had struggled early in his career.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp. Producer: Lawrence Weingarten. Based on a play by Ruth Gordon. Screenwriter: R. Gordon. Cinematographer: Harold Rosson. Editor: George Boemler. Cast: Spencer Tracy, Jean Simmons, Teresa Wright, Anthony Perkins, Ian Wolfe.

16mm, b/w, 90 min.