Royal Wedding (1951)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Stanley Donen

Writers:

Alan Jay Lerner (story)
Alan Jay Lerner (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 March 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Plot:

Tom and Ellen Bowen are a brother and sister dance act whose show closes in New York. Their agent books...

Plot Keywords:

Dance | Royal Wedding | Dancing | Wedding | Steamship

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Fred Astaire	...	Tom Bowen
Jane Powell	...	Ellen Bowen
Peter Lawford	...	Lord John Brindale
Sarah Churchill	...	Anne Ashmond
Keenan Wynn	...	Irving Klinger / Edgar Klinger
Albert Sharpe	...	James Ashmond
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bea Allen	...	Dancer in Haiti number (uncredited)
Wilson Benge	...	Eddie (uncredited)
Margaret Bert	...	Ellen's maid (uncredited)
Francis Bethencourt	...	Charles Gordon (uncredited)
William Cabanne	...	Dick (uncredited)
Andre Charisse	...	Steward (uncredited)
Mae Clarke	...	Telephone operator #1 (uncredited)
Carmen Clifford	...	Dancer in Haiti number (uncredited)
James Conaty	...	Royal Attendant (uncredited)
Oliver Cross	...	Backstage guest (uncredited)
Joan Dale	...	Dancer in Haiti number (uncredited)
Jack Daley	...	Pop (uncredited)
Italia DeNubila	...	Dancer in Haiti number (uncredited)
Helen Dickson	...	Woman in Carriage with Lord John (uncredited)
Marietta Elliott	...	Dancer in Haiti number (uncredited)
Herbert Evans	...	Royal Attendant (uncredited)
James Fairfax	...	Harry (uncredited)
James Finlayson	...	Cabby (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Backstage guest (uncredited)
Alex Frazer	...	Chester (Tom's valet) (uncredited)
Jack Gargan	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Shirley Glickman	...	Dancer in Haiti number (uncredited)
Betty Hannon	...	Dancer in Haiti number (uncredited)
Jean Harrison	...	Dancer in Haiti number (uncredited)
Doreen Hayward	...	Dancer in Haiti number (uncredited)
John Hedloe	...	Billy (uncredited)
James Horne Jr.	...	Young man (uncredited)
Marian Horosko	...	Dancer in Haiti number (uncredited)
Wendy Howard	...	Chorus girl (uncredited)
Tommy Hughes	...	Singing man (uncredited)
Charlotte Hunter	...	Dancer in Haiti number (uncredited)
Lucille Lamarr	...	Dancer in Haiti number (uncredited)
Janet Lavis	...	Dancer in Haiti number (uncredited)
Virginia Lee	...	Dancer in Haiti number (uncredited)
Judy Lenson	...	Dancer in Haiti number (uncredited)
Henri Letondal	...	Purser (uncredited)
Richard Lupino	...	Singing elevator boy (uncredited)
Stanley Mann	...	Cab driver (uncredited)
Svetlana McLe	...	Dancer in Haiti number (uncredited)
Sheila Meyers	...	Dancer in Haiti number (uncredited)
Phyllis Morris	...	Singing woman (uncredited)
Leonard Mudie	...	Singing doorman (uncredited)
Kerry O'Day	...	Linda (uncredited)
Jetsy Parker	...	Dancer in Haiti number (uncredited)
'Snub' Pollard	...	Onlooker on Street (uncredited)
Albert Pollet	...	Steward (uncredited)
John R. Reilly	...	Pete Cumberly (uncredited)
Shirley Jean Rickert	...	Dancer in Haiti number (uncredited)
Viola Roache	...	Sarah Ashmond (uncredited)
Pat Simms	...	Dancer in Haiti number (uncredited)
Bert Stevens	...	Military Officer on Street (uncredited)
David Thursby	...	Singing bobby (uncredited)
Dee Turnell	...	Dancer in Haiti number (uncredited)
Dorothy Tuttle	...	Dancer in Haiti number (uncredited)
Joan Vohs	...	Dancer in Haiti number (uncredited)
Dorothea Ward	...	Dancer in Haiti number (uncredited)
Pat Williams	...	Barbara (uncredited)
Eric Wilton	...	Toasting drinker at bar (uncredited)
Helen Winston	...	Telephone operator #2 (uncredited)
Doris Wolcott	...	Dancer in Haiti number (uncredited)
Wilson Wood	...	Drinker (uncredited)

Directed by
Stanley Donen

Writing credits
Alan Jay Lerner		(story)
Alan Jay Lerner		(screenplay)

Produced by
Arthur Freed	....	producer

Original Music by
Albert Sendrey		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Robert H. Planck		(director of photography) (as Robert Planck)

Film Editing by
Albert Akst

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons
Jack Martin Smith

Set Decoration by
Edwin B. Willis

Makeup Department
Sydney Guilaroff	....	hair designer
William Tuttle	....	makeup designer (as William J. Tuttle)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Arvid Griffen	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Alfred E. Spencer	....	associate set decorator

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording supervisor

Special Effects by
Warren Newcombe	....	special effects

Music Department
Johnny Green	....	musical director
Skip Martin	....	orchestrator
Conrad Salinger	....	orchestrator
Robert Franklyn	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Johnny Green	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)
Conrad Salinger	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)

Other crew
Nick Castle	....	dances by
James Gooch	....	technicolor color consultant
Henri Jaffa	....	technicolor color consultant
Marilyn Christine	....	dance assistant (uncredited)
Dave Robel	....	dance assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1951) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1979) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)
• United American Video (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• Madacy Entertainment (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• Inspired Productions (1996) (UK) (VHS)
• Parade Video (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Hollywood Classics (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Simitar Video (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• United American Video (1997) (USA) (DVD)
• United American Video (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• BCI Eclipse (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Madacy Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Simitar Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Take 2 Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Platinum Disc (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• GoodTimes Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• GoodTimes Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Omega Productions (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2002) (USA) (VHS)
• BFS Entertainment & Multimedia Limited (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Bridgestone Multimedia (2002) (USA) (VHS)
• Gotham Distribution (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Gotham Distribution (2002) (USA) (VHS)
• Navarre Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Brentwood Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• GoodTimes Home Video (2003) (USA) (VHS)
• Inspired Productions (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Peter Pan Industries (PPI) (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Vidtape (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (VHS)
• Bach Films (2009) (France) (DVD)
• Emerald (2006) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Mill Creek Entertainment (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Passport Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Punto Zero (2008) (Italy) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)

Other Companies

• Western Electric  sound system

Also Known As:

Wedding Bells (UK)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Canada:F (Ontario) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Australia:PG (video rating) | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:U

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Charles Walters was originally signed to direct the film, but he quit when Judy Garland replaced June Allyson, as he refused to work with Garland again after Summer Stock (1950).

Quotes:

Tom Bowen: I wonder what the groom is doing today.
Ellen Bowen: Why don't you call him up and ask him?
Tom Bowen: Very funny.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The American Film Institute Salute to Fred Astaire (1981) (TV)

Soundtrack:

TOO LATE NOW

Dancing Great; Story Stinks

This movie features some of the most famous dance scenes by Fred Astaire, such as the one where he dances on the walls and ceiling.

That particularly dance is impressive because the special-effects made it look realistic. Kudos to the filmmakers for doing that in a film that is 55 years old. Astaire also did a clever number earlier with a hat rack and did two entertaining dances with Jane Powell.

The dancing was the only good thing in the film. Most of the story deals with romances between Powell and Peter Lawford and Astaire and Sarah Churchill. The latter look a little old for the normal young-romance type angles viewers are used to seeing in films. Facially, Fred looked like he had been ill. He just didn't look good. Powell looked fine but her soprano voice almost broke my TV tube. It was brutal.

Since those famous Astaire dances can be seen on "That's Entertainment" tapes or DVDs, there was no reason to keep this film.