''The Well Groomed Bride'' is a 1946 American

romantic comedy film Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

directed by

Sidney Lanfield Sidney Lanfield (April 20, 1898 – June 20, 1972) was an American film director known for directing romances and light comedy films and later television programs. The one-time jazz musician and vaudevillian star started his first directing job ...

and starring

Olivia de Havilland Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland (; July 1, 1916July 26, 2020) was a British-American actress. The major works of her cinematic career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films and was one of the leading actresses of her time. ...

, Ray Milland, and

Sonny Tufts Bowen Charlton "Sonny" Tufts III (July 16, 1911 – June 4, 1970) was an American stage, film, and television actor. He is best known for the films he made as a contract star at Paramount in the 1940s, including ''So Proudly We Hail!''. He a ...

. Written by

Claude Binyon Claude Binyon (October 17, 1905 Chicago, Illinois – February 14, 1978 Glendale, California) was a screenwriter and director. His genres were comedy, musicals, and romances. As a Chicago-based journalist for the ''Examiner'' newspaper, he be ...

and Robert Russell, the film is about a man and a woman who fight over the last bottle of champagne left in San Francisco—he wants it to christen a new aircraft carrier, and she wants it as the centerpiece for her upcoming wedding reception. During the course of their fierce battle over the bottle, the two fall in love. This was de Havilland's first film after a two-year legal battle she waged against Warner Bros. regarding her rights under her contract.

Plot

In the spring of 1945 in San Francisco, United States Navy lieutenant Dudley Briggs ( Ray Milland) is promised a two-week furlough and a promotion by his ship's captain if he can acquire a bottle of French champagne by the next morning to be used in launching of the U.S.S. ''Vengeance'', the Navy's newest aircraft carrier. Dudley heads to a liquor store and finds the last magnum of French champagne in the city—champagne having become rare during the war. Unfortunately, he loses the bottle to a beautiful young woman named Margie Dawson (

), who is about to be married to Army lieutenant Torchy McNeil (

), an Oregon football star, whom she has not seen in two years. Margie plans to present the bottle as the centerpiece for her upcoming wedding reception. Dudley accompanies the couple to their hotel, where he tries to steal the magnum, but is unsuccessful in his efforts. Undaunted, he arranges a meeting between Torchy and his ex-girl friend, Rita Sloan (

Constance Dowling Constance Dowling (July 24, 1920 – October 28, 1969) was an American model turned actress of the 1940s and 1950s. Early life and career Born in New York City, Dowling was a model and chorus girl before moving to California in 1943. She had ...

). When Margie finds them together, she calls off the wedding and goes out with Dudley in order to get back at her former fiancée. Following Margie and Dudley onto the Richmond Ferry, Torchy confronts them, insisting that a marriage must have only "one quarterback". After giving him the magnum, Margie again breaks up with him. On the ferry, Dudley confesses to Margie that he is in love with her, but she suspects he only wants the champagne. Their date is interrupted by Dudley's commanding officer, captain Hornby, who has them arrested and arranges for Margie herself to christen the ship with the bottle of French champagne. Meanwhile, Margie's father arrives for her wedding. After finding Torchy in Margie's robe, has him brought to the Provost Marshal on a charge of insanity. Hornby arrives and has Torchy released so he can convince him to give up the magnum of champagne. When Hornby mentions Dudley's girl friend in front of Margie, she is certain Dudley does not love her. Margie's father, however, believes Dudley loves Margie and suggests that she return the bottle of champagne to Dudley to see what he will do. At first, Torchy and Rita refuse to give up the bottle, but when they see the U.S.S. ''Vengeance'' about to be christened with a tiny bottle, their feelings of patriotism inspire a change of mind. Torchy, the former football star, makes a perfect pass with the bottle of champagne, and Margie christens the ship. Soon after, Margie receives a telegram from Dudley instructing her to meet him with the biggest bottle of champagne she can find—for their wedding.

Cast

as Margie Dawson * Ray Milland as Lt. Dudley Briggs *

as Lt. Torchy McNeil *

James Gleason James Austin Gleason (May 23, 1882 – April 12, 1959) was an American actor, playwright and screenwriter born in New York City. Gleason often portrayed "tough-talking, world-weary guys with a secret heart-of-gold." Life and career Gleason w ...

as Capt. Hornby *

as Rita Sloane *

Percy Kilbride Percy William Kilbride (July 16, 1888 – December 11, 1964) was an American character actor. He made a career of playing country hicks, most memorably as Pa Kettle in the ''Ma and Pa Kettle'' series of feature films. Early life Kilbride was b ...

as Mr. Dawson *

Jean Heather Jean Heather (February 21, 1921 – October 29, 1995 ) was an American actress who appeared in eight feature films during the 1940s. Early years Heather was the only child of Dewey and Florence Heatherington. She was born in Omaha. After ...

as Wickley * Jay Norris as Mitch * John R. Reilly as Buck * George Turner as Goose

Production

''The Well Groomed Bride'' was filmed between February 2 and late March 1945. The New York preview was held on May 10, 1946. The film was released in the United States on May 17, 1945. This was de Havilland's first film after a two-year legal battle she waged against

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

regarding her rights under her contract. The working title of the film was ''Night Before''. Paramount originally planned to make a picture under the title ''The Well Groomed Bride'' in 1942, hiring Manny Seff and George Beck to write the screen story, and Melvyn Frank and Norman Panama to write the screen adaptation. The work of these writers was not reflected in the 1945 screenplay.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Well-Groomed Bride 1946 films 1946 romantic comedy films American romantic comedy films American black-and-white films Films scored by Roy Webb Films directed by Sidney Lanfield Paramount Pictures films Films set in San Francisco 1940s English-language films 1940s American films