Themes: Parenthood, Fathers and Daughters, Expecting a Baby
Main Cast: Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett, Elizabeth Taylor, Don Taylor, Billie Burke
Release Year: 1951
Country: US
Run Time: 82 minutes
MPAA Rating: NR
Plot
This sequel to the 1950 comedy hit Father of the Bride finds Spencer Tracy and Joan Bennett returning as Stanley and Ellie Banks, the parents of newlywed Kay Dunstan (Elizabeth Taylor). In the first film, Stanley Banks was forced to endure the chaotic events leading up to the wedding. This time, he must comes to grips with the prospect of becoming a grandfather. Once he's reconciled himself to this jolt of mortality, Stanley must contend with the little bundle of joy, who screams his head off every time Grandpa comes near him. Father's Little Dividend was remade in 1994 as Father of the Bride II, with Steve Martin assuming the Spencer Tracy role, and with the added complication of discovering that his own wife (Diane Keaton) is also pregnant. The copyright for Father's Little Dividend was not renewed in 1978; thus the film has lapsed into public domain. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
This sequel to Father of the Bride cannot really stand up to the original, but on its own terms, Father's Little Dividend is an amusing, lightly enjoyable little film. There's definitely a sense of déjà vu to the film, not only because it's a sequel, but because it is revisiting territory that has been trod many times. Complicating matters is the fact that there's no real plot to the film, merely a series of episodes which, on the surface, fit together but which don't really add up to a satisfying whole. Add to this some overly contrived situations -- including the climactic sequence in which the viewer is asked to believe that Spencer Tracy would leave a baby unprotected in a carriage while he plays with a group of boys -- and it's easy to see why the film falls short of classic status. Fortunately, it does have an expert cast to help it over the rough spots, with Tracy leading the way with his usual gruff-but-lovable routine. Director Vincente Minnelli seems a bit hampered by the script and by the necessity of filming in black-and-white, but he does find a number of arresting shots, and his staging of the sequence in which Elizabeth Taylor comes to feel overwhelmed by those around her is very well-handled. Dividend is not an outstanding comedy, but it is pleasant and diverting. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Moroni Olsen - Herbert Dunstan; Richard Rober - Police Sergeant; Marietta Canty - Delilah; Russ Tamblyn - Tommy Banks; Tom Irish - Ben Banks; Hayden Rorke - Dr. Andrew Nordell; Paul Harvey - Rev. Galsworthy; Frank Faylen - Policeman; Dabbs Greer - Taxi Driver; Harry Hines - Old Man; Frank Sully - Diaper Man; Beverly Thompson - Nurse; Robert B. Williams - Officer; Lon Poff - Elderly Man on Porch; George Bruggeman - Gym Instructor; Nancy Valentine - Bridesmaid; Wendy Waldron - Bridesmaid; James Menzies - Mike; Tommie Menzies - Red
Originally released by MGM, the film is now in the public domain. Despite the fact that Warner Bros. Entertainment (via ownership of Turner Entertainment) owns the distribution rights to the original, as of yet, they have not released an authorized DVD release of the sequel.
Father's Little Dividend was semi-remade in 1995 as Father of the Bride Part II, with Steve Martin and Diane Keaton in Tracy and Bennett's roles. However, Keaton's character also has a baby and the plot has many similarities to this movie.
