Themes: Members of the Press, Lovers Reunited, Wedding Bells
Main Cast: Bette Davis, Robert Montgomery, Fay Bainter, Betty Lynn, Tom Tully, Barbara Bates
Release Year: 1948
Country: US
Run Time: 97 minutes
Plot
June Bride is based on Feature for June, a play by Eileen Tighe and Graeme Lorimer. Bette Davis plays the businesslike editor of a fashionable woman's magazine, who plans a feature on a "typical" midwestern marriage. She assigns her aide (and former fiance) Robert Montgomery to cover the story, a task he feels is beneath him. Even so, Montgomery keeps his mouth shut as Davis and her assistants Fay Bainter and Mary Wickes descend upon the hapless family of the bride and re-arrange the household so that it will be more "appealing" to the magazine's devoted readers. Unable to stand any more of this, Montgomery devilishly upsets the apple cart: he convinces the younger sister (Betty Lynn) of the bride (Barbara Bates) to elope with the groom (Raymond Roe), for whom the sister carries a torch. Infuriated by Montgomery's intervention, Davis fires him on the spot. She later relents, realizing that the change in marital plans will make an even better story than her original concept. In so doing, Davis finally admits that she's still in love with the cheeky Montgomery. One of the better Bette Davis vehicles of the late 1940s, June Bride is chock full of brisk, bright dialogue and appealing characters. Debbie Reynolds makes her film debut in the teeny-tiny part of a friend of the bride. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
While far from a timeless classic (indeed, much of it will come across as hopelessly dated to many modern viewers), June Bride is an enjoyable little romantic comedy, one of the few which the illustrious Bette Davis made in her legendary career. To expand on that "dated" comment: this is a very period piece in terms of its view of male-female relationships and of how a woman should be prepared to take a secondary role in a relationship. This will be a stumbling block for many. But those willing to look the other way about this flaw will find a screenplay that, if predictable in its plotting, still offers plenty of opportunities for humor and a fair share of banter that sticks in the memory. (Davis's "you're about to drink someone's blood, probably mine" line is delivered with perfect inflection.) Davis and co-star Robert Montgomery are in great form, looking as if they're having a high old time despite rumors of constant conflict on the set. And the supporting cast, especially Fay Bainter, Mary Wickes and Barbara Btes, simply couldn't be better. Bretaigne Windust directs with a few surprising touches, not perhaps in terms of the camera but in terms of character and acting. All in all, worth watching. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
