No Room for the Groom

Plot

Pity poor ex-GI Alvah Morrell (Tony Curtis). While on his honeymoon with perky Lee Kingshead (Piper Laurie), he comes down with a bad case of chicken pox. The moment he recovers, he's shipped overseas. And when Alvah returns home, he finds his house festooned with his wife's troublesome relatives -- and, per the film's title, there's no room for him. Complicating matters is Lee's supercilious mother (Spring Byington), who does her best to break up the marriage so that her daughter will be free to marry wealthy-but-dull Herman Strouple (Don DeFore). No Room for the Groom plays like an elongated 2-reel comedy, but the stars are attractive and Douglas Sirk's direction is subtle and inventive. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Review

An early Tony Curtis vehicle, No Room for the Groom is a moderately enjoyable little pseudo-sex comedy, one in which the titillation is provided not by attempts at pre- or extra-marital sex but by a married couple whose consummation of their marriage keeps getting interrupted. Groom also goes a bit deeper than that, thankfully, exploring how the couple's very marriage is being interfered with by a domineering mother. It's a perfectly fine set-up, but not one that is handled with a great deal of originality or imagination. Screenwriter Joseph Hoffman is content to peddle a few well-worn situations, prettied up with a few neat dialogue exchanges here and there, but overall lacking in consistent wit. Douglas Sirk, whose work in melodramas is legendary, is less comfortable with the broad comedy that Groom requires; his work is acceptable, but rather on the perfunctory side. Fortunately, Groom has a very appealing cast, with Curtis young and engaging and Piper Laurie young and delicious. Spring Byington does wonders with the overbearing mother, and Don DeFore is fine as the would-be suitor. Groom is ultimately just a piece of silly, but the actors make it a pleasant little affair. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi

Cast

• Tony Curtis - Alvah Morrell
• Piper Laurie - Lee Kingshead
• Don DeFore - Herman Strouple
• Spring Byington - Mama Kingshead
• Lillian Bronson - Aunt Elsa

Paul McVey - Dr. Trotter; Stephen Chase - Mr. Taylor; Lee Aaker - Donovan Murray; Jack Kelly - Will Stubbins; Frank Sully - Cousin Luke; Elsie Baker; Jack Daly - Customer at Bar; Lynne Hunter - Cousin Betty; David Janssen - Soldier; Lucille Lamarr - Relative; Fess Parker - Cousin Ben; Lee Turnbull - Cousin Pete; James Parnell - Cousin Mike; Janet Clark - Cousin Dorothy; Catherine Howard; Harold Lockwood - Relative

Credit

Bernard Herzbrun - Art Director, Richard H. Riedel - Art Director, Bill Thomas - Costume Designer, Douglas Sirk - Director, Russell Schoengarth - Editor, Frank Skinner - Composer (Music Score), Bud Westmore - Makeup, Clifford Stine - Cinematographer, Ted Richmond - Producer, Russell A. Gausman - Set Designer, Ruby Levitt - Set Designer, Leslie I. Carey - Sound/Sound Designer, Corson Jowett - Sound/Sound Designer, Joseph Hoffman - Screenwriter, Darwin L. Teilhet - Short Story Author

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