Father of the Bride

Dir. Vincente Minnelli. 1950, 92 mins. U.S. 35mm. With Spencer Tracy, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Bennett, Don Taylor, Billie Burke. Forty years before it was remade into another beloved comedy starring Steve Martin and Diane Keaton, Minnelli’s sparkling original Father of the Bride delighted audiences with its perfect mix of caustic comedy and sentiment. A superb Spencer Tracy stars as strait-laced businessman Stanley Banks, whose life unravels when the apple of his eye (a teenage Elizabeth Taylor) announces she’s getting married. With its pointed satire of perfect postwar suburbia and clever portrait of a well-intentioned but disgruntled family man sent to the edge of sanity by the trappings—and out-of-control cost—of putting on a good(bye) show for his daughter, the Best Picture–nominated Father of the Bride kicked off the 1950s in smart, funny style and remains a treasure of its era.

Tickets: $17.50 / $12 senior and students / $10 youth / $7 MoMI members. There is a $1.50 transaction fee per ticket for all online purchases. The cost of admission may be applied toward a same-day purchase of a membership.

Order tickets. Please pick up tickets at the Museum’s admissions desk upon arrival. All seating is general admission.