The Catered Affair (1956)

Director:

Richard Brooks

Writers:

Paddy Chayefsky (play)
Gore Vidal (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 June 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

When you're in love, nothing else matters

Plot:

At breakfast, Jane announces that she and Ralph are getting married the next week. All Jane and Ralph...

Plot Keywords:

Wedding | Poor | Personal Finance | Based On TV Movie | Father Daughter Relationship

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Bette Davis	...	Mrs. Agnes Hurley
Ernest Borgnine	...	Tom Hurley
Debbie Reynolds	...	Jane Hurley
Barry Fitzgerald	...	Uncle Jack Conlon
Rod Taylor	...	Ralph Halloran
Robert F. Simon	...	Mr. Halloran (as Robert Simon)
Madge Kennedy	...	Mrs. Halloran
Dorothy Stickney	...	Mrs. Rafferty
Carol Veazie	...	Mrs. Casey
Joan Camden	...	Alice Scanlon
Ray Stricklyn	...	Eddie Hurley
Jay Adler	...	Sam Leiter
Dan Tobin	...	Hotel Caterer
Paul Denton	...	Bill
Augusta Merighi	...	Mrs. Musso

Also Known As:

Wedding Breakfast (UK)

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #17915)

Filming Locations:

Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Goofs:

Factual errors: Real-life radio soap opera "The Romance of Helen Trent" is heard on radio while members of Hurley family are waking up, eating breakfast and preparing to go off to work; in reality, radio soaps weren't broadcast until late mornings/ afternoons and/or evenings.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Bridge Attendant: Boy, Tom how's the taxi business?
Tom Hurley: How's the bridge business?
Bridge Attendant: One more day like this, I'll own the bridge.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Three's Company: The Catered Affair (#3.16)" (1979)

poignant and superbly acted

I happened upon A Catered Affair on TCM recently by chance upon hearing the channels announcement it was written by Paddy Chayefsky; I was knocked out by Network, so I gave this one a chance. I recommend you do too. Wow! This film is real, gritty, poignant. It demands your intelligent attention, as every moment counts. I agree with Wayne Malin's overall review here, but would rate Debbie Reynolds performance more highly. I experienced her portrayal as a true rendering of a vulnerable, sensitive young woman coming of age. We empathize with the characters, who are given due weight throughout the story's development. We care and see the motivations of each person as they struggle to come to terms with complex issues that overwhelm them. Layers of competing interests collide with depth and resonance. Bette Davis and Ernest Borgnine are magnificent, as are the supporting actors, most notably the grooms father and the brides best friend/maid of honor. As far as the ending, I found it a bit more believable than Mr Malin; the mom is faced with the realization that she's always had generations of family around her, who are all now leaving. She is about to live the rest of her life with the husband she has denegrated all their married life, the circumstances of which make us empathize with her meanness. Mom is faced with unwanted choices placed upon her. Instead of blaming others for her fate, a lifetime habit, she must choose either to leave the marriage, live in misery and loneliness which she now suspects has been somewhat self imposed, or admit some things about herself and open up a little, allowing for the possibility of some joy between them in their remaining years.