Classic Film Guide

June Bride (1948)

This above average comedy, with a screenplay by Ranald MacDougall (Mildred Pierce (1945)) features Robert Montgomery as a former war correspondent looking for work. He reluctantly accepts a job to write an article for a women's magazine, about a typical American wedding, even though its editor is a former lover, Bette Davis, who's playing the typical "married to her job", successful but single, career woman type role. She impresses Montgomery with her fancy apartment, then he travels to Indiana to cover the Brinker wedding and its Midwestern "characters": Fay Bainter (Jezebel (1938)) gives her typical, wonderful performance; Tom Tully (The Caine Mutiny (1954)) plays the future father-in-law of the groom; Barbara Bates the bride-to-be; "Boo" Brinker (Betty Lynn) is a marvelous character, the younger sister; also Jerome Cowan and Mary Wickes! Even Debbie Reynolds appears, uncredited, in this one. It was directed by Bretaigne Windust.

Of course, all is not as it seems and Montgomery's character soon discovers this idyllic wedding is in jeopardy. And when the citified Davis and her staff invade the Brinker household with their ideas for making everything fit their preconceived perfect cover story, the fun really begins. Given the setting, it's only natural that there is some rekindling of Montgomery's former relationship with Davis, though she's become pretty set in her ways and she is, after all, the boss.