June Bride (1948)

 June Bride (1948)

A nice, complex, sophisticated adult comedy with no less than three (eventual) couples.

It still seems off to me to imagine Bette Davis was ever young and hot, (largely in part because I remember her from more mature parts, but recently mostly because of Mario Cantone’s impressions of post-stroke Bette,) but here she gets mighty close to it.

Still not that young though, she and Robert Montgomery are a couple that could have been, but never were, partially because of the war, but more likely because Montgomery’s character got cold feet despite wanting her.

A few years later he is demoted to writing a wedding/makeover piece for new boss Davis, which he doesn’t really mind because, after all, he still carries a torch for her.

But he doesn’t know what to make of the story, he wants to write about war, crime, sports, and by looking for an angle he ruins the simple woman’s article Davis’ character wanted… or does he?

The whole enterprise seems a bit odd to me, since this is hardly my thing, but I suppose one could find similes with bridal or home makeover reality TV. That's what it equates to, no?

Davis and Montgomery don’t fire up the screen with passion, but they do feel like and old married couple who have settled comfortably with each other, despite not having done any of it.

Lots of off little character moments don’t overly complicate the plot and might seem initially unnecessary, but they do provide plenty of flavor, (providing nice contrast from the big city magazine folks to their Hoosier subjects, for example), like, Montgomery getting uproariously drunk on applejack after being disappointed he’s only getting apple cider, but then following up only with his blackout.

The younger couple provide the sex appeal, but by the end are mostly inconsequential.

Also with Fay Bainter, Betty Lynn, and the wonderful Mary Wickes.