Five Fun Facts about Father’s Little Dividend (1951)

Five Fun Facts about Father’s Little Dividend

Like many classic movie fans, I just love discovering interesting connections and fun little tidbits of trivia while watching my classic movie favorites. That said, each month, I’ll be sharing some quick and fun facts about some of my classic movie picks available for streaming at Best Classics Ever.

1) Yes, we all know it’s a sequel, but…

I would imagine that – given we’re all classic movie fans here – we already know that Father’s Little Dividend was the sequel to 1950’s Father of the Bride (incidentally one of the year’s top-grossing films). But perhaps we all didn’t know that ‘Dividend’ was also very well received by audiences and critics alike, and financially successful to boot.

To quote the original New York Times review from April 13, 1951:

“It is not very often that the sequel to a successful film turns out to be even half as successful or rewarding as the original picture was. But we’ve got to hand it to Metro: its sequel to “Father of the Bride” is so close that we’ll willingly concede it to the humor and charm of that former film.”

…..

2) Mother and daughter share a birthday

Joan Bennett and Elizabeth Taylor, who play mother Ellie Banks and daughter Kay respectively, were both born on February 27 — although 22 years apart, with Joan being the elder (of course). Joan and Liz also have another classic movie connection in that they both played youngest sister Amy in Little Women (Joan in 1933 and Liz in 1949).

…..

3) The Good Witch and the Magic Mirror

Billie Burke and Moroni Olsen play Doris and Herbert Dunstan (father-to-be Buckley’s parents). Burke appeared in so many delightful classics from Topper to The Man who Came to Dinner, but she is probably best remembered for her iconic role as Glinda the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz. Moroni, on the other hand, might not be so well recognized, but you can hear his booming voice as the Magic Mirror in Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and as Senior Angel #1 in It’s a Wonderful Life.

…..

4) Dancing Younger Brother

Kay’s younger brother Tommy is played by Russ Tamblyn, who later went on to dance as brother Gideon in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), and Riff, the leader of the Jets, in West Side Story (1961)! If musicals are not your ‘thing,’ you may remember Russ as Luke Sanderson in The Haunting (1963). P.S. Russ Tamblyn’s daughter is actress Amber Tamblyn (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants).

…..

5) Spencer Tracy and Milwaukee

So, how could I do a post about Father’s Little Dividend and leave out Spencer Tracy, who plays Liz’s dad, Stanley Banks? Well, I can’t. That said, did you know that you can visit some sites in Spencer’s birth town, Milwaukee? You can read about them here.

…..

Well, those were my five facts, but here are a few extra bonuses, for those so inclined 🙂

Elizabeth Taylor’s recipe for Chicken with Avocado and Mushrooms

Billie Burke Classic Movie Travels – NY

Billie Burke, the Good Witch for Cats

Five Character Actors Who Were Once Ziegfeld Stars

AND – as part of our partnership with Best Classics Ever – you can stream Father’s Little Dividend for free this month on the Classic Movie Hub Channel. Just click here, join for free (no obligation), scroll down and click on the CMH Channel button — and watch for free. Lots of other free movies to watch every month as well, so feel free to explore.

Stream for free this month on Best Classics Ever.

…..

–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub

You can read more Five Fun Facts blog posts here.