Bridal Suite

"Bridal Suite" from 1939 is a small movie from MGM starring Annabella, Robert Young, Walter Connelly, and Billie Burke. The nice supporting cast also includes Reginald Owen, Gene Lockhart, Sig Arno, and Felix Bressart.

The film concerns a swinging bachelor, Neil McGill (Young) who is being married for his money by Abbie (Virginia Field) except that he keeps getting drunk and forgetting to show up at the wedding. His parents (Lockhart and Burke), longing to turn him into a solid citizen, are in a panic. They are hoping that somehow, he can convince Abbie to give him another chance, not realizing she's only marrying him because she needs money.

At a Swiss resort, Neil meets Luise (Annabella) and falls madly in love with her.

This film is cute and, at 1 hour and 15 minutes, seems to have been a "B" movie. This is a good indication of how, after giving her a tremendous star buildup, Darryl F. Zanuck just wanted Annabella off his lot and away from her boyfriend, Tyrone Power. I mean, he lends her to MGM for a B movie?

None of Zanuck's ploys succeeded. Annabella refused to go to Europe to work, and less than a month after wrapping the film, Annabella and Tyrone Power married. So after all the star grooming, the French actress became known as Mrs. Tyrone Power. It's a shame because Annabella is delightful in this, and she really was a wonderful actress.

The best scenes are the ones that take place on the mountain. Though fake, they're quite impressive and scary! The other thing is the name of the resort where Neil and his mother are staying: Bieverhausen. On Will & Grace, Karen used what was spelled Beaverhausen as an alias.