The Pleasure of His Company

2/12/2023

There is something of the "Philadelphia Story" (1940) about this film. Debbie Reynolds is "Jessica" a San Francisco sophisticate who is about to marry hunky Texan cattleman "Roger" (Tab Hunter). Their wedding is all set when her absentee father "Pogo" (Fred Astaire) turns up and chaos ensues. His ex-wife - her mother - "Katharine" (Lili Palmer) and her new husband "James" (Gary Merrill) are soon at the end of their tethers and it seems that only their cook "Mrs. Mooney" (Elvia Allman) will put up with his annoying and selfish antics. Around an hour in I actually felt sorry for poor old "Roger": tempers are fraying; "Pogo" seems to have it in for him and his dreams of a perfect wedding appear to be going the way of the dodo. Pre-wedding jitters or the Machiavellian scheming of his soon-to-b