Family Honeymoon
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Claude Binyon
Claudette Colbert
Fred Macmurray
Rita Johnson
Gigi Perreau
Jimmy Hunt
Photos & Videos
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
After her longtime rival, Minna Fenster, almost spoils her engagement party, widow Katie Armstrong is distressed to learn that Minna has crashed her fiancé Grant Jordan's bachelor party. Grant, a college botany professor, has proposed the construction of a new botany building on campus, and because Minna, who was once involved with Grant, is the daughter of his influential superior Richard, Grant cannot easily dismiss her. Nevertheless, Grant reassures Katie that he has no interest in the manipulative Minna, while Katie assures him that he will be a good father to her three young children, Abner, Charlie and Zoe. Just before their home wedding, Katie's older sister, Jo Stevens, who is to take care of Katie's children during her honeymoon, trips over Zoe's teddy bear and falls down two flights of stairs. At Jo's insistence, the wedding proceeds, but afterward, she is rushed to the hospital with a broken leg. Unable to find anyone to take care of the children, the newlyweds are compelled to take them on their Grand Canyon honeymoon. During the first night of the hectic train trip, Katie discovers that Abner and Charlie are not on board, having snuck off at Porterville, the last stop. The porter assures the panicked Katie that he will wire the station master at Porterville about the children, and once she, Grant and Zoe arrive at the next stop, Junction City, they can take a cab back. When they get to Porterville, however, they learn that the children took off for Junction City with a traveling salesman. Halfway to Junction City, the cab stops at a gas station, and there Katie finds the salesman, but no children. The salesman explains that after his car broke down, Abner and Charlie hitched a ride with Webb, a local farmer. At the Webb farm, Katie and Grant are finally reunited with Abner and Charlie and spend an uncomfortable night with the family. The next morning, they board the only train available to the Grand Canyon, a day coach. After two more sleepness nights, the Jordans arrive at their Grand Canyon lodge, only to discover that Minna and her father are also there. Just as Grant and Katie are about to embark with the children on a day-long horseback ride, Minna insists that Grant show her father sketches of his botany building, as they are planning to leave for an important college board meeting in California that afternoon. While on the trail, however, Katie bumps into Richard, who tells her that he and Minna are spending the night at the Canyon. By the time Katie and the children return from their excursion, Katie is exhausted, disheveled and furious when Minna coyly extends a dinner invitation. Determined not to appear intimidated by Minna, however, Katie accepts the invitation, then entrusts Grant to watch the children while she has her hair done. Grant, who is soon joined by Minna, struggles to control the rambunctious children and ends up giving the boys a spanking. Katie returns during the punishment and is upset not only by the spanking, but by Grant's admission that Minna was with him. After the newlyweds hurl accusations at each other, Grant storms away in a cab, much to Minna's delight. Grant soon changes his mind, but by the time he returns to the lodge, Katie has checked out. Katie then wires Jo about her imminent arrival, and when she and children arrive home in a cab, a welcoming party is in full swing. Embarrassed, Katie sends the children off in the cab, while she sneaks into her house and tries to talk to Jo alone. Minna and her father then show up, having flown in from the Grand Canyon, and Minna deduces that Katie is hiding. Just as a defeated Katie is about to announce to the guests that she and Grant have separated, Grant appears with the children, who found him at the train station. To Minna's chagrin, Katie and Grant embrace, and the reunited newlyweds finally are able to spend their first night alone together.
Director
Claude Binyon
Cast
Claudette Colbert
Fred Macmurray
Rita Johnson
Gigi Perreau
Jimmy Hunt
Peter Miles
Lillian Bronson
Hattie Mcdaniel
Chill Wills
Catharine Doucet
Paul Harvey
Irving Bacon
Chick Chandler
Frank Jenks
Wally Brown
Holmes Herbert
John Gallaudet
Wilton Graff
Fay Baker
O. Z. Whitehead
Lorin Raker
Sarah Edwards
Anne Nagel
Lois Austin
Nancy Evans
Beatrice Roberts
William Norton Bailey
Frank Macgregor
Frank Orth
Harry Hayden
Almira Sessions
Constance Purdy
Minerva Urecal
Syd Saylor
Joel Fluellen
Smoki Whitfield
Jay Silverheels
Harold Goodwin
Nick Thompson
Herbert Heywood
Edmund Cobb
Richard Dumas
Bill Murphy
Carl Vernell
Tom Chatterton
Barbara Challis
Lois Hall
Denise Kay
John O'connor
Edward Short
Vangie Beilby
Snub Pollard
Heinie Conklin
Ella Ethridge
Crew
Glenn E. Anderson
John Beck
Lillian Burkhart
Leslie I. Carey
Milton Carruth
Clyde De Vinna
Carmen Dirigo
William Dodds
Al Fields
Russell A. Gausman
Z. Wayne Griffin
Abe Haberman
Ben Hawkins
Bernard Herzbrun
Jack Hively
David S. Horsley
Dorothy Hughes
Lew Leary
Dane Lussier
Geoffrey O'hara
Orry Kelly
Richard H. Riemdel
Milton Schwarzwald
Frank Shaw
Frank Skinner
David Tamkin
William Walling
Bud Westmore
Photo Collections
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The following written acknowledgment appears at the close of the film's opening credits: "We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the National Park Service and the United States Department of the Interior whose splendid cooperation made possible all scenes actually photographed in the Grand Canyon." Cinematographer William Daniels is listed fourth in the end cast credits, but is not listed in the opening cast credits. His character, "Arch Armstrong," "Katie's" dead first husband, appears only as a painted portrait in the film. Some modern sources erroneously state that the portrait was of actor William Daniels (b. 1927, star of the popular 1980s television series St. Elsewhere), and that he made his motion picture debut in this film.
According to contemporary news items, Homer Croy's novel was purchased by independent producer Z. Wayne Griffin, who along with Eugene B. Rodney, was to make the film for Columbia Pictures. Byron Haskin was announced as the film's probable director, and Robert Young as the probable star. In May 1948, however, the property was rejected by Columbia after the Breen Office disapproved the script because it used "a delayed consummation of a marriage" as its main comedy device, a practice that had been prohibited for several years. When screenwriter Dane Lussier reworked the script, removing the objectionable material, Griffin entered into a new deal with Universal, with John Beck as his co-producer.
Family Honeymoon marked the last time that Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray, who had starred together in five previous films, including the popular 1947 comedy The Egg and I , appeared together in a film. Although a Hollywood Reporter news item and production chart list Charles Sherlock and The Statesmen as cast members, their appearance in the final film has not been confirmed. Just prior to the start of production, Milton Krasner was announced as the film's director of photography, but apparently was replaced by Daniels. Colbert and MacMurray peformed in two Lux Radio Theatre productions of Family Honeymoon, first on April 4, 1949 and then on April 23, 1951.
