The Catered Affair

The Catered Affair is a romantic drama film, released in 1956, that marries poignant human emotion with comedic undertones, presenting a heartfelt narrative about a humble family and their struggles with societal expectations and personal aspirations. The ensemble cast boasts a stellar array of talents, including screen legends like Bette Davis, Ernest Borgnine, and Debbie Reynolds. The screenplay, based on Paddy Chayefsky's teleplay, is skillfully adapted to the big screen by masterful director Richard Brooks.

The Catered Affair is primarily the story of Agnes Hurley (played by Bette Davis), a middle-class, hardworking, Bronx housewife, maintaining the everyday living of her somewhat dysfunctional family. She is married to Tom Hurley, a frustrated taxi driver superbly portrayed by Ernest Borgnine, showcasing his acting prowess through a character development that captures the essence of an ordinary man wrestling with life's disappointments and unfulfilled wishes. The couple is challenged to meet their daughter's wedding plans, leading them to a question: is it worth risking their financial stability for a high-end wedding?

This tale unwinds when their only daughter, Jane Hurley, played by the young and vivacious Debbie Reynolds, announces her decision to marry her boyfriend in an abrupt and unceremonious fashion, craving a small, hasty wedding. Jane, unlike her parents, does not desire an extravagant ceremony or equally extravagant gestures of love. Her dreams are simple—get married quietly and escape to a honeymoon with her partner in their very own apartment. The contrasting perspective of the parents and daughter on this momentous occasion paves the way for a sentimental journey filled with humor, heartache, and fierce family debates.

The heart of the drama lies in the character of Agnes Hurley. Davis, in an extraordinarily vivid and heartbreaking portrayal, encompasses a mother's struggle to give her daughter the lavish wedding that she herself never had—an opportunity to feel important, to forget her incessant domesticity, and to appease her own regret of a life lived in constant penny-pinching. While Tom (Borgnine), caught amidst the escalating wedding plans and expenses, quietly longs for a taxicab of his own, choosing to suppress his hopes for the sake of his wife and daughter's happiness.

Richard Brooks, known for his craftsmanship in extracting deeply layered performances, creates a cinematic triumph with The Catered Affair. From the everyday humdrum of the Hurley household to the claustrophobic walls of the small apartment, the filming locations paint a vivid picture of the 1950s working-class life in the Bronx. Ralph Woolsey's black and white cinematography accentuates this feeling further, offering an immediate and stark visual insight into their austere living conditions.

Despite being a depiction of a bygone era, The Catered Affair remains relevant due to its themes of love, sacrifice, dreams, and the familial ties that bind them all together. The film showcases ethos of the middle-class life, layered with profound commentary on societal pressure for extravagant weddings, expressed through a narrative that is both engaging and nostalgic.

Comic relief is aplenty in the form of Agnes’s perpetually drunken brother Jack (Barry Fitzgerald) and her perpetually complaining sister Jane (Dorothy Stickney). Fitzgerald, in particular, steals several scenes with his humorous take on life, serving as a welcome respite from the emotionally dense narrative.

Together, the cast delves into the complexity of the family dynamics, each character battling their own personal struggle amidst the mounting wedding plans. They skillfully balance the light moments with more complex emotional scenes, creating a movie glistened with the finesse of a meticulously catered affair.

The film effectively utilizes the dialogue-driven script to unpack the multifaceted relationships within the Hurley family. The on-screen chemistry among the actors remains palpable, making the audience invest in their lives as the drama unfolds—amplified by Leigh Harline's dramatic yet soulful music that tugs at the heartstrings.

The Catered Affair continues to be an often overlooked gem from the mid-50s Hollywood. Its masterful depiction of a simple family tackling life's complexities affirmatively marks the film as a study in contemporary human relationships and societal pressures, with performances that uplift it from the ordinary to the resonant.