They All Kissed the Bride

They All Kissed the Bride is a 1942 American screwball comedy film directed by Alexander Hall and starring Joan Crawford and Melvyn Douglas.
Crawford took over the title role after Carole Lombard died in a plane crash in early 1942. Crawford donated all of her pay for this film to the American Red Cross.

Plot

A trucking firm executive falls in love.

Cast

Joan Crawford as Margaret "M.J." Drew
Melvyn Douglas as Michael Holmes
Roland Young as Marsh
Billie Burke as Mrs. Drew
Allen Jenkins as Johnny Johnson
Andrew Tombes as Crane
Helen Parrish as Vivian Drew
Emory Parnell as Mahoney
Mary Treen as Susie Johnson
Nydia Westman as Secretary
Ivan F. Simpson as Dr. Cassell
Roger Clark as Stephen Pettingill
Edward Gargan as Private policeman

Production

They All Kissed the Bride was slated to star Carole Lombard in a follow-up film to the successful To Be or Not to Be. However, she died in a 1942 plane crash after departing Las Vegas on her way back from a bond-selling tour. MGM ‘s Louis B. Mayer agreed to place Crawford on loan to Columbia, where producer Edward Kaufman had to rework the script to fit Crawford's style of comedy. In fact, Mayer rarely lent stars of Crawford's stature, not wanting other studios to profit from MGM's star-making machine. Crawford insisted that Melvyn Douglas star with her.

Home video

As of 2024, They All Kissed the Bride and Letty Lynton are the only two major Joan Crawford sound movies that have not been released onto DVD in the U.S., but They All Kissed the Bride was released onto VHS in the 1990s as a Columbia Classics title.