The Pleasure of His Company (1961)

Storyline

San Francisco debutante, Jessica Poole, is marrying Napa Valley cattle rancher, Roger Henderson, and hopes her peripatetic father, “Pogo” Poole, whom she hasn’t seen for years, comes to the wedding. He arrives, disrupting the household of his ex-wife, Katharine, and her long-suffering husband, and befriending their cook, Toy. At first it seems that Pogo is set on breaking up the engagement, making up for years of neglect by wining and dining Jessica, showing up Roger as a hick, and enticing her to come to Europe with him. Then it seems his real goal is to win back Katharine’s heart: why else would he have two tickets to Paris booked on a plane leaving right after the reception? The Pleasure of His Company, the 1961 George Seaton family relationship romantic comedy (“What a pleasure… And it’s all yours!”; “It’s a pleasure… And it’s all yours!”; “He came 8,000 miles to attend his daughter’s wedding- and then tried 8,000 ways to break it up!”; “Based on the Broadway Play by Samuel Taylor with Cornelia Otis Skinner”) starring Fred Astaire, Debbie Reynolds, Lilli Palmer, Tab Hunter, Gary Merrill, and Charlie Ruggles