A Sophisticated Story
The story begins when Jessica Poole (Reynolds) is trying on wedding gowns for her upcoming marriage, while her mother, Katharine (Palmer), and stepfather, Jim Dougherty (Gary Merrill), give their approval. Jessica asks Jim if he can send another telegram to her father, to which he replies: “There just aren’t any places left.” Jim has sent telegrams to all the major cities in the world, but they haven’t been able to track him down anywhere. Her father, “Pogo” Biddeford Poole (Astaire), is a globetrotting, eccentric millionaire who spends his life in the pursuit of happiness and pleasure.Pogo finally arrives at Jim and Katharine’s beautiful home, unannounced and eager to surprise everyone. He demands a room overlooking the San Francisco Bay from their Chinese houseboy, Toy (Harold Fong). The faithful servant protests, but after Pogo speaks to him in his native tongue and gives him a generous cash tip, Toy has been won over!
Jessica has been following her father’s adventures around the world through newspaper clippings and pictures. Pogo comes back into his daughter’s life after being away for 17 years, bearing gifts and just as charming as she imagined. He has a present for her mother and a very expensive gift for Jessica, an heirloom emerald and pearl necklace that his grandmother instructed him to give to someone she would have loved. Pogo had given it to Katharine on the eve of their wedding, but he took it with him when they separated.
Pogo takes Jessica sightseeing around San Francisco, including out dining and dancing with her fiancé, down-to-earth cattle rancher Roger Henderson (Tab Hunter), in tow. She is entranced with his charm and worldly ways, but Roger does not share her admiration for her father’s footloose lifestyle and fondness for extravagance. Likewise, Pogo is not particularly impressed by Roger. He is polite to the young man, but he doesn’t think he is good enough for his daughter. He subtly tries to sway Jessica away from Roger.
A Similar True Story
This movie has always been a favorite of my mother’s because it is very similar to what happened in her life. Her father was removed from her life when she was 5 years old, and she was not reunited with him until she was 26 years old. He came back right before her 27th birthday and said that he wanted to take her out to lunch. He asked her what color limousine she wanted to pick her up for the occasion, white or black. He took her and her husband out to lunch in Newport Beach, California, at John Wayne’s favorite restaurant, The Warehouse. At the end of the evening, he handed her an envelope with $1000 in $100 bills. He wasn’t a world traveler or a millionaire, but he had a lot of charisma, just like Pogo Poole.
In the movie, Pogo finally has to accept the fact that he came back into Jessica’s life too late to enjoy a close relationship with his daughter. He has come back to give away something he never had. You feel very sorry for him because he traded the joys of fatherhood for the pleasures of this world. It’s true that it was a decision he made, but now that he is a more mature man, he regrets leaving Katharine and Jessica. He admits to his ex-wife that he is corroded with regret. Katharine is very surprised to hear him admit it.
My grandfather similarly felt a lot of regret about missing major events in my mother’s life, such as her musical performances over the years, her high school and college graduations, and her wedding.
A Story With a Message
This movie was made after the golden years of the Motion Picture Production Code, the Breen Era (1934-1954), but it is still very Code-compliant. It shows how divorce has bad consequences and the choices you make may bring sadness and loss to others.It is sweet to see the warm relationship Jessica has with her father, despite the long separation. She has no anger toward him and holds no feelings of abandonment. In fact, she is completely enamored by him. My mother was also able to establish a nice relationship with her father for 17 years, until his death.
Is there a classic movie that reminds you of your life?
This movie isn’t available for streaming, but there are several free copies on YouTube. You can also buy it on DVD from eBay.
