In her next to last film before leaving Warner Brothers, Bette Davis shucked all those heavy dramas, some of her most recent ones among her worst films, for a light comedy in June Bride. Bette was not the June Bride of the film, in fact just who does become the bride is part of the story.The part of career woman Linda Gilman who edits a women's magazine is the kind of part Rosalind Russell was making a career of playing. The film would have been a classic had Russell done this part. Still Bette is capable of breaking casting barriers and she gives it her best. I've a feeling she probably was glad for the change of pace.Her leading man is an old hand at these kind of films. Robert Montgomery who played many a dapper fellow in light comedies at MGM in the Thirties is teamed with Davis and while it's an odd mix, they do create a few sparks. Montgomery had started doing some more serious stuff before World War II. After World War II he did some heavy dramas like They Were Expendable, Lady In The Lake, and Ride The Pink Horse. This film was a return to his roots.Montgomery is a famous correspondent who's called home by the head of his publication conglomerate, Jerome Cowan whose portrayal seems to be modeled on Henry Luce. Cowan's got a sense of humor, he puts Montgomery to work for old flame Davis who's just been made editor of his woman's publication. Her assignment for Montgomery is to write the feature story of a typical mid west wedding in small town Indiana of a young couple randomly selected. The arrival of Davis, Montgomery and a host of magazine employees disrupts this poor family's life and rearranges things for everyone. Some of that is Montgomery's own deliberate doing as he's trying to rekindle a flame or two from his own past.Though the references in the past from McKinley to Truman date the film somewhat it could probably be remade today. The comedic situations about wedding jitters are certainly eternal and men like Montgomery still pursue women like Davis with zest and abandon.

Coming just before the blockbuster ALL ABOUT EVE this little gem shows another comedic side of Bette Davis without going over the top. She's harried and trying to be pleasant to all including an old flame who shows up inconveniently. In a sense, it's the classic tale of the rubes versus the swells but gently and sympathetically told. Robert Montgomery matches Miss Davis sarcasm for sarcasm and the always welcome Mary Wickes rides herd on the various bickering characters. When she refers to the home they're to use as a "McKinley horror" one knows that all are in for more than a little restoration. If it won't have you rolling in the aisles, it's consistently amusing. An able cast of primarily character actors contribute their very really talents (Tom Tully and Faye Bainter are real and whimsical at the same time.) and the basic love story that drives the action isn't much to concern the viewer. If the rural nature gets pushed a bit too far it works well within the context of the plot. And this marks Miss Davis' second trip while ice skating, indeed there are moments when her character, Linda, is more than suggestive of her role in The Man Who Came to Dinner.A pleasant time for all with a friendly cast who try, and succeed, to find as much in the diverting material as there is.

When one says that an actor is good in every film they are in, no film personifies this more than Bretaigne Windust's 1948 film "June Bride" in which Bette Davis and Robert Montgomery star as former lovers and boss/subordinate. Davis plays Linda Gilman, a no-nonsense editor of a Home and Life type magazine in New York. Robert Montgomery is Carey Jackson, her new writer and former lover. Three years ago the two were almost ready to get married when he got cold feet and walked out on her. Through zany mishaps he ends up working for her three years later, and the two have not lost their attraction to one another. Linda packs up her staff for Indiana to do a cover story for their June issue, covering a wedding in small-town Midwest, U.S.A. Once there, they have to completely transform the house and the people in it, because they do not meet the cosmopolitan standards of these New Yorkers. Along the way, Carey decides to mix things up a bit when he discovers that the bride is marrying the brother of her ex-fiancée, and her sister is actually in love with the groom-to-be. (Get all that?) Complicating things is the fact that Linda and Carey are falling all over each other, rekindling their romance, which is getting in the way of the task at hand."June Bride" is supposed to be a madcap comedy, but it's just a boring mess. As stated before, there are some actors that are good in every film, and Bette Davis is one of those actors. Her performance was excellent, but the film that she was forced to work in was just plain bad, and her persona in the film hints that she knows it. Robert Montgomery, who is all slapstick in the film without a hint of charm, has absolutely no chemistry with Davis, which leads to a very flat film. The story was dumb, and not charming in the least. Really, the only interesting thing about the film is the director's first name. There's actually not a lot more to say about the film, except that it's too bad that "June Bride" wasn't better, because it was rare for a couple of reasons: It was one of the few Bette Davis comedies and it was one of the few Bette Davis films I had not yet seen. Unfortunately it probably should have stayed that way. 4/10.--Shelly

This is a delightful film, one of my favorites. There is a brief scene that is not to be missed, between Bette Davis (as Linda), Mary Wickes (as Rosemary) and Tom Tully (as Mr. Brinker), in which Linda and Rosemary are discussing "Mrs. Brinker's bust" as Mr. Brinker looks on. The audience knows what they're talking about, but poor Mr. Brinker does not, and his expressions and reaction are hysterically funny. The whole film is definitely worth seeing. Robert Montgomery drunk on cider is also not to be missed.