How to Commit Marriage (1969): Cast & Plot
How to Commit Marriage is a 1969 comedy directed by Norman Panama, starring Bob Hope as Frank Benson, Jackie Gleason and Jane Wyman. It runs 1 hour 35 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 35m (95 min)
- Director
- Norman Panama
- Genre
- Comedy
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Naho Productions
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is How to Commit Marriage About?
The premise of How to Commit Marriage without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
Bob Hope and Jackie Gleason host a lively discussion on the challenges of marriage. A young couple moves in together, soon welcomes a baby, and then decides to place the child for adoption. The baby's maternal grandparents ultimately adopt the infant, using a false name to conceal the arrangement.
How to Commit Marriage Themes & Keywords
· 38 tags- flower child
- scene during opening credits
- husband and wife share a bed
- twin beds
- split screen
- montage
- wipe editing technique
- mudslide
- couple
- parents
- baby
- adoption
+26 more Show fewer
- divorce
- marriage
- counterculture
- redhead
- music group
- musical combo
- lawyer
- attorney
- father son relationship
- guru
- fake marriage
- pregnancy
- golf
- chimpanzee
- grandparents adopt grandchild
- child born out of wedlock
- living together
- mother daughter relationship
- father daughter relationship
- generation gap
- sight gag
- love
- wedding
- husband wife relationship
- reference to moby dick
- independent film
How to Commit Marriage Cast & Characters
Bob Hope leads the cast as Frank Benson, with Jackie Gleason as Oliver Poe and Jane Wyman as Elaine Benson. Directed by Norman Panama; 11 actors are credited in all.
- Director Norman Panama
-
Bob Hope as Frank Benson -
Jackie Gleason as Oliver Poe - Jane Wyman as Elaine Benson
- JoAnna Cameron as Nancy Benson
Also Starring in How to Commit Marriage
· 7 more- Tim Matheson David Poe
- Irwin Corey The Baba Ziba (as Professor Irwin Corey)
- Maureen Arthur Lois Grey
- Leslie Nielsen Phil Fletcher
- Tina Louise Laverne Baker
- Paul Stewart Willoughby
- Rudy Germane Stage Manager (uncredited)
More from Norman Panama
More films directed by Norman Panama: Barnaby and Me, I Will, I Will…For Now, Coffee, Tea or Me? and The Maltese Bippy.
How to Commit Marriage Plot Summary
What happens in How to Commit Marriage from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 1-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Nancy Benson JoAnna Cameron is a 19-year-old music student and the daughter of real estate broker Frank Benson and his wife Elaine. She dreams of marrying her fellow music student David Poe [Tim Matheson], the 20-year-old son of Oliver Poe [Jackie Gleason], a powerful record producer who is strongly opposed to marriage and tries to block the young couple’s plans. When Oliver discovers and exposes the Bensons’ secret, Nancy and David decide to press pause on a formal wedding and instead choose to live together. They head out on the road with a rock band, following the advice and peculiar wisdom of a Persian mystic known as the Baba Ziba [Irwin Corey].
Full summary
The whole story of How to Commit Marriage, scene by scene
How Well Do You Know How to Commit Marriage?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What is the name of the powerful record producer played by Jackie Gleason?
Cars in How to Commit Marriage
8 cars on screen, including the 1968 Chrysler Newport Town & Country and the 1968 Imperial Crown.
-
1968 Chrysler Newport Town & Country Important role -
1968 Imperial Crown Important role -
1959 Rolls-Royce Phantom V Important role -
Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Minor role
Seen How to Commit Marriage?
Movies Like How to Commit Marriage
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Divorce American Style, We’re Not Married! and How to Marry a Millionaire.
-
Divorce American Style 1967 -
We’re Not Married! 1952 -
How to Marry a Millionaire 1953 -
The Marrying Kind 1952 -
How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life 1968 -
Married Bachelor 1941 -
Why Did I Get Married? 2007 -
His Marriage Wow 1925 -
I Married a Woman 1958 -
Family Honeymoon 1948 -
Love, Wedding, Marriage 2011 -
I Want a Divorce 1940
How to Commit Marriage FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date
Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of How to Commit Marriage, each answered in a sentence.
How long is How to Commit Marriage?
How to Commit Marriage runs 1 hour 35 minutes (95 minutes).
When was How to Commit Marriage released?
How to Commit Marriage was released on July 7, 1969.
Who directed How to Commit Marriage?
How to Commit Marriage was directed by Norman Panama.
More films by Norman Panama Who is in the cast of How to Commit Marriage?
How to Commit Marriage stars Bob Hope as Frank Benson, Jackie Gleason as Oliver Poe and Jane Wyman as Elaine Benson, among 11 credited actors.
Does How to Commit Marriage have a post-credit scene?
No. How to Commit Marriage has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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