‘Almost a Bride’ is the Madcap and Fun Old Time Romance We Love

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Modern cinema is usually my jam, but now and again I get cinema nostalgia. For me, there’s nothing quite so nostalgic to enjoy as a Shirley Temple movie. Almost a Bride isn’t exactly the kind of movie we best remember her for, but at the same time, it’s still distinctly a Shirley Temple film.

Almost a Bride (1949) Film Review

Dreamy and dramatic, Corliss Archer (Temple) is a typical teenager. The only daughter of a successful prosecutor (Tom Tully), she’s dating a boy (Darryl Hickman) from the neighborhood who isn’t quite sure what their relationship status is. Much to her father’s vexation, she dates Dexter mostly to keep her father on his toes. But then, Corliss visits her father in his office, and she meets the man currently in court tangled up in a divorce case, but not just any case, it’s his third divorce.

A tiny bit enchanted by the older Kenneth Marquis (David Nivin), Corliss writes in her diary in an elaborate plan to make Dexter jealous. You see, they’ve just had a fight and she needs a reason for him to want her back. What starts out as an innocent school girl plot turns into something much bigger, and an unexpected engagement Corliss can’t explain.

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‘Almost a Bride’ is the Madcap and Fun Old Time Romance We Love. A review of the 1949 Shirley Temple romantic-comedy. Share on X

If there’s one thing classic cinema does well, it’s that sense of “madcap adventure.” This title is no different. A quiet film that audiences and critics didn’t take to, Almost a Bride wasn’t just Shirley Temple’s first feature starring role since 1934, it’s also her final film appearance. To be honest, this film isn’t anything like I thought it’d be, but it’s tons of fun nonetheless.

Though she’s all grown up, this is still the Shirley Temple we remember from all of her childhood films. She’s still adorable with those dimples, and she’s still able to pass as a moonstruck teenager. The comical events that transpire following Corliss’ plan to get Dexter back is a hilarious series of events that lead to an incomplete, but “good enough” end. It’s all of these outrageous things and “domino” effect (on the plot) that makes this so entertaining. In some ways, it reminds me of You Can’t Take it With You, but in general, it also plays into the same mold that is this era of film-making.

Originally titled A Kiss for Corliss, this one has a re-name due to legal issues. Because of this, and likely its age, Almost a Bride is a bit harder to find, but if you’re interested in seeing it, it is out there. In the end, if you like this era of cinema or like me, grew up watching this film star’s oldie films, you’ll probably enjoy Almost a Bride. It’s sweet and best of all, a good time of laughs.

Content: there’s nothing troubling in this one aside from some minor innuendo and the entire plot revolves around an idea of impropriety.