Wedding Day
- JP
- Jun 15, 2024
- 1 min read
June 15, 1945 - Donna Reed marries Tony Owen.
Donna Reed and Tony Owen were wed in a ceremony at the Community Presbyterian Church in Beverly Hills. It was attended by a dozen people, including her acting coach, Lillian Burns, and MGM's head of productions, Louis B. Mayer. Lavone Mullenger, Donna's sister, was the maid of honor.
An hour later Mayer saw Judy Garland and Vincente Minelli married in the same church by the same minister.
Both couples then boarded the same train, their compartments adjoining, bound for Chicago and New York.
What really stayed with me was the imagery of both couples boarding the same train, compartments side by side. I could almost hear the rhythm of the rails syncing with the beat, carrying them toward Chicago and New York, toward futures unknown. It gave me that same hypnotic forward momentum I associate with Slope Rider—steady, glowing, and impossible to look away from.