Marriage has changed more in the past 30 thirty years than in the previous 3,500, or so claims scholar Stephanie Coontz (listen to her lecture from the link below). To help remember the changes and to celebrate wedding season, the Archive tosses this bouquet of films:

• Marriage is a Partnership (1951) Meet newlyweds Dotty and Pete and learn about their struggles to form a partnership.

  

• Who’s Right? (1951) Partnership eludes brooding newlyweds Honey and Frank in this oddly disturbing film narrated by their, um, wedding ring.
• The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap (2006) Scholar and author Stephanie Coontz delivers a lively lecture about the historical changes in marriage that includes many surprising facts.



• Bride for Henry (1937) To punish her tardy groom, a bride marries her lawyer instead not knowing that he secretly loves her. This very funny film is directed by William Nigh.
• Are You Ready for Marriage (2004) A real-life couple remixed Prelinger Archive films (including Are You Ready for Marriage (1950) and This Charming Couple (1950)) to help create this hilarious video to celebrate their wedding.



• Justly Married (2004) Footage from San Francisco City Hall on February 15, 2004, the day many same-sex couples were married.