 Minnelli asked Katharine Hepburn to invite Tracy to a dinner party where he later convinced Tracy to join the production.The film premiered on May 18, 1950 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.The premiere of "Father of the Bride" took place two days after Elizabeth Taylor's real-life marriage — her first — to Nicky Hilton, an event that MGM exploited in its publicity campaign for the picture.