Happy is the bride the sun shines on...

“In 1927 she had become the bride of romantic leading actor, Rod la Rocque. The Chicago born matinee idol had been a stage actor before entering films. Their lavish wedding ceremony was produced by Goldwyn himself and was considered the ‘Social Event of 1927’. The wedding took place in the Beverly Hills Church of the Good Shepherd. Some of the most famous names in Hollywood crowded the flower-bedecked church. Cowboy star Tom Mix made quite an entrance, arriving atop a stagecoach, driving six prancing horses. A lavish reception followed the ceremony. A rumor at the time, reported that some of the lavish display of mouthwatering delights – were merely ‘props’ and that one unsuspecting guest had munched upon a papier-mâché drumstick – (probably just another of those Hollywood myths.)

The couple lived happily in an unostentatious home, minus a swimming pool, in the Foothill Road area of Beverly Hills. They enjoyed forty-two years of wedded bliss until Mr. La Rocque passed away on October 15, 1969. Miss Banky had not made a public appearance since. … In later years, La Rocque became a real estate broker specializing in handling ranch properties. Thanks to wise investments the La Rocques were considered one of the film colony’s wealthiest couples.” -- From The World of Yesterday Vilma Banky Feature, 1979.

She had met Rod la Rocque shortly after she arrived in Hollywood at an intimate dinner party given by Cecil DeMille and his wife at their mansion on DeMille Drive. The only other guest were Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Goldwyn and Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Lehr. Goldwyn told her confidentially, "I have a very nice young man for your dinner partner." Her eyes opened wide and she looked up at La Rocque. After that dinner party, he went around, telling everybody, "I've met the girl I'm going to marry." His friend, Victor Varconi, taught La Rocque how to say "I love you" in Hungarian, but what he really taught him was the Hungarian for "Go to hell!"

La Rocque surprised Banky by repeating the term in loving nuances at a private dinner they shared up in Altadena at Marcel's. She was startled, but then, when she realized he didn't even guess what he had said, she got to laughing so hard that she couldn't stop. Hollywood, of course, cynically wondered how long it would last; some even doubted the couple's being truly serious."

"Be that as it may, La Rocque told reporters that Miss Banky and he would wed in the summer of '27. They had wanted a simple ceremony at the Santa Barbara Mission, with only family and very close friends present. But then Goldwyn took over, crying, 'No, no, no! This is my wedding. I will plan and supervise it personally, and it is all on me!'"
"It was held at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills, and the reception was at the nearby Beverly Hills Hotel. There were 600 invited guests, who were guarded by 400 policemen. Goldwyn gave the bride away..."

"Crowds stopped traffic outside the church, and lined the mile-long boulevard between the Good Shepherd and the hotel, hoping for a glimpse of the wedding couple."
"The honeymoon couple entrained on 'The Lark' for San Francisco, where they spen a few days, then went up to Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies, and returned by way of another stopover in San Francisco." -- From Films In Review, August - September 1977

The LaRocques lived very quietly, and despite what Hollywood had earlier prophesized about their marriage, it lasted for forty-two years.

The LaRocques were not very social, yet enjoyed one another's company. Their marriage was truly a happy one and something straight out of a Hollywood movie.

The Great Banky Wedding - Article from Motion Picture, July 1929

Another Wedding Picture of Rod and Vilma from Photoplay

Advice to June Brides: Vilma's Comments

Clipped Newpaper Article and Picture of the Wedding