The Philadelphia Story

A Comedy Masterpiece

George Cukor's 1940 adaptation of Phillip Barry's Broadway hit The Philadelphia Story, is the uncontested masterpiece amongst sophisticated slapstick comedies. Its screenplay is witty, sparkling, and bright and the film stars three major Hollywood talents at their artistic peak.

The film is so extraordinarily well-done that it can be watched repeatedly, revealing each time new and hidden delights. It strikes the perfect balance of being spectacularly well-acted, hysterically funny, and delightfully silly while maintaining an elegant veneer. The cast is nearly overwhelming in its quality, with Hepburn and Grant turning in especially fine performances.

The film won Academy Awards for James Stewart (Best Actor), and screenwriter Donald Ogden Stewart (Best Adapted Screenplay). It also received Academy Award nominations for George Cukor (Best Director), Katharine Hepburn (Best Actress), Ruth Hussey (Best Supporting Actress), and Best Picture (Joseph L. Mankiewicz - producer).

Basic Story Line

The plot centres round the tangled web of relationships between the main protagonists.

In the opening scene, now famous for its virtually dialogue-free fury, heiress Tracy Lord (Ktharine Hepburn)wtches her recently divorced playboy husband, Dexter Haven (Cary Grant) put his belongings into the car. She snaps a golf club over her thigh in anger. In reply he pushes her to the floor. Now we know its a comedy.

Tracy, trying to prove that she is not impossible to love, is about to marry again, this time to George, who is respectable but dull.

Turning up uninvited to the wedding are Dexter, and two reporters from Spy magazine, Macaulay Connor (James Stewart) and Liz Imbrie (Hussey) who is also Connor's love interest.. Together the trio set out to find a scandal and ruin the wedding.

The three stars form an incomparable romantic triangle and the script abounds with witty dialogue and quick-fire repartee between them. Ace Hollywood women's director George Cukor adapts this urbane comedy with precision and wit.

The twists and turns of the plot as the relationships ebb and flow are many. As you would expect, hilarity ensues, and everything turns out right in the end. ). As the wedding nears, Tracy finds herself torn between Mike, Dexter and George.

The night before the wedding, Tracy gets drunk for only the second time in her life and takes an impromptu, innocent swim with Mike. When George sees Mike carrying an intoxicated Tracy into the house afterwards (both of them wearing only bathrobes), he thinks the worst, that his bride-to-be has disgraced herself. The next day, he tells her that he was shocked and feels entitled to an explanation before going ahead with the wedding. Tracy takes exception to his lack of faith in her and breaks off the engagement. Then she realizes that all the guests have arrived and are waiting for the ceremony to begin. Mike volunteers to marry her (much to Elizabeth's distress), but Tracy graciously declines. At this point, Dexter makes his successful bid for her hand.

Cast List

Cary Grant as C. K. Dexter Haven
Katharine Hepburn as Tracy Lord
James Stewart as Macaulay Connor
Ruth Hussey as Elizabeth Imbrie
John Howard as George Kittredge
Roland Young as Uncle Willie
John Halliday as Seth Lord
Mary Nash as Margaret Lord
Virginia Weidler as Dinah Lord
Henry Daniell as Sidney Kidd

Summary

Periodically Hollywood makes a perfect film - director, music, script, cast etc. This is one of those films. Cary grant is perfect in an understated performance where the inclination of a head, the lifting of a brow, can speak volumes. Jimmy Stewart is the tough/tender reporter who becomes in the "dancing by the pool scene" the sexy potential lover who waxes poetic when speaking to Tracy and reveals the writer/poet that he really aspires to be. George Cukor assembled a wonderful supporting cast and then brought out scintillating performances from all of them.