The Philadelphia Story (1940)

Director:

George Cukor

Writers:

Donald Ogden Stewart (screen play)
Philip Barry (based on the play by)
(more)

Release Date:

26 December 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Uncle Leo's bedtime story for you older tots! The things they do among the playful rich - Oh, boy!

Plot:

When a rich woman's ex-husband and a tabloid-type reporter turn up just before her planned remarriage, she begins to learn the truth about herself.

Plot Keywords:

Wedding | Reporter | Marriage | Love | Socialite

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Cary Grant	...	C.K. Dexter Haven
Katharine Hepburn	...	Tracy Lord
James Stewart	...	Macaulay Connor
Ruth Hussey	...	Elizabeth Imbrie
John Howard	...	George Kittredge
Roland Young	...	Uncle Willie
John Halliday	...	Seth Lord
Mary Nash	...	Margaret Lord
Virginia Weidler	...	Dinah Lord
Henry Daniell	...	Sidney Kidd
Lionel Pape	...	Edward
Rex Evans	...	Thomas
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
King Baggot	...	Extra as Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Hillary Brooke	...	Main Line Society Woman (uncredited)
Veda Buckland	...	Elsie (uncredited)
Lita Chevret	...	Manicurist (uncredited)
Russ Clark	...	John - Chauffeur (uncredited)
David Clyde	...	Mac (uncredited)
Robert De Bruce	...	Dr. Parsons (uncredited)
Dorothy Fay	...	Main Line Society Woman (uncredited)
Claude King	...	Uncle Willie's Butler (uncredited)
Eric Mayne	...	Extra as Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Florine McKinney	...	Main Line Society Woman (uncredited)
Lee Phelps	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Hilda Plowright	...	Librarian (uncredited)
Mildred Shay	...	Main Line Society Woman (uncredited)
Joseph Sweeney	...	Butler (uncredited)
Helene Whitney	...	Main Line Society Woman (uncredited)

Directed by
George Cukor

Writing credits
Donald Ogden Stewart		(screen play)
Philip Barry		(based on the play by)
Waldo Salt		contributing writer (uncredited)

Produced by
Joseph L. Mankiewicz	....	producer

Original Music by
Franz Waxman		(musical score)

Cinematography by
Joseph Ruttenberg		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Frank Sullivan		(film editor)

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons

Set Decoration by
Edwin B. Willis

Costume Design by
Adrian		(gowns by)

Makeup Department
Sydney Guilaroff	....	hair styles
Jack Dawn	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Keith Weeks	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Edward Woehler	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Wade B. Rubottom	....	associate art director

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director
Tom Gunn	....	re-recording mixer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eugene Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (presents)
• Loew's (produced by) (as Loew's Incorporated)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1940) (USA) (theatrical)
• Loew's (1940) (USA) (theatrical) (uncredited)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1942) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1947) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1947) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1955) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1986) (Finland) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Atalanta Filmes (2000) (Portugal) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• DVD Magic (2005) (Russia) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Canada) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (1994) (Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Theatre Guild  play produced by (as Theatre Guild, Inc.)
• Turner Entertainment  package design

Also Known As:

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

UK:U (re-rating) (1998) | Finland:K-16 (1942) | Finland:S (1986) | USA:Approved (certificate #6594) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Canada:PG (video rating) | South Korea:12 (DVD rating) (2005) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Sweden:Btl (re-rating) (1966) | West Germany:12 | Australia:G (TV rating) | Netherlands:18 (original rating) (1947) | USA:Not Rated | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

James Stewart had no plans to attend the Oscar ceremony the year he was nominated for this film. Just before the ceremony began, he received a call at home "advising" him to slip into a dinner jacket and attend the ceremony. He did and he received the award for Best Actor. This was in the days before an accounting firm kept the Oscar voting results secret.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: As Connor and Tracy exit the library, the boom mic is reflected on the windshield of Tracy's car.

Quotes:

Tracy Lord:Only for the moment, I'm not interested in myself.
C. K. Dexter Haven:Not interested in yourself, Red, you're fascinated. You're far and away your favorite person in the world.

Movie Connections:

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies: America's Greatest Movies (1998) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Wedding March

Three legends in their prime

This is a delightful romantic comedy about the life and loves of a high society girl. Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn) is about to be married to George Kittredge (John Howard), a self made man who elevated himself from the lower class. The wedding is supposed to be a private affair, but Tracy's ex-husband C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant) blackmails her into letting two reporters, Macaulay Conner and Elizabeth Imbrie (James Stewart and Ruth Hussey) cover the event. What ensues is a screwball courtship for the heart of Tracy as everyone falls in love with her at once.

Director David Cukor (`Little Women', `My Fair Lady') provides a fast paced comedy with rapid-fire repartee and fosters a bubbly chemistry between the cast members, which brims with laughs. Cukor received one of his five Oscar nominations for this film and it was well deserved.

Katharine Hepburn is marvelous as the blueblood bride to be. She is a well-grounded girl who is not beyond putting on airs for show. She is simultaneously sassy and dreamy and her comic timing is superb earning her one of twelve nominations for best actress. Despite a star's billing, Cary Grant plays a supporting role as the sarcastic Dexter Haven. With his deadpan delivery, he provides the perfect foil to Hepburn and Stewart.

Even with the luminous cast, Jimmy Stewart steals the show with a comedic tour de force. His inebriated scene with Cary Grant is uproariously funny and his puppy dog wooing of Katherine Hepburn is enchanting. It is hard to believe that James Stewart only won one Oscar in his outstanding career. Though nominated five times, the only role for which he won the statue is this one, a performance that is unquestionably among his best.

This tremendous comedy brings together three screen legends at the peak of their careers. It was nominated for six Academy Awards winning two, and it was rated #51 on AFI's top 100 of the century. It is a timeless classic that is sure to please. I rated it a 10/10. See it and enjoy.