The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)

Director:

William Keighley

Writers:

Julius J. Epstein (screenplay)
Philip G. Epstein (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 January 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

When acerbic critic Sheridan Whiteside slips on the front steps of a provincial Ohio businessman's home and breaks his hip, he and his entourage take over the house indefinitely.

Plot Keywords:

Radio | Critic | Lecturer | Newspaper | Local Newspaper

Cast

Bette Davis	...	Maggie Cutler
Ann Sheridan	...	Lorraine Sheldon
Monty Woolley	...	Sheridan Whiteside
Richard Travis	...	Bertram H. 'Bert' Jefferson
Jimmy Durante	...	Banjo
Billie Burke	...	Daisy Stanley
Reginald Gardiner	...	Beverly Carlton
Elisabeth Fraser	...	June Stanley
Grant Mitchell	...	Ernest W. Stanley
George Barbier	...	Dr. E. Bradley
Mary Wickes	...	Nurse Preen
Russell Arms	...	Richard Stanley
Ruth Vivian	...	Harriet Stanley
Edwin Stanley	...	John
Betty Roadman	...	Sarah

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | Australia:G

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The poem Whiteside recites ("Harriet Stanley took an ax; gave her father forty whacks...") is - but for the name - the same as the rhyme about Lizzie Borden, who was accused of killing her father and step-mother...with an ax.

Quotes:

Bertram H. 'Bert' Jefferson: How do you think Ohio women stack up?
Sheriden Whiteside: I've never gone in for stacking women up so I really can't say.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Family Matters: The Mama Who Came to Dinner (#1.1)" (1989)

Good for a laugh.

Monty Woolley will always be remembered for his role in this movie, but to me the interesting things about watching this film 60 years after it was made, is the supporting cast. Firstly, there is Bette Davis taking a back seat somewhat in a role that is hardly demanding technically, but one which she underplays very well. Ann Sheridan goes over the top, really hamming it up but having fun. Richard Travis is a disaster, and was terribly outclassed by the rest of the crew. On seeing the movie now, one realises what a gem Billie Burke was in these kind of dithery roles. Reginald Gardiner and Jimmy Durante were very good in their small parts, but it is best just to enter into the fun of the whole thing and have a good laugh. I must say the sarcasm of Monty Woolley in the Forties was a whole lot funnier then, than now!