Adam's Rib (1949)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

George Cukor

Writers:

Ruth Gordon (screenplay) and
Garson Kanin (screenplay)

Release Date:

18 November 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

It Will Tickle Your Funny Bone !

Plot:

Domestic and professional tensions mount when a husband and wife work as opposing lawyers in a case involving a woman who shot her husband.

Plot Keywords:

Lawyer | Prosecutor | Marriage | Elevator | Domestic Violence

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Spencer Tracy	...	Adam Bonner
Katharine Hepburn	...	Amanda Bonner
Judy Holliday	...	Doris Attinger
Tom Ewell	...	Warren Attinger
David Wayne	...	Kip Lurie
Jean Hagen	...	Beryl Caighn
Hope Emerson	...	Olympia La Pere
Eve March	...	Grace
Clarence Kolb	...	Judge Reiser
Emerson Treacy	...	Jules Frikke
Polly Moran	...	Mrs. McGrath
Will Wright	...	Judge Marcasson
Elizabeth Flournoy	...	Dr. Margaret Brodeigh

Also Known As:

Man and Wife (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:15 | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:Approved (certificate #14029) | UK:U | New Zealand:PG | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G (alternate rating) | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Bayard Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Loew's

Trivia:

To help build up Judy Holliday's image, particularly in the eyes of Columbia Pictures chief Harry Cohn, Katharine Hepburn deliberately leaked stories to the gossip columns suggesting that her performance in _Adam's Rib (1949)_ was so good that it had stolen the spotlight from Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. This got Cohn's attention and Holliday won the part in Born Yesterday (1950).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Adam confronts Amanda and Kip in his apartment with the licorice gun, the handkerchief in his suit pocket keeps changing lengths between shots.

Quotes:

Beryl Caighn: And then I heard a noise.
Adam Bonner: What kind of noise?
Beryl Caighn: Like a sound.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "EastEnders: (2004-09-27)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Farewell, Amanda

Adam's Rib (1949) ****

Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn make fireworks in this cute film about a well-to-do married couple who both happen to be lawyers. Hepburn is a die-hard Woman's Rights supporter, so when a ditzy lady is charged with shooting her husband after catching him being unfaithful, Kate decides to take her case and defend her. The trouble is, old-fashioned husband Tracy is already penciled in as the prosecuting attorney. Let the Battle of the Sexes begin!

The script sets up a great opportunity to have Tracy and Hepburn sparring with one another during every phase of the trial, as well as at home every night after they've spent each day trying to outwit each other. As a comedy, there aren't any huge belly-laughs, but it's a charming enough little take on the differences between men and women which also manages to make the point that, in many ways, the sexes aren't really all that different when all is said and done.