Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Stanley Kramer

Writer:

William Rose (written by)

Release Date:

12 December 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

a love story of today

Plot:

Matt and Christina Drayton are a couple whose attitudes are challenged when their daughter brings home a fiancé who is black.

Plot Keywords:

Doctor | Interracial Romance | Older Man Younger Woman | Widower | Housekeeper

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 20 nominations

Cast

Spencer Tracy	...	Matt Drayton
Sidney Poitier	...	Dr. John Wade Prentice
Katharine Hepburn	...	Christina Drayton
Katharine Houghton	...	Joey Drayton
Cecil Kellaway	...	Monsignor Ryan
Beah Richards	...	Mrs. Prentice
Roy Glenn	...	Mr. Prentice (as Roy E. Glenn, Sr.)
Isabel Sanford	...	Tillie (as Isabell Sanford)
Virginia Christine	...	Hilary St. George
Alexandra Hay	...	Carhop
Barbara Randolph	...	Dorothy
D'Urville Martin	...	Frankie
Tom Heaton	...	Peter
Grace Gaynor	...	Judith
Skip Martin	...	Delivery Boy

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:Approved | South Korea:12 | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG | West Germany:6 | Argentina:Atp | Singapore:PG | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Columbia/Sunset Gower Studios - 1438 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Katharine Hepburn's character's daughter is played by Hepburn's actual niece Katharine Houghton

Goofs:

Continuity: The car that Tracey backs into already has a dent in the front door panel. During the accident the relative position of the two cars and the number of dents in the side panels change with each change in shot.

Quotes:

[first lines]
John: You know, I just had a thought. Why don't I go check into a hotel and get some rest, and you go find your folks?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Bewitched: Cousin Serena Strikes Again: Part 1 (#5.15)" (1969)

Soundtrack:

Glory of Love

A Great Film, But Possibly the Most Controversial Production Ever.

Risky film that could only sport the biggest and most respected names in Hollywood at the time. Sidney Poitier and Katharine Houghton have fallen in love and are all set to get married, but Poitier is African-American and Houghton is white. Get the picture? The couple's parents (Roy Glenn and Oscar-nominee Beah Richards as Poitier's parents and Oscar-winner Katharine Hepburn and Oscar-nominee Spencer Tracy as Houghton's) try to cope with the situation as the two seem determined to be together. Poitier knows the complications while Houghton seems really naive and innocent about the whole situation. Catholic priest Cecil Kellaway (also Oscar-nominated) tries to get the parents to understand what their children are feeling. A film that spawned controversy and more controversy in 1967 and still a film that strikes a nerve in many circles even today. The film just added to the excellence of Hepburn and Poitier while Houghton became more of an outcast in Hollywood. Many say that the movie drove Tracy to an early grave as he died shortly after production and did not even get to hear that he had received an Oscar nod. Stanley Kramer's striking direction and the Oscar-winning screenplay are both right on target. "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" is a production that tackles interracial relationships in a frank and intriguing manner. The film is not kind to the older generations and it is also not kind to religious figures getting caught up in non-religious affairs. A strong film that stands strong with the other great films of 1967 ("In the Heat of the Night", "Bonnie and Clyde", "The Graduate", "In Cold Blood"). 4.5 out of 5 stars.