Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

Director:

Stanley Kramer

Writer:

William Rose (written by)

Release Date:

12 December 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

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 | Dinner | Father Son Relationship | World Health Organization | Interracial Romance

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 20 nominations

Cast

Spencer Tracy	...	Matt Drayton
Sidney Poitier	...	John 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
John Hudkins	...	Cab Driver
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Natalie Core	...	Small Role (uncredited)
Jacqueline Fontaine	...	Singer (uncredited)
Timothy Scott	...	Small Role (uncredited)
Yuki Tani	...	Japanese Waitress (uncredited)
June Whitley Taylor	...	Edie (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Stanley Kramer

Writing credits
William Rose		(written by)

Produced by
George Glass	....	associate producer
Stanley Kramer	....	producer

Original Music by
Frank De Vol		(as De Vol)

Cinematography by
Sam Leavitt		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Robert C. Jones		(film editor)

Production Design by
Robert Clatworthy

Set Decoration by
Frank Tuttle

Makeup Department
Joe DiBella	....	makeup (as Joseph Di Bella)
Helen Hunt	....	hair stylist
Ben Lane	....	makeup

Production Management
Ivan Volkman	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ray Gosnell Jr.	....	assistant director (as Ray Gosnell)
Leonard Kunody	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Clarence Peet	....	property master
Jim Bochman	....	set designer (uncredited)
Gabe Resh	....	set designer (uncredited)

Sound Department
Robert Martin	....	sound
Clem Portman	....	re-recordist
Charles J. Rice	....	sound
James F. Rogers	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Geza Gaspar	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Lawrence W. Butler	....	process photography (as Larry Butler)

Camera and Electrical Department
Les Everson	....	chief electrician
William Gossman	....	camera operator
Martin Kashuk	....	company grip (as Marty Kashuk)
Doug J. Campbell	....	company grip (uncredited)
Ron Cooney	....	grip (uncredited)
Darryl Kenzel	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
John Monte	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Joe King	....	costumes
Jean Louis	....	wardrobe supervisor
Edna Taylor	....	wardrobe: women (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Tony Friedman	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Mike Deasy	....	musician (uncredited)
Albert Woodbury	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Marshall Schlom	....	script supervisor
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation (presents) (A Stanley Kramer Production)

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1967) (USA) (theatrical) (as Columbia)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1971) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1999) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen) (40th Anniversary Edition)
• Columbia Film-Verleih (1973) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Columbia-Bavaria Filmgesellschaft m.b.H. (1968) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Seven Films (2012) (Greece) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (1999) (Germany) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• LK-TEL Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2002) (Germany) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG (video rating) (1988) (2002) | West Germany:6 | Argentina:Atp | Singapore:PG | Australia:PG | Iceland:L | USA:Approved (original release) | South Korea:12 | UK:U (original rating) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | USA:Unrated | Netherlands:14 (orginal rating)

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Sidney Poitier, born February 20, 1927; was only 13 years younger than the actor portraying his father, Roy Glenn, born June 3, 1914, and only 7 years younger than the actress portraying his mother, Beah Richards, born July 12, 1920. However, Katharine Houghton, born March 10, 1945 was appropriately age spaced with the actors portraying her parents, Spencer Tracy, born April 5, 1900 (45 years older), and Katharine Hepburn, born May 12, 1907 (38 years older).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Just before Drayton crashes his car into Frankie's, the dent on the side of Frankie's car is already present.

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 "Suburgatory: The Wishbone (#2.5)" (2012)

Soundtrack:

Glory of Love

Overlook the "dated" aspect.

This film is of course dated in many portions but still remains a powerful motion picture over thirty years after its release. Superb acting and dialog is what overcomes the dated aspect. Hepburn and Tracy are Matt and Christina Drayton a wealthy and successful couple who have a daughter named Joey played by Katherine Houghton who comes home and tells them she has met the man of her dreams. The only problem in the story is that he is of a different race. Sidney Poitier is John Wade Prentice a successful individual who is the man of Joeys dreams and is of the different race. The Draytons are people who in theory hold no prejudice toward any one regardless of their race, color or creed but now have those same views put harshly to the test when it's their own daughter involved. Sort of like the NIMBY philosophy "YES YES build more prisons, build more nuclear power plants, build more missile silos but Not In My BackYard! " Sure I believe in interracial marriage as long as it's not my daughter".

John Wades parents essentially share the same views as the Draytons. However Johns parents particularly his father played by Roy E. Glenn Sr. seems more realistic when speaking to his child about the situation than does Matt Drayton. He tells his son the way it really is and most likely will be. "You'll even be illegal in some states" he reminds his son. The two couples eventually come to grips with the fact that no matter what they say they will not be able to prevent their two children from going through with their plans. Spencer Tracy throughout his film career delivered many powerful lines of dialog. The final moments of this film he delivers perhaps his greatest. Which also turned out to be his last. AFI ranked this film number ninety-nine on their list of top one hundred. Because of it's powerful story and social issue it deserved to be higher. Other films that deal with interracial marriage to see are 1956's GIANT and 1961's Bridge to the Sun.