IMDb > Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
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Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) More at IMDbPro »

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Guess Who's Coming to Dinner -- Trailer for this classic starring Sidney Poitier

Overview

User Rating:
7.7/10   19,012 votes »
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Up 104% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
William Rose (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
12 December 1967 (USA) See more »
Genre:
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. Full summary » | Full synopsis »
Awards:
Won 2 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 20 nominations See more »
User Reviews:
"That's the story of....... That's the Glory of Love" See more (246 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

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)
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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)
 
Crew verified as complete


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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Runtime:
108 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
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)

Did You Know?

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).See more »
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: Just before Drayton crashes his car into Frankie's, the dent on the side of Frankie's car is already present.See more »
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?
See more »
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Glory of LoveSee more »

FAQ

Is it true that interracial marriage was once illegal in the United States?
Is "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" based on a book?
So who is coming to dinner?
See more »
22 out of 38 people found the following review useful.
"That's the story of....... That's the Glory of Love", 2 March 2006
Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York

I wrote a review for IMDb about the film Saratoga which I got some bad criticism for. It was obvious that Jean Harlow was seriously ill making this rather pedestrian film about folks at the racetrack. No serious drama of significance here, why wasn't the poor woman getting medical attention.

Looking at Spencer Tracy it also is obvious he's in pretty bad shape, but he at 67 was two generations older than his co-star Jean Harlow at MGM in their salad days. And this final film of his and final screen partnership with Katharine Hepburn had a lot more of a significant message than Saratoga did. It's enobling in its own way to see how much faith Spencer Tracy had in the project.

Oh, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is certainly dated now. But back in 1967 it was daring enough. Tracy and Hepburn who for the fourth time in their nine films play a husband and wife from the start, get the news that their daughter Katharine Houghton is getting married to an older man who is a widower. Oh and by the way, she's marrying Sidney Poitier who's a doctor.

Getting a doctor for a son-in-law would be reason enough for celebration in most homes, but interracial marriage was still a daring topic. As Roy Glenn who is Poitier's father reminds him, he's still breaking the law in 1967 in about 17 states. The film is about how Tracy and Hepburn and Glenn and his wife Beah Richards deal with the news.

Hepburn won her second Oscar for this film and she's the character on screen most of the time. Her best moment comes when she fires Virginia Christine who works for her and rushes to Hepburn's side to express "concern" for her.

One of the things that made Spencer Tracy the great player he was, was that incredible ability he had to make the audience feel he was listening. My favorite scene of his in the film is when Beah Richards is alone with him on the porch and she compares him with her husband how the two of them have forgotten all about romance. As she speaks the two of them are profiled against the screen, Richards to the left and Tracy to the right. Though Richards is in the foreground your attention is completely on Tracy and is reactions even though we're only seeing half of his face. Stole the scene without speaking a word.

I know so many people who profess liberalism in all things, but never can quite walk the walk when necessary. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is about that, putting your money where your mouth is.

Watching my VHS copy of it again this evening, the scene with Glenn and Poitier brought home something else to me. Just like Poitier and Houghton were illegal back in 1967 in some parts of America, it was only until 2003 that gay people were illegal in and of themselves in several states. And even now same sex couples battle for marriage rights and equality.

Maybe Guess Who's Coming to Dinner isn't quite so dated at that. And maybe Brokeback Mountain is the closest thing that gay people have to a Guess Who's Coming to Dinner right now.

But can you see in a few years a man or a woman bringing home a partner of the same sex to Mom and Dad and announcing they're getting married in Massachusetts?

Now that would be a great film.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Is Joey a racist? irvberg2002
When John paid the taxi driver... Blondfashionisto
If it were MY Daughter...... yttimsmc11
What is your favorite Hepburn movie ever? mellison-2
Claremont Drive? jrhpax
Does Joey Have A Job ? pkryder-1
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