The Philadelphia Story (1940)

When a rich woman's ex-husband and a tabloid-type reporter turn up just before her planned remarriage, she begins to learn the truth about herself.

Director:

George Cukor

Writers:

Donald Ogden Stewart (screen play), Philip Barry (based on the play by)

Stars:

Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart

Won 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Cary Grant	...	C. K. Dexter Haven
Katharine Hepburn	...	Tracy Lord
James Stewart	...	Macaulay Connor
Ruth Hussey	...	Elizabeth Imbrie
John Howard	...	George Kittredge
Roland Young	...	Uncle Willie
John Halliday	...	Seth Lord
Mary Nash	...	Margaret Lord
Virginia Weidler	...	Dinah Lord
Henry Daniell	...	Sidney Kidd
Lionel Pape	...	Edward
Rex Evans	...	Thomas

Storyline

Philadelphia socialites Tracy Lord and C.K. Dexter Haven married impulsively, with their marriage and subsequent divorce being equally passionate. They broke up when Dexter's drinking became excessive, it a mechanism to cope with Tracy's unforgiving manner to the imperfect, imperfections which Dexter admits he readily has. Two years after their break-up, Tracy is about to remarry, the ceremony to take place at the Lord mansion. Tracy's bridegroom is nouveau riche businessman and aspiring politician George Kittredge, who is otherwise a rather ordinary man and who idolizes Tracy. The day before the wedding, three unexpected guests show up at the Lord mansion: Macaulay Connor (Mike to his friends), Elizabeth Imbrie - the two who are friends of Tracy's absent brother, Junius- and Dexter himself. Dexter, an employee of the tabloid Spy magazine, made a deal with its publisher and editor Sidney Kidd to get a story on Tracy's wedding - the wedding of the year - in return for Kidd not ...

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Plot Keywords:

love triangle | wedding | reporter | socialite | title spoken by character | 

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Taglines:

Broadway's howling year-run comedy hit of the snooty society beauty who slipped and fell - IN LOVE!

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

17 January 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Philadelphia Story

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Spencer Tracy turned down James Stewart's role because he was eager to make Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941).

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Goofs

As Connor and Tracy exit the library, the boom mic is reflected on the windshield of Tracy's car.

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Quotes

Uncle Willie: [leering at Liz] Ah Ms. Embry, you're a vision of lovliness. May I offer you a cocktail? Or champagne?
Elizabeth Imbrie: Oh champagne, I've never had enough.
Uncle Willie: You will... tonight.

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Connections

Referenced in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: The Philadelphia Story (1994)

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Soundtracks

Over the Rainbow
(1939) (uncredited)
Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg
Music by Harold Arlen
Sung a cappella by James Stewart

User Reviews

The story nearly gave me a headache,but Grant,Hepburn,and Stewart made it fun to watch.

I really wasn't so much wowed by The Philadelphia Story's "story",as it were,as I was mesmerized by three of the big screen's strongest ever screen presences' interaction with one another.Katherine Hepburn,Cary Grant,and James Stewart were great (if that is even a strong enough word) individually,but together here in this film,they were absolutely out of this world.The story,quite frankly,gave me a headache overall,but I did find the ever famous "hiccup" improvisation between Stewart and Grant hysterical as it was obvious both men could barely compose themselves,but being the professionals that they were,they got it together and moved on,and that's what made the scene so entertaining.I had a great time watching.