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Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

  • 19671967
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 48m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
45K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,999
886
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Sidney Poitier and Katharine Houghton in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
Trailer for this classic starring Sidney Poitier
Play trailer2:39
1 Video
99+ Photos
  • Comedy
  • Drama

A couple's attitudes are challenged when their daughter introduces them to her African-American fiancé.A couple's attitudes are challenged when their daughter introduces them to her African-American fiancé.A couple's attitudes are challenged when their daughter introduces them to her African-American fiancé.

IMDb RATING
7.8/10
45K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,999
886
  • Director
    • Stanley Kramer
  • Writer
    • William Rose
  • Stars
    • Spencer Tracy
    • Sidney Poitier
    • Katharine Hepburn
Top credits
  • Director
    • Stanley Kramer
  • Writer
    • William Rose
  • Stars
    • Spencer Tracy
    • Sidney Poitier
    • Katharine Hepburn
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 439User reviews
    • 76Critic reviews
    • 63Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 2 Oscars
      • 11 wins & 24 nominations total

    Videos1

    Guess Who's Coming To Dinner
    Trailer 2:39
    Guess Who's Coming To Dinner

    Photos112

    Sidney Poitier in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
    Sidney Poitier and Katharine Houghton in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
    Sidney Poitier, Roy Glenn, Katharine Houghton, and Beah Richards in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
    Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier, and Katharine Houghton in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
    Katharine Hepburn and Katharine Houghton in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
    5954-2 Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner"
    5954-1 Katharine Hepburn "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" 1967 MPTV
    5954-4 Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" 1967 MPTV
    5954-5 Sidney Poitier, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Katharine Houghton in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" 1968 Columbia
    Sidney Poitier in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
    Sidney Poitier and Isabel Sanford in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
    Sidney Poitier in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Spencer Tracy
    Spencer Tracy
    • Matt Draytonas Matt Drayton
    Sidney Poitier
    Sidney Poitier
    • John Prenticeas John Prentice
    Katharine Hepburn
    Katharine Hepburn
    • Christina Draytonas Christina Drayton
    Katharine Houghton
    Katharine Houghton
    • Joey Draytonas Joey Drayton
    Cecil Kellaway
    Cecil Kellaway
    • Monsignor Ryanas Monsignor Ryan
    Beah Richards
    Beah Richards
    • Mrs. Prenticeas Mrs. Prentice
    Roy Glenn
    Roy Glenn
    • Mr. Prenticeas Mr. Prentice
    • (as Roy E. Glenn Sr.)
    Isabel Sanford
    Isabel Sanford
    • Tillieas Tillie
    • (as Isabell Sanford)
    Virginia Christine
    Virginia Christine
    • Hilary St. Georgeas Hilary St. George
    Alexandra Hay
    Alexandra Hay
    • Carhopas Carhop
    Barbara Randolph
    Barbara Randolph
    • Dorothyas Dorothy
    D'Urville Martin
    D'Urville Martin
    • Frankieas Frankie
    Tom Heaton
    Tom Heaton
    • Peteras Peter
    Grace Gaynor
    • Judithas Judith
    Skip Martin
    Skip Martin
    • Delivery Boyas Delivery Boy
    John Hudkins
    John Hudkins
    • Cab Driveras Cab Driver
    Garrett Cassell
    • Mailmanas Mailman
    • (uncredited)
    Natalie Core
    • Small Roleas Small Role
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Stanley Kramer
    • Writer
      • William Rose
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Guess Who Is Coming to Dinner?
    Guess Who Is Coming to Dinner?

    Storyline

    Edit
    After a vacation in Hawaii, Joanna "Joey" Drayton returns to her parents' home in San Francisco bringing her fiancé, the highly-qualified Dr. John Prentice, to introduce him to her parents. Her mother, Christina Drayton, owns an art gallery and her father, Matt Drayton, is the publisher-editor of the newspaper, The Guardian. Joey was raised with a liberal education and intends to marry Dr. John Prentice, a Black widower who needs to fly to Geneva that evening to work with the World Health Organization. Joey invites John's parents to have dinner with her family and the couple flies from Los Angeles to San Francisco without knowing that Joey is white. Christina also invites the liberal Monsignor Ryan, who is a friend of her family. Throughout the day and evening, the families discuss the problems of their son and daughter. —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
    • interracial relationship
    • miscegenation
    • racism
    • interracial marriage
    • one day time span
    • 114 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • a love story of today
    • Genres
      • Comedy
      • Drama
    • Certificate
      • Approved
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Katharine Hepburn never saw the completed movie. She said the memories of Tracy were too painful.
    • Goofs
      The car the Draytons are driving is a two-door sedan (with a pillar holding the roof up, and a full frame around the door glass) when seen in exterior shots. Once they're at the drive-in, it becomes a two-door hardtop (no pillar, and no frame around the glass).
    • Quotes

      John: You listen to me. You say you don't want to tell me how to live my life. So what do you think you've been doing? You tell me what rights I've got or haven't got, and what I owe to you for what you've done for me. Let me tell you something. I owe you nothing! If you carried that bag a million miles, you did what you're supposed to do! Because you brought me into this world. And from that day you owed me everything you could ever do for me like I will owe my son if I ever have another. But you don't own me! You can't tell me when or where I'm out of line, or try to get me to live my life according to your rules. You don't even know what I am, Dad, you don't know who I am. You don't know how I feel, what I think. And if I tried to explain it the rest of your life you will never understand. You are 30 years older than I am. You and your whole lousy generation believes the way it was for you is the way it's got to be. And not until your whole generation has lain down and died will the dead weight of you be off our backs! You understand, you've got to get off my back! Dad... Dad, you're my father. I'm your son. I love you. I always have and I always will. But you think of yourself as a colored man. I think of myself as a man. Now, I've got a decision to make, hm? And I've got to make it alone, and I gotta make it in a hurry. So would you go out there and see after my mother?

    • Alternate versions
      When Monsignor Ryan is added to the guest list, Joey goes to tell Tillie. Joey asks "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" and Tillie replies "Reverend Martin Luther King". Following the assassination of King, this was removed - Joey says she'll tell Tillie but we see nothing more. Several months later, this gag was restored.
    • Connections
      Edited into Starring Katharine Hepburn (1981)
    • Soundtracks
      Glory of Love
      (1936)

      by Billy Hill

      Sung by Jacqueline Fontaine at the restaurant

      Sung offscreen by a chorus during opening and closing credits

      Played in the score often

    User reviews439

    Review
    Top review
    Another Spencer Tracy Triumph
    It's so easy to criticize this film. The soundtrack from DeVol is *awful*. The film is incredibly dated and there are some scenes, (the scene with the delivery boy and the ice cream shop), that are unbearable, like something out of a Gidget film.

    Of course the other problem with this film, 33 years after its production, is who in the year 2000, would be upset about their daughter marrying a Yale educated Doctor?

    However, despite all this, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is a great film. The film is wonderful because it was the last film made by one of Hollywood's greatest duos, Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy.

    This film was made while Spencer Tracy was dying. Spencer had to put his entire salary in escrow in order for the film company to allow him to do the film.

    So why did Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy agree to do this film, without immediate payment? Because it's a film about forbidden love, it's a film about loving someone no matter what society thinks, or what the rules are. This is something Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn knew a great deal about.

    What makes this film outstanding is, by the end of the film you realize, Kate and Spencer are not even acting they are relaying their feelings about each other, through the film. Once you catch that, the drama of the final few scenes is just unparalleled and Spencer's final speech, about his love for Kate (Christina), can drive even the most twisted soul to tears.

    A few things to catch in this film, watch Kate's face when Spencer recites the line, 'screw what the rest of the world thinks about your love'...those are real tears. Watch Spencer Tracey as he paces back and forth on the terrace near the end of the film. He realizes he is about to begin one of the last scenes he will ever film. He's line 'well I'll be a son of a bitch'...is more a realization he's about to make his last grandstand on the big screen, in his entire career.

    Spencer Tracy is one of America's greatest actors. This is his last triumph. For that reason alone, it's a true cinematic treasure.
    helpful•127
    58
    • dsnazel
    • Oct 14, 1999

    FAQ8

    • Is "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" based on a book?
    • Where did John and Joey meet?
    • So who is coming to dinner?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 12, 1967 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Pogodi ko dolazi na veceru
    • Filming locations
      • Mel's Drive-in - 5199 Mission Street, at Rolph Street, San Francisco, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Columbia Pictures
      • Stanley Kramer Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $4,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $56,666,667
    • Gross worldwide
      • $56,666,667
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 48 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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