The Philadelphia Story (1940)
Grade: 57
It's time for the quiz show, Name That Movie! A 1940 film starring Cary Grant, based on a play, in which he tries to break up his ex-wife's next-day marriage to a man who isn't right for her. "His Girl Friday"! Bzzzzt, wrong answer.
Let's try again. This comedy co-stars Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. Their romance is threatened by a next-day marriage by one of them to a third party. "Bringing Up Baby"! Bzzzt, wrong again.
The correct answer is "The Philadelphia Story". This film asks the question, should Katherine Hepburn cancel the wedding with uptight John Howard, and instead marry awkward writer Jimmy Stewart, or perhaps meddlesome ex-husband Cary Grant? Anyone who has a seen a film before can safely answer, YES.
With famous names like Stewart, Grant, and Hepburn, and with well-regarded director George Cukor in control, how could the film go wrong? The problem isn't so much the familiar storyline, which is complicated by the addition of humble secondary love interest Ruth Hussey, and numerous extraneous and stereotypical family members. The problem is with the script, which isn't nearly as funny as the writers believe it to be. The effect is one comic scene after another that falls short, like the routine of a mediocre comic that messes up all his jokes.
How, then, does one account for the great critical and commercial success of the film? Perhaps the impressive cast helped, and perhaps folks caught in the continuing Depression enjoyed laughing at the foibles of the well-to-do set. Or, perhaps I have simply misinterpreted the film.
James Stewart won Best Actor for his performance. Perhaps he deserved it, for surviving the lines that he had to deliver. His character rapidly changes from caustic to shameless in his devotion for Hepburn. They have a "drunk" scene together which perpetuates the myth of the funny drunk who can't stop hiccupping.
Somehow, Donald Ogden Stewart won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay, despite competition from films such as "The Grapes of Wrath" and "Rebecca". Cukor was nominated for Best Director, Hepburn for Best Actress, Hussey for Best Supporting Actress, and the film for Best Picture.
kollers@mpsi.net http://members.tripod.com/~Brian_Koller/movies.html
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