The Philadelphia Story [G]

After her first marriage ends on less than friendly terms, heiress Tracy Lord tries to prove that she is not impossible to love by getting engaged to marry the wealthy and respectable, though dull and colourless, George Kittredge. Getting wind of her plans, Tracy’s ex-husband C.K. Dexter Haven, shows up at the family mansion on the weekend of the wedding with two tabloid journalists, Elizabeth Imrie and Macaulay Connor, in tow to ruin the wedding. But as charade is pitted against charade, the weekend takes an unexpected turn when Macaulay becomes attracted to Tracy and familial dramas rattle her so much that she takes to drink, making for an interesting and scandalous pre-nuptials night. 

This is a wonderful little slapstick romantic comedy, much better than its musical reincarnation: High Society. The performances, the chemistry, the wit, and the script were all just marvellous, making The Philadelphia Story a classic that I’m very proud to have in my collection. 

After her first marriage ends on less than friendly terms, heiress Tracy Lord tries to prove that she is not impossible to love by getting engaged to marry the wealthy and respectable, though dull and colourless, George Kittredge. Getting wind of her plans, Tracy’s ex-husband C.K. Dexter Haven, shows up at the family mansion on the weekend of the wedding with two tabloid journalists, Elizabeth Imrie and Macaulay Connor, in tow to ruin the wedding. But as charade is pitted against charade, the weekend takes an unexpected turn when Macaulay becomes attracted to Tracy and familial dramas rattle her so much that she takes to drink, making for an interesting and scandalous pre-nuptials night. 

It’s said that playwright Phillip Barry based his leading female star in the Broadway play on the unattractive reputation that Katherine Hepburn had at the time, having left RKO on rough currents. The common consensus was that Hepburn was stoic, bossy and unfeminine, making her the hard girl to love. Katherine, needless to say, starred in the original Broadway production and The Philadelphia Story ultimately was her baby, her owning the rights to it, selling it to MGM, and having a direct hand in the casting: originally Spencer Tracy and Clark Gable were desired for the lead roles but were unavailable. 

The script is an absolute work of genius, rightly winning Donald Ogden Stewart the Academy Award for Best Screenplay. It’s snappy, fast-paced, dramatic, romantic, and fuelled with the right amount of venom and snideness. Brilliant, brilliant, BRILLIANT! 

Katherine Hepburn reprises her role from stage as Tracy Lord, the unreadable, unfathomable Goddess herself. Director George Cukor really made her negative reputation work in her favour with this film, with Katherine delivering a performance that was harsh, confused, snide, and just that little bit childlike. She was divine. 

Cary Grant, normally quite the funny man and centre of attention, takes a bit of a back seat as Tracy’s ex-husband Dexter. He delivers a performance that’s jestingly sadistic but still very much in love with Tracy. He’s always lovely. 

But without a doubt, the real star of the show is James Stewart who stars as Macaulay Connor and came away with the Academy Award for Best Actor. Stewart holds the audience in rapture; beginning the film as grumpy and vengeful and then transforming into a charming romantic reminiscent of his iconic “I’ll give you the moon” scene in It’s a Wonderful Life. 

Starring Ruth Hussey, John Howard, Roland Young, John Halliday, Mary Nash, and Virginia Weilder, The Philadelphia Story is a wonderful movie and a real classic that I think should never have been murdered to brutally as it was when it was made into High Society. Filled with wit, drama, romance, and comedy, it’s just wonderful and a perfect way to fill one’s afternoon.