His Girl Friday (1940)

Based on the classic play The Front Page by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur I think this actually does the play one better by changing one of the characters from a man to a woman. Rumor has it that it was Howard Hawks, the director, who noticed that the relationship between the two lead characters in The Front Page was like a love story and had the idea of adding that element to the play. The result is this brilliant fast paced comedy with a little romance thrown in for good measure.

Synopsis:

The movie begins with former reporter and ex-wife Hildy Johnson Rosalind Russell, calling on her ex-husband Walter Burns, Cary Grant, to tell him she's going to get married again. Her intended is an insurance salesman from Albany named Bruce Baldwin, Ralph Bellamy. Burns clearly has no intention of letting her go, though whether he will miss her more as a wife or as a reporter is not clear. He lures her back in by agreeing to buy a large insurance policy if she will do one final interview with a prisoner scheduled to be hung the next day for having shot a policeman. Hildy gets the interview but then tears it up when Walter has Bruce robbed and unfairly thrown in jail. Just when Hildy is leaving her colleagues in the press-room for good, Earl Williams escapes and she is pulled back in by her love of the story. She is alone in the room when Earl Williams shows up at the window. She hides him in a desk, calls Burns and that's when the action really begins.

The pace of this movie is what everyone talks about. The conversation comes so fast and furious that you really have to listen closely to keep up and get all the joke. In fact, one viewing is really inadequate, you will notice lines you never noticed before each time you see it. Most of this comes directly from the play by the famous team of Hecht and MacArhur. In addition to The Front Page the team wrote several other plays including Billy Rose's Jumbo and 20th Century, separately and together they wrote dozens of screenplays, including Wuthering Heights, Scarface, Nothing Sacred and Angels with Dirty Faces. As fast paced as the play is, Hawks managed to speed it up a little. Howard Hawks is one of the best directors of romantic comedies ever to work in Hollywood, having directed Twentieth Century, the quintessential screwball comedy, Bringing Up Baby, Ball of Fire, To Have and Have Not and dozens of others. Add to this the brilliant performers. Bellamy does such a good job playing the milquetoast insurance salesman that the straw man third party in romantic comedies became referred to as the Ralph Bellamy role. Gene Lockhart plays the crooked Sheriff, and the men in the newsroom is a collection of character actors that any director would kill for. The combination is positively combustible and makes for a truly unique movie experience.

Director ...............................................................Howard Hawks

Writers ................................................................Charles MacAruthur (Play)
               .............................................................Ben Hecht (Play)
              ..............................................................Charles Lederer (Screenplay)

Walter Burns .......................................................Cary Grant
Hildy Johnson ......................................................Rosalind Russell
Bruce Baldwin .....................................................Ralph Bellamy
Gene Lockhart .....................................................Sheriff Hartwell
Porter Hall ...........................................................Murphy
Ernest Truex ........................................................Bensinger
Cliff Edwards ......................................................Endicott
Clarence Colb .....................................................Mayor
Roscoe Carns .....................................................McCue
Frank Jenks ........................................................Wilson
Regis Toomey .....................................................Sanders
Abner Biberman .................................................Louie
Frank Orth .........................................................Duffy
John Qualen .......................................................Earl Williams
Helen Mack .......................................................Molly Malloy
Alma Kruger ......................................................Mrs. Baldwin
Billy Gilbert ........................................................Joe Pettibone

Top Hat (1935)

OK so there are certain film categories that everyone needs to sample at least one of. Fred and Ginger movies is one of those categories. No question that Top Hat is the creme de la creme of this category so I strongly recommend this one. It's plot is light as are the plots of all of the Fred and Ginger movies but it is funny, the supporting acting is good and the numbers are FANTASTIC, set to Irving Berlin music and choreographed by Fred and his longtime partner Hermes Pan.

Synopsis:

It is difficult to summarize the plot as it's more of a series of setups for songs than it is a plot. Nonetheless, here goes: Fred plays, song and dance man from New York, Jerry Travers (such a stretch), who has arrived in London to star in a show produced by Mr. Horace Hardwick, played by perennial Fred & Ginger co-star Edward Everett Horton. The two meet at Mr. Hardwick's stuffy British club where the rule of silence is scrupulously followed until Fred can't stand it anymore and tap dances his way out of the club. They return to Hardwick's hotel where we meet his valet, Bates, played by Eric Blore. It is not at all clear whether Hardwick or Bates is in charge - most likely Bates. Hardwicke then tells Jerry that his wife is expecting them in Italy the week-end after their opening to meet up with a friend of hers. Jerry insists he isn't ready for a set up since his is "Fancy Free and free for anything fancy..." When he moves into the tap portion of this number he awakens a woman on the floor below - namely Dale Tremont, Ginger Rogers. When she comes upstairs to complain Fred is immediately smitten. He even switches to soft shoe sand dance to lull her back to sleep in an early use of white noise.

The next morning he orders every flower in the place to be sent to her room and billed to Horace Hardwick.  Then he hijacks her horse driven cab that is to take her to the riding stables. They are caught in a downpour which provides an opportunity for Isn't this a Lovely Day (to Be Caught in the Rain). Though the song wins her over, there is an unfortunate identity mix up when the desk clerk attempts to point out Mr. Hardwick to her and she sees Fred instead. From then on she believes Fred to be married to her good friend Madge whom she is going to see in Italy that week-end. Meanwhile we learn that Ginger's relationship with a man named Beddini, which the florist thought was romantic, is actually pure business, he's a designer and she' his model. Unfortunately, Hardwick believes that she and Beddini are romantically involved too, so he convinces Fred to forget her.

Soon an enthusiastic Horace and reluctant Fred, Ginger and Bates are headed to the Venice Lido (after Fred's show opens and we see the title number - the best collection of men in white tie and tail coats ever). In Italy we meet Horace's wife Madge, Helen Broderick, and Dale tries to tell her that her husband was flirting with her only to find that Madge doesn't care. She trusts Horace - insists his flirting doesn't mean anything. Of course, she's talking about her actual husband and Dale is talking about Fred... well you get the idea. The rest is all ironic and or confused encounters based upon these misunderstandings until all is straightened out but not until after Fred and Ginger have danced Cheek to Cheek and Ginger almost gets married to Beddini. Finally we get a paean to Venice, The Piccolino, the movie's biggest production number.

As you can see the plot is so light it could fly away. The important information is what numbers are in this movie. The other important part is the way Fred and Ginger dance, and boy are they magnificent. Don't over-think this one - just watch it. You will be amazed at how much of it you have already seen in clips. And what you haven't seen is really enjoyable. I dare you to keep from smiling ear to ear by the end.

Director ..................................................Mark Sandrich

Writers ...................................................Dwight Taylor
             ..................................................Allan Scott

Principal Cast:
Jerry Travers ..........................................Fred Astaire
Dale Tremont .........................................Ginger Rogers
Edward Everett Horton ..........................Horace Hardwick
Erik Rhodes ...........................................Alberto Beddini
Eric Blore ...............................................Bates
Helen Broderick .....................................Madge Hardwick

My Favorite Year (1982)

If you like The Dick Van Dyke Show, or clips you may have seen from Sid Ceasar's shows, or if you are a fan of Peter O'Toole or if you are a fan of old swashbuckling movies, you will love this movie. This movie was made by alumni of the great Ceasar's shows and like the Dick Van Dyke show is a look at that era. In this case a week when an Errol Flynn -ish character came to co-star.

Synopsis:
We begin by following Benjy Stone (Mark Linn-Baker)describing 1954, his favorite year that he spent as part of the writing staff of the King Kaiser comedy cavalcade and specifically the week his idol Alan Swann (Peter O'Toole) was going to guest-star on the show. A major turning point for him, he says. We meet the other writers and see clips from Swann's alleged movies then we cut to Swann waking up next to a beautiful, very young girl and promptly going into a horrible hacking cough. We also meet the object of Benjy's affections, not thus far reciprocated, King Kaiser's secretary K.C. Downing (Jessica Harper). We meet producers, including the great songwriter and sometime actor, Adolphe Green. Then we meet the great King himself (Joseph Bologna) as he berates the head writer's monologue in front of the whole crew. Finally, the great Alan Swann shows up to set only to pass out. The decision is made to replace him but Benjy argues against it. King relents but assigns Benjy to watch him for the week, Swann has to be at every rehearsal, sober, or Benjy pays. That's when the fun really begins.

The key to this movie is the casting. With any actor less larger-than-life than Peter O'Toole it would be hard to believe that all that follows really could happen, but O'Toole makes you believe it. You believe his escapades and you believe his humanity. He not only takes Benjy on drunken hijinks throughout the city he dedicates himself to helping him win over K.C. and even agrees to dinner with Benjy's relatives in Brooklyn. We also learn some of the self-loathing that just may be part and parcel of the alcoholism - Swann, it seems has a daughter he has been unable to face for years. The final face-off comes the night of the show when Swann find out for the first time that the show is done live. He panics and leaves threatening everything that he and Benjy have built over the week. Mostly the movie is very, very, funny with each character cast perfectly. The director is the actor Richard Benjamin of Goodbye Columbus fame.

We really get the feel of early television and all that it entailed.There are little things that harken back to the Sid Caesar show specifically, for example, there is a writer that only whispers comments to his colleague who then voices them. This allegedly hearkens back to the behavior of Neil Simon on the Ceasar show who would speak so softly someone else would have to repeat them to the room. This type of inside baseball makes the movie all the more authentic and funny.

Director ............................................................Richard Benjamin

Writers .............................................................Norman Steinberg
              ...........................................................Dennis Palumbo

Alan Swann ......................................................Peter O'Toole
Benjy Stone ......................................................Mark Linn-Baker
K.C. Downing ..................................................Jessica Harper
King Kaiser ......................................................Joseph Bologna
Sy Benson ........................................................Bill Macy
Belle Carroca ...................................................Lainie Kazan
Alice Miller ......................................................Anne De Salvo
Herb Lee .........................................................Basil Hoffman
Uncle Morty ....................................................Lou Jacobi
Leo Silver .......................................................Adolph Green
Alfie Bumbacelli ..............................................Tony DiBenedetto

Modern Times (1936)

I know most people hear silent movie and their eyes glaze over. There aren't many that I would argue you must see, but at least one Chaplin movie is essential just to see this genius in action. Charlie Chaplin is an icon for a reason. His voice was unique and brilliant. He was a true auteur before the term became vogue. He not only wrote, directed and acted in his pictures, he wrote the music and even did most of the editing. Which is his best movie? Many would say the one before this, City Lights, I can't really argue with that, it's also a wonderful movie, but this is my personal favorite, maybe because his co-star is his then wife Paulette Goddard. For whatever reason I prefer it, so I am writing about this first. I might also add that this is not an entirely silent movie. The leads do not speak, (though the tramp does sing -- in french) but some of the minor characters do - only, interestingly enough, those with power.

Synopsis:

The movie begins by looking a bit of an homage to Metropolis. It shoes sheep being herded then shows factory workers from a similar angle looking the same as the move from subway to factory floor. Meanwhile the president of the company is doing a jigsaw puzzle and reading the comics in the newspaper. He gives orders to speed up the line forcing the workers, including charlie to work faster than it would seem to be humanly possible. The Tramp's (Charlie's) job is to tighten two nuts on each piece of machinery that passes by. He does this act so often that when his brake comes he can't stop moving his hands in that motion. The dehumanizing conditions in the factory only go downhill from there. After being caught in this machinery of capitalism (literally) for too long Charlie finally has a break down and loses it on the factory floor.

Next we see Charlie being released from the hospital cured, but unemployed. Almost immediately after his release he lands, unfairly, in jail. Meanwhile, we meet the delightful "gamin" (Paulette Goddard) (too old to be playing a gamin but we can overlook this) as she steals food for herself and other hungry waterfront kids. Despite hers and her unemployed father's best efforts, her two youngest sisters are taken away to an orphanage.

Charlie is let out of jail when his innocence is determined but he regrets the loss of the steady meals and a bed. In his efforts to get sent back to jail, he tries to take the fall for Paulette when she is caught staling a loaf of bread. They are two of the poorest of the poor, unemployed and without prospects who find themselves joining forces first as friends then, maybe, as something more. Charlie convinces her that one must smile and carry on even during the hardest of times, a popular message during the depression and the idea that led to the lyrics of the song "Smile" the music of which is first heard here.

This is a lovely, moving film that manages to combine romantic comedy and social commentary brilliantly. Keep in mind this came out in the depths of the depression, union fever was growing as workers became more discouraged by conditions. Rather than being a diatribe against the owners, the movie uses comedy and satire to make it's point. Meanwhile, Paulette Goddard is such an engaging presence that one cannot help getting caught up in the romance. It's interesting the limited way that Chaplin experiments with sound in this movie. By 1936 almost no one else in Hollywood was making silent pictures and one get's the sense of a compromise being struck in this movie between Charlie, worried that the tramp character could not survive the shift to sound and the forces arguing for modernization. It's the last gasp for Charlie, however, as his next film The Great Dictator is largely a talking movie (another great Chaplin movie if you just can't handle silent).The movie is short by today's standards, only 87 minutes so it won't take much investment to see what all the idolatry of Charlie is all about.

Director .........................................................Charles Chaplin

Writer ...........................................................Charles Chaplin

Charles Chaplin .............................................A Factory Worker
Paulette Goddard ..........................................A Gamin
Henry Bergman .............................................Cafe Proprietor
Tiny Sandford ...............................................Big Bill
Chester Conklin ............................................Mechanic
Hank Mann ..................................................Burglar
Stanley Blystone ...........................................Gamin's Father
Allan Garcia .................................................Factory President

Born Yesterday (1950)

OK, first thing I need to say about this movie is NOTE the date - do not accidentally rent the remake starring Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson. That movie is terrible, this movie is wonderful. Judy Holliday died when she was only 43 which is a shame because she was one of the greatest comedic actresses ever. Luckily she left us with a dozen or so sweet and funny movies, almost all romantic comedies like this one. I personally think this is one of the best.

Synopsis:

The movie begins with arrival of Harry Brock (Broderick Crawford) and his girlfriend Emma 'Billie' Dawn (Judy Holliday) in Washington, DC. The amount of luggage they have and the multiple furs that Billie hands to a porter immediately identify them as rich. Then Brock complains that he's only being given a wing of the hotel instead of an entire floor. His accent and his attitude immediately make it clear that he is not old money. A reporter named Paul Verrall (William Holden) tries to ask him a question as he gets in the elevator and is brusquely rebuffed. Soon Brock's lawyer Jim Devery (Howard St. John) arrives to go over the 'business' that Brock has in Washington. We learn that Brock owns a number of salvage yards throughout the country and is town looking for a favor from Congress to improve business and is planning to bribe a congressman to get his way. Devery has set up an interview with the very reporter who was shut down at the elevator. He is clearly suspicious of Brock and interested in exposing him, but he also manages to charm Brock by showing he's not afraid of him.

After a disastrous dinner that night with the congressman and his wife, Devery and Brock decide that Billie needs to be smartened up and Brock decides that Verrall is just the man for the job. Devery warns against it but Brock likes him so he hires him for an astronomical sum and introduces him to Billie. She takes an immediate liking to him in a much less cerebral way, making a pass immediately. Holden demurs and pursues Brock's plan showing Billie all around Washington and giving her reading about the country and the government. A crash course in civics and macroeconomics apparently. Billie's education soon grows out of control however and begins to endanger Harry's plans much more than her prior crassness ever had. And Holden's interest in her becomes less and less cerebral them more time they spend together.

This is a marvelous romantic comedy. It's based upon the play by Garson Kanin which he helped to adapt for the screen though he wasn't given credit. The comedy part of romantic comedy is as strong as the romantic part which makes it so much fun to watch. Holliday had starred in the Broadway version and frankly it's difficult to imagine any other actress ever playing this role. She and Holden were both masters of romantic comedy and their chemistry here is lovely. Crawford is wonderful playing the kind of gruff character he was known for and is a great foil for both Holliday and Holden. George Cukor, another master of the genre is the director and he gets perfect performances out of all of his players, including the supporting ones. This is a perfect date night movie, I promise.

Director ......................................................George Cukor

Writers ........................................................Garson Kanin (Play)
                 ....................................................Albert Mannheimer (screenplay)
             
Judy Holliday .............................................Emma 'Billie' Dawn
Broderick Crawford .................................. Harry Brock
William Holden ......................................... Paul Verrall
Howard St. John .........................................Jim Devery
Frank Otto ..................................................Eddie
Larry Oliver ............................................... Congressman Norval Hedges
Barbara Brown ...........................................Mrs. Hedges
Claire Carelton ...........................................Helen

Annie Hall (1977)

This is a great movie, one of Woody Allen's best done at a time when he had really found his voice. It stars Woody and his then-partner Diane Keaton, making it pre- Mia Farrow so there's no need to get into any of the thorny issues arising from that relationship. Also it was made in an era when Woody could still play the heroes of his movies before he started casting stand-ins like Owen Wilson and John Cusack. Both perfectly good performers but not better at being Woody, than Woody.

Synopsis:

Woodie begins the movie with two jokes one of which about not wanting to be a part of a group that would have him as a member he says sums up the problems he's had with women. Then he tells us that he and Annie have broken up, which he can't believe. The rest of the movie we see his relationship with Annie in flashbacks - out of order glimpses of times in their relationship in an effort to see what went wrong. We don't just look at the time he was in the relationship, we look at Woddy's childhood, we get a glimpse of Annie's when they go to her family's Midwestern home. we even see part of his relationships before he met Annie to see how they colors the later relationship. There are wonderful moments and painful moments and through it all we get a really good picture of the relationship.

Review:

Because he has been so prolific, chances are you have seen at least one Woody Allen movie by now. However, if you have not seen this movie you really haven't seen the best Woody Allen film. It won the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay. That is an unheard of number of awards for a comedy. Comedies are notoriously overlooked at award time - not given the respect of hard core dramas, and even though this counts as part drama, part comedy it still was an amazing feat to win those awards. This is one of Woody's best scripts and that is saying something because no matter what one might think of him - the man can write ..... and direct. The performance of Diane Keaton is brilliant and charming. Not for nothing was her quirky clothing style from the movie copied by every woman in America that year. The clothes became a phenomenon because her performance was phenomenal. The supporting players are also excellent, including Carol Kane as the old girlfriend, Tony Roberts, a Woody Allen regular for years as Woody's best friend, Shelley Duvall, Colleen Dewhurst, and even Christopher Walken in a small but HILARIOUS part. The most notable supporting cast member is Paul Simon - the Paul Simon the songwriter - that alone makes it worth seeing. I promise that this is the quintessential Woody Allen movie, so if you see it and you don't like it you have an excuse not to see any others.

The American President (1995)

The movie that gave birth to the TV show The West Wing because Aaron Sorkin's research for this movie led him to admire the people who work in the White House so much that he decided to dramatize what they saw. That piece of trivia aside, this movie is a real stand out all by itself. If you know The West Wing or A Few Good Men or anything else that Aaron Sorkin has written you know that he is probably the most talented writer working in Hollywood today. Add to that some brilliant performances and a great and unusual love story and you have a really wonderful movie to watch.

Synopsis:

The movie opens with President Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas) is being briefed about his itinerary for the day - we begin to get a behind the scenes look at his life while also learning key information about the current state of his democratic presidency. We also learn that the President is a widower and that he has a teenaged daughter. He is joined gradually by more and more members of his staff. Meanwhile across town at an environmental lobbying group a new political strategist is being hired, Sidney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening). As the President is ushered from one meeting to another, Ms. Wade and a co worker arrive at the White House to meet with the Chief of Staff (Martin Sheen). While they are in the meeting with the Chief of Staff, Ms. Wade gets particularly tough on the administration just as the President pokes his head in. He then asks her to step into the oval office and discusses the issue with her further. There is an immediate spark between the two although she is as much in awe of the office as she is attracted to the man.

Soon the President decides to ask her out - or rather over to the White House - for a date. The occasion of the date is an upcoming state dinner so the publicity is immediate. Soon after that they are dating in earnest and soon the press, the opposing party, her boss and his staff are following the romance and all of its fallout. The rest of the movie deals with the issues that arrive when a modern day president is dating as well as the issues that arrive between the two of them.

Review:

This is a wonderful and unusual romantic comedy. Unusual because the situation is unique. Beautiful because it is well written, well acted and well directed. Aaron Sorkin has a turn of phrase that is memorable and lyrical. His characters talk like we all wish we could, sounding both down to earth and erudite at the same time. These actors are all tops in their field and give fantastic performances. Martin Sheen does such a great job as Chief of Staff in this movie that he got promoted to President for The West Wing. Annette Bening is so much more than beautiful, she has an obvious intelligence that can sometimes be lacking in the lead of a romantic comedy. Michael Douglas is at his liberal best with a presence that is unmatched on screen. The director of all of this is Rob Reiner who not only is a great director, he knows his politics having been an activist for years. If you like any of these people you owe it to yourself to see this movie.

Charade (1963)

Some of you may recall seeing Director Stanley Donen tap dance at the Oscars a few years ago at age 80+. The tap dance was a hearkening back to his days as a choreographer and director of musicals. However, he was also one of the most versatile directors ever. With Charade he made what I'd call the only non-Hitchcock directed Hitchcock movie. This is an excellent thriller worthy of Hitch, but it's not a clawing homage like many of Brian DePalma's movies or a direct copy like that ridiculous Psycho remake from a few years ago.

Synopsis:

Charade begins with Audrey Hepburn, as Regina Lampert, has just decided to divorce her husband. Unfortunately by the time she returns from the vacation where she makes this decision - he has clearly left her and then been murdered. Even more unfortunately for Regina, it turns out that the men who killed her husband failed to get what they wanted from him first. He allegedly stole money from a motley group of them (played by George Kennedy, James Coburn and Ned Glass) and since he didn't have it on him when he was attacked the reason that she must have the money and they go after her. Her only allies are Cary Grant and Walter Matthau. As allies go, of course, They're pretty good, but they may not be what they seem.

This movie will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time you are watching. For one thing there is a constant question mark about Cary Grant and whether he is really on Regina (Reggie's) side. In addition to the suspense this is a very funny and fairly romantic movie - great for date night. And did I mention the whole thing is shot in Paris! What more could you want? Speaking of the romantic aspect, when the movie was just being put together, Cary Grant felt that it would be unseemly for him at age 59 to pursue Audrey who was then 34 (and age difference that sadly wouldn't cause today's male leads a moment's hesitation), so he, Donen and screenwriter Peter Stone solved the problem with a rewrite that had her pursuing him romantically. Her pursuit includes arguably the best lines ever about Cary Grant - I'll leave it to you to find out what that is.

A Little Romance (1979)

Diane Lane's first movie and one of Laurence Olivier's last, this sweet romantic adventure is really worth renting. Diane Lane is a brilliant young American girl, Lauren, living in France with her flighty (maybe slutty) mother (Sally Kellerman) and her rich stepfather (Arthur Hill). Despite the attractions of Paris, she's pretty bored with her life until she meets a cute French boy named Daniel who's as smart as she is. It's puppy love at first sight. During one of their outings together, they meet an elderly man with a gift for storytelling (Olivier). One of his stories involves the legend that if a couple kisses under the Bridge of Sighs in Venice at sunset, their love will last forever. When Lauren's parents announce that they will be moving back to America, she decides and convinces Daniel that they must go to Venice so they can be assured that their love will last despite the distance. How they manage this, with the help of Olivier makes up the bulk of the movie.

This is another small, non-action-packed movie, showing my clear bias, but I think you will really enjoy it nonetheless. Olivier's performance is fantastic, and the kids are adorable. The love triangle among, Kellerman, Hill and David Dukes is a little swingin' seventies, but it's a small side plot. For those of you too young to remember mainframe computers and punch-cards this will be something of an education. A friend of mine used to get mad at me for saying that this was Diane Lane's best movie - and she's right that really isn't fair, but it is delightful. The boy who plays Daniel is up to starring opposite Diane Lane although he did only one other movie and now, according to IMDB is a dentist!? Plus his name is Thelonious - how great is that! Both manage to stand up to the acting genius of Olivier. The movie also has wonderful locations of Paris, other parts of France, Italy and especially Venice. If you rent this movie and Summertime (watch this space) you can feel like you've seen Venice without ever having to smell a canal. One more tidbit - Broderick Crawford has a cameo as himself that is worth the price of admission all by itself.

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart, what more could you ask for? Well, you may not ask but it has a brilliant script and excellent direction by George Cukor as well. The movie was based on a successful play by Phillip Barry. Hepburn had starred in the play on Broadway, where she had gone for refuge when her career hit a very rough patch in the late 1930s (she was famously declared to be box office poison by the theater owners). She planned her return to Hollywood brilliantly, however, by purchasing the rights to the play (with the financial support of her then-boyfriend Howard Hughes) so that she could have the last word on co-stars and director. Her first choice for the Cary Grant role was Spencer Tracy whom she had not yet met, but he was tied up so she settled for Grant only slightly reluctantly. This meant the postponement of their romance but it did the movie no harm.

The movie begins with a classic, the wordless end of the marriage of Tracy Lord (Hepburn) and C.K. Dexter Haven (Grant), childhood sweethearts from neighboring main-line Philadelphia families. We then immediately fast forward two years to the week before Tracy's second wedding to George Kittredge, self-made man who just happens to work for her father. In order to kill a story about Tracy's father and his chorus-girl paramour, Grant agrees to get access for two reporters from Spy magazine to do a story on Tracy's wedding. The reporter (Jimmy Stewart) and photographer (Ruth Hussey) are installed as house guests at the Lord mansion. Stewart is a serious writer who writes garbage for Spy to make the living that his serious writing does not produce. He and Hussey are a couple, but he's never been ready to settle down. The presence of these two and ex-husband Dexter wreak havoc on Tracy's wedding plans, thank goodness!

I've made this all sound very serious, but it's really a very funny movie. Of course all turns out well in the end but getting there is full of pitfalls and more importantly a VERY good script. Jimmy Stewart won best supporting actor for his role, although he was quoted as saying he really thought he was given the award because he didn't win for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington the year before. Really it's Katherine Hepburn's movie, as she knew it would be when she acquired the play and insisted they make the movie with her.