The Philadelphia Story (film)
| The Philadelphia Story | |
|---|---|
Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | George Cukor |
| Screenplay by | Donald Ogden Stewart |
| Based on | The Philadelphia Story 1939 play by Philip Barry |
| Produced by | Joseph L. Mankiewicz |
| Starring | Cary Grant Katharine Hepburn James Stewart Ruth Hussey John Howard Roland Young John Halliday Mary Nash Virginia Weidler |
| Cinematography | Joseph Ruttenberg |
| Edited by | Frank Sullivan |
| Music by | Franz Waxman |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Loew's, Inc. |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 112 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $914,000[1] |
| Box office | $3.3 million[1] |
The Philadelphia Story is a 1940 American romantic comedy film[2][3] starring Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart and Ruth Hussey. Directed by George Cukor, the film is based on the 1939 Broadway play of the same name by Philip Barry[4] about a socialite whose wedding plans are complicated by the simultaneous arrival of her ex-husband and a tabloid magazine journalist. The socialite, played by Hepburn in both productions, was inspired by Helen Hope Montgomery Scott (1904–1995), a Philadelphia heiress who had married Barry's friend.[5]
Written for the screen by Donald Ogden Stewart and an uncredited Waldo Salt, it is considered among the best examples of a comedy of remarriage, in which a couple divorce, flirt with outsiders and then remarry. The genre was popular in the 1930s and 1940s at a time when divorce was considered scandalous and the depiction of extramarital affairs was blocked by the Production Code.[6][7]
The film was Hepburn's first hit following several flops that caused her placement on a 1938 list of actors considered to be "box office poison" compiled by theater owner Harry Brandt.[8] Hepburn starred in the play and acquired the film rights, with the help of Howard Hughes,[9] to control it as a vehicle for her screen comeback.[10]
Nominated for six Academy Awards, including Outstanding Production (Best Picture), the film won two: Best Actor (Stewart) and Best Adapted Screenplay. MGM remade the film in 1956 as a musical retitled High Society, starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra.[11]
The Philadelphia Story was produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1995.[12]
- ^ a b Glancy, H. M. (1992). "MGM film grosses, 1924–1948: The Eddie Mannix Ledger". Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. 12 (2): 127–144. doi:10.1080/01439689200260081. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ "The Philadelphia Story". Variety. November 26, 1940. p. 16. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
- ^ "The Philadelphia Story". Harrison's Reports. December 7, 1940.
- ^ "The Philadelphia Story (1939 play)". IBDB.com. Internet Broadway Database.
- ^ Irvine, Ian (April 16, 1995). "The Philadelphia Story (1940)". Sunday Telegraph – via ReelClassics.com.
- ^ "Waldo Salt". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (February 12, 2015). "The Philadelphia Story review – fun and wit rise like champagne bubbles". The Guardian.
- ^ "The New Pictures". Time. January 20, 1941. Archived from the original on December 23, 2009. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
- ^ Hyde, Douglas (February 23, 2005). "The Hughes-Hepburn affair; Hepburn biographer describes 'tender' relationship". CNN.com.
- ^ "The Philadelphia Story — Notes". TCM.com.
- ^ Hay, Peter (1991). MGM: When the Lion Roars. Turner Publishing. pp. 206–207, 310. ISBN 978-1878685049.
- ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved April 26, 2023.