The Philadelphia Story - Hollywood Masterpiece
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
James Stewart, Cary Grant and Katharine Heburn
'The Philadelphia Story' is a sophisticated romantic comedy film  made in 1940, directed by George Cukor and starring Cary Grant,  Katharine Hepburn, and James Stewart. The movie, which has become an evergreen  classic, is based on the Broadway play of the same name by Philip Barry.
'The Philadelphia Story' is extraordinarily well-done and is regarded, not only as one of the best comedy movies ever made, but also as one of the great masterpieces of Hollywood film making. Its screenplay is sharp and bright and the three main stars are perfectly cast and perform at the peak of their powers. The film cleverly maintains a perfect balance between an outward veneer of elegance and sophistication whilst being outrageously funny and silly at the same time.
The film was an enormous success on release and even today, retains much of its freshness. It won Academy Awards for James Stewart for Best Actor, and for screenwriter Donald Ogden Stewart for Best Adapted Screenplay. The movie received four further nominations: for George Cukor for Best Director, Katharine Hepburn for Best Actress, Ruth Hussey for Best Supporting Actress, and for producer Joseph L. Mankiewicz for Best Picture. In 1995 it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
Cary Grant donated his $100,000 salary to British war relief. The movie was remade in 1956 as the musical 'High Society' starring Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Grace Kelly, but, music aside, the remake is inferior to the original.
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Plot
The plot centres round the tangled web of relationships involving wealthy Philadelphia socialite, Tracy Lord, played by Katharine Hepburn. Cary Grant plays her ex husband, Dexter Haven, who still loves her, although she is getting married again to dull George Kittredge (played by John Howard). Covering this society wedding are reporters Macaulay Connor played by James Stewart and Elizabeth Imbrie played by Ruth Hussey. Macaulay  Connor eventually helps Tracy to see whom she truly loves.
The twists and turns of the plot as the relationships between the main characters ebb and flow are many and provide much of the humor. The script is both intensely funny and touching at the same time. It abounds with quick-fire repartee and George Cukor directs with precision and wit and brings out scintillating performances from the wonderful cast.
Production
Barry's original play, written in 1939, was inspired by the real-life socialite and party girl, Hope Montgomery Scott, whose husband had been to school with Barry, and was written specifically for Katharine Hepburn. The play ran very successfully on Broadway for a full year starring Hepburn as Tracy Lord. The film rights were purchased by Howard Hughes and given to Hepburn. Their relationship had finished in about 1937 but they were still good friends. Hepburn in turn sold the rights to MGM for a reported $250,000 with the proviso that she reprise her leading role and that she could choose the director and cast.
As she had already been labelled "Box-Office Poison" by The Independent Film Journal, L B Mayer of MGM agreed to have two top male leads in addition to Hepburn. Her original choices were Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy but as neither were available, Grant and Stewart were cast. She also made the shrewd choice of George Cukor as director. She had already worked with him on two movies and the two would make a further seven films together. For the screenplay Hepburn chose Donald Ogden Stewart, a friend of Philip Barry, and a specialist at writing screen adaptations from stage plays.
Filming began on 5 July, 1940  at MGM's Culver City studios, and lasted for just under six weeks.   It was not put on general release until mid-January, 1941 in order not to jeopardise the receipts of the stage play which was until then touring the country.
Main Cast