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The Philadelphia Story (1940)
Released By: MGM Home Entertainment   Rating: Not Rated   In Theaters: N/A
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Studio: MGM Home Entertainment
Genre: Comedy
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Director: George Cukor
Language: English
Official Website: N/A
Theatrical Release: N/A
Home Video Release: N/A
Cast: Cary Grant, James Stewart, John Howard, Katharine Hepburn, Roland Young, Ruth Hussey
Published ID: 2860
UPC: 027616661326, 012569501720, 012569699021, 012569675322,
Plot: We open on Philadelphia socialite C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant) as he's being tossed out of his palatial home by his wife, Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn). Adding insult to injury, Tracy breaks one of C.K.'s precious golf clubs. He gallantly responds by knocking her down on her million-dollar keester. A couple of years after the breakup, Tracy is about to marry George Kittridge (John Howard), a wealthy stuffed shirt whose principal recommendation is that he's not a Philadelphia mainliner, as C.K. was. Still holding a torch for Tracy, C.K. is galvanized into action when he learns that Sidney Kidd (Henry Daniell), the publisher of Spy Magazine, plans to publish an exposé concerning Tracy's philandering father (John Halliday). To keep Kidd from spilling the beans, C.K. agrees to smuggle Spy reporter Macauley Connor (James Stewart) and photographer Elizabeth Imbrie (Ruth Hussey) into the exclusive Lord-Kittridge wedding ceremony. How could C.K. have foreseen that Connor would fall in love with Tracy, thereby nearly lousing up the nuptials? As it turns out, of course, it is C.K. himself who pulls the louse-up, reclaiming Tracy as his bride. A consistently bright, bubbly, witty delight, The Philadelphia Story could just as well have been titled The Revenge of Katharine Hepburn. Having been written off as box-office poison in 1938, Hepburn returned to Broadway in a vehicle tailor-made for her talents by playwright Philip Barry. That property, of course, was The Philadelphia Story; and when MGM bought the rights to this sure-fire box-office success, it had to take Hepburn along with the package -- and also her veto as to who her producer, director, and co-stars would be. Her strategy paid off: after the film's release, Hepburn was back on top of the Hollywood heap. While she didn't win the Oscar that many thought she richly deserved, the little gold statuette was bestowed upon her co-star Stewart, perhaps as compensation for his non-win for 1939's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Donald Ogden Stewart (no relation to Jimmy) also copped an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. The Philadelphia Story was remade in 1956 with a Cole Porter musical score as High Society. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
IDDateTimeTitleReviewHelpfulVotesTotalVotes
slow-boat to China
Added 1/17/2010
I ordered this DVD 3 weeks ago.It still has not appeared. I tracked it down to Philadelphia (no less) and it's still not here. At this rate I'll be as dead as it's fantastic cast!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
Great movie!
Added 1/11/2010
This movie is a must see. Katharine Hepburn and Jimmy Stewart are great. It was a great deal to buy it on Amazon and I highly recommend it for anyone that loves film or classics.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
Best Hepburn/Grant/Stewart Movie
Added 12/21/2009
Love it, love it love it. It's rich -- class appraising class, 'C. K. Dexter Haven you have unsuspected depth!; funny, 'Thank thee.'; characters willing to change, 'I'll be yar, I promise to be yar!'. I can't add to 157 comments. If you are a Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant or Jimmy Stewart fan this movie should be in your film library.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
A story worth repeating, over and over and over and over...
Added 11/23/2009
One of those movies you cannot help but wholeheartedly adore, `The Philadelphia Story' is filled to the brim with humor, drama, romance and a nice dollop of spunk that keeps it feeling fresh and thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end.

I'm telling you; I'm beginning to wonder why I ever disliked Katharine Hepburn in the first place.

The film tells of the wealthy socialite Tracy Lord, embarking on yet another marriage, this time to George Kittredge. As the big day approaches, Tracy's ex-husband Dexter arrives unannounced with guests, two reporters who have some dirt on Tracy's father. The proposition is simple; allow the reporters to cover her wedding and the family dirt will stay buried. She is reluctant, but basically has no choice. Putting up a front that is easily torn down, Tracy begins to find herself swayed by the advances of reporter Macaulay Connor, a young and naïve man who only wants to expand upon his career. As the wedding gets nearer and nearer, Tracy's fiancé begins getting a little nervous, not to mention suspicious, over Tracy's newfound persona.

But just WHO is Tracy in love with?

The performances across the board are just a whole bucketful of delightful. James Stewart won the Oscar for his beautifully played comedic performance, but for me it was Cary Grant who really stole my attention. He really mastered his dapper sense of charm and wit with this one, carrying his character from unlikable to completely adorable with a few well-placed brush strokes so-to-speak. Katherine Hepburn is just remarkable here, and the entire supporting cast, from Ruth Hussey to Roland Young to John Halliday, is just stunning. John Howard plays the fool (not `a fool', but `the fool' in the sense of the phrase) very well here, exhibiting a sad sense of misplaced adoration without losing the lacy coverlet of humor.

A+ across the board. Every avenue of this film works (that dialog IS `snappy') and it is one of the best romantic comedies out there. I totally recommend this one without any hesitation!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
Still one of the best
Added 10/12/2009
I never tire of watching this movie. So well cast and funny. I don't know who really is my favorite star, but it might have to be James Stewart in this one, although both Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn are really good. A good supporting cast, also.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
slow-boat to China
Added 1/17/2010
I ordered this DVD 3 weeks ago.It still has not appeared. I tracked it down to Philadelphia (no less) and it's still not here. At this rate I'll be as dead as it's fantastic cast!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
Great movie!
Added 1/11/2010
This movie is a must see. Katharine Hepburn and Jimmy Stewart are great. It was a great deal to buy it on Amazon and I highly recommend it for anyone that loves film or classics.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
Best Hepburn/Grant/Stewart Movie
Added 12/21/2009
Love it, love it love it. It's rich -- class appraising class, 'C. K. Dexter Haven you have unsuspected depth!; funny, 'Thank thee.'; characters willing to change, 'I'll be yar, I promise to be yar!'. I can't add to 157 comments. If you are a Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant or Jimmy Stewart fan this movie should be in your film library.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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