What a delightful movie this is - loaded with star power, clever dialog, and a script that keeps us guessing. The first scene, where Cary Grant is shown leaving his wife Katharine Hepburn with no words spoken, sets the tone. As Hepburn plans to remarry, Grant seeks to get revenge on her by sneaking a reporter (Jimmy Stewart) and photographer (Ruth Hussey) into her home on the wedding weekend. Stewart is brilliant in the role from beginning to end. He's upset over being there in the first place, as he's a serious writer who has been asked to write a trashy tabloid story, and he's not a big fan of the well-to-do either. The scene early on where he examines the silver, thinking he's alone, and is confronted by the butler, is hilarious. Later he dials up another room within the home at random and says "This is the bridal suite, would you send up a couple of caviar sandwiches and a bottle of beer?" When asked who he is, he then says "This is the voice of Doom calling. Your days are numbered 'til the seventh son of the seventh son," before hanging up. He has other comic scenes early on, including asking the librarian "Dost thou have a washroom?" after sensing her formality.I just loved how the film wrong foots us, as we expect it to go in a direction of these two being undercover spies with all sorts of similar antics throughout the weekend. Instead, Hepburn immediately sees through the ruse, and proceeds to hilariously torture the pair with questions of her own. Along the way an uncle will be assigned the identity of the father, only to have the father show up unexpectedly himself. Hepburn's much younger little sister (Virginia Weidler) is part of the fun, at one point going up to the piano with a gleam in her eye, and busting out a raucous tune: "Lydia, oh Lydia, say have you met Lydia? Oh Lydia, the tattooed lady. She has eyes that folks adore so, and a torso even more so..."Throughout all this madcap chaos, the script is fast-paced and clever. For example, in response to her mother asking if there's no privacy anymore, Hepburn quips, "Only in bed, mother, and not always there." I also loved it when she referred to the poet Li Bai at one point: "There was a Chinese poet who was drowned while trying to kiss the moon in the river. He was drunk....but he wrote beautiful poetry." More importantly, there are observations on character and love. The father (John Halliday) tries to explain an older man's attraction to a younger woman, and even though he seems like a rake, there's something to what he says. The film takes a serious turn when he and Grant both say some devastating things to Hepburn about her insensitivity, and the hurt in her reaction shows her acting prowess. With all of that said, I think it was really Jimmy Stewart who really made this movie special with two wonderful scenes. The first is where he's drunk and goes over to Grant's place, which is an absolute classic. The scene was unrehearsed, what we see was the first take, and it includes a couple of improvisations - Stewart hiccupping, and Grant quipping "Excuse me." The look in Stewart's eyes really make us feel that he's drunk, and that we're getting a glimpse at two friends (the actors themselves) having fun. In fact, the way Stewart looks at people throughout the movie - the butler, the librarian, Grant, and Hepburn - is just fantastic, and still makes me smile thinking about it.The second amazing scene is when he and Hepburn (who's also drunk) realize they're in love. "A magnificence that comes out of your eyes, in your voice, in the way you stand there, in the way you walk. You're lit from within, Tracy. You've got fires banked down in you, hearth-fires and holocausts," he says. She answers, "I don't seem to you made of bronze?", a reference to one of the cruel things that's been said to her, and he responds, "No, you're made out of flesh and blood. That's the blank, unholy surprise of it. You're the golden girl, Tracy. Full of life and warmth and delight...". When he kisses her, she emits a beautiful "golly," and later, before they dash off across the lawn, she says "put me in your pocket, Mike." It's a wonderful, romantic scene. Oh, and I should say, the lines they say to each other earlier in the evening - "Hello you... You look fine", "I feel fine" are just lovely too. It's for that reason that I have to say, I was a bit disappointed in Hepburn's choice at the end. The evening before she does say "The time to make up your mind about people is never", and it is in the spirit of a reconciliation which grows, but just doesn't feel right. Aside from her feeling the blame for her ex-husband's alcoholism (the nerve of her not understanding him better!), the real passion and chemistry is with Stewart. With that said though, it's a delightful movie, and the story behind its making and Katharine Hepburn's resurrection is a real testament to her intelligence.

6 counts of unwanted sexual advancements/harassment/sexism/violence against women which is completely unacceptable. I can't help but think people watching this movie at the time must have laughed, thought it was acceptable and have perpetuated the behaviour they saw on screen, or perhaps this movie was just a reflection of what was already deemed to be acceptable in society. Either way, it's never appropriate, yet it is still prominent in movies nearly 80 years later.The little sister Dinah was played well. Some lines I chuckled at, especially Hepburn's, but no belly laughs. A twist on the traditional love story, but still a pretty feeble plot line. After the first half I got very bored and was simply waiting for the film to end. Well, at least I've seen it now.

If you liked the pratfalls and the comic rapport Cary Grant shared with Katharine Hepburn in Bringing Up Baby, you'll love The Philadelphia Story. The opening scene is a classic, showing the debilitation of their marriage, as Kate throws his golf clubs out of the house, and Cary responds by pushing her face-first down to the ground. Written out, it sounds like an abusive drama, but when you see the clip, you recognize it as one of the iconic moments of screwball comedies. Unfortunately for me, I don't really like that genre, so I didn't like either Bringing Up Baby or The Philadelphia Story.In the movie, Katharine Hepburn is a society dame who's engaged to John Howard. When the newspaper reporter, James Stewart, who's hired to write a piece on the upcoming wedding in the society column falls in love with her, she finds herself in a triangle. Add in ex-hubby Cary Grant to the mix—because he isn't quite ready to let her go—and she's got three men to choose from! I won't spoil anything, but the main reason I didn't like this film—and the remake High Society—is because I couldn't stand the ending. Sometimes you can look past it if the ending isn't spectacular, but in this case, it's a pretty big deal. Also, since I don't like the usual elements of a screwball comedy, I didn't appreciate the kooky characters and silly gags.James Stewart won his one and only Oscar for The Philadelphia Story, and as much as I love him—I really do—it was a ridiculous award. Not only did he win for Best Actor when his character was a supporting one, but it was a throwaway part. Jimmy is a wonderful, talented, heartwarming actor, but in this film, his most memorable scene is when he gets drunk and says, "hearth-fires and holocausts". If you're looking for great acting, wait until Christmas or rent Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

The Philadelphia Story, about an upper class woman about to get married and the two men - one her ex and the other a writer who may get a 'scoop' on a scandal unfolding - gets better as it goes along, even as its still a 'light' Rom-com. Stewart probably didn't deserve his Oscar for his role as Mike Connor, but he is so much fun here it makes the movie. I also liked and appreciated, which I don't get to see in Rom com's today, how other people call out Hepburns character for being a "prig" upper class socialite type. actually compared to the sociopaths who made Rom com's so insufferable in the past 25 years, she's almost positively delightful and human.Grant is funny too, though kind of more of the 'straight' guy in comedic moments. Its a frothy Hollywood romance with skill and grace and drunken shenanigans, and even kids get eloquent quips. I may personally prefer when these actors are in screwball mode in other films (Hawks jumps to mind), but it's respectable, quality stuff, and it takes its characters seriously - Hepburn especially deepens and has a sophistication with the character that's surprising when it starts off seeming like it could dip into pre sitcom territory (and some may argue it's what that is).But Mankiewicz and Cukor have fun with them in what is not great but very good, and that's enough.