The Philadelphia Story expands out the classic love triangle into a love square with three men falling for the same woman, in this case a woman who was married to one of them, is engaged to a second, and the third has fallen for her on his own. This classic tale of romance started life as a Broadway play the previous year, written specifically for Katharine Hepburn who was coming off a slew of bombs and was considered box-office poison. Hepburn saw the play as an opportunity to jump start her floundering film career and wished to translate it to the big screen. With the help of Howard Hughes she was able to make that happen. Hughes bought the film rights and gifted them to her. She in turn sold them to MGM for a tidy sum that included her retaining final approval over everything from the cast to the producer, director and even screenwriter.
Through her guidance, George Cukor was selected to helm the picture. Her first choices for the lead male cast were both committed elsewhere and thus the parts were eventually offered to Cary Grant and James Stewart, both big stars hired on in an attempt to attract audiences who might pass on a Hepburn film normally. The gamble paid off and The Philadelphia Story turned a hefty profit. It also was a critical success holding a near perfect record amongst the top critics of the time, the consensus being that it offered charm and wit and was a breezy bit of comedic escapism during a time of turbulence in the world. Grant and Hepburn were particularly praised for what would be the final of their four collaborations, while the sole Academy Award win for acting went to Stewart, his only Oscar.
The story follows Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn), the elder daughter of a wealthy Philadelphia socialite family. She was married to C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant), a yacht designer, but their marriage was a turbulent one that ended in divorce two years ago. Now she is engaged to marry the wealthy George Kittredge (John Howard). Elsewhere, Spymagazine publisher Sidney Kidd (Henry Daniell) wants to cover the Lord/Kittredge wedding and assigns reporter and poet Mike Connor (James Stewart) and photographer Liz Imbrie (Ruth Hussey) to the story alongside Dexter Haven who has been working for Spy in South America. Dexter introduces Mike and Liz as friends of Tracy’s brother but she sees through this rouse. Dexter then tells her that Spy will ruin her family’s reputation with an innuendo-filled article about her father’s dalliances if she doesn’t let them stay and write their article about the wedding.
Tracy is incensed but can do nothing about the situation. She is surprised to find that Mike Connor is actually a talented poet and that his book is filled with sensitive and moving poetry, unlike what he has been reduced to writing for Spy. Throughout the course of the next few evenings leading up to the wedding she will begin to question if she is doing the right thing by marrying Kittredge. Close proximity with Dexter and a few frank conversations also calls to attention her faults in her failed marriage and whether she could have been more understanding with him at the time. Then, at a gathering the night before the wedding, drunk and confused, Tracy spends an evening with Mike where she kisses, then takes an innocent swim at midnight with him. When George sees Mike carrying her home afterwards he assumes the worst.
In large part due to the restrictions held down by the Hays code, genres like this one had become increasingly popular in recent years. Films of this era couldn’t really tackle the subject of infidelity and thus was born the storyline of a woman getting divorced only to end up remarrying the same man again in the end. In the meantime she could have a romance storyline in-between without violating standards and practices. It was a clever device to skirt by the censors and was popular amongst audiences of the time. It also was shaking off the old fashioned screwball comedies of the 1930’s in favor of the more modern and dignified romantic comedy.
The film, and the play before it, were written specifically for Katharine Hepburn and thus it plays up to her strengths and would define her on, and off, screen personas. On more than one occasion Tracy is called out for being too uptight and self absorbed to be able to hold her marriage together. Dexter refers to his drinking to excess and her finding fault in it that helped drive a wedge between them, referring to her as a Frozen Goddess. George, on the other hand, sees her as an idolized version of herself, a perfect angel. That impression will be tarnished when he sees Mike carrying her back to the house after their night of swimming. Her father sees her as nearly perfect, except that she lacks any true human understanding. She will have to confront all of these impressions of herself. The brassy, yet fundamentally flawed, character of Tracy as seen here was ideal for Hepburn and would define the rest of her career.
Cary Grant only agreed to be in this film should MGM meet his salary and credit demands, putting his name above Hepburns. He then donated his salary to the British War Relief Society, a humanitarian organization dedicated to providing relief to non-military personnel in Britain during the second world war. Of the four Grant/Hepburn collaborations this one was by far the best and most well received. The two famously got along great during filming and would up the ante whenever they had to comically toss each other around. This can be clearly seen in the film’s opening shot, inspired by the silent slapstick films of an earlier era, where Dexter is leaving Tracy and he pushes her backwards into her house before leaving. This scene was reportedly filmed repeatedly because Hepburn was having too much fun flinging herself backwards.
James Stewart is a bit more subdued than one would expect from a film like this, often relegated to reacting to the moment around him. Yet when the scene demands it he steps up his performance appropriately. He has the unenviable task of playing the third wheel, the distraction for Tracy to keep her from too quickly patching things back up with Dexter. He also has the unenviable task of working side by side with two amazing talents. Stewart handles this tricky part effortlessly and when he proposes to Tracy late in the film he sells the conflict his character is feeling navigating his emotions which are in conflict with his personal views on settling down. With James Stewart, Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn monopolizing the film there is very little for Kittridge who ends up being a virtual nonentity in this plot. He exists just for plot convenience. John Howard made a career of these kinds of nothing roles and thus never saw his star rise in Hollywood. He was always serviceable and not much more.
The story is brisk and breezy, yet never feels too flighty. It goes just as you think it will but it does so in such a way that we forget we know these plot points shortly into the film. That doesn’t matter. We’re just enjoying being there to see it all play out. That’s not to say this film is trying to skate on by on just the chemistry of the leads; it isn’t. This script is cleverly written, too, making the most of this cast and their abilities to play off of each other. Hepburn originally wanted Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy in the Dexter and Mike roles and that could have worked on a much different level, but it wouldn’t be the same film at all. This film is nearly perfect as it is and that is in large part due to Grant and Stewart’s contributions. As for Hepburn, she’s great, too, as she should be. After all, it was written entirely with her in mind. That gives her a leg up on her co-stars. She took it and ran with it and erased, for a time, her labeling as box-office poison.
Academy Award Nominations:
Best Picture: Joesph L. Mankiewicz
Best Director: George Cukor
Best Actor: James Stewart (won)
Best Actress: Katharine Hepburn
Best Supporting Actress: Ruth Hussey
Best Screenplay: Donald Ogden Stewart (won)
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Release Date: December 26, 1940
Running Time: 112 Minutes
Not Rated
Starring: Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart and Ruth Hussey
Directed By: George Cukor
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