Although I was born in Philadelphia and raised in its idyllic suburban enclave called “The Main Line”, you don’t have to have that experience to fall in love with the 1940 classic, The Philadelphia Story. All three actors, Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn and Jimmy Stewart, were at the height of their talent and appeal in this film, although in fact, Hepburn had already been labeled “box office poison” after a few disappointing runs in Break of Hearts, Mary of Scotland and A Woman Rebels. Despite early success in her career (after all, she won an Oscar for her role as Jo in Little Women), and later fantastic performances in Stage Door and Bringing up Baby, RKO really didn’t know what to do with such a unique talent. There had never been a Katharine Hepburn before and they didn’t know how to market her.
It may seem commonplace today, but her sophistication, independent and strong will, she was a precursor to the feminist movement and visionary of style; Katharine set the stage for later actresses like Annette Benning, Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore.
In a ballsy and shrewd move completely consistent with Hepburn’s style, she commissioned the play A Philadelphia Story (using money from her then boyfriend Howard Hughes), and played it to great acclaim on Broadway. Wisely, she waived salary for a cut of the profits and movie rights, thereby securing it for herself and dictating the choice of director (George Cukor) and co-stars, Grant and Stewart. She received an impressive sum by selling the movie rights to MGM. Cukor, often described as a woman’s director due to his ability to generate and/or revive actresses’ star power in his films, was supremely effective in capturing Katharine’s character, Tracy Lord, feminine defiance and frailty all at once. Many view this film as a key turning point in Katharine’s career, since she then went on to do Woman of the Year in 1942, which of course is where another turning point occurred personally for her: she met Spencer Tracy.
There are so many gems in this film, it’s hard to list my favorites: classic lines like “Oh Mac, put me in your pocket…” when she and Jimmy find themselves tipsy and flirting one magical evening – that line is poetry. Cary Grant was entirely overlooked by the Oscars for his role as CK Dexter Haven, not even receiving a nomination. He only received Oscar nods twice in his career, one for Penny Serenade and the other for None But The Lonely Heart, both incredible performances (he did eventually receive a special Academy Award in 1970, which he cherished the rest of his life). But pay close attention to not only his comedic timing in Philadelphia Story, but his non-verbal expressiveness as he grapples with his anger, resentment and continued love for Tracy as she prepares to remarry.
There is also a great scene where Cary and Jimmy almost break character because Jimmy, playing a very drunk Macaulay (Mac) Connor, actually hiccups by accident. Not in the script, Cary says, “Excuse me” and you can see them both crack up before the next line. Those little glimpses at these iconic actors are delicious gems that leave us craving for outtakes.
It was clear these actors liked each other and liked working together; the scene where Mac tells CK he’d “sell his grandmother for a drink” shows that they barely got through their lines without laughing. Cukor saw this as genuine and kept it in, to our benefit!
But every moment of this film is a joy to watch as the tri-fecta of talent comes together. The script is almost musical and the players artfully dance through each scene, making it look far too easy.
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