The Philadelphia Story is a 1940 romantic screwball comedy starring Jimmy Stewart, Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. Based on the play of the same name by Philip Barry, the film is about a bride-to-be whose plans are complicated by the simultaneous arrival of her cynical but romantic ex-husband (Grant), and a cynical but romantic journalist (Stewart). The film co-starred Ruth Hussey, Mary Nash, Roland Young, Virginia Weidler and Henry Daniell.
Classic Comedies Collection (Bringing Up Baby / The Philadelphia Story Two-Disc Special Edition / Dinner at Eight / Libeled Lady / Stage Door / To Be or Not to Be)
Plot Description
Tracy Lord (Hepburn), is a wealthy "main line" Philadelphian socialite who divorces her husband, C.K. Dexter Haven (Grant), and is about to marry newly-wealthy George Kittredge (John Howard). However, their wedding preparations are interrupted by tabloid reporters, Macaulay Connor (Stewart) and Elizabeth Imbrie (Hussey) seeking an exclusive wedding story. In exchange for letting her wedding appear in Spy Magazine, Tracy's philandering father stays out of the magazine. As the wedding nears, Tracy finds herself torn between the affections of Macaulay, Dexter and George. [top]
Awards
The film won Academy Awards for James Stewart (Best Actor), and screenwriter Donald Ogden Stewart (Best Adapted Screenplay). It also received Academy Award nominations for George Cukor (Best Director) Katharine Hepburn (Best Actress), Ruth Hussey (Best Supporting Actress), and Best Picture (Joseph L. Mankiewicz - producer).
The film was deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. It was remade in 1956 as a musical titled High Society, starring Grace Kelly in Hepburn's role.
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