Academy Awards 1940 -
Best Adapted Screenplay: Donald Ogden Stewart
Entertainment Reviews:
Total Film - 03/01/2004
"Stewart won his first Oscar as idealistic hack Macaulay Connor."
Los Angeles Times - 03/27/2005
"[A] near-perfect 1940 adaptation of Philip Barry's stage hit, which revved up Hepburn's career."
Uncut - 07/01/2005
"Stewart won an Oscar, as did the screenplay, which crackles."
Uncut - 01/01/2006 Ranked #12 in Uncut's Best DVDs Of 2005 -- "Katharine Hepburn's baby. The play was written for her, and she picked the director, George Cukor, and her co-star..."
Product Description:
THE PHILADELPHIA STORY boasts an incredible cast, but it's Katharine Hepburn's picture in more ways than one. Tracy Lord (Hepburn), a Philadelphia heiress, is about to marry coal-company executive George Kittridge (John Howard). The wedding, promising to be the season's premier event, attracts the attention of magazine publisher Sidney Kidd (Henry Daniell), who sees it as an opportunity to break a story. Spy magazine's Dexter Haven (Cary Grant), Lord's ex-husband, is enlisted to "gain access" to the party, along with top scandal writer Macauley Connor (James Stewart, in an Oscar-winning role). However, the reporter is quickly smitten by the bride's charms--and he's not the only one. The film, based on the play by Phillip Barry, was first a Broadway sensation starring Hepburn, who acquired the screen rights, claimed the starring role, and chose the director, screenwriter, and lead cast. In addition to fine work by Grant and Stewart, notable supporting performances are delivered by Ruth Hussey and Virginia Weidler. One of nine films Hepburn made with director George Cukor, it remains one of the classics of their collaboration and of American cinema.
Plot Synopsis:
An outstanding and much-loved version of Philip Barry's smart play in which a wealthy society girl is torn between her millionaire husband-to-be, her dashing ex, and a self-conscious reporter. Stars Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and James Stewart give fabulous performances in this classic film.
Plot Keywords:
Classic |
Essential Cinema |
Love Triangle |
Recommended |
Reporters |
Romance |
Stage Play
Production Notes:
Theatrical release: December 1, 1940.
THE PHILADELPHIA STORY is number 51 on the American Film Institute's list of America's 100 Greatest Movies.
THE PHILADELPHIA STORY was added to the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1995.
Academy Award-winner (Best Actor) Stewart said he voted for Henry Fonda's performance in OF MICE AND MEN that year.
The film was nominated for six Oscars; besides Stewart's award, it won for Best Screenplay. Hepburn was nominated for Best Actress.
Katharine Hepburn put up 25% of the original play's production budget and took no salary, but reaped a hefty 45% of profits on the Broadway hit.
The film was remade in 1956 as the musical HIGH SOCIETY.
Film Collectors & Archivists: Alpha Video is actively looking for rare and
unusual pre-1943 motion pictures, in good condition, from Monogram, PRC,
Tiffany, Chesterfield, and other independent studios for release on DVD. We
are also interested in TV shows from the early 1950s. Share your passion
for films with a large audience.
Let us know what you have.
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