The Philadelphia Story (1940)

I hadn’t sat down to watch this film in ages. I honestly can’t remember the last time I saw it, but a film with Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn, plus Jimmy Stewart to boot, it’s always, hands down, a delight to watch. The Philadelphia Story is one of those films that I can’t even remember when’s the first time I watched it. I just know I watched it and loved it ever since, mostly because of the banter between Grant and Hepburn. Grant just proves again to be the king of the screwball comedy with this film.

I do remember this film being funnier the first time around, though. Perhaps all the jokes are no longer as funny as the first time, but I had forgotten what amazing chemistry Stewart and Hepburn have here. Their drunken scenes together had so much sexual tension, I loved it! And I do remember that from a long time ago, being confused as to whom I wanted Tracy to end up with, whether Mike or Dexter. And as for Grant, my only complaint is that there wasn’t enough of him. For a screwball hero, I wanted him to do more, but his scenes with Hepburn were great. Their dialogue had great subtext and their faces matched their feelings perfectly.

What I hadn’t expected was to see how much of a play this was. I could see clearly this time around that this had obviously originated as a play, simply by the dialogue. I guess this could account for some of the themes and the seriousness that you see here. There are screwy characters here but this doesn’t feel like the type of screwball comedy that has you laughing the entire time. Tracy Lord has some serious issues here that weren’t exaggerated. Her family on the other hand are all a screwy lot. It was actually great to see Virginia Weidler in a much more comedic role as opposed to The Women. She is much more capricious here, an instigator who roots for Dexter all the way. Roland Young as Uncle Willie is another fun character and Mary Nash as Tracy’s somewhat ditzy yet long-suffering mother is is great as well. On the journalism side, Ruth Hussey is equally great. Her no-nonsense character is practical and brings the right amount of humor to the film, like the voice of the common people who shake their heads at the rich.

Definitely the best part of the film is the character of Tracy Lord and there’s no one else better than Hepburn to portray her. She’s able to bring the right amount of tough attitude but at the same time show the vulnerability to Tracy, a forward-thinking woman of the 30s/40s. There’s a lot of depth to Tracy that I don’t think I really noticed before and want to look at some more. She’s a complex character that I don’t think I’ve encountered before in the films of the genre. So much is devoted at making fun of the screwball heroine that you never get to see a less exaggerated version of her.

Watching The Philadelphia Story after so much time has been kind of eye-opening and I think it’s because it’s a lot more serious than it is funny. It’s still a lot of fun, it would be hard not to be with Grant and Hepburn both as the leads. But I think George Cukor was able to craft this wonderful film through great performances out of the cast. Much like he did with The Women, it seems Cukor knows the right amount of balance needed in a film between drama and comedy in order to give you a film that has characters you care about but at the same time giving you just enough comedy. It’s a great film that is worth the watch just for Grant, Hepburn, and Stewart alone.