Guide Note

The Philadelphia Story is a 1940 romantic comedy based on a play of the same name.

The film follows the story of Philadelphia socialite Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn) whose impending nuptials to second husband George Kittredge are complicated by the arrival of her ex-husband C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant) and a handsome journalist played by Jimmy Stewart.

The stage version had been Hepburn's first critical success after a string of film flops. Howard Hughes bought the rights to the material for Hepburn as a gift. When the film version was set to be made, Hepburn insisted on reprising her role as Lord and had proposed Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy for the roles eventually played by Stewart and Grant.

The film went on to win two Academy Awards and is ranked Number 44 on the American Film Institute's 10th anniversary list of the 100 best American films.

A musical version of the film, High Society, was made in 1956 with Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra.

Fast Facts

1. Release Date: December 1, 1940
2. Director: George Cukor
3. Starring: Katharine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant
4. Awards: Academy Awards for Jimmy Stewart (Best Actor) and Donald Ogden Stewart (Best Adapted Screenplay)
5. Musical Adaptation: High Society (1956)
6. Original play written by Philip Barry