 |
| Katharine Hepburn as Tracy Samantha Lord in her 1940 comeback, MGM’s “The Philadelphia Story.” |
I am not a great
Katharine Hepburn fan, though I have admired aspects of her life and career. Aside
from being slightly allergic to The Great Kate, I am also not a fan of drawing
room comedies. I just watched 1940’s The
Philadelphia Story for the first time. As I approach 66 years, I’m trying
to make up for missing many classic movies, despite considering myself a
life-long film fan.
So I watched The Philadelphia Story mainly out of
curiosity, since this was hailed as Kate’s great comeback. I can now see why.
Katharine Hepburn arguably played her greatest role as Tracy Lord. It is the
perfect distillation of the Katharine Hepburn persona, sparkling as the
champagne Tracy imbibes too much of the night before her wedding.
 |
| Katharine Hepburn with frequent collaborator, director George Cukor, on the set of MGM’s “The Philadelphia Story.” |
Like a lot of classic
stars, I first saw Katharine Hepburn in latter day movies in my younger years
of the ’70s and ’80s. Hepburn did some fine work later in Suddenly, Last Summer, Long Day’s
Journey into Night, and The Lion in
Winter; with her other films, I was averse to the sentimental Kate of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?, On Golden Pond, and those last TV movies
where she played her persona self to the point of self-parody. Most of her ’30s
work I find unwatchable, though she was great in Alice Adams, Stage Door,
and a few others. Katharine Hepburn was often badly cast or chose badly. No
surprise that she was among the film stars labeled box office poison in 1938.
 |
| On Broadway, Katharine Hepburn got BIG top billing in “The Philadelphia Story.” |
 |
| For Katharine Hepburn’s film comeback, she got second billing in 1940’s “The Philadelphia Story.” |
The oft-told backstory
in a nutshell: after a string of bombs and even a couple of last films that got
good reviews, the public and critics finally had their fill of a flighty/eccentric/haughty
Hepburn. Kate was in dire need a comeback. So, Hepburn hired Philip Barry to
write a play for her. Based on an incident involving a socialite friend of
Barry’s, with Hepburn’s prodding, the character became more like Kate! She
found the backing to get Barry’s The
Philadelphia Story on Broadway and it was a hit, with future film stars Joseph
Cotten and Van Heflin. Kate got Howard Hughes to buy the film rights for her so
she could take it to MGM, with herself as part of the package. The result was a
smash for film version of The
Philadelphia Story, followed up by a studio contract for Hepburn.
 |
| After a string of film flops, Kate Hepburn was among the stars labelled “box office poison.” Kate was down but not out, when she came back in “The Philadelphia Story.” |
The big question was
why didn’t this commercial and critical hit get Kate a second Oscar? Well, the competition
was tough that year, with Bette Davis in The
Letter and Joan Fontaine’s breakthrough in Rebecca. Yet, it was Ginger Rogers who won for Kitty Foyle. At the time, Rogers was very popular with fans and
the industry, making a smooth transition from musical to comedy/dramatic star.
Kate was making a comeback from Siberia. However, I think Katharine Hepburn’s
vehicle holds up much better and is better-remembered today.
The MGM production is
top-drawer: George Cukor directing, Joseph L. Mankiewicz producing, script
by Donald Ogden Stewart, a snazzy score by Franz Waxman, with Kate radiantly
photographed by Joseph Ruttenberg, in gowns by Adrian, and hair styled by
Sydney Guilaroff. Oh—and Cary Grant and James Stewart as Hepburn’s leading
men. Plus, a great supporting cast, including Ruth Hussey. The resulting film of
The Philadelphia Story is studio era
style at its finest.
 |
| It didn’t hurt that Katharine Hepburn had two popular new stars in Cary Grant & James Stewart as her leading men, in her comeback, “The Philadelphia Story.” |
Katharine Hepburn’s
comeback was the greatest of those stars fighting the “box office poison”
label. Joan Crawford countered hers by taking on the smaller, but juicy villain
role in The Women. Marlene Dietrich
took a break from moody fashion plate posturing to perform in the raucous
western Destry Rides Again. With
Katharine Hepburn, she stepped down her pedestal to become the more accessible Kate.
But really, the change was not all that drastic from her previous ‘30s persona,
just recalibrated to be more generally appealing. It reminds me of how Doris
Day’s image makeover in Pillow Talk
was considered such a departure for her. Except for the emphasis on glamour and
sexuality, Pillow Talk wasn’t that
much different than the previous year’s Teacher’s
Pet.
With Katharine Hepburn’s
Tracy, she is essentially a heroine, but a judgmental one. And on the eve of
her wedding to a respectable dullard, some champagne and flirtatious frivolity
makes her realize that she’s only human, too.
Cary Grant and James Stewart
do fine work, despite Kate’s first preferences for Metro’s kings, Clark Gable
and Spencer Tracy. Grant had polished his persona as “Cary Grant” perfectly by
this time and it plays wonderfully in this romantic comedy, as C.K. Dexter
Haven. Though Dexter has a drinking problem, he scolds Tracy for not being more
understanding. That attitude obviously doesn’t play well today. Ironically,
Hepburn would soon be an understanding companion to alcoholic Spencer Tracy!
Aside from needling Kate’s Tracy to come off her pedestal, Cary’s Dexter
obviously still adores her. Their banter is razor sharp and witty.
 |
| Cary Grant as C.K. Dexter Haven in 1940’s “The Philadelphia Story.” |
Stewart, after his
breakout year in 1939, entered the ‘40s as a boyish leading man with great
appeal. As down to earth reporter Mike Connor, who becomes enchanted by Tracy, James
Stewart is just fine. He’s charmingly skeptical and goofily besotted by
champagne and this society girl. I do think his Oscar win for The Philadelphia Story is a makeup award
for missing out for ‘39s Mr. Smith Goes
to Washington, as did Jimmy himself. But hey, Clark lost that year for his signature role, Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind!
 |
| Is James Stewart wishing for his Oscar in “The Philadelphia Story?” |
Ruth Hussey is a
sardonic delight as photographer Liz Imbrie, who accompanies Stewart’s reporter
to cover the society wedding of the year. Hussey is expert with the comic
lines, but also imbues certain lines about Stewart’s Mike that are touchingly
wistful. She won Best Supporting Actress
Oscar for her intelligent, modern style and holding her own with star Hepburn.
 |
| Both Ruth Hussey & James Stewart won Oscars as visiting magazine media, to cover the society wedding of the year, in 1940’s “The Philadelphia Story.” |
There are a number of
clever, fun touches in The Philadelphia
Story, thanks to screenwriter Stewart’s script and George Cukor’s smart, stylish
directing. An example is that brilliant and brief setup, where Tracy and Dexter
split up in the film’s opening scene on their front steps.
 |
| Love the opening scene of 1940’s “The Philadelphia Story!” |
Tracy Lord became a
basic boilerplate of the type of women Hepburn would play in her best mid-career
vehicles. Kate would play strong-minded women who by the finale, were softened
by love. This was much like the character arc Rosalind Russell would play in
her career woman roles. This would satisfy most mainstream audiences and the
audiences who loved such spirited female stars could believe that
transformation was just to appease her leading man’s character. Such was life
on film in Hollywood’s golden age!
There’s a lot to like
about the film adaptation of The
Philadelphia Story, but you will love Katharine Hepburn at her leading lady
best, adored by three co-stars!
 |
| I love this romantic shot of Grant’s Dexter finding Hepburn’s Tracy asleep in the car, after imbibing too much champagne, in 1940’s “The Philadelphia Story.” |
Here’s Kate in her second
outing with Spencer Tracy in a suspense drama, 1942’s Keeper of the Flame:
https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2025/05/tracy-hepburn-team-in-rare-drama-keeper.html
And here is my look at
Katharine Hepburn in her only villainous role, as Aunt Violet in Tennessee
Williams’1959 Suddenly, Last Summer,
with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift:
https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2018/03/suddenly-last-summer-1959.html