Philadelphia Story, The, is one of the wittiest romantic comedies in American motion-picture history. The film had an all-star cast led by Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and James Stewart. It was released in 1940 and received six Academy Award nominations. Stewart won an Oscar for best performance by an actor, and Donald Ogden Stewart won the best screenplay award for his sparkling script.
The Philadelphia Story is set in the wealthy world of Philadelphia high society. Heiress Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn) is about to remarry when her former husband, C. K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant), unexpectedly makes an appearance. James Stewart plays a reporter assigned to cover the wedding. The motion picture is filled with glittering dialogue and droll comic scenes as Lord tries to deal with her conflicting feelings about her first husband and her fiance.
George Cukor directed the comedy. The supporting cast included Henry Daniell, John Halliday, John Howard, Ruth Hussey, Mary Nash, Virginia Weidler, and Roland Young. The film was adapted from the Broadway comedy The Philadelphia Story (1939) by Philip Barry. The movie musical High Society (1956) was based on the film. It starred Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and Frank Sinatra in the Grant, Hepburn, and Stewart roles.
See also Cukor, George ; Grant, Cary ; Hepburn, Katharine ; Stewart, James .
