subscribe to this page"The Philadelphia Story" is remembered mainly for being one of the most popular Hollywood
films of the 1940s. It was a product of the golden Hollywood era, produced by MGM, one of the
Big Five studios, and features a slew of the period's favorite movie stars. Katherine Hepburn
shines in her dead-on portrayal of the princess of Philadelphia society,
the snobbish Tracy Lord. Cary Grant and James Stewart also join the cast to play Tracy's
high society ex-husband and an opportunistic journalist, both come to the Main Line
of Philadelphia on the occasion of Tracy's impending nuptuals to the self-made man
on the rise, George Kittridge.
The film is highly class-conscious evident in its primary storyline: a young socialite's choice between an upper-crust ex-husband and a nouveau riche fiance. In "The Philadelphia Story" the main tension that needs to be resolved is which man Tracy will end up with; it is all about who gets the girl. Men from three distinct social classes compete for Tracy's affections: a man from old-money, the self-made American man, and a working class man. Physical elements of the film serve to reinforce its class-oriented plot. The setting, costumes, and sets of the film evoke awareness of social status with every scene shot on the grounds of grand Philadelphia estates. These mansions filled with lavishly decorated rooms, piles of wedding gifts, and beautiful people dressed in gorgeous clothes all add to the acute self-awareness of money and wealth in the film.
It is then significant to note that at the conclusion of the film the well-born man with money wins Tracy's heart over once again. C.K. Dexter Haven taking the prize seems at first not to be the expected or predictable ending. Considering that American society is supposedly egalitarian (leading one to believe that George should have wound up with Tracy) coupled with the tendency of films to root for the underdog (here the reporter, Mike Connor) we would have expected one of the other two suitors to marry Tracy. The fact that it is Dexter Haven who seems the perfect match for her willful spirit indicates a type of conservatism and fear of change underlying the witty banter of the film. A closer look into the various historical, social, political, and economic contexts - both within the film industry, the United States, and global affairs - behind "The Philadelphia Story" will reveal that there were a great deal of influences which led the film to end on the note that it does. The film is in part a commentary of its time's anxieties over social mobility in the United States. "The Philadelphia Story" is as much a well-acted and entertaining story as it is an hour-and-a-half lullaby to the American public that tries to assuage the nation’s collective fears. The movie ends with a conservative and non-progressive conclusion in order to assure Americans that less would be uprooted in the second half of the 20th century that had been in the first half. It tries to instill a sense of security in the film's audience and does so by projecting ultra-traditional (and possibly unrealistic) images of class into American society.
Call#: Van Pelt Library PN1993.5.U65 H67 2001]
Bergman, Andrew Laurence. Depression America and Its Movies. University of Wisconsin: University of
Michigan Microfilms Inc, 1970.
Bergman offers a survey of how the film industry was affected by the Great Depression in
American history. He describes the changes that Hollywood underwent as a result of economic
crisis following the stock market crash in 1929. In addition to details of how general film-
making and production had to adjust to harder times during the Great Depression, Bergman
also notes the impact that the Great Depression had on the American public. For example,
the author explains how despite having less income to spend on leisurely pursuits, many
Americans started attending films in greater numbers during the Great Depression. This was in
no small part to the shifting cultural sentiments and attitudes of the time. Economic
hardship had a tremendous effect on how films were made and on who came to theaters to see
these movies.
Bergman's description of the movies produced during the years of the Great Depression
help to understand the immediate historical context that "The Philadelphia Story" was born
of. This perspective can be applied to how the film was influences by changes in the industry
as well as what was then popular with American audiences. In 1940 the United States was still
feeling the residual effects of the Great Depression and the movie industry could still
remember the harder times it had come across only a few years previous. Bergman explains that
1932 may have been the lowest point in Hollywood during the entire Great Depression; studios,
such as MGM were keenly aware of the financial risk that was taken with the production of
each film. This is an anxiety that should be kept in mind as an undercurrent that most likely
would have permeated behind the scenes in shooting "The Philadelphia Story". More importantly
perhaps is the statement that Americans wanted to see escapist films during this era. The
deprived public relished having a glimpse into the lives of the American over-privileged during
the Great Depression; the allure of the clothing, manner of speech, and general opulence of
the lives portrayed on-screen offered a temporary vacation from the dreary reality of the
unemployment lines. A chapter of Bergman's volume is titled "Federal Benevolence,
the Search for Authority, The Return of the Law, and Social Realism"; it reaffirms that
Americans were looking to have their values restored and moral codes re-validated during
this period. Watching members of the glamorous Philadelphia gentry celebrate a happy occasion
like a wedding would have offered an hour-and-a-half of escape from everyday life and a confirmation
that Americans were living a sound life.
Call#: Van Pelt Library PN/1993.5/U65/H5]
Higham, Charles, and Joel Greenberg. Hollywood in the Forties. New York: Tantivy, 1968.
As Higham and Greenberg phrase it, Hollywood films produced in the 1940s were a "world of
their own" (11). This book describes in detail the themes that grabbed hold of many
of the best-remembered plots of the 1940s screen. The introduction preceding these chapters
gives an explanation of how the film industry of the 1930s set the scene for this period. For
example, page 68 contains a passage that details how the leftist ideology and themes, resultant
from the Great Depression, were expressed in 1930s films; this left the 1940s to picked up
where the 1920s left off, celebrating decadence and the enjoyments of life.
A brief outline of the studio system and star system follows. This period
of American film would prove to be quite successful, boasting some of the funniest, wittiest,
and memorable films in the American cinematic canon. Something interesting to note in regard
to this book is the year it was published: 1968. At this time the Hollywood culture that
had produced films like "The Philadelphia Story" was beginning to get scoffed at or looked
down on in comparison to more artistic or avant-garde films.
"The Philadelphia Story" is mentioned by title here and the authors note that "today [the film]
feels empty" (162); the film which had been celebrated in its time for being
entertaining and snappy loses some of its original appeal in the onslaught of the
French New Wave and other more artistically oriented film movements. Chapters on "Problem and
Sociological Films", "War Propaganda", and "Comedy" are all of interest here in order to
understand how movies like "The Philadelphia Story", in some ways an archetypal 1940s film, was perceived
in the late 1960s-- only a decade after "High Society" was released.
an in-depth look at the genres that overwhelmed it for much of the twentieth-century.
An understanding of the many factors that drove films to be centered
on the topics that they were then lends to a more comprehensive picture of what
the film industry and American culture were during the studio period. Schatz
divides his book into two main parts: a theoretical look at genre film-making followed
by case studies of six dominant genres characteristic of the Hollywood studio system.
The genre that Schatz explores that is most relevant to "The Philadelphia Story" is
the one on The Screwball Comedy (Chapter 6, p. 150-185). Schatz outlines the general
convention of the screwball comedy, often characterized by portrayals of the American
elite and social and sexual tensions between the sexes- usually between a frustrated
man and woman from different backgrounds who fight their way through fast-paced and
witty dialogue only to realize that they are destined for each other. The themes in
screwball comedies usually deal with class issues and romantic or sexual ones.
Schatz notes the
huge popularity of these films during the Great Depression. He mentions "The
Philadelphia Story" specifically in order to discuss a variation of the archetypal
screwball comedy that became popular in the 1940s: the divorce-remarriage variation.
In these films the screwball couple have already been joined together in marriage
but then something goes awry and the movie is spent reconciling this differences.
"The Philadelphia Story" is a prime example for this sub-genre, with the relationship
between Tracy Lord and C.K. Dexter Haven occupying its plot and manifesting itself
in typical, and highly entertaining, screwball manner.
Call#: Van Pelt Library F158.44 .B49 1968a]
century. Blumin focuses primarily on the time period before, during, and after
the Civil War arguing that it was this phase in which a major transition occurred
in American culture. 1815-1845 is defined as the period in American history
most characterized by change. Blumin cites the classic popular notion that
the United States "is a country of self-made men" and spends this volume
assessing the accuracy of this statement; he seeks to determine if 1815-1845 was
indeed as 'open' a time period as popular history would suggest. Through archival
data in the form of tables, graphs, and charts, Blumin takes a look at the lives
of each of the social classes in Philadelphia in the nineteenth century. He looks
most carefully at data that reflects socio-economic status as manifest through
the value of real estate, occupation, and annual income. After collecting and
analyzing this data, Blumin determines that the idea that any American can
propel himself up in society by making money (and that the origins of one's
birth are meaningless in the modern era) is very much a myth.
A look into the history of Philadelphia society and historical shifts in general
American demographics helps give a bigger picture of the context in which
"The Philadelphia Story" transpires. Blumin informs his reader that Philadelphia
was a city with extremely stratified social classes for over a century. His
emphasis on the potential for economic mobility but lack of opportunity for
social mobility for the working man in the nineteenth century helps explain
some of the underlying issues that the characters in the film reference. We can better
understand Dexter's social laziness, Tracy's easy grace, George's insecurities, and Mike's
frustrations with the social system in Philadelphia after being briefed on the
historical context that bred these attitudes.
Overy outlines the main factors essential to understanding the outbreak and
subsequent character of the Second World War. He presents the political, social, economic,
military, and imperial contexts of each of the major powers that would enter World War Two
and analyzes them for the domestic and international spheres. He divides the book into chapters
on: the crisis in international politics especially within diplomacy and international
relations, the economic and imperial rivalries between the nation-states, armament policies,
the conflict over Poland, the outbreak of the war, and a final assessment on the role
that Adolf Hitler played in causing the start of World War Two. Overy does not present a
particular argument or controversial analysis of the factors that set the stage for the Second
World War but rather seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of the world in the 1930s
that can serve as a guide to more in-depth study of the war itself.
Overy's review of America in the pre-World War Two period is helpful in understanding "The
Philadelphia Story" in its historical context. The film was made in 1940 when World War Two
had already been going on in Europe and Japan for a year but before the United States
entered the conflict. The points that Overy highlights that best contribute to an understanding
of the film are America's public opinion and foreign policy in these years. He explains that
the United States had a staunchly isolationist attitude towards foreign relations in this
period. America was a strong and significant player on the world stage however because of its
industrial power which translated into economic might. The topic of financial security and
how it is linked to fear of change is one that is also pervasive throughout "The
Philadelphia Story". The Lords' and Havens' are established families of the American cultural
elite that have flourished for generations in their familiar hometown, Philadelphia. They
enjoy the comforts of an economically secure lifestyle; but they and their entire class
are wary of changes to the social conventions in their community. Overy's explanation
of the American public in the 1930s and 1940s helps extend the attitude exhibited
by the Lord's to the U.S. population. Just like Dexter hates to see Tracy change in a marriage
to George, the United States did not want to see its lifestyle changed by involvement
in a war; they did not want to experience it in real life and they certainly did not
want to see representations of these kinds of major changes on screen when they went to the
movies.
Lukacs begins this volume with an overview of what Philadelphia generally like at the start of the twenieth century. He notes mainly the cultural, politcal, and social dynamics within this society and affirms the widely held perception that Philadelphia was a sub-culture unto itself with its own conventions and social codes. Particular attention is paid to the evolutions of neighborhoods and details of where members of different social classes took up residence. The implications these had on class structure and the opportunities for members of each class are worthy of further analysis here. What Lukacs chooses to investage further though are in-depth profiles of seven of Philadelphia's most influential, and oftentimes maverick, inhabitants who managed to make their mark in the city of their birth between 1900 and 1950. Within five decades there would be major legal changes in city government, geo-demographic changes with the status of neighborhoods like Society Hill shifting, and shifts in social attitudes. Horne notes that over the first half of the twentieth century the upper classes only became more snootish, once a start of "distrust between certain classes of people in Philadelphia- or, more precisely, between people of different provenance and background (329) set in. The book ends with a description of Philadelphia in 1950, and notes the stark contrast between the way the city looked in 1900 and the way it did fifty years later.
Horne is a useful tool for understanding both the general social context that the Lord and Haven families would have been brought up in. It also sheds light on the personality traits of individuals who could have been easily related to figures like the characters in "The Philadelphia Story". Realizing just how much society had changed over the past few decades by the time "The Philadelphia Story" would have taken place helps to explain why the film's audience would have been so scared of change and why its characters would seem to resist change in social order.
Crowther, Bosley. "Screen: No 'Philadelphia Story,' This; 'High Society' Lacks Hepburn Sparkle Sinatra, Crosby, Grace Kelly Are Starred." The New York Times. 10 April, 1956. New York Times Online Archives. 7 April 2008.
New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther delivers a discontented review of "High Society" in this newspaper article. Not a huge fan of the film, he bemoans its ill-selected cast and tedious delivery of an originally delightful plot. One thing Crowther somewhat enjoys in this film is its musical score and songs. He praises the skill Louis Armstrong and his band as well as the numbers performed by Frank Sinatra and Bill Crosby. The points Crowther harps on are the miscast roles of Grace Kelly as Tracy Lord and Bill Crosby as C.K. Dexter-Haven. He complains that they seem unnatural in their parts and compares Kelly to Katherine Hepburn who played Tracy Lord in 1940s non-musical version of the story, "The Philadelphia Story". Crowther draws comparisons between - in his mind - 1940s far superior "The Philadelphia Story" and 1956s much duller "High Society". He notes that "High Society" manages to entertain as a "handsomely set and costumed film" but continues to find more merit in the earlier film.
One interesting shift to notice in this review is the way Crowther refers to rich upper classes in this film, how his attitude towards the cultural elite has changed. He describes the movie as "documenting the weird behavior of the socially elite" in words containing far less of the affection Crowther showed towards depictions of the upper classes in his review of "The Philadelphia Story". He even says that the best song in the film is the one that is "a spoof of the haughty and blasé". Crowther, and by extension some of America's, socio-cultural attitude had shifted from 1940 to 1956. A movie review of the same story, written by the same author, for the same newspaper receives the messages of the film quite differently sixteen years later. Spoofing the "weird" elite has become more enjoyable than watching them prance around in their finery trying to sort out their charmed lives.
Crowther, Bosley. "The Screen: a Splendid Cast Adorns the Screen Version of 'the Philadelphia Story' At the Music Hall." The New York Times 27 Dec. 1940. New York Times Archives. Philadelphia. 7 Apr. 2008.
Bosley Crowther gives "The Philadelphia Story" a glowing review in this article for the New York Times movie section, published just two days after Christmas in 1940. Crowther unabashedly proclaims his love for the film hailing it as a holiday present from MGM to the American public. He points out that some of the psychological aspects of the plot are tenuous but exuses all of the imperfections of the film with a reminder of the superb acting of its main stars: Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and James Stewart. Crowther most enjoys the admirable skill of the actors, witty repartee of the script, and opulent setting of "The Philadelphia Story".
The disparity of what is emphasized in a film review written in 1940 as opposed to one written in the twenty-first century is interesting to note. Mention of the movie theater where the reviewer saw the film, like the one Crowther makes, is no longer a widely practiced convention, for example. Crowther describes the film as "a sleek new custom-built comedy with fast lines and the very finest Hollywood setting", in short, the perfect screwball comedy. Perhaps the most important facet to analyze in this review is the acute awareness of the class issues embedded in the film take up much of the two pages of this review when printed out. This serves as proof that even in the forties Americans were cognizant of how much they enjoyed to watch, mock, but really revel in the lives of the rich and famous. Crowther notes that the film is "a straight upper-crust fable, an unblushing apologia for plutocracy" which depicts with pleasure "the trials and tribulations of the rich". He even goes so far as to warn viewers that those who have a low tolerance for the incredibly wealthy should avoid seeing the film. Crowther concludes with a quote from George Cukor though that says, in a statement wholly indicative of the popularity of films like "The Philadelphia Story", that one of "the prettiest sights in this pretty world is the privileged classes enjoying their privileges". Is this film a tad over-the-top? Yes, that was readily admitted even in 1940; but does this make "The Philadelphia Story" any less enjoyable? On the contrary. Its unapologizing depiction of a whirlwind Philadelphia weekend is a joy to watch.