Barry, Philip. The Philadelphia story; a comedy in three acts New York: Coward-McCann, 1939.

 

In one of his characteristic plays on lives of the American upper classes, Philip Barry pens the lively account of Philadelphia socialite Tracy Lord's second marriage. When she decides to marry the up-and-coming George Kittredge, Tracy's ex-husband, a man of Philadelphia old-money stock comes back to town much to Tracy's chagrin. Two nosy tabloid newspaper reporters and a handful of eccentric relatives are thrown into the mix for an overall effect of hilarity and entertainment. Witty dialogue, memorable scenes, and charming characters make this play an enjoyable one to read. 

 

The screen adaptation of "The Philadelphia Story" is more or less faithful to plot that the play is centered on. Because of this, many of the social issues that run throughout the movie are contained within the play as well. Themes such as anxiety about a changing society (here concerns on the part of the elite about social mobility and security in contemporary times and frustrations on the part of the working class about how the wealthy always have it so easy) and sexual tension the sexes fill both Barry's play and Cukor's film. Still, it is helpful to read the source from which the celebrated Hollywood film came in order to better appreciate the material it was adapted from.

[Lukacs, John, 1924- . Philadelphia, patricians & philistines, 1900-1950 / John Lukacs. 0374231613 : series New York : Farrar, Straus, Giroux, c1981.]

 

Lukacs, John. Philadelphia: Patricians & Philistines, 1900-1950. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1981.

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.
   

[Blumin, Stuart Mack. . Mobility in a nineteenth-century American city: Philadelphia, 1820-1860. series [Philadelphia], 1968.
Call#: Van Pelt Library F158.44 .B49 1968a]

 

Blumin, Stuart Mack. Mobility in a Nineteenth-Century American City Philadelphia, 1820-1860. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, 1968.

 

This book explores how demographics in Philadelphia shifted in the nineteenth
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.