The Philadelphia Story (play)
| The Philadelphia Story | |
|---|---|
 Cover of an edition of the text |
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| Written by | Philip Barry |
| Date premiered | 28 March 1939 |
| Place premiered | Shubert Theatre, New York City |
| Original language | English |
| Subject | Love, marriage, divorce |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Setting | The suburbs of Philadelphia in the 1930s |
| IBDB profile | |
The Philadelphia Story is a 1939 American comic play by Philip Barry. It tells the story of a socialite whose wedding plans are complicated by the simultaneous arrival of her ex-husband and an attractive journalist.
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Production [edit]
The character of Tracy Lord was inspired by Helen Hope Montgomery Scott (1905–1995), a Philadelphia socialite known for her hijinks, who married a friend of playwright Philip Barry.[1]
Barry wrote The Philadelphia Story specifically for Katharine Hepburn, who ended up backing the play, and foregoing a salary in return for a percentage of the play's profits.[2] Co-starring with Hepburn on Broadway were Joseph Cotten as "C.K. Dexter Haven", Van Heflin as "Macauley Connor", with Shirley Booth as "Liz Imbrie".[3]
The play was a great success on Broadway, and was Hepburn's first great triumph after a number of commercial failures (including the classic Bringing Up Baby) had led the Independent Theatre Owners of America to publicly deem her and a handful of other actresses "box office poison."
Film adaptations [edit]
Hoping to create a film vehicle for herself which would erase the label of "box office poison", Hepburn accepted the film rights to the play from Howard Hughes, who had purchased them as a gift for her. She then convinced MGM's Louis B. Mayer to buy them from her for only $250,000 in return for Hepburn having veto over producer, director, screenwriter and cast.[2][4][5] In 1940 it was adapted to film, in a production directed by George Cukor and starring Cary Grant, Hepburn, and James Stewart. In 1956 it was adapted to a musical film version, High Society with Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and Louis Armstrong.
References [edit]
- ^ Irvine, Ian "The Real Philadelphia Story" at ReelClassics.com
- ^ a b Melear, Mary Anne "The Philadelphia Story" (TCM article)
- ^ The Philadelphia Story (play) at the Internet Broadway Database
- ^ TCM Notes
- ^ All Movie Overview
