''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.

Production

The character of Tracy Lord was inspired by Helen Hope Montgomery Scott, a Philadelphia socialite known for her hijinks, who had married a friend of playwright Philip Barry. Barry wrote ''The Philadelphia Story'' specifically for

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress whose Katharine Hepburn on screen and stage, career as a Golden Age of Hollywood, Hollywood leading lady spanned six decades. She was known for her headstrong ...

, who ended up not only starring in but also financially backing the play, forgoing a salary in return for a percentage of the play's profits. Produced by the

Theatre Guild The Theatre Guild is a theatrical society founded in New York City in 1918 by Lawrence Langner, Philip Moeller, Helen Westley and Theresa Helburn. Langner's wife, Armina Marshall, then served as a co-director. It evolved out of the work of ...

, ''The Philadelphia Story'' opened on March 28, 1939, at the Shubert Theatre in New York City, and closed on March 30, 1940. The three-act comedy was directed by Robert B. Sinclair, with lighting and scenery by Robert Edmond Jones. File:Philadelphia-Story-Stage-1.jpg, Katharine Hepburn File:Philadelphia-Story-Stage-2.jpg, Vera Allen, Dan Tobin, Katharine Hepburn and Lenore Lonergan File:Philadelphia-Story-Stage-3.jpg, Katharine Hepburn File:Philadelphia-Story-Stage-4.jpg, Katharine Hepburn File:Philadelphia-Story-Stage-5.jpg, Joseph Cotten and Katharine Hepburn

Cast

* Lenore Lonergan as Dinah Lord * Vera Allen as Margaret Lord *

as Tracy Lord * Dan Tobin as Alexander "Sandy" Lord * Owen Coll as Thomas * Forrest Orr as William Tracy *

Shirley Booth Shirley Booth (born Marjory Ford; August 30, 1898October 16, 1992) was an American actress. One of 24 performers to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting, Booth was the recipient of an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards and three Tony Awards. ...

as Elizabeth Imbrie * Van Heflin as Macauley Connor * Frank Fenton as George Kittredge * Joseph Cotten as C. K. Dexter Haven * Nicholas Joy as Seth Lord * Myrtle Tannahill as May * Lorraine Bate as Elsie * Hayden Rorke as Mac

Adaptations

Film

Hoping to create a film vehicle for herself which would erase the label, Hepburn accepted the film rights to the play from

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American Aerospace engineering, aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, and investor. He was The World's Billionaires, one of the richest and most influential peo ...

, who had purchased them as a gift for her. She then convinced

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

Louis B. Mayer Louis Burt Mayer (; born Lazar Meir; July 12, 1884Mayer maintained that he was born in Minsk on July 4, 1885. According to Scott Eyman, the reasons may have been: * Mayer's father gave different dates for his birthplace at different times, so ...

to buy them from her for only $250,000 in return for Hepburn having veto over producer, director, screenwriter, and cast.Melear, Mary Ann
"The Philadelphia Story" (TCM article)
/ref>TC
Notes
/ref> In 1940 the play was adapted to film, in a

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

picture directed by

George Cukor George Dewey Cukor ( ; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer, producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO Pictures, RKO when David O. Selzn ...

with Hepburn as the star, and starring

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English and American actor. Known for his blended British and American accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he ...

as C.K. Dexter Haven and

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military aviator. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morali ...

as Macaulay Connor. In 1956, it was adapted to a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serv ...

version, ''

High Society High society, sometimes simply Society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth, power, fame and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open ...

'' with

Grace Kelly Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982), also known as Grace of Monaco, was an American actress and Princess of Monaco as the wife of Prince Rainier III from their marriage on April 18, 1956, until her death in 1982. ...

in the Tracy Lord role,

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

as C.K. Dexter Haven and

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

as Macaulay Connor.

Radio

Radio adaptations of ''The Philadelphia Story'' include a half-hour presentation on the '' Prudential Family Hour of Stars'' (February 26, 1950), starring Sarah Churchill, Norma Jean Nilsson, Gerald Mohr and

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American dancer, actor, singer, director and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

. An hour-long adaptation was broadcast August 17, 1952, on ''Best Plays'', with a cast including

Joan Alexander Joan Alexander (born Louise Abrass; April 16, 1915 – May 21, 2009)
''

Betty Furness,

Myron McCormick Myron McCormick (February 8, 1908 – July 30, 1962) was an American actor of stage, radio, and film. Early life and education Born Walter Myron McCormick in Albany, Indiana, in 1908, he was the middle child of Walter P. and Bessie M. McCo ...

and Vera Allen.

Television

''The Philadelphia Story'' was adapted for the second season of the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

-TV series, ''

Robert Montgomery Presents ''Robert Montgomery Presents'' is an American drama (film and television), drama television series which was produced by NBC from January 30, 1950, until June 24, 1957. The Live television, live show had several sponsors during its eight-year run ...

''. Starring

Barbara Bel Geddes Barbara Bel Geddes (October 31, 1922 – August 8, 2005) was an American stage and screen Actor, actress, artist, and children's author whose career spanned almost 5 decades. She was best known for her starring role as Miss Ellie Ewing in th ...

(Tracy Lord), Richard Derr (Macauley Connor) and

Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (February 11, 1926November 28, 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. He made his a ...

(C. K. Dexter Haven), the one-hour live program aired December 4, 1950. On December 8, 1954, a live 60-minute adaptation of the play was broadcast on the CBS-TV series, '' The Best of Broadway''. The cast included Mary Astor (Margaret Lord), Dorothy McGuire (Tracy Lord), Charles Winninger (Uncle Willie), Neva Patterson (Liz Imbrie), Richard Carlson (Mike Connor), Dick Foran (George Kittredge), John Payne (C.K. Dexter Haven) and Herbert Marshall (Seth Lord). A two-hour adaptation aired on

-TV on December 7, 1959, directed by Fielder Cook and starring Gig Young (C.K. Dexter Haven), Diana Lynn (Tracy Lord),

Christopher Plummer Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage and television. His accolades included an Academy Aw ...

(Mike Connor), Ruth Roman (Liz Imbrie), Mary Astor (Margaret Lord), Don DeFore (George Kittredge), Alan Webb (Seth Lord), and Leon Janney (Sidney Kidd). The instrumental theme for this version, " Tracy's Theme", was released as a single by Robert Mersey under the name "Spencer Ross" and became a Top 20 hit.

Copyright

Copyright for ''The Philadelphia Story'' was registered in 1939 by Barry and his wife, portrait artist Ellen Semple Barry, and was renewed by her in 1967. Her estate retains copyright to the play.

References

External links

* *
1952 ''Best Plays'' radio adaptation
at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Philadelphia Story Plays by Philip Barry 1939 plays Broadway plays Comedy plays Plays set in Philadelphia American plays adapted into films