Philadelphia Story Stories Higher than High Society?

Stars Align, Classes Collide and Men Revolve Like Planets Around Tracy Samantha Lord

Sometimes a classic film is made that has it all: a perfect cast with great chemistry, spot on, gorgeously funny dialogue, and an individual style that can't be found in any other contemporary film. Even years later, producers hoping to capitalize off of a remake know they can't recapture the glory of the first movie, so they say "hey, if we can't beat it, let's join it up with a crooners soundtrack!" Thus it was, we can imagine, in the case of our next pair of films...

Philadelphia Story (1940)

Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart and John Howard have their hands full with Katharine Hepburn in this classic comedy.

As wealthy society princess, Tracy Samantha Lord, prepares for her upcoming wedding to the ambitious, self-made man, George Kitteridge, a fly enters the ointment. Sidney Kidd, editor of SPY magazine, is blackmailing Tracy's ex-husband Dexter into sneaking two reporters into Tracy's wedding. If he doesn't, SPY will print a story about Seth Lord, Tracy's estranged philandering father, and his mistress. Dexter, who still loves Tracy, despite her coldness toward him, agrees to get journalist Mike Conners and his photographer Liz Imbrie access to the wedding. Mike and Liz, more than friends but less than lovers, are weary of working for the unscrupulous Kidd, but don't relish unemployment. They go to the Lord mansion to get their story and are received begrudgingly by Tracy, who knows who they really are. As the wedding day approaches, problems ensue when Tracy's father returns, Mike falls for Tracy, and Tracy falls off of her pedestal of perfection. But into whose arms will she fall, Dexter's, Mike's or George's? 

Sporting a titillating trinity of lead actors in the form of Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and James Stewart, along with the supporting cast of Ruth Hussey, John Howard, Roland Young, Virginia Weidler and more, the Philadelphia Story proves itself strong enough to bear the weight of the city in its title. 

As the cool yet desirable Tracy Lord, Katharine Hepburn at first seems less like a society goddess and more like a militant member of the temperance movement. However, when the staunch ideals of the "before" Tracy Lord  are shaken, Hepburn recovers from her misdirection, creating a spritely ingenue of imperfection with the "after" Tracy Lord.

James Stewart is downright brilliant as Mike Conners, bringing humor and unwieldy passion to the role of a cynical young reporter. It is no wonder the role brought Stewart an Acadmey Award for Best Actor (though it is astonishing that this is the only of his nominated performances to actually garner the win). 

Cary Grant, in a more passive role than he usually plays, still creates a flawless performance, playing the perfect gently didactic foil (excepting perhaps Hepburn's longtime on/off-screen partner Spencer Tracy) for the quirky Hepburn.

Ruth Hussey earned an Acadmey Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress as Liz Imbrie, the wry, worldly-wise and yet winsome sidekick of Mike, with one hand on her camera and the other on the strings to her partner's heart.

The film is fast-paced, and yet flows as gracefully and sparkles as brilliantly as an Adrian gown (Adrian, a famous designer whose career peaked in the 30's and 40's, was the gown designer for this film).

High Society

Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra raise their glasses to this musical remake of "The Philadelphia Story"

With Grace Kelly as the figurehead, and Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra belting it out behind her at the helm, does this film sail a classic to paradise or do we find ourselves stranded in becalmed waters?

Plot-wise, the differences between this movie and its predecessor are minute, and include Dexter's musical profession and the organization of the jazz festival, as well as the method of Mike Conner and Liz Imbrie's introduction to the Lord household.

Structurally, the building blocks in this remake fail to assemble as flawlessly as in the original. Grace Kelly fulfills the goddess role to perfection, and while her own comic style is less crackling in its timing than Hepburn, it is still fluid and engaging. Unfortunately, if Kelly glides, Frank Sinatra (admittedly experienced if not exactly adept at comedy) stumbles clumsily and a bit thugishly through, while Crosby shuffles his way through the film with a smooth, but phoned-in performance. Celeste Holm, though delivering an upbeat performance, fails to generate any rapport with Sinatra or, perhaps more accurately, vise versa, and the supporting cast lacks any cohesiveness.

Let's be honest: with the combined talents of Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong and a surprisingly good singing debut by Grace Kelly (in the Acadamey Award nominated song True Love), the music for this film can't fail to be great. But to be even more honest, songs fit in this movie like a popcorn vender touting his wares in an opera house. 

But perhaps the greatest setback for this remake is the lack of individual style and credibility found in its predecessor. With an anticlimatic tone that seems to parallel the advancing decline of the Hollywood studio dynasties (dynasties whose power and opulence lent credence to the tone of Philadelphia Story), High Society seems not to believe in itself or the height of its society. Instead, it leans back on the former glory of its recycled plot, the beauty and individuality of Grace Kelly and it's tri-star soundtrack.

Comparison and Contrast

While both Hepburn and Kelly bring their own special style of priggish snobbishness and inner light to the role of Tracy Lord, Katharine Hepburn claims the prize (and ultimately an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress) for overall best performance.

James Stewart embodies the character of Mike Connors, while Frank Sinatra (despite my respect for his abilities demonstrated in other films) can only pull off looking like a Mike Connors. Cary Grant and Bing Crosby both provide calm and sturdy shoulders (literally and figuratively) for Tracy Lord to lean on, but only Grant works to establish any connection with the character of Dexter or any chemistry with his leading lady.

Also setting High Society a few rungs lower on the ladder of cinema classics is the lack of seamlessness and believability in its cast, starkly contrasting with the performances of almost every actor in Philadelphia Story.

Philadelphia Story is a movie with all of the right elements, a wonderful, upbeat and sparkling concoction which classic movie lovers can guiltlessly enjoy. 

Despite its structural flaws, High Society on the whole is a warm, colorful adaptation of a classic that will have you tapping your toe (albeit, against your will ) and laughing on more than one occasion. As Grace Kelly's final commercially received movie appearance and one and only musical, it's a movie that viewers can learn -like Tracy Lord- to love despite its imperfections. 

Love Affair vs. An Affair to Remember

Sometimes original classics and their remakes are so similar in plot sequence and script it begs the question “Why did they ever feel the need to do it over?” One look at our first pair of movies will answer that question.

Love Affair (1939)  

Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer vow to meet on top of the Empire State Buidling in six months to see if their love is lasting or just another affair.

Produced by RKO Radio Pictures, the original screenplay for this movie was co-written by its director Leo McCarey and popular American authoress Mildred Cram, both of whom received Academy Award nominations for Best Writing, Original Story.

The movie stars Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne and centers around the deep and unexpected love which arises between a ladies man and a kept woman while on a cruise. When the cruise comes to an end and they are about to be reunited with their former lives, the lovers are forced to confront the question of whether their love will last or will be just an affair. To find out, they give themselves six months apart to change their lifestyles, vowing to meet each other at the top of the empire state building when that time has passed. But many obstacles stand in their way.

His typical suavity aside, Boyer delivers a well-turned performance, which lacks the passionate fervor of some of his more famous roles (such as Conquest and Gaslight, for which Boyer received two of his four Academy Award nominations), but creates instead a simpler, more finely wrought character for a more realistic romance. His wry humor is an excellent foil for Dunne’s spritely repartee. Dunne, in turn, goes beyond her usual comic genius (earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress)and presents a delicate and evocative image of a woman who finds being in love no simple affair.

Together, Boyer and Dunne cap the film with an excellent final scene, with expressively delivered dialogue that is as delightful as it is compelling.

For those not dependent on the splash and pop of Technicolor, this original classic is worth a look. Keep an eye out for the touching but all-to-brief role of Maria Ouspenskaya as the grandmother- “Janou”- of Boyer (which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress).

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An Affair to Remember (1957)

Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant vow not to forget their love for each other in this sparkling romantic remake of "Love Affair"

An Affair to Remember is perhaps better known than its predecessor after being immortalized for more-modern audiences in the 1993 cult classic Sleepless in Seattle, which featured scenes from and repeated allusions to the film (Sleepless also borrowed themes for its plot from both movies i.e. the romantic rendezvous on the top of the empire state building.). Starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, the remake was issued by Twentieth Century Fox who no doubt (though this is unsubstantiated) bought the screenplay from the soon-to-be defunct RKO Radio Pictures.

Kerr acts perhaps less inspiringly but with greater skill in this her second role previously acted by Dunne (Dunne starred in Anna and the King of Siam in 1946, while Kerr took on the role in the 1956 Roger’s and Hammerstein remake The King and I.), managing to hold her own opposite Grant. Though failing to create as endearing a character as Dunne had in the original, Kerr nevertheless makes Terry McKay her own, a challenging feat given the almost verbatim screenplay.

Though Grant doesn’t seem to put as much effort as Kerr into making the character his own, he still approaches the role of Nickie Ferrante (the renaming of the male lead truly is one of the few changes in screenplay) with his usual and seemingly effortless charm, bringing also the more subtle humor presented in many of his later performances.

Cathleen Nesbitt shines as Grandmother Janou, providing this remake with some of its most beautiful and touching (yet notably not nominated) moments.

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In contrasting these movies, the true elements which set them apart are

 1) the performances of the actors: Boyer smolders where Grant only smokes, and Dunne sparkles where Kerr only glows. There is a passionate chemistry between Boyer and Dunne that isn’t quite present for Grant and Kerr (whose chemistry, though undeniable, feels more professional than genuine) until the final scene, where both actors give a wonderfully poignant performance.

2) the different filming techniques (e.g black and white vs. color) : with its use of Cinemascope, rich and vivid colors and vibrant costume designs, An Affair to Remember in many ways surpasses Love Affair in the visuals.

In comparison, both films possess a crisp dialogue and refreshingly simple plot, as well as gorgeous soundtracks. Worth mentioning is An Affair to Remember’s whimsical original song of the same name, which is not found in Love Affair.

Terry McKay asks a delightfully arch question, only slightly altered between films. “Do you ever think it will take the place of baseball?” Well, if I pretend either of these movies are the it in question, my answer would have to be: if only for one night, it’s a worthwhile trade.

Second Time's a Charm?

After a long hiatus from this newly-established blog, I have returned- pulling up an easy chair and grabbing a bowl of popcorn- ready to referee a match between magical movies and their remakes.

It's a tale as old as time: a wonderful film is made that enchants and captivates audiences to such an extent that a decade or so down the road a production company decides to milk their assets and reproduce the film for "modern" viewers. Sometimes it ends with success. Too often, it ends in disappointment. 

How many times have we watched as a beloved classic was demeaned by a poor man's  remake, in much the same way as a wedding gown that has been relegated to the dress-up box? Or perhaps there are those who have been surprised to learn that a movie they have enjoyed for years, actually took it's plot from a dusty, long-forgotten film.

Our contenders for the evening extend through the romance and adventure genres and include westerns and a musical. The time ranges from seven to 23 years between the original films and their daring do-overs, but is time the only thing separating these movies or is there a definitive line dividing a classic from a film that makes you sick? 

Here are five pairs of movies and their remakes. I encourage you to watch and decide for yourself which one, the original or the remake, deserves the true title of classic. After you've watched them, stay tuned to read my upcoming reviews of these films, discussing not only some pros and cons of each movie, but significant comparisons and contrasts,  as well as theories on why these movies were remade. Perhaps you'll agree with me, or maybe you'll tell me to put my opinions where my popcorn is. In any case...

Dim the lights and enjoy!

Love Affair vs. An Affair to Remember

Philadelphia Story vs. High Society 

Red Dust vs. Mogambo

Rio Bravo vs. El Dorado

The More the Merrier vs. Walk, Don't Run