Bringing Up Baby (1938)

I have a very clear memory of watching this as a child. I absolutely loved it, and not just because I had a giant crush on Cary Grant. "Bringing Up Baby" made me laugh until I cried. There's something about being a child and letting such silliness take over your whole body, fully embracing the hilarity to where your belly aches. In many ways, screwball comedies such as this one are best viewed by a younger audience, an audience who isn't yet jaded by reality and responsibility - and even more importantly an audience not yet aware of what they should and shouldn't like.

Cary Grant plays David Huxley, a young paleontologist soon to be wed. He has painstakingly been preparing a full brontosaurus skeleton and is awaiting the final bone to make it complete. The day before his wedding, he meets Susan Vance (Katharine Hepburn), a free-spirited troublemaker who manages to entangle David into series of embarrassing incidents many of which involve a leopard named Baby. The slapstick comedy combines the perfect mix of hilarious elements as the eccentric characters seek a large sum of money, fumble over dangerous animals, steal cars, get in car accidents, gain and lose precious dinosaur bones, and all on the eve and day of a wedding.

Despite the hilarity of the situations the two leads find themselves in, it is a little painful to watch. There's a large amount of deliberate miscommunication and sabotage that leads to fully grown men coming out of the shower to don a frilly bath robe ("because I just went GAY all of a sudden!") - or worse, throwing rocks at important people. However, unlike other films of the same era, director Howard Hawks manages to make this succinct and cohesive. It doesn't have a dull moment or misstep. I find that many movies in the '30s and '40s tend to belabor plot points and spend too long in slow, uneventful conversation. "Bringing Up Baby" does no such thing.

Cary Grant exudes youth and age all at once with a dashingly handsome demeanor, school-boy giddiness, but an almost geriatric anxiety. His frantic shouts of "I'll be with you in a minute Mr. Peabody!" while whisked away on the sides of a car, or while escorting Susan Vance and her ripped dress out of the ballroom are delivered with comical exasperation. He commits with his entire body to his comedy with hilarious acrobatics in bursts of mania as well as blundering dialogue. He seems born for this role.

“Now it isn't that I don't like you, Susan, because, after all, in moments of quiet, I'm strangely drawn toward you, but—well, there haven't been any quiet moments.”

I have never been a big fan of Katharine Hepburn (I'm still not), and yet she and Cary Grant play off each other very well. The comedic timing and snappy dialogue is timeless. Katharine Hepburn has a voice that I famously despise, but still hearing her psycho-analyze David for "following her around and fighting with her" makes me crack a small smile. And, you know, annoying voice aside, Katharine Hepburn's wardrobe is killer.

"Bringing Up Baby" has spawned many grandchildren over the last 80 years of film-making. "What's Up Doc?" is an almost direct remake starring Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal, and Madeline Kahn. It might be a stretch to call it a superior film (though I personally enjoy it more). But Baby's influence reaches far beyond to other silly comedies such as 1991's "The Freshman" (featuring a komodo dragon) or 2009's "The Hangover" (featuring 4 men and a tiger). Its influence on comedy is palpable - though none can quite compare to Hawks' masterful frantic, overlapping dialogue and sense of frantic hysteria. It's hard to believe that it wasn't a hit upon its release. Hawks, of course, went on to win an honorary Academy Award in 1974 for his creative efforts in the American film industry.

There are many hilarious moments, but maybe none more than Susan and David harmonizing "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" to a whining Baby stuck on a rooftop with confused onlooking homeowners. This is a small moment that captures the loud and vivacious hilarity of a pioneer comedy. 8/10

Other Notes:

Directed by Howard Hawks

Ranked #97 in AFI's Top 100 Years... 100 Films in 1998 and #88 in 2007

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? (1967)

"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" is, simply put, the story of two families overcoming their concerns of an interracial marriage in one single evening. It's certainly a drama. And yet the situation provides for undeniable comedic opportunities. Disregarding whatever genre it may be, Stanley Kramer's iconic film is a celebration of two of Hollywood's greatest stars.

When Joanna "Joey" Drayton (Katharine Houghton) comes home from her two-week vacation with the handsome, successful - and black - Doctor John Prentice (Sidney Poitier) on her arm, the engagement is met with mixed reactions. To the viewer in the 21st century, this match seems clearly promising. He's rich, they're in love, what's the big deal? However, in 1960's San Francisco, even to a liberal family this kind of news is met with some shock.

Joey's mother Christina (Katharine Hepburn) takes the news rather well after the initial surprise. With a shaky "pleased to meet you" and a wide-eyed glance at the camera, she recovers quickly after taking a minute to sit down and eagerly supports Joey's decision. This is a stark contrast to the "what the hell is going on here?" response from Mr. Drayton (Spencer Tracy).

Kramer intentionally designed Poitier's character to be so perfect and upstanding that the only possible reason to object to the marriage would be on the issue of race. And it is so easy to love Poitier. His charming demeanor, perfect smile and chivalrous character are enchanting. (As an aside, it is unbelievable that he was not nominated for this nor "In the Heat of the Night" that same year). However, it's almost as if the plot is structured like a trifle cake. With each layer, the situation becomes even more absurd and finally the absurdity overflows. Even disregarding the laughable length of their 10-day courtship (though this didn't actually bother me - I'm a Mormon and I see that all the time with my peers), the absurdity reaches its limit when the two lovebirds place a deadline on the two shocked parents. Not only do they wish approval for the engagement, but they demand approval before their 10 pm flight to Geneva. Really? You can't give them a week? A day, even?

To add to the overflow, Joey invites John's parents (Beah Richards & Roy Glenn) to join for dinner. Besides my growing dislike for the crazy situation, the scenes involving John and his parents - particularly his father - were especially bothersome. The idea that is presented in John's conversations with his father and with Joey's is that this isn't about race but about pride. It's an issue that would be interesting to explore, but sadly is manipulatively executed. The dialogue is poorly constructed and accusatorially delivered. I would have liked to have seen this film more à la style of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" which was also centered around a dinner. What "Woolf" has that "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" lacks is a building character tension driven by their interactions. The tension present in Kramer's film is manipulative and driven by absurd plot details rather than the dialogue and lacks the character development and the wit. I applaud the film's bravery for addressing a then controversial issue, but it would have been better without the artificiality behind the plot constraints.

My last complaint for this already flawed movie is in Joey's character. Perhaps it's a cop-out to label the pretty blonde as annoying but is anyone else with me on this? It's hard to stomach her high pitched voice and entitled attitude for two hours. Katharine Houghton is beautiful to be sure but her performance is too bubbly and overwhelming. I give it 2 weeks in Geneva before the distinguished Dr. Prentice ditches her.

As I stated earlier, this film is much more than a discussion on racial stereotypes. It's all about the nostalgia for two beloved stars. This is the ninth and final pairing for Hepburn and Tracy. In fact, the filming for "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" ended just 17 days before Tracy's death. It has been noted that Hepburn refused to see the final cut because it was too emotional for her (I'm going to pretend like I understand their "partnership" but really I don't. 27-year affair? Good friends?) I have tried for years to like Katharine Hepburn, and though I can find nothing faulty about her performances, there is simply something about her overdramatic portrayals that rub me the wrong way. I don't like the way she talks and I don't like that she won an Oscar for this when Anne Bancroft clearly should have won for "The Graduate."

Besides Sidney Poitier's enjoyable performance, the main attraction is clearly Spencer Tracy. I've seen a lot of Tracy's early work including his Oscar-winning performances in "Boy's Town" and "Captains Courageous." What has struck me about Tracy is the instant credibility he brings to the screen. His open countenance and striking eyes invite the audience to trust him. His performance as Matthew Drayton is no different. I felt connected to his character while he mulled over his looming decision while eating Fresh Oregon Boysenberry Sherbet at the local drive thru. Of course his performance is made more poignant with his death, and when he delivers his moving speech at the close of the film, you can't help but believe him.

Unfortunately despite my love for these two great actors, this movie is simply too unbelievable for me to truly enjoy it. 5/10

Other notes:
Directed by Stanley Kramer
Won Academy Awards for Best Actress (Katharine Hepburn), and Best Writing Original Story and was nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor (Spencer Tracy), Best Supporting Actor (Cecil Kellaway), Best Supporting Actress (Beah Richards), Best Director (Stanley Kramer), Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing, and Best Music
It was ranked #99 in AFI's Top 100 Years... 100 Films list in 1998