Rhapsodies

As an excuse to watch Screwball comedies again I decided to focus on the team up between two individuals not usually associated with comedy, Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn.

I’m embarrassed to admit one of the reasons I’d never gotten around to seeing the comedy classic Bringing up Baby, was when I first heard about it I mixed it up with Bedtime For Bonzo. Now that I’ve seen it, and know better, I regret not having the opportunity to have it memorized after years of watching it obsessively.

Cary Grant plays David Huxley an inept doormat of a paleontologist. From his point of view everything is going right for him. He’s one bone away from putting together a complete brontosaurus skeleton and he’s  engaged to a loveless marriage with his assistant. (This isn’t hyperbole. His fiancé flat out says there will be no love involved). Now all he has to do is ensure the museum gets funding from a wealthy donor.

And then SHE shows up.

Catherine Hepburn plays Susan Vance the craziest Manic Pixie Dream Girl to grace the silver screen. From here she drags Huxley from one crazy situation to the next, completely destroying everything important to him in the process.

Also there’s a leapard.

This film is fantastic, both Grant and Hepburn are utterly hilarious playing against type (it was all the funnier when I first watched it on a Youtube video playing it slightly slow making Grant sound even goofier.) and every turn of events and sight gag makes it even funnier.

Bringing Up Baby nearly destroyed Hepburn’s career (Yeah. Go figure.) But she came back in force two years later in our next film The Philadelphia Story.

The Philadelphia Story tells the story of a Tracy Samantha Lord (Hepburn) a rich socialite engaged to a nouveau rich mining executive. However in the sidelines are a reporter (Jimmy Stewart) from a gossip rag and well as her ex-husband. ) Grant) Hilarity ensues.

I have to say this is one of those films I really wanted to like more. I had seen the musical adaptation of it with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong when I was in high school and I found myself following along what I already knew of the plat with predictable results.

Hepburn mostly serves as the sarcastic straight woman who, while witty isn’t half as funny as she is in Bringing Up Baby. Still I always enjoy it whenever Stewart plays something besides his boilerplate golly gee all american character… Frankly I think Virginia Weidler as Tracy’s kid sister steels the show.