The Philadelphia Story - Wedding Bells are as Cracked as the Liberty Bell

Only one question comes to mind after watching Cukor’s The Philadelphia Story – what does it have to do with Philadelphia? A quick Google search will explain that the original playwright Philip Barry actually based his Broadway-success off of a friend’s wife, once dubbed “the unofficial queen of Philadelphia” by Vanity Fair. Despite how relatively insignificant the locale is to the plot, Katharine Hepburn knocks it out of the park once again, reprising her role from stage to screen as the ‘rich and mighty’ Tracy Lord. 

Writer/reporter Macaulay Connor (James Stewart) and photographer Liz Imbrie (Ruth Hussey) are sent from Spy Magazine with Lord’s ex-Hubby and fellow Philly royalty C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant) to get the inside scoop on upper-class life under the ruse of Haven’s plan to vex his Ex by intruding upon her second wedding. Like any good Rom-Com, you can expect scandal, blackmail, the search for true love, one drunken night, and a few marriage proposals to top it all off. It’s a timeless classic about understanding the beauty of man’s imperfections and reminds me of Philadelphia’s famous Liberty Bell. The witty dialogue and chemistry between Hepburn, Stewart, and Grant makes The Philadelphia Story a must-see.