| The Philadelphia Story | |
|---|---|
 First edition | |
| Written by | Philip Barry |
| Date premiered | March 28, 1939 (1939-03-28) |
| Place premiered | Shubert Theatre, New York City |
| Original language | English |
| Subject | Love, marriage, divorce |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Setting | The suburbs ofPhiladelphia in the 1930s |
The Philadelphia Story is a 1939 American comic play byPhilip 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.
The character of Tracy Lord was inspired byHelen Hope Montgomery Scott, a Philadelphia socialite known for her hijinks, who had married a friend of playwrightPhilip Barry.[1] Barry wroteThe Philadelphia Story specifically forKatharine Hepburn, 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.[2]
Produced by theTheatre Guild,The Philadelphia Story opened on March 28, 1939, at theShubert Theatre in New York City, and closed on March 30, 1940.[3] The three-act comedy was directed byRobert B. Sinclair, with lighting and scenery by Robert Edmond Jones.[4]
Hoping to create afilm vehicle for herself, which would erase the label of”Box Office Poison,” Hepburn accepted the film rights to the play fromHoward Hughes, who had purchased them as a gift for her. She then convincedMGM'sLouis B. Mayer to buy them from her for only $250,000 in return for Hepburn having veto over producer, director, screenwriter, and cast.[2][5][6]
In 1940 the play wasadapted to film, in aMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer picture directed byGeorge Cukor with Hepburn as the star, and starringCary Grant as C.K. Dexter Haven andJames Stewart as Macaulay Connor.
In 1956, it was adapted to a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayermusical film version,High Society withGrace Kelly in the Tracy Lord role,Bing Crosby as C.K. Dexter Haven andFrank Sinatra as Macaulay Connor.
Radio adaptations ofThe Philadelphia Story include a half-hour presentation on thePrudential Family Hour of Stars (February 26, 1950), starringSarah Churchill,Norma Jean Nilsson,Gerald Mohr andGene Kelly.[7] An hour-long adaptation was broadcast August 17, 1952, onBest Plays, with a cast includingJoan Alexander,Betty Furness,Myron McCormick and Vera Allen.[8]
The Philadelphia Story was adapted for the second season of theNBC-TV series,Robert Montgomery Presents. StarringBarbara Bel Geddes (Tracy Lord),Richard Derr (Macauley Connor) andLeslie Nielsen (C. K. Dexter Haven), the one-hour live program aired December 4, 1950.[9]
On December 8, 1954, a live 60-minute adaptation of the play was broadcast on theCBS-TV series,The Best of Broadway. The cast includedMary 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) andHerbert Marshall (Seth Lord).[10]
Atwo-hour adaptation aired onNBC-TV on December 7, 1959, directed byFielder Cook and starringGig Young (C.K. Dexter Haven),Diana Lynn (Tracy Lord),Christopher Plummer (Mike Connor),Ruth Roman (Liz Imbrie),Mary Astor (Margaret Lord),Don DeFore (George Kittredge),Alan Webb (Seth Lord), andLeon Janney (Sidney Kidd). The instrumental theme for this version, "Tracy's Theme", was released as a single byRobert Mersey under the name "Spencer Ross" and became a Top 20 hit.
Copyright forThe Philadelphia Story was registered in 1939 by Barry and his wife, portrait artistEllen Semple Barry,[11] and was renewed by her in 1967.[12] Her estate retains copyright to the play.[13]
