The Philadelphia Story(1940)

Plot Summary

• Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn) is a wealthy Main Line Philadelphia socialite who divorced C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant), a member of her social set, because he did not measure up to her exacting standards. (He was an alcoholic, and her lack of faith in him exacerbated his condition.) She is about to marry nouveau riche "man of the people" George Kittredge (John Howard); the wedding and its preparations form the backdrop for much of the movie.Spy magazine publisher Sidney Kidd (Henry Daniell) is eager to cover the wedding, and he enlists Dexter, his former employee, to introduce reporter Macaulay "Mike" Connor (James Stewart) and photographer Liz Imbrie (Ruth Hussey) as friends of the family so they can report on the wedding. Tracy is not fooled but reluctantly agrees to let them stay--after Dexter explains that Kidd has an innuendo-laden article about Tracy's father, Seth (John Halliday), who, Tracy believes, is having an affair with a dancer. Though Seth is separated from Tracy's mother Margaret (Mary Nash) and Tracy harbors great resentment against him, she wants to protect her family's reputation.Dexter is welcomed back with open arms by Margaret and Dinah (Virginia Weidler), Tracy's teenage sister--much to Tracy's annoyance. In addition, Tracy gradually discovers that Mike has admirable qualities. Thus, as the wedding nears, Tracy finds herself torn between her fiancé, her ex-husband, and the reporter.The night before the wedding, Tracy gets drunk for only the second time in her life and takes an innocent swim with Mike. When George sees Mike carrying an intoxicated Tracy into the house afterward, he thinks the worst. The next day, he tells her that he was shocked and feels entitled to an explanation before going ahead with the wedding. Tracy takes exception to his lack of faith in her and breaks off the engagement. Then she realizes that all the guests have arrived and are waiting for the ceremony to begin. Mike volunteers to marry her (much to Liz's distress), but Tracy graciously declines. At this point, Dexter makes his bid for her hand, which she accepts.(From Wikipedia)

Storyline

• Philadelphia socialites Tracy Lord and C.K. Dexter Haven married impulsively. Their marriage and subsequent divorce are equally passionate. They broke up when Dexter's drinking, a mechanism to cope with Tracy's unforgiving manner toward Dexter's imperfections, became excessive. Two years after their break-up, Tracy is about to remarry in a ceremony at her family's mansion. Her new bridegroom is nouveau-riche businessman and aspiring politician George Kittredge, who is otherwise an ordinary man who idolizes Tracy. The day before the wedding, three unexpected guests show up at the Lord mansion: Macaulay Connor (Mike to his friends) and Elizabeth Imbrie, both friends of Tracy's absent brother Junior, and Dexter. Dexter now works for the tabloid Spy magazine and made a deal with its publisher and editor Sidney Kidd to get a story on Tracy's wedding - the wedding of the year - in return for Kidd not publishing a salacious story with accompanying photographs of Tracy's father, Seth Lord, with New York showgirl Tina Marra. In reality, Mike and Liz are the reporter and photographer for Spy. Mike and Liz don't particularly like this assignment or working for Kidd, but their chosen other fields as serious writer and painter don't pay the bills. A suspicious Tracy is onto them, and when Dexter admits the truth, she decides to turn the tables on Mike and Liz. But hours before the wedding, as the more self-assured Dexter and Liz get to work on how to get the Lords out from under Spy's threats, Tracy and Mike, both inebriated, go on a journey of self-discovery with Tracy ultimately coming to her realizations a little faster than Mike. — Huggo Just as Philadelphia socialite Tracy Lord is about to remarry, her first husband C.K. Dexter Haven arrives at her house. He has with him a tabloid reporter and a photographer, Macaulay 'Mike" Connor and Elizabeth Imbrie, and he's clearly intent on causing mischief. Tracy is surprised to learn that Mike is a serious writer who works for the tabloids only to earn a paycheck. They are clearly attracted to one another and the arrival of Tracy's ne'er-do-well father--and some rather stern comments on his part--leads to her to reevaluate her choices and what she wants for the future. — garykmcd Ready to turn a new page in her life, active Philadelphia socialite and statuesque heiress Tracy Lord divorces her handsome husband, C.K. Dexter Haven. Two short years later, Tracy prepares to marry modest, wealthy George Kittredge, unaware that Dexter is still carrying a torch for her. With the wedding just around the corner, Dexter gets Spy Magazine journalist Macaulay Connor and his photographer Elizabeth Imbrie to gate-crash the exclusive wedding ceremony to avert the inevitable. Before long, Tracy finds herself forced to choose between past loves, present loves, and new loves. — Nick Riganas Philadelphia heiress Tracy Lord throws out her playboy husband C.K. Dexter Haven shortly after their marriage. Two years later, Tracy is about to marry respectable George Kittredge while Dexter has been working for "Spy" magazine. Dexter arrives at the Lords' mansion the day before the wedding with writer Mike Connor and photographer Liz Imbrie, determined to spoil things. — Col Needham