Hear That Noise Again Guess Whos Dead

1967 pic by Stanley Kramer

Guess Who'south Coming to Dinner
Original release poster
Directed by	Stanley Kramer
Screenplay by	William Rose
Produced by	Stanley Kramer
Starring	Spencer Tracy Sidney Poitier Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton
Cinematography	Sam Leavitt
Edited by	Robert C. Jones
Music by	Frank De Vol
Color process	Technicolor
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release dates	December 11, 1967 (1967-12-xi) (New York Urban center) December 12, 1967 (1967-12-12) (United States)
Running fourth dimension	108 minutes[i]
Country	Us
Linguistic communication	English
Budget	$iv million[two]
Box office	$56.7 meg[ii]

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is a 1967 American romantic comedy-drama pic produced and directed past Stanley Kramer, and written by William Rose. It stars Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier, and Katharine Hepburn, and features Hepburn's niece Katharine Houghton.

The film was one of the few films of the time to draw an interracial marriage in a positive light, equally interracial spousal relationship historically had been illegal in many states of the United states. It was withal illegal in 17 states, until June 12, 1967, six months before the film was released, and scenes were filmed simply before anti-miscegenation laws were struck down by the Supreme Court in Loving five. Virginia.

The film was the ninth and final on-screen pairing of Tracy and Hepburn. Tracy was very sick during filming but insisted on continuing. Filming of his office was completed just 17 days earlier Tracy'due south death in June 1967.^[3] Hepburn never saw the completed film,^[4] saying that the memories it would evoke for her of Tracy were too emotional. The picture was released in December 1967, six months afterward his death.

In 2022 (on its 50th anniversary), the film was selected for preservation in the Us National Flick Registry by the Library of Congress every bit being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically pregnant".^{[5] [6]} The film's Oscar-nominated score was composed past Frank De Vol.^[seven]

Plot [edit]

In 1967, Joanna Drayton, a 23-yr-old white adult female, returns from her Hawaiian holiday to her parents' abode in San Francisco with Dr. John Prentice, a 37-year-sometime black widower. The couple became engaged afterward a 10-mean solar day whirlwind romance. Joanna'south parents are Matt Drayton, a successful newspaper editor, and his married woman, Christina, who owns an fine art gallery. Though both of the Draytons are liberal-minded, they are initially shocked their daughter is engaged to a human of a different race. Christina gradually accepts the state of affairs, simply Matt objects because of the likely unhappiness and seemingly insurmountable problems the couple will face up in American culture.

Without telling Joanna, John tells the Draytons he volition withdraw from the human relationship unless both Draytons requite the couple their approval. To complicate matters, John is scheduled to wing to New York later that night, and and then to Geneva, Switzerland for three months in his work with the Earth Health Organisation. His reply from the Draytons, therefore, will make up one's mind whether Joanna will follow him. Tillie, the Draytons' black housekeeper, suspicious of John'south motives and protective of Joanna, privately corners John and speaks her mind. To John'southward surprise, Joanna invites John'south parents to fly up from Los Angeles to join them for dinner that evening. John has not told them his fiancée is white. Monsignor Ryan, Matt's golf game buddy, arrives subsequently Matt cancelled their game. He tells both Matt and the couple he is supportive of the engagement. But Matt will non yield. Christina tells Matt she, also, is supportive of Joanna, even if it means fighting Matt. On the way to the airport to meet John's parents, the couple stops for a beverage with an old friend of Joanna'south and her hubby; they are likewise completely supportive. While at the club, they hear a vocalizer (Jacqueline Fontaine, uncredited) perform "The Glory of Dear", a 1936 hitting for Benny Goodman.

John'southward parents, the Prentices, arrive. They, also, are shocked when discovering Joanna is white. At the Drayton domicile, diverse individual conversations occur among the two families. All hold more time is needed to absorb the situation. The two mothers meet and agree this was an unexpected event, but support their children. The 2 fathers meet, both expressing disapproval at this unhappy occasion. The Monsignor advises John non to withdraw, despite Matt'south objections. John's mother tells him she and Christina both approve. John and his begetter discuss their generational differences. John's mother tells Matt that he and her husband have forgotten what it was like to autumn in dearest, and their failure to think true romance has overcast their thinking. John chides Matt for not having the "guts" to tell him face to face he disapproved of the spousal relationship. Finally, Matt reveals his decision about the appointment to the entire group. In his oral communication, Joanna learns for the first time that John made their union conditional on the Draytons' approval. Matt ultimately concludes, after having listened to John's mother, that he does remember what true romance is. He says although the pair face enormous problems ahead due to their racial differences, they must observe a manner to overcome them, and he will corroborate the marriage, knowing all along he had no right to finish it. The families and the Monsignor then adjourn to the dining room for dinner.

Cast [edit]

• Spencer Tracy as Matt Drayton
• Sidney Poitier equally Dr. John Wade Prentice
• Katharine Hepburn every bit Christina Drayton
• Katharine Houghton as Joanna "Joey" Drayton
• Cecil Kellaway as Monsignor Mike Ryan
• Beah Richards equally Mrs. Mary Prentice
• Roy E. Glenn Sr. as Mr. John Prentice Sr.
• Isabel Sanford as Tillie
• Virginia Christine as Hilary St. George
• Alexandra Hay equally carhop
• Barbara Randolph as Dorothy
• D'Urville Martin as Frankie
• Tom Heaton as Peter
• Grace Gaynor as Judith
• Skip Martin every bit commitment boy
• John Hudkins as cab driver
• Jacqueline Fontaine every bit singer in Japanese cocktail lounge (uncredited)^[8]

Influences [edit]

It has been suggested that a pair of contemporary cases of interracial matrimony influenced Rose when he was writing the pic's script.

Peggy Cripps, an aristocratic debutante whose begetter had been a British cabinet minister and whose grandad had been leader of the House of Lords, married the African anti-colonialist Nana Joe Appiah. They would establish their home in the Nana's native Ghana, where he would later on agree office equally a minister and ambassador.

At around the aforementioned fourth dimension, Lloyd's underwriter Ruth Williams and her husband, African blueblood Kgosi Seretse Khama, were engaged in a struggle of their own. Their union, which also occurred in the immediate backwash of World War Two, led to a tempest of comment that snowballed into an international incident which saw them stripped of their importantly titles in his homeland and exiled to U.k.. They would ultimately render to the Kgosi's native Botswana as its inaugural president and get-go lady.^[nine]

Production [edit]

• Produced and directed: Stanley Kramer
• Original screenplay: William Rose
• Associate producer: George Drinking glass
• Music: Frank De Vol
• Director of photography: Sam Leavitt
• Motion picture editor: Robert C. Jones
• Product designer: Robert Clatworthy
• Set decorator: Frank Tuttle
• Banana managing director: Ray Gosnell
• Special effects: Geza Gaspar
• Procedure photography: Larry Butler
• Audio recording: Charles J. Rice, Robert Martin
• Costumes: Joe King
• Wardrobe supervisor: Jean Louis
• Song: "Glory of Love" by Billy Hill, sung by Jacqueline Fontaine

According to Kramer, he and Rose intentionally structured the film to deflate ethnic stereotypes. The young doctor, a typical role for the young Sidney Poitier, was created idealistically perfect, so that the only possible objections to his marrying Joanna would be his race, or the fact she had just known him for 10 days; the character has thus graduated from a acme schoolhouse, begun innovative medical initiatives in Africa, refused to take premarital sexual practice with his fiancée despite her willingness, and leaves coin in an open container on his future father-in-constabulary's desk in payment for a long-distance phone call he has made. Kramer and Rose completed the motion-picture show script in five weeks.^[10]

Kramer stated later that the principal actors believed and then strongly in the premise that they agreed to act in the project fifty-fifty before seeing the script. Production had been set for Jan 1967 and concluded on May 24, 1967.^[11] At age 67, Spencer Tracy was in poor health with heart disease, diabetes, loftier-blood force per unit area, respiratory disease, and other ailments. Enlightened of Tracy's declining wellness, insurance companies refused to cover him for the period of filming. Kramer and Hepburn put their salaries in escrow and so that if he should dice during the production, filming could be completed with another actor. Co-ordinate to Kramer, "You're never examined for insurance until a few weeks before a picture starts. [Fifty-fifty] with all his drinking and ailments, Tracy ever qualified for insurance before, so nobody thought it would be a trouble in this case. Just it was. We couldn't get insurance for Spence. The state of affairs looked desperate. So and then we figured out a mode of handling it. Kate and I put up our own salaries to recoup for the lack of an insurance company for Spence. And we were immune to proceed."^[12]

The filming schedule was contradistinct to accommodate Tracy's failing wellness.^[xiii] All of Tracy's scenes and shots were filmed between 9:00 am and noon of each twenty-four hour period to give him adequate time to rest for the remainder of the mean solar day.^[10] For instance, most of Tracy'due south dialogue scenes were filmed in such a way that during shut-ups on other characters, a stand-in was substituted for him.^[14]

Tracy's failing health was more than serious than most people working on the set were aware of. According to Poitier: "The illness of Spencer dominated everything. I knew his health was very poor and many of the people who knew what the situation was didn't believe we'd finish the flick, that is, that Tracy would be able to terminate the motion picture. Those of u.s. who were close knew it was worse than they thought. Kate brought him to and from the gear up. She worked with him on his lines. She fabricated certain with [Stanley] Kramer that his hours were correct for what he could exercise, and what he couldn't do was unlike each day. In that location were days when he couldn't practice annihilation. But also there were days when he was nifty, and I got the take chances to know what it was similar working with Tracy."^[fifteen]

A bosom of Tracy sculpted by Hepburn herself was used as a prop, on the bookshelf behind the desk where Sidney Poitier makes his phone call.

Tracy died two weeks later on he completed his work on the film.^[16]

Hepburn significantly helped bandage her niece, Katharine Houghton, for the role of Joey Drayton. Concerning this, Hepburn stated: "There was a lovely office for Kathy [Houghton], my niece [...] She would play Spencer's and my daughter. I loved that. She'southward beautiful and she definitely had a family resemblance. It was my thought."^[17]

Co-ordinate to Hepburn, the office of Joey Drayton was one of Houghton's start major roles every bit a young actress. "The part of my daughter," Kate said, "was a difficult one. A immature unknown actress needs more opportunity to win the sympathy of the audition. Otherwise, too much has to depend on her youth, innocence, and beauty. She had one skilful speech to win the audience, just it was cut. Instead she only talks with her father about the differences between the principles he taught her and the way he's behaving."^[18]

Poitier ofttimes plant himself starstruck, and as a event, a bit tongue-tied in the presence of Hepburn and Tracy, whom he considered to exist "giants" every bit far equally acting is concerned.^[19] However, Poitier reportedly found a mode to overcome his nerves. "When I went to play a scene with Tracy and Hepburn, I couldn't recall a word. Finally, Stanley Kramer said to me, 'What are nosotros going to do?' I said, 'Stanley, ship those two people dwelling. I will play the scene against ii empty chairs. I don't desire them hither because I can't handle that kind of company.' He sent them home. I played the scene in shut-up against two empty chairs as the dialogue coach read Mr. Tracy'south and Miss Hepburn's lines from off camera."^[19]

Given the tense nature of racism in the The states during the time of the film's product, Poitier felt he was "nether close observation" by both Tracy and Hepburn during their get-go dinner meetings prior to product.^[xx] However, he managed to swiftly win them over. Due to Tracy and Hepburn's close history with Kramer, Poitier cited that Hepburn and Tracy came to touch on him "the kind of respect they had for Kramer, and they had to say to themselves (and I'm sure they did), this kid has to exist pretty okay, because Stanley is basics about working with him".^[21]

Release [edit]

The moving picture premiered in theaters on December 12, 1967. The movie falls into the genre of comedy drama.^[22] The film was released on VHS on December 12, 1987,^[23] on the 20th anniversary of the original release. The film was released on DVD on May 22, 2001.^[24] It was released on Blu-Ray on February 7, 2022 to commemorate the film's 50th anniversary.^[25]

Reception [edit]

Guess Who'southward Coming to Dinner was a box-function hit in 1968 throughout the United States, including in Southern states where it was traditionally assumed that few white filmgoers would desire to see any film with black leads. The success of this movie challenged that assumption in moving-picture show marketing.^[26] Despite this success, which included numerous picture show award nominations, Frank Rich of The New York Times wrote in November 2008 that the picture show was frequently labeled as dated amongst liberals. Another main bespeak of contention was the fact that Poitier's character, the golden future son-in-law, had no flaws and a résumé of good deeds. Many people felt that the dynamic between the Draytons and Poitier's grapheme would accept inevitably resulted in a happily-always-subsequently moving picture ending because Poitier'southward grapheme was and so perfect, respectable, likable, and proper. Some people went as far as saying Prentice was "too white" not to be accepted by the Draytons.^[27] It was also criticized by some for these reasons at the fourth dimension, with controversial African-American actor Stepin Fetchit saying that the film "did more than to terminate intermarriage than to help it."^[28]

The release of the flick in the U.S. gave Poitier his 3rd box-role success in six months in 1967,^[24] all of which placed the race of Poitier'south graphic symbol at issue. The picture show grossed a total of $56.7 million.^[ii]

The flick was first shown on U.Due south. television set on CBS on September nineteen, 1971 and was the highest-rated film broadcast in the yr with a rating of 26.8 and an audience share of 44%.^[29]

In a 1986 review of the motion picture by The New York Times, Lawrence Van Gelder wrote: "the suspicion arises that were the film made today its makers would come to grips a good bargain more frankly with the bug of intermarriage. Still, this remains a deft comedy and – most of all – a paean to the power of honey."^[xxx]

Variant versions [edit]

The original version of the film that played in theaters in 1968 independent a moment in which Tillie responds to the question "Approximate who's coming to dinner now?" with the sarcastic 1-liner: "The Reverend Martin Luther Rex?" Later King'southward assassination on April 4, 1968, this line was removed from the moving-picture show, so by Baronial 1968, most all theaters' showings of this film had this line omitted. Every bit early on as 1969, the line was restored to many but non all prints, and the line was preserved in the VHS and DVD versions of the film, as well.

Awards and honors [edit]

American Picture Plant recognition [edit]

• AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies – #99
• AFI'southward 100 Years...100 Passions – #58
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes:
  • "You think of yourself as a colored homo. I think of myself as a homo." – Nominated^[32]
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Thank you – #35
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) – Nominated^[33]

Remakes [edit]

Stanley Kramer produced and directed an unsold xxx-minute goggle box pilot for ABC-TV with the same championship and premise in 1975.^[34]

In 2003, comedian Daniele Luttazzi published the screenplay Tabu, an virtually verbatim parody of the film. In the variation, the engaged lovers are aged 40 (him) and 12 (her), and are brother and sister.^[35]

Episodes of The Gilded Girls and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air featured plots like to the film.

The 2005 flick Guess Who starring Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac is a loose remake, styled as a comedy rather than a drama, with the racial roles reversed: Blackness parents are defenseless off-baby-sit when their daughter brings home the young white man she has chosen to marry. Talking about the movie, Bernie Mac told USA Today in 2003: "Interracial dating is not that meaning whatever more." Mac said of the script: "They want to make information technology a comedy, merely I won't disrespect Spencer, Katharine or Sidney."^[36]

A British radio play entitled That Summer Of '67, written past actress Tracy-Ann Oberman and based on the story of the moving picture'south production, was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 31 December 2020.

A 2011 episode of the American sitcom Last Homo Standing features an episode with a similar theme, although the couple is lesbian instead of mixed-race.

See too [edit]

• Listing of American films of 1967
• Get Out, a 2022 horror movie with a vaguely like premise

Notes [edit]

1. ^ Tied with Warren Beatty for Bonnie and Clyde.
2. ^ Tied with Faye Dunaway for Bonnie and Clyde.

References [edit]

1. ^ Video Hound'south Golden Movie Retriever: The Complete Guide to Movies on Videocassette and DVD. Gale. 2004. p. 355. ISBN0-7876-7470-ii.
2. ^ ^{a b c} "Judge Who'south Coming to Dinner (1967)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
3. ^ Claudio Carvalho (December 12, 1967). "Estimate Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)". IMDb. Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
4. ^ Andersen, p. 306
5. ^ "2017 National Moving picture Registry Is More than Than a 'Field of Dreams'". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on Dec 13, 2017. Retrieved Dec 13, 2017.
6. ^ "Complete National Pic Registry Listing | Flick Registry | National Film Preservation Board | Programs at the Library of Congress | Library of Congress". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 United states. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved Oct thirteen, 2020.
7. ^ Joel Whitburn, Summit Popular Albums 1955–2001 (Menomonee Falls, WI: Record Inquiry, 2001), 1018.
8. ^ Roitz, Janet. ""The Glory Of Love" Judge Who'southward Coming To Dinner 1967; A await at Jacqueline Fontaine". Fabulous Film Songs. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
9. ^ Brozan, Nadine (16 February 2006), "Peggy Appiah, 84, Author Who Bridged Ii Cultures, Dies", The New York Times.
10. ^ ^{a b} Andersen, p. 295.
11. ^ Davidson, pp. 207, 211
12. ^ Davidson, pp. 207–208
13. ^ Davidson, pp. 206–209
14. ^ Edwards, p. 337.
15. ^ Chandler, pp. 231–232.
16. ^ Andersen, p. 298.
17. ^ Chandler, pp. 229–237.
18. ^ Chandler, p. 231.
19. ^ ^{a b} Poitier, p. 286.
20. ^ Poitier, Measure out of a Human being, p. 121.
21. ^ Poitier, Measure of a Man, pp. 121–124.
22. ^ "amc filmcritic.com". Archived from the original on June 15, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
23. ^ "Parent Previews". 1 Voice Communications Ltd. January 23, 2001. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
24. ^ ^{a b} "Rotten Tomatoes". Flixster. Archived from the original on April xiv, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
25. ^ Guess Who'due south Coming to Dinner Blu-ray Release Date February seven, 2017, archived from the original on July 3, 2020, retrieved July ii, 2020
26. ^ Harris, Marker. Pictures at a Revolution: Five Films and the Nascency of a New Hollywood. Penguin Printing, 2008, p. 374.
27. ^ Rich, Frank (2008). "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner". New York Times: 10.
28. ^ Kurlansky, Mark. (2004). 1968 : the year that rocked the world (1st ed.). New York: Ballantine. p. 113. ISBN0-345-45581-ix. OCLC 53929433.
29. ^ "Theatres-To-TV Film Rankings". Diversity. January 25, 1972. p. 81.
30. ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence (1986). "Abode VIDEO; New Cassettes: Large Stars and Big Bands". New York Times: 28.
31. ^ "NY Times: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2010. Archived from the original on June three, 2010. Retrieved December 27, 2008.
32. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes Nominees" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on March 13, 2011. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
33. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) Election" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
34. ^ Debolt, Abbe A.; Baugess, James Due south., eds. (2011). Encyclopedia of the Sixties: A Decade of Civilisation and Counterculture: A Decade of Culture and Counterculture. ABC-CLIO. p. 274. ISBN978-ane-440-80102-0.
35. ^ Daniele Luttazzi (2003) La castrazione due east altri metodi infallibili per prevenire 50'acne, Feltrinelli, pp. 155–233.
36. ^ Thomas, Karen (2003). "Bernie will exist Spencer in new 'Coming to Dinner'". USA Today.

Further reading [edit]

• Andersen, Christopher (1997). An Affair to Remember: The Remarkable Honey Story of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. William Morrow and Company, Inc. pp. 294–298. ISBN0-688-15311-ix.
• Chandler, Charlotte (2010). I Know Where I'm Going: Katharine Hepburn – A Personal Biography. Simon & Schuster. pp. 229–237. ISBN978-ane-4391-4928-7.
• Davidson, Bill (1987). Spencer Tracy, Tragic Idol. Eastward. P. Dutton. pp. 206–211. ISBN0-525-24631-ii.
• Edwards, Anne (1985). A Remarkable Adult female: A Biography of Katharine Hepburn . William Morrow and Company, Inc. pp. 336–343, 355 & 439. ISBN0-688-04528-6.
• Poitier, Sidney (2000). The Measure of a Human: A Spiritual Autobiography. HarperSanFrancisco Publishers, Inc. pp. 117–124. ISBN0-06-251607-8.
• Poitier, Sidney (1980). This Life . Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. pp. 285–287. ISBN0-394-50549-two.
• Schirmer Encyclopedia of Film – Volume 1: Crime Moving-picture show. Gale. 2007. pp. 6, 63, 351. ISBN978-0-02-865792-9.
• Schirmer Encyclopedia of Film – Book 3: Independent Motion-picture show – Road Movies. Gale. 2007. pp. 371–372. ISBN978-0-02-865794-3.

External links [edit]

• Guess Who'southward Coming to Dinner at IMDb
• Guess Who's Coming to Dinner at Rotten Tomatoes
• Guess Who's Coming to Dinner at the TCM Movie Database
• Gauge Who'south Coming to Dinner at AllMovie

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Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guess_Who%27s_Coming_to_Dinner

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