Dr. Ralph H. Wolfe Viewing Center

Call Number: VHS01694

by: William Keighley; Jerry Wald; Philip G Epstein; Julius J Epstein; Bette Davis; Ann Sheridan; Monty Woolley; Jimmy Durante; Richard Travis; Billie Burke; Reginald Gardiner; Moss Hart; Friedrich Hollaender; George S Kaufman; Warner Bros. Pictures (1923-1967); First National Pictures, Inc.; Turner Entertainment Co.; MGM/UA Home Video (Firm)

Format: VHS

Language: English

Publisher:  [Calif.] : Turner Entertainment Co. ; Culver City, Calif. : Distributed by MGM/UA Home Video, [1990]

Notes: “From the stage play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, produced by Sam H. Harris.”
Originally produced as a motion picture in 1942. 113 min.

Summary: While on a lecture tour in the midwest, an acid-tongued radio celebrity and his secretary accept a dinner invitation from an ordinary, all-American family. Unfortunately, he breaks his hip and must move in to recuperate — bringing his eccentric lifestye and oddball friends into their well-ordered lives. — After nearly 60 years, “The Man Who Came To Dinner” still ranks as the most hilarious film ever committed to celluloid. Though censorship at the time required some of Kaufman and Hart’s ribald dialogue to be toned down, no matter! Monty Woolley’s performance is priceless, but Bette Davis, for once in a subdued, non-star performance, provides the heart of the movie and is achingly touching in her subtle evocation of a down-trodden secretary finally discovering love–and in danger of losing her Romeo to the ravishing, outrageously man-eating Ann Sheridan. A perfect film for Christmas viewing (thanks to its exquisite black-and-white cinematography capturing a greeting card background for the non-stop lunacy in the foreground). A perfect film for any day of the year. I’ve seen other versions–the TV production with Orson Welles, the Broadway musical in the late 1960s, the recent Broadway revival with Nathan Lane. They all pale when compared to this definitive, timeless, masterpiece!

OCLC #: 21224780

Added: March 2, 2012