Bringing Up Baby (1938)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Howard Hawks

Writers:

Dudley Nichols (screenplay) &
Hagar Wilde (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

18 February 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

David Huxley is waiting to get a bone he needs for his museum collection. Through a series of strange circumstances...

Plot Keywords:

Bone | Leopard | Mistaken Identity | Museum | Screwball Comedy

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Katharine Hepburn	...	Susan Vance
Cary Grant	...	Dr. David Huxley
Charles Ruggles	...	Maj. Horace Applegate (as Charlie Ruggles)
Walter Catlett	...	Constable Slocum
Barry Fitzgerald	...	Aloysius Gogarty
May Robson	...	Aunt Elizabeth Random
Fritz Feld	...	Dr. Fritz Lehman
Leona Roberts	...	Hannah Gogarty
George Irving	...	Alexander Peabody
Tala Birell	...	Mrs. Lehman
Virginia Walker	...	Alice Swallow
John Kelly	...	Elmer

Also Known As:

Leoparden küßt man nicht (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Drapiezne malenstwo (Poland) [pl]
Duas Feras (Portugal) [pt]
Hätä ei lue lakia (Finland) [fi]
Han, hun og leoparden (Denmark) [da]
I gynaika me tin leopardali (Greece) [el]
Ingen fara på taket (Sweden) [sv]
L'impossible monsieur Bébé (France) [fr]
La adorable revoltosa (Argentina) [es]
La fiera de mi niña (Spain) [es]
Levada da Breca (Brazil) [pt]
Quina fera de nena! (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Susanna (Italy) [it]
Xypna, moro mou (Greece) (reissue title) [el]

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Certification:

UK:U | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Canada:G (video rating) | Finland:S | Germany:12 | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (PCA #3752) | Argentina:Atp | Portugal:M/6 (DVD rating)

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked this as the #88 Greatest Movie of All Time.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Susan hits the back of the truck, the sounds of geese squawking can be heard while it's chickens flying out of the containers.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Prof. LaTouche: Morning, Miss Alice. My watch is...
Alice Swallow: Shh. Dr. Huxley is thinking.

Movie Connections:

References The Wise Little Hen (1934)

Soundtrack:

I Can't Give You Anything but Love

The paleontologist and the socialite

Howard Hawks, the director of "Bringing Up Baby", was not a name one associates with screwball comedy. Watching this perennial favorite the other night, one wishes Mr. Hawks would have made more comedies like this one because he shows a tremendous capacity for entertaining his audiences. The screen treatment, by Dudley Nichols and Hagar Wilde, made this movie the classic it became to be after not being embraced by the public when it was originally released.

The pairing of Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn paid off handsomely. Both actors were at their best in the film. Mr. Hawks got excellent performances of his two stars. Cary Grant's paleontologist, with his glasses, and nervous energy, matches perfectly the the socialite that has designs on him. There is a high level of energy in the film that was a requirement for a movie of this genre.

The supporting cast is also one of the things that make this film the fun it is. Charles Ruggles, May Robson, Barry Fitzgerald, George Irving, and the rest of the cast do a marvelous job in the roles they created. Even Asta, the Charles' dog, made a valuable contribution to the proceedings by appearing at key moments, even fighting Nyssa, the tamed leopard that is the "baby" of the title.

The best way to enjoy the film is to let the magic Howard Hawks created put its spell on you. It's one of the best films of this genre.