Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Stanley Kramer

Writer:

William Rose (written by)

Release Date:

12 December 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

a love story of today

Plot:

Matt and Christina Drayton are a couple whose attitudes are challenged when their daughter brings home a fiancé who is black.

Plot Keywords:

Doctor | Interracial Romance | Older Man Younger Woman | Widower | Housekeeper

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 20 nominations

Cast

Spencer Tracy	...	Matt Drayton
Sidney Poitier	...	Dr. John Wade Prentice
Katharine Hepburn	...	Christina Drayton
Katharine Houghton	...	Joey Drayton
Cecil Kellaway	...	Monsignor Ryan
Beah Richards	...	Mrs. Prentice
Roy Glenn	...	Mr. Prentice (as Roy E. Glenn, Sr.)
Isabel Sanford	...	Tillie (as Isabell Sanford)
Virginia Christine	...	Hilary St. George
Alexandra Hay	...	Carhop
Barbara Randolph	...	Dorothy
D'Urville Martin	...	Frankie
Tom Heaton	...	Peter
Grace Gaynor	...	Judith
Skip Martin	...	Delivery Boy

Also Known As:

Devine qui vient dîner? (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
¿Sabes quién viene a cenar? (Argentina) [es]
Adivina quién viene a cenar (Venezuela) [es]
Adivina quién viene a cenar esta noche (Spain) [es]
Adivina quién viene esta noche (Spain) (TV title) [es]
Adivinha Quem Vem Jantar (Portugal) [pt]
Adivinhe Quem Vem Para Jantar (Brazil) [pt]
Arvaa kuka tulee päivälliselle (Finland) [fi]
Beklenmeyen misafir (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Endevina qui ve a sopar (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Gæt hvem der kommer til middag (Denmark) [da]
Gissa vem som kommer på middag? (Sweden) [sv]
Indovina chi viene a cena? (Italy) [it]
Mantepse poios tharthi to vrady (Greece) [el]
Rat mal, wer zum Essen kommt (Austria) [de]
Rate mal, wer zum Essen kommt (West Germany) [de]
Zgadnij, kto przyjdzie na obiad (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:Approved | South Korea:12 | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG | West Germany:6 | Argentina:Atp | Singapore:PG | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Columbia/Sunset Gower Studios - 1438 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Katharine Hepburn's character's daughter is played by Hepburn's actual niece Katharine Houghton

Goofs:

Continuity: The car that Tracey backs into already has a dent in the front door panel. During the accident the relative position of the two cars and the number of dents in the side panels change with each change in shot.

Quotes:

[first lines]
John: You know, I just had a thought. Why don't I go check into a hotel and get some rest, and you go find your folks?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Bewitched: Cousin Serena Strikes Again: Part 1 (#5.15)" (1969)

Soundtrack:

Glory of Love

Another Spencer Tracy Triumph

It's so easy to criticize this film. The soundtrack from DeVol is *awful*. The film is incredibly dated and there are some scenes, (the scene with the delivery boy and the ice cream shop), that are unbearable, like something out of a Gidget film.

Of course the other problem with this film, 33 years after its production, is who in the year 2000, would be upset about their daughter marrying a Yale educated Doctor?

However, despite all this, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is a great film. The film is wonderful because it was the last film made by one of Hollywood's greatest duos, Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy.

This film was made while Spencer Tracy was dying. Spencer had to put his entire salary in escrow in order for the film company to allow him to do the film.

So why did Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy agree to do this film, without immediate payment? Because it's a film about forbidden love, it's a film about loving someone no matter what society thinks, or what the rules are. This is something Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn knew a great deal about.

What makes this film outstanding is, by the end of the film you realize, Kate and Spencer are not even acting they are relaying their feelings about each other, through the film. Once you catch that, the drama of the final few scenes is just unparalleled and Spencer's final speech, about his love for Kate (Christina), can drive even the most twisted soul to tears.

A few things to catch in this film, watch Kate's face when Spencer recites the line, 'screw what the rest of the world thinks about your love'...those are real tears. Watch Spencer Tracey as he paces back and forth on the terrace near the end of the film. He realizes he is about to begin one of the last scenes he will ever film. He's line 'well I'll be a son of a bitch'...is more a realization he's about to make his last grandstand on the big screen, in his entire career.

Spencer Tracy is one of America's greatest actors. This is his last triumph. For that reason alone, it's a true cinematic treasure.