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| Bright stars Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant on the silly poster for Howard Hawks' screwy Bringing Up Baby |
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A paleontologist receives a rare bone and is getting married, when an odd woman derails these plans completely.
There are charming moments in this screwball comedy classic that tends to divide the waters, (some even consider it one of the greatest films of all times!), which was the last that great American director Howard Hawks (Rio Bravo (1959)) directed for RKO. Hawks stated later in life to Peter Bogdanovich (which can be read in his great interview-book Who the Devil Made It), - which seems to corroborate some to my rather lukewarm appreciation for Bringing Up Baby; - [the film] "had a great fault and I learned an awful lot from that. There were no normal people in it. Everyone you met was a screwball and since that time I learned my lesson and don't intend ever again to make everybody crazy."
Cary Grant (Notorious (1946)) is at times funny in his attempts at being amusing, while Katharine Hepburn (The African Queen (1951)) steams and adorns the screen, - but overall, the laughs are to far between in this wild drive of entanglements, set off by an utterly idiotic female character (Hepburn's, which also poses a problem for the film.)
The film has a strange subplot with animals, and its leopard-recordings are noteworthy. It is also noted for perhaps the screen's first use of the word 'gay' with homosexuality as its meaning, spoken by Grant in a dress, but definite proof on the point is missing.
Bogdanovich loves screwball comedies and contributed a fantastic laugh-fest with his own homage screwball comedy What's Up, Doc? (1972) with Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neil. I like it a lot better than Baby.
Here's a couple of stills of the strained stars in this zany comedy:
Related reviews:
What's Up, Doc? (1972) - Screwball comedy revived for a wonderful show
Howard Hawks: The Big Sleep (1946) - The sexiest noir carousel you will ever ride
Katharine Hepburn: The African Queen (1951) Classic romance bravura de Huston/Bogart/Hepburn
Watch some of the silliness of Bringing Up Baby here in its trailer
Budget: 1 mil. $
Box office: 1.1 mil. $
= Flop at release
What do you think of Bringing Up Baby?
Other screwball comedies that you think are recommendable?
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