Adam's Rib (1949)
Director: George Cukor
Honors:
The battle of the sexes instigates in the courtroom and at
home in this classic Tracy and Hepburn vehicle. A progressive film, especially
for 1949 standards, Adam’s Rib was a picture that once again demonstrates
the chemistry of one of Hollywood’s on-screen and not-so-secret off-screen
couples in a story that echoes the inequality of men and women in society.
Providing relatable laughs with poignant observations about the disparities of
the sexes the feature delivers a thought-provoking tale that also happens to be
downright entertaining.
Adam’s Rib is a romantic comedy about a husband and wife
who are lawyers that find themselves battling on opposite sides of a case that ultimately
creates domestic friction them. A sensational story grips the city about an
upset housewife, Doris Attinger (Judy Holliday), wounds her husband (Tom Ewell)
by gun shot while catching him having an affair with another woman (Jean Hagen).
Assistant District Attorney Adam Bonner (Spencer Tracy) is reluctantly assigned
to the plaintiff in what he believes is an open-and-shut case of attempted
murder. However, Adam’s wife, Amanda (Katharine Hepburn), takes a different
look at the matter believing that if the roles were reversed the husband would
be justified for her infidelity. Amanda, also a high-powered lawyer, takes the
case at the defense of Doris, defending the instance as a battle of sexual
inequality rather than attempted murder.
The sensational case takes center stage in the courtroom and
the newspapers, but eventually leaks into trouble at home as Adam and Amanda
quarrel over beliefs and courtroom tactics. Amanda’s defense helps Doris win the court case, but
troubles spill over for the Bonners as Adam’s embarrassment coupled with his
suspicion of a handsome neighbor (David Wayne) has his sights at wooing Amanda,
the two move towards divorce. However, Adam and Ananda are reminded of all the
good times together when grudgingly forced work through their financials with
their accountant, leading to the two stay together. They end the movie by
celebrating the one difference between men and women that works well for them
as they climb into bed together.
In the sixth pairing of the Spencer Tracy and Katharine
Hepburn it is evident more than ever how strong the on-screen chemistry of the
two leading players have with each other. The supporting cast of rather
unknowns who have a great deal of off-screen experience only heighten the
strength of the film’s delivery. Despite
the picture’s story being a bit far from reality in the sense of court
handlings the script is so well written, providing laughs to go with a progressive
message within its story in a classic battle fo the sexes manner. Directed by
Hepburn’s favorite filmmaker to work with, George Cukor, the film comes
together in a classic Hollywood way that delivers energy with its message that transcends
its time, easily becoming one of Hollywood’s great all-time comedies.
The origin of the Adam’s Rib begins with husband and
wife writing partners Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon who penned the script as a
vehicle for their friends Tracy and Hepburn. Inspired by Ruth Gordon’s friends
Dorothy and William Whitney, a married couple that took up opposite cases of
the actor Raymond Massey’s divorce proceedings. Ironically enough for the
Whitney’s the lawyers divorce each other only to marry their clients. However,
the married couple as lawyers on opposite ends of a case made a wonderful idea
for a different kind of romantic comedy with the addition of the battle of the
sexes being the emphasis.
Tracy and Hepburn are very natural with each other
throughout the movie. After all it was their sixth feature starring across from
each other and they shared a secret real-life romantic affair that they shared in
real life for decades, practically making they a real husband and wife couple. From
the moment they first appear on screen together they deliver perfect
performances as a very comfortable and loving couple only to fall into their
battle at work that could only spill into their personal lives.
It could be said that the production of the film was based
around one of the film’s supporting players. In an unusual move for a Hollywood
feature the film was nearly shot entirely in New York City and many of the
supporting cast were current Broadway actors including the multi-talented David
Wayne, as the songwriting neighbor with a crush on Hepburn’s character, and
Jean Hagen, who was making her motion picture debut as the women whom the
husband was having an affair.
However, the central court case revolves around the
character of Doris, the wife that followed her cheating husband and shot him in
a nervous fit a rage, played by a new face to motion pictures, Judy Holliday.
At the time Holliday was starring on Broadway in a Garson Kanin authored
production entitled “Born Yesterday,” which saw the screen rights acquired by Columbia
Pictures, but saw no desire to hire a Hollywood no-name to the lead role. Kanin
and Hepburn adored Holliday’s work in the play and would recruit Holliday for
the emotional role of Doris in Adam’s Rib effectively turning her
performance into a demo reel to promote her to reprise her role in the upcoming
feature of Born Yesterday (1950). Hepburn had the shooting schedule
worked around Holliday’s Broadway timetable and informed George Cukor to focus
more on Holliday during their scenes together. Despite being very nervous working
across from Hollywood legend Hepburn, Holliday delivers a stirring performance that
would earn herself a Golden Globe nomination and ultimately win the screen role she was already playing on
Broadway, which garnered her an Oscar.
Adam’s Rib would be a commercial and critical
success. Critics praised the picture for it acting and sophisticated humor. The
film earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay and with time the
film grew in adoration among cinema lovers. The fondness of the film saw the
movie inspire a short-lived television series of the same name in 1973. Near
the end of the 20th century as Hollywood looked back upon its
century of creativity Adam’s Rib would see itself honored as one of many
films fondly remembered. 1992 saw the feature elected to preservation in the
National Film Registry, while in 2000 the American Film Institute named the
picture as #22 on the list of the 100 greatest American comedies, only to be
list #8 in 2008 on their new list of all-time romantic comedies.
Even today Adam’s Rib still handles well as romantic
comedy for contemporary audiences. Tracy and Hepburn, may be outdated for some viewers
that tend to stay away from older Hollywood features, but their chemistry is
very strong in this feature as a couple that very much loves each other, but
bickers back and forth. It may not be the funniest humor, but it is relatable
for a married couple making it entertaining for many viewers.
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