The Philadelphia Story - Television Tropes & Idioms

Eeeny, Meeny, Miney, Moe

I thought all writers drank to excess and beat their wives. You know one time I secretly wanted to be a writer.

Witty, classic Hollywood screwball comedy starring three of the biggest stars of the era: Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart.

Upper class Tracy Lord (Hepburn) is getting married to an independently wealthy man, but her ex-husband (Grant) looking for a little revenge sneaks in a couple - reporter (Stewart) and photographer - for Spy Magazine as an exclusive. Love Triangle confusion ensues among the stars and supporting characters.

Later remade in 1956 as High Society, starring Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra in the Hepburn, Grant, and Stewart roles.

This film provides examples of:

Affectionate Nickname: Dexter generally addresses Tracy as "Red".
Aren't You Going to Ravish Me?: Tracy was offended that Mike didn't take advantage of her while she passed out drunk.
Alcohol Hic: Jimmy Stewart's improvised Alcohol Hic almost got Cary Grant corpsing. Which was what Stewart was trying to do, naturally.
The Alcoholic: Dexter
Artist Disillusionment
Awesome McCoolname: C.K. Dexter Haven. Made even more awesome by the fact that we don't know what the C.K. stands for.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: George
Comedy of Remarriage
Composite Character: Dexter combines elements of two characters from the original play: himself, and Tracy's brother Sandy.
Contrived Clumsiness: Tracy breaks Liz's camera.
Deadpan Snarker: Dexter. Liz gets some good ones in too.
Defrosting Ice Queen
Did They or Didn't They?: Mike and Tracy
Dirty Old Man: Uncle Willy
Disposable Fiancé
Domestic Abuse: Obliquely hinted at as one of the causes of Tracy and Dexter's breakup.
- And actually demonstrated (and played for laughs) quite plainly in the opening scene.
Drunken Song: "Oh, C.K. Dexter Haaaaaaaaaven!"
- And "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"
Fish out of Water: Mike and Liz. George too, to a lesser extent.
Follow That Car: Mike drunkenly tells a joke of the taxicab variety.
Freudian Trio: Tracy's three suitors, George, Mike, and Dexter. Seen from that perspective, the film's ending should hardly come as a surprise.
Full Name Basis: In one drunken scene, Mike addresses Dexter exclusively by his full name. Probably because he really likes saying it.
Girl Friday: Liz to Mike
Gosh Darn It to Heck!
Hair of the Dog: Mike would "sell his grandmother" for an alcoholic beverage the morning after the party.
Hangover Sensitivity: Several characters.
Informed Flaw: Quite a few, including Tracy's intolerance, Mike's cynicism, and Dexter's drunkenness. To be fair to Dexter, by the time the story starts he's firmly on the wagon.
Ironic Echo: "The truth is you'll never be a first class human being until you've learned to have some regard for human frailty."
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Mike, a sensitive poet who puts up a Jerkass front to "save his skin"
Kissing Under the Influence: (of champagne) Mike and Tracy
Love Triangle: or Love Pentagram
Meaningful Echo: "My she was yare!"
- "With the rich and mighty, always a little patience."
Mouthy Kid: Dinah.
Nothing Exciting Ever Happens Here: Dinah's lament early on in the film.
Prophetic Name: Parson Parsons
"The Reason You Suck" Speech
Rich Bitch: Tracy, though somewhat toned and does improve over time.
Rich in Dollars, Poor in Sense: A mild example, but it's hinted that the Lords aren't too smart about certain things. Notably none of them seems able to spell the word "omelet". It's made somewhat clearer in the original play.
Running Gag: Margaret Lord never can seem to remember who Mike is, first forgetting his name, then mistakenly calling him "Mr. O'Connor", and finally confusing him with one of the musicians.
Self-Made Man: George
Shotgun Wedding: subverted
"Shut Up" Kiss
Smug Snake: Seth Lord, though through Values Dissonance the script is clearly on his side...
Tsundere
The Teetotaler: Implied about Dexter.
Wedding Day
What Did I Do Last Night?
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant
Why Waste a Wedding?
You Didn't Ask: Liz's reason for not telling Mike about her previous marriage.