June 25th: BRINGING UP BABY (Howard Hawks, 1938)

A mild-mannered paleontologist gets mixed up with a free-spirited heiress and an escaped leopard.

Despite his proficiency in a number of genres including westerns, action-adventure, and thrillers, veteran director Howard Hawks was perhaps best known and most admired for his work in Hollywood's screwball comedies, distinguished by their rapid-fire dialogue, escapism, farce, chaos in upper-class/corporate settings, and romances based on deception and competition. Hawks bought the rights to a short story he read, with the lead female role designed specifically for Katharine Hepburn, whose unconventional attitude was proving divisive within Hollywood as well as with audiences.

Up-and-comer Cary Grant was cast against the dapper, charming type he was currently cultivating (and would become known for) as a scholarly, bumbling character. The usually haughty and wise Hepburn also reversed her style for a kooky and impulsive role. While Grant's acrobatic and stage background gave him a leg up in the precise comic timing required in the slapstick and dialogue, Hepburn was less seasoned in that regard and studied with vaudeville veteran Walter Catlett, who was eventually given a featured role in the film.

The production was shot mostly in the Bay Area, with additional material at the Bel Air Country Club and on the studio lot. Extensive rewriting and improvisation occurred throughout the shoot, and delays were caused by this as well as having to work with multiple animals, the actors unable to stop laughing, and Hawks' own laid-back pace. The subtlety of the innuendo in the film allowed it to move past the censors with only minor changes.

Despite glowing reviews from preview audiences, the film did poorly in most markets, losing a small amount of money in its initial run. Subsequent releases soon turned a profit, but the perceived failure cost Hawks a job directing a major studio release (Gunga Din), as well as contributing to Hepburn being labeled "box-office poison" until her triumphant comeback in 1940 with The Philadelphia Story. Grant was unaffected, as he soon became (arguably) the biggest star of the era and appeared in an abundance of hits for the rest of his career.

Bringing Up Baby is now regarded as one of the greatest comedies ever made, having influenced countless works over the years. It was chosen for preservation by the National Film Registry in 1990, its second year selecting films for this honor.

Running time is approx. 100 minutes.