Steve Gruenwald (Steve G-2)
This is one of the movies I consistently try to introduce people to; a relatively unknown yet tremendously rewarding viewing experience. The script is remarkably intelligent and witty, yet, not at all mannered or artificial - the characters fully justify the lines. This is one of Cary Grant's very best performances, and one of Katherine Hepburn's; the chemistry between them is striking, far beyond the better-known (also excellent) The Philadelphia Story, and worlds beyond (charming but far more lightweight) Bringing Up Baby. The key is the directing, of course, plus one of their best scripts - or anyone's. They and Lew Ayres, especially, make you feel strongly for them, and supporting characters Doris Nolan, Edward Everett Horton, Henry Kolker and Jean Dixon make significant contributions. The overall arc of the story is somewhat predictable, but the details are wonderful. You do not want to miss a word, a facial expression, a nuance, from beginning to end.
lugonian
HOLIDAY (Columbia, 1938), directed by George Cukor, from the 1928 stage play by Philip Barry, is an updated comedy with serious overtones that marked the third screen collaboration of Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. While there are those who'd rather ignore their initial pairing of SYLVIA SCARLETT (RKO, 1935), in favor of the fast-paced/ madcap comedy of BRINGING UP BABY (1938), HOLIDAY, which immediately followed, offers both sophistication and originality, in spite the fact that the story had been filmed eight years earlier (Pathe, 1930)starring Ann Harding (Linda), Mary Astor (Julia), Robert Ames (John) and Monroe Owsley (Ned). The advantage both films have is the delightful presence of character actor Edward Everett Horton playing Nick Potter in both versions. For this edition, HOLIDAY, both Hepburn and Grant are at their finest.Set in New York City during both the Christmas and New Year's holidays, the narrative opens with 30-year-old Johnny Case (Cary Grant), returning from his skiing vacation in Lake Placid by taxi. He first stops over the apartment of his very best friends, Nick (Edward Everett Horton), a college professor, and his wife, Susan (Jean Dixon), with the news that he's met and now engaged to a girl he's met during his holiday, and will be married in ten days. This is followed by his visit to the home of his fiancé, Julia Seton (Doris Nolan) where he's to meet and acquaint himself with her family. To his surprise, Johnny finds Susan a debutante living in a Park Avenue mansion with stairways and elevators big enough to pass as a museum. During the course of the story, Johnny is introduced to Julia's brother, Ned (Lew Ayres), an unhappy individual who drowns his sorrows with alcoholic drinks; her sister, Linda (Katharine Hepburn), a carefree heiress who takes an immediate like towards the equally carefree Johnny; and her father, Edward Seton (Henry Kolker), a serious-minded banker whose business comes ahead if his family. He is both stunned and appalled after being told by Susan during his attendance in church of her engagement, and now intends to learn more about this young man. Linda, a "black sheep" of the family with sentimental memories of her late mother, yearns the love and affection from her father. She finds comfort in the family playroom on the fourth floor that was formerly her mother's place for escape. After the New Year's Eve engagement party for which Linda chooses not to attend, the Seton family is appalled to learn that Johnny, having worked since he was ten, has his own philosophy to enjoy life first by retiring young and going back to work after comprehending the reason for working in the first place. While Linda sides with his right to be free and happy while still young to enjoy life, both Julia and her father have other means of persuading Johnny to think as they do. Also appearing in the cast are Henry Daniell (Seton Cram, Julia's cousin); Binnie Barnes (Laura Cram, Seton's wife) Bess Flowers, Matt McHugh and Neil Fitzgerald, among others. The direction of George Cukor translates Donald Ogden Stewart's screenplay into a well produced production. Not a laugh-out-loud comedy, but a pleasant 93 minutes. Of those in the Seton family, Lew Ayres, shortly before achieving success in the "Doctor Kildare" film series (1938-1942) for MGM, wins both sympathy and honors for his realistic approach of a unhappy single man unable to fulfill his life's ambition as both drummer and composer of the "Seton Concert," now tied down to his strict father's idea of family tradition in the business world. Hepburn's Linda, the stronger of the siblings, a misunderstood member of the family, would rather lose her father's love than her the self-respect lost to her brother, Ned. Doris Nolan, who at times resembles Joan Fontaine through her profile and Fontaine hairstyle of the day, best described as "sweet and intelligent" who, in actuality, to be more like her father than her free-spirited sister. Amusing highlights include Grant's backward flip-flops to express happiness, Horton and Dixon's mini puppet show, and Hepburn's expertise in handling her character to resemble that of her personal self. She and Grant make a grand team, and it shows how much they commend each other with their scenes. Hepburn and Grant would team one more time in another screen adaptation of Philip Barry's based play to THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (MGM, 1940), shortly before Kate would win immortality with her much better known screen partner of Spencer Tracy in nine feature films during the course of 25 years.Due to the fact that HOLIDAY was formerly broadcast on commercial television often during the Christmas season, for some reason it's seldom listed as a "holiday" movie, hence the title. Aside from early distribution onto video cassette in the 1980s, and decades later on DVD, cable television broadcasts have varied, but commonly found on Turner Classic Movies where it been airing since its humble beginnings dating back to 1994. (****)
TheLittleSongbird
I saw Holiday as a fan of Cary Grant and of Katharine Hepburn, and like I did with Bringing Up Baby and The Philadephia Story, I loved it, from start to finish Holiday is quite simply magical entertainment. CINEMATOGRAPHY/PRODUCTION VALUES The cinematography for films made around this period, before and after and for this genre, often looks wonderful and holds up well. Holiday is no exception to the rule, while the costumes and sets add to Holiday's charm. MUSIC As an aspiring professional singer and music enthusiast I always look for good music. An uncredited Sidney Cutner provides the music here, and he does do a very good job. The music is memorable and fitting, and does have a somewhat timeless heart warming quality to it. STORY The story for Holiday is a very sweet and heart warming one. While things do get a tad overstated at the end, throughout George Cukor(who does a superb job directing this film) makes the story and situations upbeat and entertaining.SCREENPLAY Aside from the acting, the screenplay is what makes Holiday work so well, as it expertly mixes comedy, romance, social comment and pathos. The comedy is genuinely funny, the romance is sweet and warm, the social comment is relevant and done in a non-offensive way and the pathos is poignant. ACTING Holiday does have a superb support cast, with Doris Nolan, Edward Everett Horton and Lew Ayres particularly standing out. But for my money, the film's best asset is the performances and chemistry of the leads. Cary Grant is at his most charming and his most thoughtful, and I have yet to see a film of hers where Katharine Hepburn is as touching and as beautiful as she is here even playing the rich-girl character that we have seen before. And their chemistry sparkles like champagne bubbles. All in all, I think this film is wonderful. 10/10 Bethany Cox
