Introduction
Welcome to my corner! Last week, I shared my thoughts on the film Some Like It Hot. This week, I'm sharing my thoughts on the film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (another Sidney Poitier film!).
Leading up to the Academy Awards/Oscars, the TCM TV channel paid homage to the award ceremony by broadcasting Oscar nominees and winners from February 1 to March 3. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner played on TCM on February 23.
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is a 1967 American romantic comedy drama film produced and directed by Stanley Kramer, and written by William Rose. It stars Spencer Tracy (in his final role), Sidney Poitier, and Katharine Hepburn, and features Hepburn's niece Katharine Houghton.
The film was one of the few of the time to depict an interracial marriage in a positive light, as interracial marriage historically had been illegal in many states of the United States. It was still illegal in 17 states, until June 12, 1967, six months before the film was released, and scenes were filmed just before anti-miscegenation laws were struck down by the Supreme Court in Loving v. Virginia.
In 2017, on its 50th anniversary, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The film's Oscar-nominated score was composed by Frank De Vol.
Plot: When Joanna Drayton (Katharine Houghton), a free-thinking white woman, and black doctor John Prentice (Sidney Poitier) become engaged, they travel to San Francisco to meet her parents. Matt Drayton (Spencer Tracy) and his wife Christina (Katharine Hepburn) are wealthy liberals who must confront the latent racism the coming marriage arouses. Also attending the Draytons' dinner are Prentice's parents (Roy E. Glenn Sr., Beach Richards), who vehemently disapprove of the relationship.
Acting: Sidney Poitier played Dr. John Wade Prentice. As always, Poitier does a fantastic job in his given role. He's allowed to show a range of emotions with this role and he steps up to the plate. I'm bound to love any movie Poitier is in. I've yet to find one that I haven't liked.
Katharine Houghton played Joanna "Joey" Drayton. There really isn't much to say about her role. She didn't seem to be on the screen much, and when she was, she was always in a similar state. The only time she wasn't happily and bubbly was at the end when she shed a few tears. She was fine in her role. Although I do wish they had given her character more depth and screen time.
Spencer Tracy played Matt Drayton. Despite being a major star of Hollywood's Golden Era, I actually haven't seen many of Tracy's movies. I think the only one I've seen so far is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which I saw for the first time last year around Halloween. Seeing him in two completely different films and roles is a sight to behold. He obviously has a great range.
Katharine Hepburn played Christina Dayton. Hepburn's another Hollywood legend, and again I think I've only seen one other movie of hers, On Golden Pond. I've only seen it once, but I remember it fondly. Multiple times throughout Guess Who's Coming to Dinner Hepburn's characters tears it up and she does it seamlessly. She is a terrific actress.
Technical Aspects: It sounds like it's a miracle this movie was completed, at least with all the cast members intact. Tracy was in failing health throughout production. His condition was so bad that they couldn't even get insurance coverage for him (in case a replacement actor was needed). Which is why the director and Hepburn put their salaries on the line to cover it.
The film was the ninth and final on-screen pairing of Tracy and Hepburn. Tracy was very ill during filming but insisted on continuing. Filming of his role was completed just 17 days before his death in June 1967. Hepburn never saw the completed film, saying it would be too painful for her. The film was released in December 1967, six months after Tracy's death.
Themes: The obvious themes of this movie cover racism and love. Made in a time where interracial couples were unheard of and certainly taboo, this movie serves as a conversation starter, a point of moving forward and changing times. I'd like to say that our world/society is better now, and in some ways it is, but we still have a long way to go. Acceptance is key.
Final Thoughts: Only known each other for 10 days? Fell in love in 20 minutes? I don't think so. Also asking your family to be okay with everything in less than 24 hours? A bit selfish. Making decisions behind your partner's back? Not great. As much as I don't like these aspects of the story, or don't believe them, I did enjoy the movie. It's not one I would revisit often, but I can see why it's a classic.
Where to watch it: Currently, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is not available to watch for free on any streaming service (according to Google), but you can buy it or rent it for a few dollars. I've also donated a DVD copy of the film to the Emil M. Larson Library in Clark for you all to enjoy if you choose to.
That's it for this week! What were your thoughts? Feel free to share them with us! You can call us, email us, visit us at the office, leave us a comment or message on Facebook, or even mail us something. Keep the comments, suggestions, questions, submissions, etc. coming our way! We'd love to hear from you!
