Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant in “Bringing Up Baby”

Bringing Up Baby (1938) is an American screwball comedy directed by Howard Hawks and starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. The screenplay was written by Dudley Nichols and Hagar Wilde, cinematography by Russell Metty, with music by Roy Webb.

When Dr. David Huxley, an awkward paleontologist (Grant) meets a Susan Vance, daffy heiress (Hepburn), both of their lives will never be the same. David is engaged to be married to Alice Swallow (Virginia Walker), but that doesn’t keep Susan from being smitten with David. She actively pursues him, much to his chagrin and anyone else who gets caught in her wake.

Today considered one of the funniest screwball comedies of all time, Bringing Up Baby was a critical and commercial flop when first released.

Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn

Howard Hawks (1896 - 1977) was an American director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the great directors from the classic Hollywood era. Hawks excelled in directing films in all genres. His films were famous for featuring strong women characters. These tough-talking “Hawksian women” helped to define the director’s work. Some of Hawks’ popular films include Scarface (1932) Bringing Up Baby (1938), Only Angels Have Wings (1939), His Girl Friday (1940), To Have and Have Not (1944), The Big Sleep (1946), Red River (1948), and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953). Gary Cooper won a Best Actor Academy Award for his performance in Sergeant York (1941) under Hawks’ direction.

Katharine Hepburn (1907 - 2002) was an American actress of stage, screen, and television. She is the Oscar champ, winning four competitive Best Actress Awards. She received her first in 1933 for Morning Glory and her fourth for On Golden Pond (1981). Other Hepburn films include Little Women (1933), Alice Adams (1935), Stage Door (1937), Holiday (1938), The Philadelphia Story (1940), Woman of the Year (1942), Adams Ribs 1949), and The African Queen (1951). Hepburn continued acting as late as 1994, concentrating on television acting in The Man Upstairs (1992) with Ryan O’ Neal and This Can’t Be Love with Anthony Quinn.

Cary Grant (1904 - 1986) was an English-born American actor who became one of the most popular leading men in film history. Grant started his career in vaudeville before heading to Hollywood. He became a superstar in the late 1930s in a series of screwball comedies including The Awful Truth (1937) with Irene Dunne. He was a memorable C. K. Dexter Haven in The Philadelphia Story (1940) opposite Katharine Hepburn and James Stewart. He received two Best Actor nominations for Penny Serenade (1941) and None but the Lonely Hearts (1944). Other classic Grant films include Gunga Din (1939), Only Angels Have Wings (1939), and Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). He made four popular films with Alfred Hitchcock: Suspicion (1941), Notorious (1946), To Catch a Thief (1955), and North by Northwest (1959). He was presented with an Honorary Oscar at the 42nd Academy Awards in 1970.

Bringing Up Baby Trivia:

• This was Hepburn’s first comedy and she was coached by Hawks and several vaudevillians acting in the movie.
• RKO executives thought the film would be a flop because there wasn’t enough romance. They also didn’t like the glasses Grant wore in the film; they wanted the director to take them away.
• Grant didn’t think he would ever be a star at this point in his career. At nearly 34, he thought his time for stardom may have past.
• After the film’s release, Hepburn was declared box-office poison and Hawks was fired from his next film assignment.

To watch the film on YouTube, click the link below.

Don’t let the title fool you, it’s in English. 

Why watch this film?

• To watch the pairing of Hepburn and Grant, two years before The Philadelphia Story.
• The dialogue is fast and furious, just like Howard Hawks’s His Girl Friday.
• The film features a wonderful collection of character actors including May Robson and Charlie Ruggles.
• It’s classic example of the screwball comedy genre.

To join the discussion on October 18, 2021, at 6:30 p.m., click here. Once you RSVP,  you will receive an invitation and a link to the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions:

1. What did you enjoy most about this film?
2. Why do you think the film wasn’t a success upon its first release?
3. Do you think Hepburn and Grant were a good comedy team?
4. Can you see anyone else in the Hepburn role?
5. Do you think the film deserves to be considered a classic today?
6. Did you have a favorite scene or piece of dialogue?
7. Was there a character actor that stood out to you?

Grant and Hepburn on the RKO backlot with “Baby”

“Bringing Up Baby” 4th film in Screwball Comedy series screened February 11, 2014

When: Tuesday, February 11, 2014 6:30 p.m.
Where: The Venue 1550 at the Daystar Center, 1550 S. State Street

Today Bringing Up Baby starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant is considered a classic. In June 2000, the comedy classic came in at number 14 in the American Film Institute’s (AFI) 100 Years…100 Laughs list. Upon it’s initial release, it’s success was spotty. It played at New York’s Radio City Music Hall for only one week; it was quickly replaced by Jezebel starring Bette Davis. Reviews were mixed, with some of the harshest criticism coming from Frank S. Nugent of The New York Times. Nugent said “Miss Hepburn has a role which calls for her to be breathless, senseless, and terribly, terribly fatiguing. She succeeds, and we can be callous enough to hint it is not entirely a matter of performance.”

The tale of Susan Vance (Hepburn) and her infatuation with paleontologist, David Huxley (Grant) is one that is fast-moving, hilarious, and exhausting! The dialogue is snappy and spirited, as are the antics of Hepburn and Grant, who get to show off their talents for physical comedy. Director Howard Hawks initially considered Carole Lombard, but Hepburn was eventually given the female lead. The male lead was offered to Robert Montgomery, Fredric March and Ray Milland. They all turned it down. Grant having gained new-found fame after his star turn in The Awful Truth, was reluctant to play a scientist, but eventually used the opportunity to renegotiate his non-exclusive contract with RKO, the studio producing the film (Grant made more money than top-billed Hepburn).

Katharine Heburn, Skippy, and Cary Grant

Having had a run of several disappointing pictures, while under contract to RKO, Hepburn’s movie career was in decline. Before Bringing Up Baby’s release, Hepburn was declared box-office poison by the Independent Theatre Owners of America. After Baby’s release, Hepburn returned to the stage and wouldn’t make a movie for two whole years. Grant on the other hand was moving up in the world and was a fan favorite. In 1940, Hepburn triumphantly returned to the screen in The Philadelphia Story, costarring Grant and James Stewart.


Backstory: Besides leads, Hepburn and Grant, Baby is populated with a wonderful collection of character actors, including Charlie Ruggles, May Robson, Walter Catlett, and Barry Fitzgerald. And Skippy the dog, who had supporting roles in The Thin Man Movies and The Awful Truth, barks his way through another classic film.

Join the Chicago Film club, join the discussion
The Chicago Film Club is for classic movie fans. Once a month we screen a classic film and have a brief discussion afterward. For more information, including how to join (it’s free), click here.To purchase your ticket in advance, click here. The Venue 1550 is easily accessible by the CTA. Please visit Transit Chicago for more information on transportation options.