Holiday

Rating:
Summary: A Real Gem that Deserves to be on DVD
Review: "Holiday" is a wonderful film.....by far the best of the 4 Cary Grant/Katharine Hepburn collaborations. "Bringing up Baby" is great too, but "Holiday" is my sentimental favorite. It's funny, sweet, and stands up well to repeated viewing. It deserves to be on DVD (Let's Hope Sooner Than Later). This is a must have for Cary Grant Fans.

Rating:
Summary: 1938 GEM
Review: Based upon the famous 1928 play by Philip Barry, HOLIDAY is one of the wittiest and most sophisticated films of the thirties. Katharine Hepburn offers one her best performances, and she never looked more youthfully beautiful - she's freshly modern and she speaks her highly amusing lines with zest. Cary Grant plays Johnny Case, a charming,free-spirit with no social position; he and Linda (Kate) find they're kindred spirits in that they're unconventional (Linda Seton comes from wealth). Linda's weak alcoholic brother is played excellently by Lew Ayres and the stuffy Julia (their sister) is played by the now forgotten Doris Nolan. Director Cukor gets sterling performances from everyone and this delightful film has lost none of it's charm; it holds up very well. There was an earlier version made in 1930 starring Ann Harding and Mary Astor which is rarely seen; surprisingly, it's been hailed by critics as a "lost treasure" - though not quite on a par with this classic from 1938.

Rating:
Summary: A MASTERPIECE
Review: Columbia Classics:

It's been 6 long years since the advent of the DVD format and you have still not released this WONDERFUL classic on DVD. PLEASE DO SO ASAP.

I purchased most of your classic titles on laserdisc, and I and many of my friends are anxiously awaiting them on DVD. What is the hold-up? These classics deserve to be seen by film lovers and all students of film in the current best possible viewing format:

CARY GRANT CLASSICS AWAITING RELEASE:
THE AWFUL TRUTH (1937)

HOLIDAY (1938)
THE TALK OF THE TOWN (1942)

THE MORE THE MERRIER (1943)- JEAN ARTHUR

Rating:
Summary: Johnny Case, he's our man!
Review: Holiday remains my favorite film of all time, funnier and sweeter and more profound than any other romantic comedy I know of. So, like everyone else here, I'm telling you: see it.

So nice to see so many people agreeing on a movie. And a mystery why Bringing up Baby, which is as far as I'm concerned mereley cute, is the classic rather than this one. Even the philadelphia story, though beautifully written and brilliantly acted, is burdened by a dated and heartlessly sexist message. But the message of Holiday remains just as profound as ever. From the Linda's wry humor to Johnny's flip-flops, not to be missed.

Rating:
Summary: Are ye a goat, or are ye a sheep?
Review: I am a huge fan of "The Philadelphia Story". Looking for more from the trio of Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant and director George Cukor, I turned to "Holiday" (I haven't seen "Sylvia Scarlett", their other joint venture). Although it doesn't reach the glorious heights of their later triumph (not many movies do), "Holiday" comes close. Damn close. Closer than I thought possible.

Cukor once again proves that he is a master at handling actors. He manages perfect performances from his entire ensemble, even managing to position them in such a way that the film's main themes are amplified. Those themes, the very same ones found in "The Philadelphia Story", focus on the predicament of love across class lines. Johnny Case, a pulled-himself-up-by-his-bootstraps type, falls in love with Julia Seton over ten days in Lake Placid. Unknown to him, she is a wealthy socialite. Johnny only wants to make enough money so that he can vacation while he's young enough to explore the world and his place in it. How will Julia's family, stuck up in their "museum" of a mansion (equipped with an elevator!), react to this sort of anti-gluttony? This is the central question of the film. Cukor does a marvelous job balancing these social issues with the comedy and romance of the piece, and vice versa. Sure, we get the standard take on the matter (i.e., rich people are stuffy bores; the working class are charismatic and lively), but the story never feels standard. The points the film is trying to make are all in perfect proportion with the more entertaining aspects. Cukor does a fine job.

Also doing a fine job are Grant and Hepburn. This seems like a redundant statement, coming off "The Philadelphia Story" (and their non-Cukor pairing in "Bringing Up Baby"), but it should always be pointed out that these two screen giants are just so appealing and fun to watch. Their chemistry together is magic. Grant, once again in debonair mode (but with a grassroots appeal), plays a man that every woman in the room falls in love with and every man in the room wants to have a drink with. He fulfills each obligation, with room to spare. And Hepburn as Linda Seton, the free-spirit sister cooped-up in the "play room" (the only room in the mansion that is at all inviting to good humour), does some of her best work portraying a woman who sees her only shot at happiness walk through the door on the arm of her sister. These two have some wonderful flirtation moments when they first meet (my favourite: they trade-off making obnoxious goat noises in the other's face. Hepburn's is particularly fun to watch; she has to make a dash through deep-focus, sneaking up on Grant in the foreground. Anytime a classy actress like Hepburn gets to be the goofball for a moment, I'm there).

There's a wonderfully goofy scene that takes place in the play room, where Johnny, Linda, Ned and Johnny's life-long friends Prof. Nick and Susan Potter get to know each other. They are all witty, charming, and ready for a good time. The scene features some nifty acrobatics, a Punch and Judy puppet show, and Grant's turn through the paddywhack machine. This scene features perhaps some of the purest expressions of joy I've ever scene on film. It's power is made even more apparent when contrasted to some of the sadder moments, such as when Johnny realizes that he may have to leave his dreams behind, and take a dour bank job, just to be with a women who probably doesn't really love him. The quick transitions between frothy mirth and heartbreaking melancholy are what make this movie such a moving treat.

Hepburn and Grant are ably supported in these transitions by a wonderful supporting cast. Lew Ayres leads the way, as little brother Ned. He plays much the same role as Jimmy Stewart did in "The Philadelphia Story": the drunken conscience of the film. He doesn't get the girl, and he may be stuck in his unwelcome position, but he is blessed with wisdom unparalleled. Ayres acts as a sort-of Greek chorus, making under-his-breath cynical comments on the other characters. He does well in this respect, as well as in showing Ned's inherent sadness without making him melodramatic. Edward Everett Horton and Jean Dixon are frolicsome fun as the put-upon Potters (or "Porters" as their new snobby acquaintances insist on calling them). Henry Kolker's patriarch Edward Potter could have easily lapsed into the realm of one-dimensional despotism. Kolker manages to imbue some humanity into the tired old man. And Doris Nolan, as bride-to-be Julia Seton, begins the film as a charming young lady, only to show her true colours later on. She goes from being beloved by Johnny (and, vicariously, the audience), to being loathed with much ease.

"Holiday" has not the glowing reputation of its more celebrated sibling. But I felt such warm glows of satisfaction permeate over me while I was watching, that I will do my best to trumpet its name. It is easily as fine a film.

Rating:
Summary: On my Top ten all time Favorites!
Review: I remember as a child seeing the little Acrobatics that Grant and Hepburn in "Holiday" in excerps of great classic movies....I thought to myself ....that is what makes Classic movies Classic.
Of course we dont have any Cary Grant's or Kathrine Hepburn these days.....nor do we have Directors like George Cukor.
Lew Ayres as the Longsuffering Brother to Hepburn brings a perfect balance to the disfunction of the family.
Henry Kolker as Hepburns Father gives the distinctive upperclass controlling father a rich complexity. (also see Henry in "the cowboy and the lady" with Gary Cooper and Merle Oberon)

If you have come this far to read the reviews, I am sure you know the story or perhaps have seen the movie and want to see if your not the only one out there who loves this movie....
"Holiday" is held together by a great story.....a great director and great leads and supporting cast.

So without having to explain the story line....which I don't think I can word correctly and therefor sell "Holiday" respectively.....I will say that if your looking to add this to a video collection.....to keep in good company "Bringing Up Baby" and "Philidelphia Story" .....Share this movie with others who have not seen it at least!

Rating:
Summary: Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant in another Barry play
Review: Katharine Hepburn made three films in a row with Cary Grant when she brought her career back after being branded "Box Office Poison." The pair had first made "Sylvia Scarlett" together in 1936, the infamous film where Hepburn's character pretended to be a boy. In 1938 they made the classic screwball comedy "Bringing Up Baby" with director Howard Hawks and in 1940 Hepburn returned to stardom and Jimmy Stewart won an Oscar for "The Philadelphia Story." The latter had been a play specifically written for Hepburn by Philip Barry. In between these two classic films, Hepburn and Grant did "Holiday," another film based on a Barry play. Hepburn had been the understudy for Hope Williams in the original 1928 Broadway production and it was the way she picked up a glass in her screen test of a scene from the play that inspired director George Cukor to cast the young actress in her debut film "A Bill of Divorcement." Now, five years later, he would direct her in the second movie version.

The story begins with us meeting Johnny Case (Grant), an engaging young man with some interesting ideas about life. At Lake Placid he met Julia Seton (Doris Nolan), fell in love, and proposed to her. Coming to New York City to meet her family, he arrives at a mansion and is shocked to learn that his beloved is one of THE Setons. Julia's father (Henry Kolker) is not sure what to think of his daughter's intended, but Julia's rather unconventional sister, Linda (Hepburn) thinks Johnny is wonderful. The problem is that Johnny's big plan is to make his fortune when he is young and then retire (i.e., go on a "holiday"), returning to work again when he gets older, which is heresy to old man Seton. He and Julia will try to teach Johnny the error of his ways, while Linda offers her support. Helping to balance the odds for Johnny are his friends, Nick (Edward Everett Horton) and Susan Potter (Jean Dixon), the chief members of his fan club. Linda tries to keep Johnny and Julia together, but it seems she is the only one in the Seton household who appreciates Johnny on his own terms.

"Holiday" had been filmed in 1930 by Edward H. Griffith with Ann Harding as Linda, Mary Astor as Julia, and Robert Ames as Johnny. Edward Everett Horton played Nick Potter in that version as well, although his wife was played by Hedda Hopper. The screenplay for the 1938 version was done by Donald Ogden Stewart and Sidney Buchman, and it was primarily Stewart who punched up the script version of Barry's revolt against the stuffed-shirts of the world with smart and literate dialogue (Stewart had played the Nick Potter role on Broadway). The result was that the production ended up with some nice ensemble work. Hepburn was under contract to RKO at the time, but bought herself out of her contract to do this film with Cukor at Columbia. Her performance was arguably the most simple and straightforward of any she had done in films up to that point, with all of the pretense and mannerisms stripped away, and the scene where she compares her angular face, with those famous cheekbones, to that of a toy giraffe, is one of the most endearing shots in her film career. Granted, "Holiday" is not going to end up on the AFI's list of Top 100 Films like "Bringing Up Baby" and "The Philadelphia Story," but it is still an enjoyable, solid little filme in which the two stars actually get to do some acrobatics.

Rating:
Summary: Must Have
Review: Katharine Hepburn made three films in a row with Cary Grant when she brought her career back after being branded "Box Office Poison." The pair had first made "Sylvia Scarlett" together in 1936, the infamous film where Hepburn's character pretended to be a boy. In 1938 they made the classic screwball comedy "Bringing Up Baby" with director Howard Hawks and in 1940 Hepburn returned to stardom and Jimmy Stewart won an Oscar for "The Philadelphia Story." The latter had been a play specifically written for Hepburn by Philip Barry. In between these two classic films, #97 and #51 respectively on AFI's Top 100 Film of all-time, Hepburn and Grant did "Holiday," another film based on a Barry play. Hepburn had been the understudy for Hope Williams in the original 1928 Broadway production and it was the way she picked up a glass in her screen test of a scene from the play that inspired director George Cukor to cast the young actress in her debut film "A Bill of Divorcement." Now, five years later, he would direct her in the second movie version.

The story begins with us meeting Johnny Case (Grant), an engaging young man with some interesting ideas about life. At Lake Placid he met Julia Seton (Doris Nolan), fell in love, and proposed to her. Coming to New York City to meet her family, he arrives at a mansion and is shocked to learn that his beloved is one of THE Setons. Julia's father (Henry Kolker) is not sure what to think of his daughter's intended, but Julia's rather unconventional sister, Linda (Hepburn) thinks Johnny is wonderful. The problem is that Johnny's big plan is to make his fortune when he is young and then retire (i.e., go on a "holiday"), returning to work again when he gets older, which is heresy to old man Seton. He and Julia will try to teach Johnny the error of his ways, while Linda offers her support. Helping to balance the odds for Johnny are his friends, Nick (Edward Everett Horton) and Susan Potter (Jean Dixon), the chief members of his fan club. Linda tries to keep Johnny and Julia together, but it seems she is the only one in the Seton household who appreciates Johnny on his own terms.

"Holiday" had been filmed in 1930 by Edward H. Griffith with Ann Harding as Linda, Mary Astor as Julia, and Robert Ames as Johnny. Edward Everett Horton played Nick Potter in that version as well, although his wife was played by Hedda Hopper. The screenplay for the 1938 version was done by Donald Ogden Stewart and Sidney Buchman, and it was primarily Stewart who punched up the script version of Barry's revolt against the stuffed-shirts of the world with smart and literate dialogue (Stewart had played the Nick Potter role on Broadway). The result was that the production ended up with some nice ensemble work. Hepburn was under contract to RKO at the time, but bought herself out of her contract to do this film with Cukor at Columbia. Her performance was arguably the most simple and straightforward of any she had done in films up to that point, with all of the pretense and mannerisms stripped away, and the scene where she compares her angular face, with those famous cheekbones, to that of a toy giraffe, is one of the most endearing shots in her film career. Granted, "Holiday" is not going to end up on the AFI's list of Top 100 Films like "Bringing Up Baby" and "The Philadelphia Story," but it is still an enjoyable, solid little filme in which the two stars actually get to do some acrobatics.

Rating:
Summary: "Someone stop me; O someone please, just try and stop me!"
Review: The delectable combination of Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn is fully taken advantage of in George Cukor's 1938 "Holiday", the third straight film starring the unbeatable Grant-Hepburn pairing. Overall, they made four films together; 1937's "The Awful Truth", 1938's "Bringing Up Baby", "Holiday", and 1940's "The Philadelphia Story". Out of all of these wondrous films, "Holiday" is, for reasons I simply cannot grasp, the least popular. This jovial, upbeat, romantic comedy puts Grant in the pitch-perfect role of Johnny Case, a free-spirited man who has become engaged to uptight, money-obsessed Julia Seton (Doris Nolan). Upon meeting her family for the first time, he discovers that her family is filthy-rich... and that Julia has a vivacious, rebellious (and attractive) sister, Linda (Hepburn).

This irresistibly playful look at wealth, society, and marriage was adapted by Donald Ogden Stewart and Sidney Buchman from the 1928 Broadway play by Philip Barry. Hepburn understudied the part on Broadway before her screen tests, therefore perfectly nailing her role. Not to mention that her character of Linda is very much like Hepburn herself; bold, strong-willed, witty, and independent.

Wit, insight, deft characterization, family conflicts, and social commentary all come together to form an ingenious script full of some truly memorable lines. In addition, all of the characters are perfectly cast, interestingly written and suitably diverse, providing maximum entertainment.

Analogous to so many of Hepburn's movies, "Holiday" is about the kind of love you don't often see in movies; an atypical romance. This is a pure, sweet, and intelligent sort of love, one which we see develop and with which, by the end of the movie, we wholeheartedly agree.

Rating:
Summary: very entertaining but a little stagy
Review: This is a film version of a Philip Barry play, and like "The Philadelphia Story" (which he also wrote, and the film version of which also stars Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn) this movie has sparkling dialogue, memorable supporting characters, and occasional heavy-handed commentary. But it's very entertaining, and the leads and most of the supporting cast are great. Grant, in particular, manages to give a very effective and human performance in a role that could easily be a plot device, and Edward Everett Horton and Jean Dixon are a total hoot as the very unconventional friends of Grant.