Producer: Frank Capra. A Liberty Films Production. Copyright 23 March 1948 by Liberty Films, Inc. An M-G-M picture, released through Loew's Inc. (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer). New York opening at the Radio City Music Hall: 22 April 1948. U.S. release: 30 April 1948. U.K. release: 4 October 1948. Australian release: 19 August 1949. 11,139 feet. 124 minutes. U.K. and Australian release title: The WORLD AND HIS WIFE.
SYNOPSIS: "Liberal" aircraft tycoon Grant Matthews is touted as a dark horse contender for the Republican nomination in the upcoming Presidential campaign. Mary Matthews, estranged from her husband, is asked to join Grant on his cross-country platform-thumping tour, to quell rumors about his liaison with Kay Thorndyke, the newspaper publisher backing his campaign bid.
NOTES: The play opened on 14 November 1945 at the Hudson and ran a most highly successful 765 performances. Ralph Bellamy, Ruth Hussey, Myron McCormick, Minor Watson and Kay Johnson starred. The play was directed by Bretaigne Windust for producer Leland Hayward.
COMMENT: When Spencer Tracy is not handing us the "wonderful America for honest men" bit, this film is quite entertaining. A pity producer/director Frank Capra couldn't make virtue as attractive or interesting as the less savoury characters so well portrayed by Menjou, Lansbury, Dingle, Watkin, Turner, Smith, Walburn et al, who, of course, have all the best lines. One suspects most of these are lifted from the original play by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse and that screenwriters Anthony Veiller (who also acted as Associate Producer) and Myles Connolly contributed most of the dull stuff spoken by Tracy and Hepburn as well as the irrelevant and utterly incredible business in the airplane.
George J. Folsey's photography is far more attractive than the careless mis-spelling of his name on the film's credits would indicate.
Despite the billing, it's actually Menjou's picture, not Tracy's. Nor Hepburn's. Menjou has all the memorable lines of caustic wit and delivers most of the trenchant satire. Tracy is stuck with all the Boys Town rhetoric and empty jingoism; whilst, Hepburn, making a late entrance, is the Voice of Conscience. That her voice is tiring and tiresome is not her fault. The part was originally tailored for Claudette Colbert with all the wit and snappy comebacks of the Broadway Mary removed.
When Colbert walked out and Miss Hepburn was signed, there was no time to put all the crackle back into the part (not that Tracy minded this, as he had no wish whatever to be up-staged).
SYNOPSIS: "Liberal" aircraft tycoon Grant Matthews is touted as a dark horse contender for the Republican nomination in the upcoming Presidential campaign. Mary Matthews, estranged from her husband, is asked to join Grant on his cross-country platform-thumping tour, to quell rumors about his liaison with Kay Thorndyke, the newspaper publisher backing his campaign bid.
NOTES: The play opened on 14 November 1945 at the Hudson and ran a most highly successful 765 performances. Ralph Bellamy, Ruth Hussey, Myron McCormick, Minor Watson and Kay Johnson starred. The play was directed by Bretaigne Windust for producer Leland Hayward.
COMMENT: When Spencer Tracy is not handing us the "wonderful America for honest men" bit, this film is quite entertaining. A pity producer/director Frank Capra couldn't make virtue as attractive or interesting as the less savoury characters so well portrayed by Menjou, Lansbury, Dingle, Watkin, Turner, Smith, Walburn et al, who, of course, have all the best lines. One suspects most of these are lifted from the original play by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse and that screenwriters Anthony Veiller (who also acted as Associate Producer) and Myles Connolly contributed most of the dull stuff spoken by Tracy and Hepburn as well as the irrelevant and utterly incredible business in the airplane.
George J. Folsey's photography is far more attractive than the careless mis-spelling of his name on the film's credits would indicate.
Despite the billing, it's actually Menjou's picture, not Tracy's. Nor Hepburn's. Menjou has all the memorable lines of caustic wit and delivers most of the trenchant satire. Tracy is stuck with all the Boys Town rhetoric and empty jingoism; whilst, Hepburn, making a late entrance, is the Voice of Conscience. That her voice is tiring and tiresome is not her fault. The part was originally tailored for Claudette Colbert with all the wit and snappy comebacks of the Broadway Mary removed.
When Colbert walked out and Miss Hepburn was signed, there was no time to put all the crackle back into the part (not that Tracy minded this, as he had no wish whatever to be up-staged).