Bringing Up Baby is a 1938 American screwball comedy film directed by Howard Hawks, starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. The film tells the story of a paleontologist who finds himself in a number of predicaments involving a scatterbrained heiress and a leopard named Baby. The screenplay was adapted by Dudley Nichols and Hagar Wilde from a short story by Wilde which originally appeared in Collier's Weekly magazine on April 10, 1937.
The film was not a commercial success upon its release, but its popularity increased since it was shown on television during the 1950s. By the 1960s, analysts affirmed the film's quality, and it has appeared on a number of greatest-films lists, ranking 88th on the American Film Institute's 100 Greatest American films of all time list.
Some of the resources available to watch or purchase the film include Amazon Prime Video and The Criterion Collection. The latter offers a special edition Blu-ray with several features, including a new, restored 4K digital transfer, audio commentary from 2005 featuring filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich, and a new video essay on actor Cary Grant by author Scott Eyman.
Plot
Bringing Up Baby is a screwball comedy film that tells the story of a paleontologist named David Huxley, who finds himself in a series of predicaments involving a scatterbrained heiress named Susan Vance and a leopard named Baby.
The film's plot revolves around Susan's attempts to help David secure a donation for his museum while also trying to win his affection.
However, her efforts are complicated by the presence of her pet leopard, which she has named Baby. The leopard escapes from her home, leading to a series of chaotic events that threaten to derail David's plans and his upcoming wedding.
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Cast
- Katharine Hepburn as Susan Vance
- Cary Grant as Dr. David Huxley
- Charles Ruggles as Major Horace Applegate
- Walter Catlett as Constable Slocum
- Barry Fitzgerald as Mr. Gogarty
- May Robson as Aunt Elizabeth
- Fritz Feld as Dr. Fritz Lehman
Other uncredited cast members include William 'Billy' Benedict as David's Caddy, Billy Bevan as Joe the Bartender, and Stanley Blystone as the Doorman. The film was directed by Howard Hawks and produced by Hawks and Cliff Reid. The music was composed by Roy Webb, and the cinematography was done by Russell Metty.
Director: Howard Hawks
Writer: Hagar Wilde, Dudley Nichols, Hagar Wilde
Box Office Gross: $11,180
Distributor: RKO Radio Pictures
Genre: Comedy
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 18, 1938
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2008