When Rick at Classic Film & TV Cafe announced he was hosting a Dogathon I thought I might have to sit it out since my Disney viewing list isn't very long and lets face it, the most iconic, classic film dog is Asta and I was sure the Thin Man films would be grabbed up immediately. After just a couple of minutes and realizing I never turn down a Blogathon, Dogathon and most likely a Catathon if there ever is one, I thought about my favorite screwball comedy having a dog which adds a lot to it's story.
If you're a lover of Classic Films then you've seen Bringing Up Baby a few times. It's hysterically funny from beginning to end, showcasing Kate Hepburn and Cary Grant as they run around getting themselves into all kinds of hilarious but precarious situations. The little wired hair terrier, George adds to the fun along with a leopard or two and some of the best co-stars on the silver screen.
As anyone who has read my reviews knows, I do snark most of the time but there's no way I would ever attempt to re-write, try to replace lines that are already perfect so I'll do my best to showcase the highlights and what makes George another one of our favorite movie dogs. So, if you're ready, you're up to date on your rabies shots as well as equipped with your favorite snack food, let's get this party started.
I've never looked that closely at the movie poster but I have to say I'm a bit upset that George isn't on it and that pain in the butt leopard is being portrayed as a manageable baby! (Oh, sure his name is Baby but he's a jerk and he would never sit in a high chair!)
CAST:
Katharine Hepburn as Susan
Cary Grant as David Huxley
Charles Ruggles as Major Applegate
Walter Catlett as Slocum
Barry Fitzgerald as Mr. Gogarty
Mary Robson as Aunt Elizabeth
Fritz Feld as Dr. Lehman
George Irving as Mr. Peabody
Tala Birell as Mrs. Lehman
Virginia Walker as Alice Sparrow
Directed by Howard Hawks
Screenplay by Dudley Nichols
As the film opens we get our first glimpse of David Huxley. A Paleontologist and a deep thinker.
He's interrupted by his fiancee, Alice Sparrow and his boss who have great news. His intercostal clavicle has arrived. And it's not just any intercostal clavicle either. It's for his Brontosaurus that he's been working to complete for years.
Alice is quick to let him know that nothing gets in the way of his work, not even their wedding in 24 hours! Well, she is precious and being that this is a screwball comedy we know she'll be lucky to see this chap ever again let alone have the wedding of her dreams. Let's face it, Paleontologists are a wild bunch (so I hear!)
David makes his way out to the golf course where he has an important meeting with a potential donor for his research, Mr. Peabody. (What? They're rich and educated, you didn't expect them to chat over a game of horseshoes.)
Oh, there's Susan who is happy to be a wealthy nitwit. We get a funny scene of her confusing David's ball for hers then like any screwball comedy everyone is left even more confused. (I have to say I've played a lot of rounds of golf and I've never seen anyone that happy or dressed like a girl on her first day of missionary work on any hole!)
Other things Susan confuses is the car she arrived in, opting to drive off in David's car but not before banging it up.
I'm thinking that if you're dealing with the type of woman who's willing to drive off with you on the running board of your own car you should just call it a day before you end up wrapped around a tree like a pretzel. That's what insurance is for!
Susan ends up at a dinner club dressed like a crackpot who just got punked by a kid with 40 yards of shiny fabric and a fake fashion designers permit as she sidles up to a stranger who has olives. Yes, I know that sounds crazy but the olives actually have a purpose as David trips on them in 3...2...1 (Boy, I envy the idle rich!)
She manages to wind up with someone else's purse which is why David should have called the cops a few hours earlier while at the golf course. She's a flaky menace...The worst kind! (All I can say is I'm glad she's rich! Can you imagine her trying to rob a bank or figure out a time card while working a 9-5 job? Like an opossum trying to solve a rubik's cube)
Fresh out of banana peels, manholes or falling pianos, we get the torn coat gag as David tries his best to escape Susan, olives, hidden golf balls, and the fact that his fiancee gave him carte blanche to do his own thing for 24 hours. (This is like The Hangover except without friends, exotic locations and much needed blackouts!)
On her way to leave, David repays Susan with a very unfortunate dress tear. I have to say it does improve the dress even though her drawers go to her shins! (Somewhere Spencer Tracy is embarrassed and I get it!)
Remember back in the first scene when I said Paleontologists were "deep thinkers"? Yeah, I take that back as he goes to her apartment to get his coat repaired. How the a fire extinguisher doesn't explode while he gets his sleeve sewn to his sock I have no idea!
Susan's face when she finds out David is getting married in 24 hours.. Oh, I've seen that look before in "Desk Set"..Again, sorry Spencer Tracy!
Having survived the night, David answers the phone and it's Susan. Not being the kind of guy who says he has a rare disease that can only be treated near the Amazon...has to rush off for his boat... He hears her out! (Oh, and the intercostal clavicle has arrived!)
Susan is just calling to let him know that her brother's pet leopard, Baby has arrived and when he shows no signs of interest she fakes an attack by Baby. (Ladies, use this excuse only in case of emergencies but be warned that you'll need a leopard and a fire escape just in case your knight in shining armor arrives and he's not amused or mauled while trying to save you.)
David comes to her rescue with his bone only to find her looking okay although still as crazy as the Mad Hatter.
He's led to a bedroom where Baby is. Not sure if she's crazy or trying to have him killed over ripping her party dress.
They end up in a car together with Baby breathing down David's neck. Christ on a cracker, he's desperate for fun!
On their way to Aunt Elizabeth's country house to drop off Baby they end up behind a truck of chickens.
Which leads to this! David ends up buying a few chickens which can't be easy on a struggling Paleontologist's salary. (Baby was hungry!)
They end up stopping so David can go buy Baby a few pounds of meat where Susan gets all confused while talking to a local sheriff and to avoid a ticket she steals a car. (I know! I was going to tell you there's a circus in town but I'm trying to ease you into things.)
They finally make it to Susan's Aunt Elizabeth's home in the country where they manage to get Baby placed in a stall.
While David showers Susan gives his clothes to the housekeeper to be sent into town. This is her way of doing as much as possible to delay his departure. (Not being pre-code we get to see Cary in the shower and not Kate..for that I'm most grateful, although she would probably fall through the glass door and impel herself to a horseshoe and two ferns .)
Desperate for clothes, David is left with a wonderful robe for now.
And just in time to greet Aunt Elizabeth who thinks he's a bit imbalanced.
Oh, and there's George, Elizabeth's feisty little dog.
He's not a fan of David's so they bark and hiss at one another for a couple of minutes.
Oh, it could be worse and I'm sure it will get much worse so cheer up. If you were with Ms. Swallow right now you would be in a flower shop or sampling wedding cakes. Consider this an unusual bachelor party but without strippers, booze or blackmail photos.
Left alone, George finds the intercostal clavicle which he runs off with.
Now in the gardeners clothes, David tries to figure a way out of this mess while Susan manages to confuse him even more which is only fair since she's confusing me by opting to dress like Luise Rainer in The Good Earth.
It doesn't take long to realize George has kiped the bone so they head outside to start searching.
If anyone has ever walked in thong sandals and socks you know it's not the fasted way to get around. Of course I would never admit to doing that but Grant looks appropriate for hanging out with O-Lan Lite.
With a pep talk, George leads them to a spot then starts digging.
For me, these are some of the funniest scenes of the film as George goes to town. (Some friends of mine have a wired hair terrier who digs holes just like this which always reminds me of these scenes. Of course he's never dug up anything useful, just a few expensive tulips)
Of course these two get impatient so they help George dig.
Awww, just an old boot! I think I would look for the other one and ditch the thongs.
A bit later, George looks exhausted but pleased with himself.
Then we pan out and get a look at holes all over the yard but no bone.
Cary Grant delivers another funny line when he asks if George is even trying.
Susan gets stopped by her aunt while David chases George around some trees. It's time for dinner so the search will have to wait.
While David is off calling Alice to explain his delay back to town, Susan greets their dinner guest, Mr. Applegate. He's a big game hunter. (I hope he brought a shovel and a spare pair of shoes)
Back in his clothes, he saves George from getting attacked by Baby then off they go to dinner.
While everyone else discusses big game hunting, David keeps his eyes on George.
We get more funny scenes as George keeps getting up only to go in circles around the house with David following.
They pass the gardener on one run. Hmmm, he doesn't look like the type who would wear riding pants and thong sandals but since they're rich I'm guessing they have another gardener who's more fashionable.
As David and George wander back through everyone is talking about the fact that Susan has fallen hard for our boy genius. Of course everyone else thinks he's crazy and has suffered a mental breakdown. Guessing because Susan's rich they've given her a pass on her behavior. (Oh, well at least he's not a bum that she brought home from the city dump to pose as their butler! Wha..? That really is a movie?)
The gardener goes to his hidden stash of booze then leaves the gate open, allowing the leopard to escape.
Now that the leopard is loose he starts howling or whatever leopards do which starts a discussion on loons. (No, not Susan but an actual loon!)
These two brainiacs realize having Baby loose can't be healthy for George so they put their heads together for a solution without actually knocking heads. I would just put George on a lease but this is a screwball comedy.
So David calls the zoo to report a leopard on the loose. (A quick reminder there's also a circus in town and not this circus but one with animals and sword swallowers.)
Applegate and Elizabeth out for a walk, try out their loon calls which summons Susan and two peacocks. (Okay, that last part didn't happen but it would be funny!)
David and Susan head off to find George and the leopard with a croquet mallet, rope and a butterfly net. I'm starting to understand why it took David 5 years to find the intercostal clavicle. Guessing it was mistakenly placed on the Brontosaurus's tail by the last bone collector.
Of course they end up sliding down a hill. Somewhere George and Baby are watching while pointing and laughing. This is why I'm convinced not everyone is fit to own pets, have children or have a driver's license. Oh, and go for a walk without an adult.
Up on their feet again, they spot Baby and George on the other side of a creek.
George is busy ripping Baby a new one. This dog is tough but he would have to be to survive living in the country in Connecticut.
Of course I'm on team George since Aunt Elizabeth was probably going to have Baby delivered to make into a new coat or a piano stool.
These two manage to get all wet while trying to cross the creek. If they wander into quick sand or a patch of prickly pears I won't be surprised at all.
They stop to dry themselves after building a camp fire which causes David's clothes to shrink. (Don't they have city ordinances in Connecticut against this kind of stuff? You know, to keep the ditzy rich from harming themselves or deterring tourism.)
They find their way onto a road where the circus truck has stopped. It just happens to be carrying a wild leopard that's being disposed of after mauling a trainer. Not knowing this or much of anything unless it happened an hour ago, Susan helps it escape.
Then they manage to find George who's chased Baby or non Baby up on a roof.
They should have stocked up on meat while at the butcher's earlier. But David has decided to climb up on the roof with his croquet mallet and rope. (Perhaps they're saving the butterfly net in case he really gets out of hand!)
All of the commotion wakes the homeowner who just happens to be the man with the large supply of olives from the restaurant. He also happens to be thrilled to see Susan since she still has his wife's purse. (Just pack your monocles and relocate! You have no idea what this woman is capable of.)
He drags Susan inside to wait for the cops. This wasn't really necessary. Just tell her you have fairy dust and a box of buttons she can play with.
David comes back just in time as the cops pull up.
Of course it's the same cop who witnessed their earlier car theft.
Susan gets busy picking the lock. (I find this hard to believe given her antics over the last hour.)
The gardener shows up three sheets to the wind. (Boy, I hope this was his day off otherwise the rose bushes will look awful.)
Aunt Elizabeth and Mr. Applegate show up. The first thing I notice is that he's carrying a gun into a police station! Luckily it's 1938 when that was acceptable.
David has had enough of trying to explain things, he'd rather just do his time in peace.
Of course Susan, never content to just sit down or have a normal thought starts doing her gangster's mole routine in the next cell. (Who doesn't love Cary Grant and that face?)
She manages to talk her way out of her cell. (It's scenes like this that make me happy that the studio's paired Cary and Kate up again! They really were wonderful together on screen. (Again, sorry Spencer Tracy!)
Susan starts smoking right next to guns. Guessing these people don't know her. This could get ugly.
Right after Susan escapes out a window (No, not sure how she managed it without killing herself but perhaps the butterfly net broke her landing!) Mr. Peabody and Alice shows up.
Oh, and there's George and Baby. Perhaps they'll make sense of things.
Susan is soon to follow with the circus leopard. (They're going to need a bigger jail!)
After everything is back to normal, we meet up with Alice and David. Poor Alice, she has broken off their engagement. (Most likely not because of his country adventure with Susan but because he's as dumb as a stump. (If I could give Alice some words of advice it would be to 1. Don't give your fiancee permission to focus on anything but your wedding the day before and 2. Find yourself a nice day trader who's only quirk is stamp collecting.)
Susan shows up with the intercostal clavicle and the news that David will get his grant while wearing a strange hat. (Either she found the bone in a bee hive or I'll never understand the fashions of 1938!)
We get a closeup of the Brontosaurus and I have to say Howard Hawks dropped the ball on this one. They look like paper mache bones. I haven't seen a prop this badly made since "The Little Shop of Horrors", 1960!
Never content to just do something normal for five minutes, Susan decides to climb up.
Which causes this! And no wonder, it's made of wet paper.
We have to have our happy ending since these two are in love so David saves her. (For the safety of Manhattan I hope the museum doors have been cemented shut behind them....Stay tuned for "Nightmare At the Museum", the sequel.
Well, that's my look back at "Bringing Up Baby", the funniest screwball comedy of all time in my opinion. I know I've seen it at least 30 times and it's just as funny now as the first time I saw it as a kid. It has so many quotable lines which I've used over the years.
David to Susan "Not YOU and definitely not you!"
David referring to George: "Oh, just look at the nasty little cur, he's been digging!"
David after George has dug a few holes: "I don't think he's even trying!"
Being that this is the first ever Dogathon that I know of, I'm dedicating it to my two favorite dogs. My parents dogs which they often state are my little brothers!
Bob Barker, who's so fat and old he doesn't dig. He does walk at a turtles pace though and the only trick he knows is bringing his food bowl to you when he's hungry and when he's not! (He's often confused!) Oh, and he has escaped in my parents golf cart twice. While left in it at my parents local store (I think my dad was inside buying fish bait because that's what you do when you're retired and you live at the lake), he managed to kick it into gear, running up over a curb and into the store window. Then I left him and his sidekick Buddy in the golf cart while running in to pick up a take out order at a cafe once. When I came outside they were both headed backwards in it, rapidly approaching a car. (I've never seen dogs looking so pleased with themselves.) Luckily I was able to drop the food and chase them down before they hit something.
Here's the sidekick, Buddy who's also known as "The nasty little cur" to my parents chagrin. And I can't prove it but I'm pretty certain he's the one who puts Bob Barker up to all of his golf cart shenanigans. Let's face it! Bob Barker isn't all that motivated or clever on his own.
Thanks for stopping by everyone, and please check the Dogathon schedule for all of the other entries
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Even Anna May Wong has gone all Hollywood. Just look at those claws! She's taking this seriously.
OH, Bette Davis! I can't hate on you for this outfit and posing with a dead tree and a sad bush really does highlight everything going on here perfectly!
Here's Barbara Stanwyck showing us her inner sex kitten. Perhaps she should save that for Robert Taylor!
I really don't have anything bad to say about Joan Crawford here. If I were ripping and running back in the 20's I would have chosen this same outfit. Work IT Joanie but get yourself a new hairdresser!
I have to say I'm a bit afraid of Dolores Del Rio here! She's standing on that poor polar bear with a look like she just skinned it then wrap herself in it's hide. I bet Cedric Gibbons is somewhere cowering in fear.
Elizabeth Taylor in another one of her gorgeous furs.
Lupe Velez is here to upstage Dolores! You just know she hunted that polar bear down and killed it with a kick to the throat. And that was after a night of partying. Lupe kicks ass!
The beautiful Paulette Goddard. I wonder how many men have seen this photo and fantasized about getting stuck in an igloo with her?
