High Society (1956) Reviews

• Even without Philadelphia Story to put it to shame, this is too much artifice, not enough wit

  secondtake2015-12-15

  High Society (1956) You can see this movie as one of the last of the great silver screen musicals —and running out of originality and verve. Or you can enjoy Cole Porter brought down to a middle class sensibility (never mind the wealth of the characters here). Or you can just marvel at some great footage of Louis Armstrong, and at the inclusion a black jazz band as a centerpiece in a big budget movie. So there are reasons to give this movie a try, even though it is fairly slow going, and a pale shadow of the original, the truly great 1940 "Philadelphia Story." Grace Kelly plays the leading woman about to be married, and she lacks the cool stony quality that Hitchcock wisely taps and instead tries to be a lively, witty, physically lithe leading lady. Just like Katherine Hepburn? Yes, except she's no Katherine Hepburn, and it all feels a bit striving. Likewise for Bing Crosby, who plays a laid back guy who happens to have a jazz band (and who does a good swinging song with Louis and crew alongside). He isn't quite screen magic—that is, he's no Cary Grant. Frank Sinatra is fine, but he has a smaller role. Alas. And so it goes. Brightly lit, with big flashy Technicolor set design, the mood throughout is upbeat and fun and funny. And so it's not a bad thing to view. But if you take at all seriously the contention of one man interceding on the groom for his ex-bride, whatever the Hays Code strategy, it just lacks edge and conviction. Cole Porter doesn't let us down, so there's always that!

• What a swelegant, elegant movie this is

  bkoganbing2005-06-06

  MGM was pretty lucky to secure the talents of Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Grace Kelly, Celeste Holm, and Louis Armstrong to get involved in this great musical adaption of The Philadelphia Story. Cole Porter contributed a great original score for this film with songs very specifically written to suit the talents of High Society's players. I do wish Celeste Holm had been given more to do than just the duet with Frank Sinatra, Who Wants To Be a Millionaire. On Broadway Celeste Holm was a musical star with Oklahoma and Bloomer Girl to her credit, but MGM didn't want to recognize that. For this film, the story is reset from Philadelphia to Newport, Rhode Island to bring in the famous Jazz Festival. Philip Barry's social commentary is toned down and a very partisan Greek Chorus is added in the person of Mr. Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong. Satchmo tells you right up front who he's pulling for to win Grace Kelly and he helps musically along the way. Satch and Bing have that classic Now You Has Jazz duet, so successful was it that they did an album together a few years later. Bing Crosby during his life was crazy about jazz musicians and there was no one he liked better than Louis Armstrong. No one on the planet could resist that man's joy for living. Grace Kelly got a chance to bat 1000 in the recording industry. She was no singer as she would have freely admitted, but Cole Porter wrote True Love specifically to accommodate her limited range and when she does the last two bars of True Love with Der Bingle she got a million selling record for her one and only platter. As for Bing he got his 20th Gold record and the only one not with Decca records. True Love was nominated for Best Song at the Oscars but lost to Doris Day's Que Sera Sera which boomed all over the charts in 1956. It was sadly Cole Porter's last opportunity to win an Oscar for one of his movie songs. Frank Sinatra got a couple of good ballads in You're Sensational and Mind If I Make Love to You, but what he's best remembered for is that classic Well Did You Evah duet with Bing. Today's fans can't possibly appreciate the screen meeting of the two best and best known singers for the previous generations. A musical summit conference. High Society's tone is a lot lighter than the Philadelphia Story. The cast in terms of acting ability are not in the same league as Grant, Stewart, Hepburn, and Hussey. But folks it is a musical. I doubt those stars could have carried off the Cole Porter score. You can't miss with a cast like this, in either film for that matter.

• The musical re-make of The Philadelphia Story

  NF092005-05-06

  High Society is a terrific film. If you are the type of movie fan who doesn't comprehend the ENTERTAIN part of entertainment and is eager and willing to flaunt that ignorance in film reviews, you will hate it. But if you don't mind it when movies may not end up with deep psychological messages or everybody dead or doomed to a life of misery, you'll agree. I'm the first to admit that this musical may not be DRAMATICALLY up to standard with The Philadelpia Story, but what musical could be, or should be, for that matter. The cast, however, is another thing entirely. As you probably know, the first cast was nearly incomparable. Suave and tremendously charming Cary Grant, the magnificent Katherine Hepburn, and, of course, Jimmy, who won an Oscar for his work and is never less than adorable. NEARLY incomparable.But if anyone can do it, it's gotta be Bing,Satchmo,Gracie,and the Voice. I find it hard to believe anyone in the world could possibly contest that, but since there are such unlikely specimens out there, I'd better explain. If there's a more magnificent marriage than that of Frank Sinatra and a Cole Porter masterpiece, I'd like to hear about it. But even perfection can be improved, when you add Bing Crosby, a witty little tune,and some hilarious ad libs, all courtesy of a few too many drinks.That makes up heaven, which can also go under the heading of '' Well, Did you Evah,'' without a doubt the best song ,and scene, in this film. But never fear, there are other gems as well. Grace Kelly is terrific in High Society. The not quite yet Princess of Monaco is not only breathtakingly beautiful, but adorable as well. Her drunken warbling of ''You're Sensational,'' as her stiffly embarrassed fiancé drags her through a crowd of very proper guests is hilarious, and I can never keep from laughing during the scene when she meets Mike Connor and Liz Embrie, also known as Frank Sinatra and Celeste Holm. Louis Armstrong doesn't have much to do in the picture, but what he does do is great. He introduces the film with a cute calypso number, sings a marvelous duet with Bing, and the way he say's,'' End of song, beginin' of the storyyy,'' is enough to make him unforgettable. Bing, of course, can NEVER be anything but magnificent. He remains an American icon, and all his talent, charm, and timeless quality are well displayed.He makes his easy-going way through some magical songs,too, including, two marvelous duets with his singing co-stars, and, of course, that little #1 record he did with Grace. Personally, I like Celeste Holm even more in High Society than I liked Ruth Hussey,who played the Liz Embrie role in Philadelphia Story.She's funny, charming,works well with Sinatra, sings a hilarious duet with The Voice, and has a beautiful smile. ( Not that the last thing mentioned matters, but it helps.) And now-the best for last. I have been a Sinatra adorer for years, so I'm more than a little biased, but I absolutely love Mr.Sinatra in this movie. His singing is flawless and incomparable, ( especially in ''You're Sensational,'') his charm and charisma even more evident than the considerable amount displayed by Mr.Crosby, and he's pure style and ring-a-ding ding.( Those blue eyes ain't bad either!) Oh, one complaint I've found about High Society is that it's outdated and it aged badly. I am 14 years old, so, if there WERE any reason to believe that, I'd be one of the first to know it. It is NOT outdated, has NOT aged badly, and it's one of the most entertaining and simply fun movies I've ever seen. And that is, as Satchmo says, the...'' End of storyyy!!''

• The unbeatable talents of three legendary stars in a nice musical comedy…

  Nazi_Fighter_David2008-05-24

  "High Society" unites the unbeatable talents of three legendary stars Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Louis Armstrong with the beautiful and talented Grace Kelly in her final role before she becomes the loving Princess of Monaco… Spoiled Tracy (Kelly) is about to marry a boring businessman John Lund, but on the eve of her nuptials, her ex-husband Crosby, who still calls her Sam, returns to try and put a stop to the wedding… On hand to cover her upcoming nuptials for a spy magazine are journalists Celeste Holm) and Sinatra, with the greatest American jazz musician Louis Armstrong providing with Crosby a musical jazz called "Now You Has Jazz." Armstrong opens the film from the back of the blue bus shared with his band, with a calypso song, while the classic "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" is lively sung by Sinatra and Holm alone in a big room filled with Kelly's many extravagant wedding gifts… Kelly is lovely as the refined woman flirting with three men… In scenes that required the softening of her unyielding nature, she seems so reserved and cold in manner… Sinatra sings to her "You're Sensational" and "Mind if I Make Love to You? Crosby sings "True Love."

• Sensational ... That's All

  stryker-51999-03-04

  A society wedding is being arranged in Newport, Rhode Island. The beautiful Tracy Lord is to marry George Kitteredge. However, Tracy's ex-husband, the songwriter Dexter Haven, has never stopped loving her and even now has hopes of winning her back. Two journalists, Mike Connor and Liz Imbrie, have arrived to cover the story for 'Spy' Magazine. Dexter has scheduled the Newport Jazz Festival for the same week as the nuptials, and this brings Louis Armstrong (playing himself) to town. The divine Tracy is adored by three men - Dexter, George and Mike Connor. She begins to harbour doubts about her forthcoming marriage... "High Society" is a charming reworking of "The Philadelphia Story", the Grant-Hepburn comedy, which was in turn a remodelling of a successful Broadway play. The one great difference with this version is that "High Society" is a glorious musical masterpiece. Cole Porter's score has to be one of the greatest collections of songs ever filmed. Grace Kelly is good as the imperious Tracy. "I'm a cold goddess," she intones, but she thaws spectacularly in the warmth of love. Bing Crosby as Dexter is his usual droll and stylish self. Crosby is a class act who holds the screen with effortless poise and cracks the funnies with sparkling sarcasm. Sinatra is in knockout form. Rarely has that legendary voice achieved the resonant timbre on display here. Satchmo blasts out a couple of breezy jazz numbers, and comments on the action like a latter-day Greek chorus. The songs include five all-time classics. "True Love" is a gorgeous duet in which Kelly unveils a tuneful if brittle singing-voice. "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" is rightly world-famous, and is staged here with clever clownage by Sinatra and Celeste Holm (playing Liz). Satchmo's band accompanies Crosby in a swinging "You Has Jazz". The showstopper, "What A Swell Party This Is", has Crosby and Sinatra at their very best, wisecracking self-referentially as they belt out a gem of a song. My personal favourite, "You're Sensational", is beautifully rendered by Sinatra. Watch Frank and Grace in the instrumental break, falling in love with their eyes only. A confection of sublime music and snappy dialogue, "High Society" is shot in bright, eye-catching Technicolor with an attractive pastel blue predominating throughout. A delightful film.