Synopsis
Childhood friends Tracy Lord and C.K. Dexter Haven got married and quickly divorced. Now Tracy is about to marry again, this time to a shrewd social-climbing businessman. C.K. still loves her. Spy magazine blackmails Tracy's family by threatening to reveal her playboy father's exploits if not allowed to cover the wedding. A remake of the 1940 rom com The Philadelphia Story.
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Cast
- Bing CrosbyC. K. Dexter-Haven
- Grace KellyTracy Lord
- Frank SinatraMike Connor
- Celeste HolmLiz Imbrie
- John LundGeorge Kittredge
- Louis CalhernUncle Willie
- Sidney BlackmerSeth Lord
- Louis ArmstrongSelf
- Margalo GillmoreMrs. Seth Lord
- Lydia ReedCaroline Lord
Recommendations
- 88
ReelViews
High Society doesn't just have a voice -- it has a heart and a soul as well. - 80
BBC
After opening with a calypso tune from the inimitable Louis Armstrong, High Society really has nowhere to go but down, yet somehow director Charles Walters manages to keep this Technicolor musical sparkling through the next 100 minutes. - 80
The Guardian
Wonderful entertainment. - 80
Total Film
So what if director Charles Walters settles for mimicking George Cukor's set-ups shot for shot - he still deserves a fat slap on the back for flawlessly shoehorning in a half-dozen belting Cole Porter numbers. - 70
Chicago Reader
While Walters is no Cukor, he's not without his pleasures. His simple but polished shooting style, once a routine satisfaction of the cinema, carries the aura of a long-lost classical grace. - 70
Variety
Fortified with a strong Cole Porter score, film is a pleasant romp for cast toppers Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra. Their impact is almost equally consistent. Although Sinatra has the top pop tune opportunities, the Groaner makes his specialties stand up and out on showmanship and delivery, and Kelly impresses as a femme lead. - 63
Chicago Tribune
It suffers from stilted Vista Vision staging and a lack of gloss -- but has some sparkling Cole Porter musical numbers. [26 Sep 1999, p.26C] - 60
Time Out
A slightly misbegotten musical, but with many pleasures and Louis Armstrong, growing into sweet avuncularity.
