Holiday

The 1938 remake benefits from a more assured production and, of course, Cukor's direction. And the two are surprisingly close: Whole swatches of dialog from 1930 are lifted more or less bodily (the 1930 version, most likely, did the same with the stage dialog). And it's a rather stagy early talkie, trying, but not very hard, to move the action around and make it more cinematic. What the early version does have is Ann Harding. She's so lovely, and her playing has, I don't know, a stillness, a contemplation to it; she seems to think very hard about what to say before she says it. It lends a certain gravitas to what is already a fairly serious comedy dealing with rather large issues--how to live one's life, and how one's choices affect those around one. Mary Astor is also miles beyond Doris Nolan, creating a multifaceted, complicated character out of what could come across as just a selfish sister. Robert Ames hasn't Cary Grant's polished comedy playing or looks, but he's credible, and Edward Everett Horton is delightful in the same part he played in 1938. It's a mellow, thoughtful movie, marred but hardly ruined by the primitive movie-making. And we're very lucky to have Ann Harding's Oscar-nominated Linda Seton preserved.

Repertory and community theatres are ofttimes training grounds for future film actors and actresses. Connecticut-born and raised Katherine Hepburn learned the stagecraft in her state's small theatres. Ann Harding, an Academy Awards Best Actress nominee, found her "home theater" at the Hedgerow Theater just outside of Philadelphia, and returned there and other small live venues in the Pittsburgh area repeatedly to retain her acting skills.

A number of threads tie Hepburn to Harding in more ways than to perform in front of live audiences. Harding, marking her movie debut in 1929's 'Paris Bound' with actor Fredric March, played Linda Seton in July 1930's "Holiday." She's the freewheeling sister, Linda, to Julie (Mary Astor), who's fiancee, Johnny Case (Robert Ames) is brought to the family's palatial mansion to introduce him to her father, Edward (William Holden-not the more famous younger actor). Linda is attracted to Johnny because he's not the materialistic opportunist that runs deep in her family. Wealthy in his own right by wheeling and dealing in the stock market (this was right before the Market Crash in late 1929), Johnny wants to experience the world before settling down to a permanent job.

If this plot sounds familiar, Hepburn played Linda in the more famous 1938 version of "Holiday," opposite Cary Grant. The movie was based on the 1928 Broadway play by Phillip Barry. The understudy for actress Hope Williams, who played Linda on the stage, was none other than Katherine Hepburn. Playwright Barry became good friends with Hepburn when she was part of the acting troupe. When the actress was labeled 'box office poison' in the late 1930s and was unable to secure good movie roles, Barry came to the rescue and composed "The Philadelphia Story," written specifically for Hepburn.

Harding's Academy Award nomination boasted her career in film. She was very busy until she met and married in 1937 musical composer Werner Janssen, a six-time Academy Award nominee. The actress claims Werner was a controlling husband who discouraged her from the Hollywood scene. Harding picked up her movie appearances in 1942, and later concentrated on television roles up until the mid-1960s with spot parts in 'Dr. Kildare' and 'Ben Casey.' Another Hepburn link to Harding and the movie "Holiday" was Robert Ames, who played Johnny. The Hartford, Connecticut, born and raised silent movie actor from the early 1920s, he seemed to be successful in making the transition to talkies. But he was under tremendous strain in his love relationships. A lawsuit by his nightclub entertainer mistress for $200,000 alleged the actor promised to marry her after his 1930 divorce to socialite Muriel Oakes. A heavy drinker, Ames was under a doctor's medication to help him alleviate his withdrawal from alcohol. While on a Thanksgiving break in New York City with his family, he died at the Hotel Delmonico. The cause of death at 42 years of age was an acute reaction of abstaining from alcohol. He's buried at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford, Connecticut, the same cemetery as Katherine Hepburn is buried with her family.

If you get the chance to see this version of "Holiday," take it! Ann Harding is fabulous in the part of Linda, a role later played by Katharine Hepburn in the better known 1938 version. But another pleasure of this version is Mary Astor's excellent portrayal of Julia. She takes a rather blah and unrewarding role and really makes something of it. Highly recommended!

A one location film (The Seaton's Grand Estate), "Holiday" (1930) and "Holiday" (1938) are based on the 1928 play of the same name by Philip Barry. It is difficult to compare the two, because although they both follow the original play very closely and therefore can be loosely matched line for line for much of the runtime, their storytelling approaches are quite different.

Edward Griffith's 1930 version is a slower paced, more austere telling, with subtle nuances and more subdued performances. One could almost call it a more peaceful ride, as the leading characters love to call their adventures in life. George Cukor's version 8 years later with much higher ticket stars does add much humor and vigor. This is not to say that Griffith's version is not funny or playful, because it is. Cukor's 1938 adaptation is simply more ostentatious and maybe pretentious. This is due mainly to Katherine Hepburn's performance. Like all the characters she plays, her acting always seems too unnaturally forceful and often overdone. Cary Grant fans will not be disappointed, however, and the Potters- with Edward Horton reprising his role from the 1930 version- are better this time around. Likely because, in one of the few differences, the couple is working class rather than wealthy socialites- making the characters far more lovable and their scenes that much more entertaining without the slight prudishness of the haughty rich.

Therefore, forced to recommend one over the other, the updated 1938 version starring the popular Hollywood pairing with Grant & Hepburn is given the slight edge. With its more humorous and faster paced interpretation. Not only a slight one. It is highly recommended that audiences watch both versions to decide for themselves- on account of the fact that sometimes we actually need to turn it down a notch and appreciate more subtle and subdued performances.

Ironic how this entire "Holiday" takes place in one place. A stately mansion, no less. The ultimate staycation, maybe? In all seriousness, whichever version (preferably both) audiences choose, the general message and story are the same, and Philip Barry's narrative, with both insightful and witty dialogue, is an entertaining way to tell it. Well, what is that oh so important and very true message? Be true to ourselves, for compromising can only go so far in personal relationships before it becomes inadvisedly harmful, and money isn't everything in life- you can't take it with you!

Contrary to popular belief, Depression audiences enjoyed romantic comedies depicting the rich. It gave them a chance to imagine themselves in another world, escaping the desperation they were in for a few happy hours. Romantic comedies generally featured men or women who were spoiled, rich, and bored with their wealth. This was supposed to make the masses feel lucky they had a purpose in their lives......to find their next meals and keep looking for a job. Despite this fact, escapism still triumphed over reality for most audiences. After all, didn't you imagine you might be rich and/or wildly successful someday?