Shown: January 1, 2018 at 6pm
Director : Charles Walters
Country : USA
Release Date : 1956
Duration : 111 mins
Language : English
Subtitles : No
A glossy Technicolor musical remake of The Philadelphia Story, decked out with million-watt star power and a Cole Porter score. Set amongst the rich and famous in Newport, Rhode Island, the story involves the wedding plans of socialite Tracy Lord (Grace Kelly) who is set to marry stuffy George Kittridge (John Lund), while magazine writer Mike Connor (Frank Sinatra) and photographer Liz Imbrie (Celeste Holm) intend to cover the ceremony. Meanwhile, Tracy’s ex-husband C.K. Dexter-Haven (Bing Crosby) also comes calling, ostensibly to the attend the annual Newport Jazz Festival, but actually for the purpose of winning Tracy back. In the course of events, Mike falls in love with Tracy, and she with him. The Jazz Festival subplot allows scriptwriter John Patrick to bring Louis Armstrong into the proceedings, much to the delight of anyone who cares anything about music.
“ ‘High Society’ is nigh-unbeatable. It matches Bing with Frank, establishes what everyone in 1956 would think of as ‘our song’ in Crosby’s ‘True Love’, allows Celeste Holm a shot at immortality duetting with Frankie on ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?’ and hauls in Louis Armstrong to act as singing Greek chorus on the title song and ‘Now You Has Jazz’. It’s sensational.” (Empire Magazine)