You Can’t Take It With You – Best Picture Winner; 1938

The Basics – You Can’t Take It With You (1938) – Director – Frank Capra; starring Jean Arthur, Jimmy Stewart, Lionel Barrymore; Run Time – 126 mins. – Comedy, Romance –  “A man from a family of rich snobs becomes engaged to a woman from a good-natured but decidedly eccentric family.”

Prior Knowledge

Kristy – In order to prepare the food, I had to do a little research on the movie, so I know that it is basically about a collision of worlds between two very different families.

Koob – All I know about this movie is that it is by the great Frank Capra.

Fun Facts

–Shortly before filming began, Lionel Barrymore lost the use of his legs to crippling arthritis and a hip injury. To accommodate him, the script was altered so that his character had a sprained ankle, and Barrymore did the film on crutches.

–Lionel Barrymore plays Jean Arthur‘s grandfather in the film. In reality, he was only 22 years her senior.

-A 1938 feature film usually ran to 8,000 feet of film. Frank Capra shot 329,000 feet for this one.

-The original play by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman won the 1937 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was still running on Broadway when the film opened.

–The first film collaboration of Jean Arthur, James Stewart and Frank Capra. Later the same teamed up for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939).

Viewing Source – Free streaming video @ http://stagevu.com/video/lchbzzytrcbd

Post Viewing Responses

 

Ratings (with 1 star = the worst and 5 stars = the best)

Koob: 3 stars

Kristy: 4 stars

Double Gobble Score: 3.5 stars

 

The Takeaway: An under-appreciated Frank Capra film that should be recognized by modern audiences for its witty, intelligent comedy and memorable cast of characters.

 

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