Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Encyclopedia
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is a 1967 American drama film starring Spencer Tracy
, Sidney Poitier
and Katharine Hepburn
, and featuring Hepburn's niece Katharine Houghton
. The film was groundbreaking for its positive representation of the controversial subject of interracial marriage
, which historically had been illegal in most states of the United States, and was still illegal in 17 states, mostly Southern states
, up until June 12 of the year of the film's release, when anti-miscegenation laws
were struck down by the Supreme Court
in Loving v. Virginia
. The film was produced and directed by Stanley Kramer
and written by William Rose
. The movie's Oscar-nominated score was composed by Frank DeVol.
The film is notable for being the ninth and final on-screen pairing of Tracy and Hepburn (filming ended just seventeen days before Tracy's death). Hepburn never saw the completed film; she said the memories of Tracy were too painful. The film was released in December 1967, six months after his death.
), a young white woman who has had a whirlwind romance with Dr. John Prentice (Sidney Poitier
), a young, idealistic black physician she met while in Hawaii
. The plot centers on Joanna’s return to her liberal
upper class
American home in San Francisco, bringing her new fiancé to dinner to meet her parents (newspaper publisher Matt Drayton (Spencer Tracy
), perhaps a Hearst
characterization, and his wife, small art gallery owner Christina Drayton (Katharine Hepburn
)). John's parents (Roy E. Glenn, Beah Richards
) fly up from Los Angeles
to the Draytons' dinner but don't know that Joanna is white until they meet her. Monsignor Ryan (Cecil Kellaway
), a senior Catholic priest friend of Mr. Drayton's, is also present at dinner and is a voice for tolerance. The film depicts the reaction of family and friends, the discomfort of her parents, and also of John's father, a retired postal carrier, as they all try to accept the choice of Joanna and John. The film also touches on black-on-black racism when John is taken to task by his father and the household cook (Isabel Sanford
) for his perceived presumption. Prentice's conditioning of the marriage is dependent upon Mr. Drayton's approval (unbeknownst to Joey), and Mr. Drayton faces a deadline around John's airline flight schedules.
According to Kramer, he and Rose intentionally structured the film to debunk ethnic stereotypes; the young doctor, a typical
role for the young Sidney Poitier, was purposely created idealistically perfect, so that the only possible objection to his marrying Joanna would be his race, or the fact she had only known him for ten days: the character has thus graduated from a top school, begun innovative medical initiatives in Africa
, refused to have premarital sex with his fiancée despite her willingness, and leaves money in an open container on his future father-in-law's desk in payment for a long distance phone call he has made.
Kramer and Rose composed the film script in five weeks.
Kramer stated later that the principal actors believed so strongly in the premise that they agreed to act in the project even before seeing the script. Production had been set for January 1967 and ended on May 26, 1967.
Spencer Tracy was dying and insurance companies refused to cover him; Kramer and Hepburn put their salaries in escrow
so that if he died, filming could be completed with another actor. According to Kramer, "'You're never examined for insurance until a few weeks before a picture starts. With all his drinking and ailments, Tracy always qualified for insurance before,so nobody thought it would be a problem in this case. But it was. We couldn't get insurance for Spence. The situation looked desperate. So then we figured out a way of handling it. Kate and I put up our own salaries to compensate for the lack of an insurance company for Spence. And we were allowed to proceed.'"
The filming schedule was altered to accommodate Tracy's failing health. All of Tracy's scenes and shots were filmed between 9:00AM and noon of each day in order to give him adequate time to rest. For example, most of Tracy's dialogue scenes were filmed in a such a way that during close-ups on other characters, a stand-in was substituted for him
Tracy's failing health was more serious than most people are aware of. According to Sidney Poitier:
"The illness of Spencer dominated everything. I knew his health was very poor and many of the people who knew what the situation was didn't believe we'd finish the film, that is, that Tracy would be able to finish the film. Those of us who were close knew it was worse than they thought. Kate brought him to and from the set. She worked with him on his lines. She made sure with [Stanley] Kramer that his hours were right for what he could do, and what he couldn't do was different each day. There were days when he couldn't do anything. There were days when he was great, and I got the chance to know what it was like working with Tracy."
A bust of Spencer Tracy sculpted by Hepburn herself was used as a prop, on the bookshelf behind the desk where Sidney Poitier makes his phone call. Tracy passed away two weeks after he completed his work on the film.
Katharine Hepburn significantly helped cast her niece, Katharine Houghton, for the role of Joey Drayton. Concerning the matter, Hepburn stated: "There was a lovely part for Kathy [Houghton], my niece [...]She would play Spencer's and my daughter. I loved that. She's beautiful and she definitely had a family resemblance. It was my idea."
According to Hepburn, the role of Joey Drayton would be one of Houghton's first major roles as a young actress. "The part of my daughter," Kate said, "was a difficult one. A young unknown actress needs more opportunity to win the sympathy of the audience. Otherwise, too much has to depend on her youth, innocence, and beauty. She had one good speech to win the audience, but it was cut. Instead she only talks with her father about the differences between the principles he taught her and the way he's behaving."
An interesting tidbit about Sidney Poitier concerning the production of the film was that he frequently found himself star-struck and as a result, a bit tongue-tied, in the presence of Hepburn and Tracy, whom he considered to be "giants" as far as acting is concerned. However, Poitier found a way to overcome his nerves. "When I went to play a scene with Tracy and Hepburn, I couldn't remember a word. Finally Stanley Kramer said to me, 'What are we going to do?' I said, 'Stanley, send those two people home. I will play the scene against two empty chairs. I don't want them here because I can't handle that kind of company.' He sent them home. I played the scene in close-up against two empty chairs as the dialogue coach read Mr. Tracy's and Miss Hepburn's lines from off camera."
Given the tense nature of racial tension in America during the time of the film's production, Poitier felt he was "under close observation by both" Tracy and Hepburn during their first dinner meetings prior to production. But he swiftly won them over. Due to Tracy and Hepburn's close history with Kramer, Poitier cited that Hepburn and Tracy came to bear on him "the kind of respect they had for Kramer, and they had to say to themselves (and I'm sure they did), This kid has to be pretty okay, because Stanley is nuts about working with him".
's "Society's Child
", groundbreaking in popular music for many of the same reasons, debuted on the Hot 100.
The film premiered in theaters on January 1, 1968. The release of the film in the U.S. gave Poitier his third box office success in six months.
The film was released on DVD on May 22, 2001.
The film was released on VHS on December 12, 1987.
The film falls into the genre of Comedy Drama and has an MPAA Rating of NR.
In a 1995 review of the film by Ted Wick of Alberta Report Newsmagazine, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is deemed as being "well-worth viewing (or re-viewing)."
In a review of the film by New York Times, Lawrence Van Gelder wrote: "the suspicion arises that were the film made today its makers would come to grips a good deal more bluntly with the problems of intermarriage. Still, this remains a deft comedy and - most of all - a paean to the power of love."
?" After the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968, this line was removed from the film, so by August 1968, almost all theaters showings of this film had this line omitted. As early as 1969, the line was restored to many but not most prints, and the line was preserved in the VHS and DVD versions of the film as well.
directed a remake for television in 1975.
In 2003, comedian Daniele Luttazzi
published the screenplay Tabù, an almost verbatim parody
of the film. In the variation, the engaged lovers are aged 40 (him) and 12 (her), and are brother and sister.
The 2005 film Guess Who
starring Ashton Kutcher
and Bernie Mac
is a loose remake styled as a comedy rather than a drama with the racial roles reversed; black parents are caught off-guard when their daughter brings home the young white man she has chosen to marry. Of the film, Bernie Mac told USA Today
in 2003, "Interracial dating is not that significant anymore." In the article, the writer cites that during the time at which the original movie was filmed, "interracial marriage was considered risky." Casting for Mac's remake of the film began in November 2003. Mac said of the script, "They want to make it a comedy, but I won't disrespect Spencer, Katharine or Sidney (Poitier)."
Irish writer Roddy Doyle
wrote a short story by the same title about an Irish girl who brings home an immigrant from Nigeria, published in 2008 in the collection The Deportees.
Spencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Tracy was one of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, ranking among the top ten box office draws for almost every year from 1938 to 1951...
, Sidney Poitier
Sidney Poitier
Sir Sidney Poitier, KBE is a Bahamian American actor, film director, author, and diplomat.In 1963, Poitier became the first black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field...
and Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. In a career that spanned 62 years as a leading lady, she was best known for playing strong-willed, sophisticated women in both dramas and comedies...
, and featuring Hepburn's niece Katharine Houghton
Katharine Houghton
Katharine Houghton is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Joanna "Joey" Drayton, a Caucasian woman who brings home an African-American fiancé to meet her parents, in the 1967 film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner...
. The film was groundbreaking for its positive representation of the controversial subject of interracial marriage
Interracial marriage
Interracial marriage occurs when two people of differing racial groups marry. This is a form of exogamy and can be seen in the broader context of miscegenation .-Legality of interracial marriage:In the Western world certain jurisdictions have had regulations...
, which historically had been illegal in most states of the United States, and was still illegal in 17 states, mostly Southern states
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
, up until June 12 of the year of the film's release, when anti-miscegenation laws
Anti-miscegenation laws
Anti-miscegenation laws, also known as miscegenation laws, were laws that enforced racial segregation at the level of marriage and intimate relationships by criminalizing interracial marriage and sometimes also sex between members of different races...
were struck down by the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
in Loving v. Virginia
Loving v. Virginia
Loving v. Virginia, , was a landmark civil rights case in which the United States Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, declared Virginia's anti-miscegenation statute, the "Racial Integrity Act of 1924", unconstitutional, thereby overturning Pace v...
. The film was produced and directed by Stanley Kramer
Stanley Kramer
Stanley Earl Kramer was an American film director and producer. Kramer was responsible for some of Hollywood's most famous "message" movies...
and written by William Rose
William Rose (screenwriter)
William Rose was an American screenwriter of British and Hollywood films.Although born in Jefferson City, Missouri, after the 1939 outbreak of World War II, Rose lived in Canada and volunteered to fight overseas with the Black Watch...
. The movie's Oscar-nominated score was composed by Frank DeVol.
The film is notable for being the ninth and final on-screen pairing of Tracy and Hepburn (filming ended just seventeen days before Tracy's death). Hepburn never saw the completed film; she said the memories of Tracy were too painful. The film was released in December 1967, six months after his death.
Summary
The film tells the story of Joanna "Joey" Drayton (Katharine HoughtonKatharine Houghton
Katharine Houghton is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Joanna "Joey" Drayton, a Caucasian woman who brings home an African-American fiancé to meet her parents, in the 1967 film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner...
), a young white woman who has had a whirlwind romance with Dr. John Prentice (Sidney Poitier
Sidney Poitier
Sir Sidney Poitier, KBE is a Bahamian American actor, film director, author, and diplomat.In 1963, Poitier became the first black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field...
), a young, idealistic black physician she met while in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. The plot centers on Joanna’s return to her liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
upper class
Upper class
In social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
American home in San Francisco, bringing her new fiancé to dinner to meet her parents (newspaper publisher Matt Drayton (Spencer Tracy
Spencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Tracy was one of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, ranking among the top ten box office draws for almost every year from 1938 to 1951...
), perhaps a Hearst
William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...
characterization, and his wife, small art gallery owner Christina Drayton (Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. In a career that spanned 62 years as a leading lady, she was best known for playing strong-willed, sophisticated women in both dramas and comedies...
)). John's parents (Roy E. Glenn, Beah Richards
Beah Richards
Beah Richards was an American actress of stage, screen and television. She was a poet, playwright and author....
) fly up from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to the Draytons' dinner but don't know that Joanna is white until they meet her. Monsignor Ryan (Cecil Kellaway
Cecil Kellaway
Cecil Lauriston Kellaway was a South African-born character actor.Cecil Kellaway spent many years as an actor, author, and director in the Australian film industry until he tried his luck in Hollywood in the 1930s. Finding he could get only gangster bit parts, he got discouraged and returned to...
), a senior Catholic priest friend of Mr. Drayton's, is also present at dinner and is a voice for tolerance. The film depicts the reaction of family and friends, the discomfort of her parents, and also of John's father, a retired postal carrier, as they all try to accept the choice of Joanna and John. The film also touches on black-on-black racism when John is taken to task by his father and the household cook (Isabel Sanford
Isabel Sanford
Isabel Sanford was an American actress best known for her role as Louise "Weezy" Jefferson on the CBS television sitcoms All in the Family and The Jeffersons .-Career:...
) for his perceived presumption. Prentice's conditioning of the marriage is dependent upon Mr. Drayton's approval (unbeknownst to Joey), and Mr. Drayton faces a deadline around John's airline flight schedules.
Cast
- Spencer TracySpencer TracySpencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Tracy was one of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, ranking among the top ten box office draws for almost every year from 1938 to 1951...
as Matt Drayton - Sidney PoitierSidney PoitierSir Sidney Poitier, KBE is a Bahamian American actor, film director, author, and diplomat.In 1963, Poitier became the first black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field...
as Dr. John Prentice - Katharine HepburnKatharine HepburnKatharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. In a career that spanned 62 years as a leading lady, she was best known for playing strong-willed, sophisticated women in both dramas and comedies...
as Christina Drayton - Katharine HoughtonKatharine HoughtonKatharine Houghton is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Joanna "Joey" Drayton, a Caucasian woman who brings home an African-American fiancé to meet her parents, in the 1967 film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner...
as Joanna "Joey" Drayton - Cecil KellawayCecil KellawayCecil Lauriston Kellaway was a South African-born character actor.Cecil Kellaway spent many years as an actor, author, and director in the Australian film industry until he tried his luck in Hollywood in the 1930s. Finding he could get only gangster bit parts, he got discouraged and returned to...
as MonsignorMonsignorMonsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
Ryan - Beah RichardsBeah RichardsBeah Richards was an American actress of stage, screen and television. She was a poet, playwright and author....
as Mrs. Prentice - Roy E. Glenn as Mr. Prentice
- Virginia ChristineVirginia ChristineVirginia Christine was an American film and television actress and voice artist. Christine had a long career as a character actress in film and television. She played "Mrs...
as Hilary St.George - Alexandra HayAlexandra HayAlexandra Lynn Hay was a character actress of the 1960s and 1970s. She was a native of Los Angeles, California, and graduated from Arroyo High School in El Monte....
as Carhop - Isabel SanfordIsabel SanfordIsabel Sanford was an American actress best known for her role as Louise "Weezy" Jefferson on the CBS television sitcoms All in the Family and The Jeffersons .-Career:...
as Matilda 'Tillie' Binks - Barbara RandolphBarbara RandolphBarbara Randolph was an African American singer and actress who recorded for Motown Records in the 1960s.She was born in Detroit, Michigan, and was adopted by the actress Lillian Randolph, who appeared in It's a Wonderful Life and many other movies...
as Dorothy - D'Urville MartinD'Urville MartinD'Urville Martin was an American actor and director in both film and television. He appeared with regularity in numerous 1970s movies in the blaxploitation genre of films. He also appeared in the first two pilots of what would become All in the Family as Lionel, the role later played by Mike Evans...
as Frankie - Tom Heaton as Peter
- Grace Gaynor as Judith
- Skip Martin as Delivery Boy
- John Hudkins as Cab Driver
- Jacqueline Fontaine as Singer (uncredited)
Production
Production List- Produced by: Stanley Kramer
- Associate Producer: George GlassGeorge GlassGeorge Glass was an American film producer and publicist, best known for his work with Stanley Kramer. In Kramer's 1997 autobiography, describing how he formed his first production company in the late 1940s, he called Glass "one of the best publicity men in town", and remarked "I was fortunate to...
- Directed by: Stanley Kramer
- Assistant Director: Ray Gosnell
- Original Screenplay by: William Rose
- Photography by: Sam Leavitt
- Special Effects by: Geza Gaspar
- Process Photography by: Larry Butler
- Production Designer: Robert Clatworthy
- Set Decorator: Frank Tuttle
- Music by: Frank de Vol
- Sound Recorders: Charles J. Rice, Robert Martin
- Film Editor: Robert C. Jones
- Costumes by: Joe King
- Wardrobe Supervisor: Jean Louis
- Song "Glory of Love" by: Billy Hill, sung by Jacqueline Fontaine
According to Kramer, he and Rose intentionally structured the film to debunk ethnic stereotypes; the young doctor, a typical
Typecasting (acting)
In TV, film, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character; one or more particular roles; or, characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ethnic groups...
role for the young Sidney Poitier, was purposely created idealistically perfect, so that the only possible objection to his marrying Joanna would be his race, or the fact she had only known him for ten days: the character has thus graduated from a top school, begun innovative medical initiatives in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, refused to have premarital sex with his fiancée despite her willingness, and leaves money in an open container on his future father-in-law's desk in payment for a long distance phone call he has made.
Kramer and Rose composed the film script in five weeks.
Kramer stated later that the principal actors believed so strongly in the premise that they agreed to act in the project even before seeing the script. Production had been set for January 1967 and ended on May 26, 1967.
Spencer Tracy was dying and insurance companies refused to cover him; Kramer and Hepburn put their salaries in escrow
Escrow
An escrow is:* an arrangement made under contractual provisions between transacting parties, whereby an independent trusted third party receives and disburses money and/or documents for the transacting parties, with the timing of such disbursement by the third party dependent on the fulfillment of...
so that if he died, filming could be completed with another actor. According to Kramer, "'You're never examined for insurance until a few weeks before a picture starts. With all his drinking and ailments, Tracy always qualified for insurance before,so nobody thought it would be a problem in this case. But it was. We couldn't get insurance for Spence. The situation looked desperate. So then we figured out a way of handling it. Kate and I put up our own salaries to compensate for the lack of an insurance company for Spence. And we were allowed to proceed.'"
The filming schedule was altered to accommodate Tracy's failing health. All of Tracy's scenes and shots were filmed between 9:00AM and noon of each day in order to give him adequate time to rest. For example, most of Tracy's dialogue scenes were filmed in a such a way that during close-ups on other characters, a stand-in was substituted for him
Tracy's failing health was more serious than most people are aware of. According to Sidney Poitier:
"The illness of Spencer dominated everything. I knew his health was very poor and many of the people who knew what the situation was didn't believe we'd finish the film, that is, that Tracy would be able to finish the film. Those of us who were close knew it was worse than they thought. Kate brought him to and from the set. She worked with him on his lines. She made sure with [Stanley] Kramer that his hours were right for what he could do, and what he couldn't do was different each day. There were days when he couldn't do anything. There were days when he was great, and I got the chance to know what it was like working with Tracy."
A bust of Spencer Tracy sculpted by Hepburn herself was used as a prop, on the bookshelf behind the desk where Sidney Poitier makes his phone call. Tracy passed away two weeks after he completed his work on the film.
Katharine Hepburn significantly helped cast her niece, Katharine Houghton, for the role of Joey Drayton. Concerning the matter, Hepburn stated: "There was a lovely part for Kathy [Houghton], my niece [...]She would play Spencer's and my daughter. I loved that. She's beautiful and she definitely had a family resemblance. It was my idea."
According to Hepburn, the role of Joey Drayton would be one of Houghton's first major roles as a young actress. "The part of my daughter," Kate said, "was a difficult one. A young unknown actress needs more opportunity to win the sympathy of the audience. Otherwise, too much has to depend on her youth, innocence, and beauty. She had one good speech to win the audience, but it was cut. Instead she only talks with her father about the differences between the principles he taught her and the way he's behaving."
An interesting tidbit about Sidney Poitier concerning the production of the film was that he frequently found himself star-struck and as a result, a bit tongue-tied, in the presence of Hepburn and Tracy, whom he considered to be "giants" as far as acting is concerned. However, Poitier found a way to overcome his nerves. "When I went to play a scene with Tracy and Hepburn, I couldn't remember a word. Finally Stanley Kramer said to me, 'What are we going to do?' I said, 'Stanley, send those two people home. I will play the scene against two empty chairs. I don't want them here because I can't handle that kind of company.' He sent them home. I played the scene in close-up against two empty chairs as the dialogue coach read Mr. Tracy's and Miss Hepburn's lines from off camera."
Given the tense nature of racial tension in America during the time of the film's production, Poitier felt he was "under close observation by both" Tracy and Hepburn during their first dinner meetings prior to production. But he swiftly won them over. Due to Tracy and Hepburn's close history with Kramer, Poitier cited that Hepburn and Tracy came to bear on him "the kind of respect they had for Kramer, and they had to say to themselves (and I'm sure they did), This kid has to be pretty okay, because Stanley is nuts about working with him".
Film Facts
Filming ended less than a week before Janis IanJanis Ian
Janis Ian is an American songwriter, singer, musician, columnist, and science fiction author. Ian first entered the folk music scene while still a teenager in the mid-sixties; most active musically in that decade and the 1970s, she has continued recording into the 21st century...
's "Society's Child
Society's Child
"Society's Child " was a song written in 1965 by Janis Ian.It centered around the then-taboo subject of interracial romance...
", groundbreaking in popular music for many of the same reasons, debuted on the Hot 100.
The film premiered in theaters on January 1, 1968. The release of the film in the U.S. gave Poitier his third box office success in six months.
The film was released on DVD on May 22, 2001.
The film was released on VHS on December 12, 1987.
The film falls into the genre of Comedy Drama and has an MPAA Rating of NR.
Reviews and Reception
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner was a box office hit in 1968 throughout the United States, including in the southern states where it was traditionally assumed that few white filmgoers would want to see any film with black leads. As a result, the success of this film meant that particular consideration in film marketing would never be considered a problem again. Despite this success, which included numerous film award nominations, Frank Rich of the New York Times wrote in November 2008 that the film was frequently labeled as dated among liberals. Another main point of contention was the fact that Poitier's character, the golden future son-in-law, had no flaws and a resume of good deeds that could fill an entire volume. A lot of people felt that the dynamic between the Draytons and Dr. John Wade Prentice (Poitier's character) would have inevitably resulted in a happily-ever-after film ending because Poitier's character was so perfect, respectable, likable, and proper. Some people went as far as saying Prentice was 'too white' to not be accepted by the Draytons.In a 1995 review of the film by Ted Wick of Alberta Report Newsmagazine, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is deemed as being "well-worth viewing (or re-viewing)."
In a review of the film by New York Times, Lawrence Van Gelder wrote: "the suspicion arises that were the film made today its makers would come to grips a good deal more bluntly with the problems of intermarriage. Still, this remains a deft comedy and - most of all - a paean to the power of love."
Variant versions
The original version of the film that played in theaters in 1968 contained a moment in which the sassy maid Tillie responds to the question "Guess who's coming to dinner now?" with the sarcastic one-liner "The Reverend Martin Luther KingMartin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
?" After the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968, this line was removed from the film, so by August 1968, almost all theaters showings of this film had this line omitted. As early as 1969, the line was restored to many but not most prints, and the line was preserved in the VHS and DVD versions of the film as well.
Wins
The film won two Academy Awards and two BAFTAs:- 1967: Academy Award for Best ActressAcademy Award for Best ActressPerformance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
(Katharine Hepburn) - 1967: Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay
- 1968: BAFTA Film AwardBritish Academy of Film and Television ArtsThe British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
for Best Actor (Spencer Tracy) - 1968: BAFTA Film AwardBritish Academy of Film and Television ArtsThe British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
for Best Actress (Katharine Hepburn) - 1968: David di DonatelloDavid di DonatelloDavid di Donatello, named after Donatello's David, is a movie award assigned each year for cinematic performances and production by Ente David di Donatello, part of Accademia del Cinema Italiano. It is the Italian equivalent to the Academy Award. There are 24 categories as of 2006.- History :The...
for Best Foreign Producer (Stanley Kramer) - 1968: David di DonatelloDavid di DonatelloDavid di Donatello, named after Donatello's David, is a movie award assigned each year for cinematic performances and production by Ente David di Donatello, part of Accademia del Cinema Italiano. It is the Italian equivalent to the Academy Award. There are 24 categories as of 2006.- History :The...
for Best Foreign Actor (Spencer Tracy) - 1968: David di DonatelloDavid di DonatelloDavid di Donatello, named after Donatello's David, is a movie award assigned each year for cinematic performances and production by Ente David di Donatello, part of Accademia del Cinema Italiano. It is the Italian equivalent to the Academy Award. There are 24 categories as of 2006.- History :The...
for Best Foreign Actress (Katharine Hepburn)
Nominations
- 1967: Academy Award for Best PictureAcademy Award for Best PictureThe Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only...
- 1967: Academy Award for Best Director
- 1967: Academy Award for Best ActorAcademy Award for Best ActorPerformance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
(Spencer Tracy) - 1967: Academy Award for Best Supporting ActorAcademy Award for Best Supporting ActorPerformance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
(Cecil Kellaway) - 1967: Academy Award for Best Supporting ActressAcademy Award for Best Supporting ActressPerformance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
(Beah Richards) - 1967: Academy Award for Best Art DirectionAcademy Award for Best Art DirectionThe Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. The Academy Award for Best Art Direction recognizes achievement in art direction on a film. The films below are listed with their production year, so the Oscar 2000 for best art direction went to a film from 1999...
(Robert ClatworthyRobert ClatworthyRobert Clatworthy was an American art director. He won an Academy Award and was nominated four more times in the category Best Art Direction.-Selected filmography:...
, Frank TuttleFrank Tuttle (set decorator)Frank Tuttle was an American set decorator. He was nominated for three Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction.-Selected filmography:Tuttle was nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Art Direction:...
) - 1967: Academy Award for Film EditingAcademy Award for Film EditingThe Academy Award for Film Editing is one of the annual awards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Nominations for this award are closely correlated with the Academy Award for Best Picture. Since 1981, every film selected as Best Picture has also been nominated for the Film Editing...
- 1967: Academy Award for Best Original ScoreAcademy Award for Best Original ScoreThe Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:...
(Frank DeVol)
American Film Institute recognition
- AFI's 100 Years... 100 MoviesAFI's 100 Years... 100 MoviesThe first of the AFI 100 Years… series of cinematic milestones, AFI's 100 Years…100 Movies is a list of the 100 best American movies, as determined by the American Film Institute from a poll of more than 1,500 artists and leaders in the film industry who chose from a list of 400 nominated movies...
#99 (REMOVED) - AFI's 100 Years... 100 CheersAFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers100 Years…100 Cheers: America's Most Inspiring Movies is a list of the most inspiring films as determined by the American Film Institute. It is part of the AFI 100 Years… series, which has been compiling lists of the greatest films of all time in various categories since 1998...
#35 - AFI's 100 Years... 100 PassionsAFI's 100 Years... 100 PassionsPart of the AFI 100 Years… series, AFI's 100 Years…100 Passions is a list of the top 100 greatest love stories in American cinema. The list was unveiled by the American Film Institute on June 11, 2002, in a CBS television special hosted by American film and TV actress Candice Bergen.-The...
#58
Remakes
Stanley KramerStanley Kramer
Stanley Earl Kramer was an American film director and producer. Kramer was responsible for some of Hollywood's most famous "message" movies...
directed a remake for television in 1975.
In 2003, comedian Daniele Luttazzi
Daniele Luttazzi
Daniele Luttazzi , real name Daniele Fabbri, is an Italian theater actor, writer, satirist, illustrator and singer/songwriter. His stage name is a homage to musician and actor Lelio Luttazzi...
published the screenplay Tabù, an almost verbatim parody
Parody film
A parody film is a comedy that satirizes other film genres or films. Although the genre is often overlooked, parody films are commonly profitable at the box office...
of the film. In the variation, the engaged lovers are aged 40 (him) and 12 (her), and are brother and sister.
The 2005 film Guess Who
Guess Who (film)
Guess Who is a 2005 American comedy film about race relations directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan. It is a loose remake of the 1967 film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, in the form of a romantic comedy...
starring Ashton Kutcher
Ashton Kutcher
Christopher Ashton Kutcher , best known as Ashton Kutcher, is an American actor, producer, former fashion model and comedian, best known for his portrayal of Michael Kelso in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show...
and Bernie Mac
Bernie Mac
Bernard Jeffrey McCullough , better known by his stage name, Bernie Mac, was an American actor and comedian. Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Mac gained popularity as a stand-up comedian. He joined comedians Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and D. L...
is a loose remake styled as a comedy rather than a drama with the racial roles reversed; black parents are caught off-guard when their daughter brings home the young white man she has chosen to marry. Of the film, Bernie Mac told USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
in 2003, "Interracial dating is not that significant anymore." In the article, the writer cites that during the time at which the original movie was filmed, "interracial marriage was considered risky." Casting for Mac's remake of the film began in November 2003. Mac said of the script, "They want to make it a comedy, but I won't disrespect Spencer, Katharine or Sidney (Poitier)."
Irish writer Roddy Doyle
Roddy Doyle
Roddy Doyle is an Irish novelist, dramatist and screenwriter. Several of his books have been made into successful films, beginning with The Commitments in 1991. He won the Booker Prize in 1993....
wrote a short story by the same title about an Irish girl who brings home an immigrant from Nigeria, published in 2008 in the collection The Deportees.