Alice Adams

A film set in the American provinces. Alice is the daughter of a family of modest means. She wants into the wealthy circle of the town and presents her appearance, her speech and her family as other than they are. Going to a dance, her dress is old, she picks her own flowers and she talks constantly so that nobody will notice. At a party she meets a wealthy young man named Arthur. He takes an interest, and to keep the relationship going Alice has to enlarge her lies. The family has its own troubles. The father is ill and about to lose his job; the mother pushes him to start his own business, and the attempt makes their position worse. The best known section is a dinner. Alice invites Arthur to the house and the family turns it into a performance: a heavy meal, a hired maid and a suffocating heat. The scene starts comic and goes somewhere unbearable. The source is Booth Tarkington's novel. Katharine Hepburn plays Alice, Fred MacMurray plays Arthur and Fred Stone the father. Hattie McDaniel plays the maid. George Stevens directed. The film was nominated for best picture and best actress at the Academy Awards. A strong production for anyone who likes classic Hollywood drama and films about class. Before you watch, know this: the dinner scene is deliberately uncomfortable and the film does not get out of it easily.