The Man Who Came to Dinner

Sheridan Whiteside is a famous radio commentator and critic. He is to give a talk in a town in Ohio. A family invites him to dinner. He slips on the ice at their door and injures his hip. The doctor tells him not to move. Whiteside stays in the house. He turns the drawing room into an office, takes over the telephone, gives his hosts orders and reduces them to guests in their own rooms. His secretary Maggie falls in love with a local newspaperman and wants to leave the job. Whiteside sets up a plan to prevent it. William Keighley directs. Monty Woolley plays Whiteside, Bette Davis plays Maggie and Ann Sheridan plays Lorraine. It is an American production, made in 1941. The source is George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's Broadway play; Monty Woolley had played the same part on stage. The main character was written from a well known critic of the period and the references to him are plain. The narrative rests on fast dialogue; the lines overlap and the pace is high. Bette Davis was known then for dramatic parts; here she is in support and playing comedy. The narrative takes place in one location and the stage origin shows. There are many references to famous names of the day and some of them are no longer understood. Its limit is age; the jokes belong to their period, the references are dated, and the narrative looks like a stage play. Who it is for: viewers who like classic Hollywood comedy and fast dialogue. Who it is not for: it is old, confined, and the ending conventional.