The Man Who Came To Dinner

This hit Broadway comedy became a comparably popular film thanks to a smart adaptation, strong performances, and the fortunate retention of the play's star, Monty Woolley. The celebrated John Barrymore had been slated for the role but he had trouble with the dialogue. Luckily, another genuine movie star--Bette Davis--was eager to take a secondary role in this fanciful account of some thinly veiled real celebrities in an unlikely situation. Theater critics Alexander Woollcott, Harpo Marx and Noel Coward were among the brainy wits who met regularly at the Algonquin Hotel to exchange witticisms over lunch. Resourceful playwrights George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart utiliz...