High Society (1956)

In 1940, Hollywood made a movie called “The Philadelphia Story”, based off a successful Broadway play. It was a romantic comedy and became a huge success for Hollywood. Then, nearly 16 years later in 1956, Hollywood remade this comedy as a musical entitled “High Society”. What we get here is a rather unique film containing catchy songs, and an overall fun experience. With a cast that includes Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly (in her final film before she married the prince of Monaco), and Frank Sinatra deliver good performances in this romantic musical comedy. While the movie does feel a bit slow at certain moments and the story is predictable, “High Society” is not a bad film as there is a lot of enjoyment while watching it. It's a movie that will keep you humming its tunes for the next several days.

The plot has C. K. Dexter-Haven (Crosby) seeing a jazz festival that he is sponsoring near the day of his former wife's wedding. His ex-wife, Tracy Samantha Lord (Kelly), just so happens to be in love with someone else, yet secretly still has feelings for Dexter. Meanwhile, a photographer (Celeste Holm) and a journalist (Sinatra) from a local magazine publication arrive to report on the wedding in order for a very important article about Tracy's father to not be published. Tracy is confused as to whether or not to marry her new husband, or fall in love again with Dexter.

“High Society” is a fun movie to watch.

The cast is chosen well; Crosby, Kelly, and Sinatra do fine with the roles they are given, and the supporting cast does well, too. The costumes look great and have a distinct elegance look to them. The sets and design really feel like a Broadway play come to life. The direction from Charles Walters isn't too bad, and all of the technical details from the make-up to the sound is good and shines from a movie from the 1950s.

But where this movie really shines is in the music department. Cole Porter, who wrote the songs for the film (even though they are from previous selections of his), did a fine job at creating musical numbers that everyone will enjoy. The tunes are quite engaging, and offer a lot of variety of this romantic comedy. From selections with Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, to a charming duet between Sinatra and Holm, and even a few selections from legendary jazz musician Louis Armstrong, the songs are catchy and memorable.

Yet the film still has some minor problems.

The movie does move at a slow pace. It does drag on a bit in-between musical numbers, and the could have been shortened by a few minutes. Plus, Armstrong's role is merely a cameo; had he contributed something greater, then the film would have been just fine.

Another problem with the movie is that the story is very predictable. Despite this being a remake (one of which I have not seen yet), the plot is easy to follow, and has a lot of moments that feel a little corny by today's standards. Plus, sometimes, the acting can be a little over-the-top, especially near the end, and it does look a little silly by modern times.

Overall, “High Society” may be a remake of “The Philadelphia Story”, yet it stands on its own credit as it's own project. Even though “High Society” does have some problems, they could have been easily fixed had there been more time. It's a good enough movie and a good enough musical that I think everyone will enjoy.