Bringing Up Baby

Originally published on social media on August 12th, 2023

Earlier this week, my sister mentioned a comment someone had made to her about how Old Hollywood actors were terrible at acting. It can be a common enough misconception because the style of screenwriting and direction are so different from today’s norms. Still, I disagree with that notion in every way. Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant as examples of extraordinary talent of that era. Throughout both of their careers, each had a diversity in the characters they played and a wide range of tones they took on.

Cary Grant is often thought of as charming, smart, and suave, and of course he was. Katherine Hepburn was of a bad ass intellectual, a radiant beauty, and a shining feminist all in one. Both of these actor’s possessed a rare talent: the ability to be delightfully silly without being over the top. Bringing Up Baby is filled with these genuinely funny moments that aren’t inappropriate innuendoes or slap stick humor. Each actor can be silly without demeaning themselves or others.

At one point, Cary Grant wears a light fluffy robe when all his clothes go missing. There aren’t any jokes about homosexuality or anything like that, it’s just simply funny moment because his character is a modest introvert.

Another example is when Katherine Hepburn sings off key in order to get a leopard off a roof. The nuances of her performance feel very similar to that of Lauren Graham in Gilmore Girls. In their silly moments, both women take on an air of not being in touch with reality. The way each does this is fantastic because it doesn’t diminish the intelligence of either of them.

Cary Grant proved that a man could step outside of society’s comfort zone for etiquette, and still be endearing, charming, and lightheartedly fun without being offensive. Katherine Hepburn proved that you can be imperfect, but beautiful, brilliant, and funny all at the same time. Both of these actors paved the way for actors of the future.

So is proper silliness a key to good acting? I think it’s one of them. “Bringing Up Baby” is proof of the great capabilities of Old Hollywood actors, and how traces of their influence surround today’s cinema.