The Oscars Project: You Can’t Take It with You (1938) |
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| Written by Kevin Johns |
| Monday, 08 August 2011 00:00 |
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Adapted from George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, You Can't Take It with You tells the story of a troubled dinner-date between Alice Sycamore's eccentric art-focused family and her fiancé Tony Kirby's snooty banking tycoon parents. It is class warfare played out at the dinner table; a culture clash that forces everyone involved to question their morals, dreams, and personal ethics. Premiering in December of 1936, the play was such a hit with depression era audiences that it was still running at the time of the film's release two years later! While the original play, perhaps, did a better job tapping into the depression era zeitgeist than the film (released during the build-up to World War II), the story itself remains surprisingly consistent with the type of narratives Hollywood loves to crank out to this day. In fact, don't be surprised in the least if a remake is announced tomorrow! These are the stories Hollywood loves to tell again, again, and again: be true to yourself, follow your dreams, reject material pursuit, and everything will be alright. No one in the Sycamore family works a regular job, yet they live in a massive house and have not one but two black servants setting the table each meal and rushing out for extra groceries at the drop of a hat! This is, of course, a Hollywood fantasy totally divorced from anything resembling the actual lives of your average American. Despite the film's feigned realism, You Can't Take It with You's popularity was undoubtedly due to its escapist idealism not its social commentary. But in spite of its naïve romanticism, the film is, admittedly, fun to watch. What makes it fun is not Capra's capable direction (which managed to bring him third Best Director award in five years!), but rather the delightful cast that he has put together. A young Jimmy Stewart puts in an earnest, if unmemorable, performance. Stewart is, however, supported by an excellent ensemble team that includes the likes of Lionel Barrymore, Jean Arthur, Edward Arnold, and Spring Byington -- whose performance as Penny Sycamore won her the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. (An IMDb fun fact notes that while there are 19 characters in the play, there are 153 parts in the film; undoubtedly an ensemble piece!)
One of the greatest films of all time, Grand Illusion was only the second foreign language film ever to be nominated for an Academy Award (of any kind), and it was the first to be nominated for Best Picture. (The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film was still years away from being created.) Like You Can't Take It with You, Grand Illusion is a largely an ensemble piece primarily focusing on issues of class conflict. The French film, however, explores the theme on such a level of intellectual and emotional complexity and rigor that, by comparison, Capra's quaint picture is put to shame. To this day, it is extremely rare for a comedy to win a Best Picture Oscar, and, for that reason, if no other, the first Capra/Stewart film certainly deserves its props. Yet despite the strengths of You Can't Take It with You's ensemble cast and Capra's skilful direction, the Academy surely missed the mark when it failed to acknowledge that Renoir's Grand Illusion was the best picture of 1938. Next up: 1939 -- the greatest year in the history of cinema! Kevin Johns has contributed over 60 articles to (Cult)ure Magazine. He lives in Ottawa with his wife and daughter. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .'; document.write( '' ); document.write( addy_text82157 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //--> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Oscar Firsts:
For more info: AMC Filmsite: 1938 Academy Awards IMDb: You Can't Take It With You Previously in The Oscars Project: All Quiet on the Western Front (1929-30) Tags: cinema, cocoon, frank capra, jimmy stewart ftw, oscars project, renoir was robbed, you cant take it with you
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One of Hollywood's great combos got its start in 1938 when Frank Capra and Jimmy Stewart collaborated for the first time on that year's Academy Award Best Picture winner, You Can't Take It with You. (The duo would go on to create Mr. Smith Goes to Washington the following year, and then, a decade and a half later, the Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life.)
Throughout The Oscars Project, I have focused almost exclusively on the Best Picture winner of each year. That said, I can't help but note Jean Renoir's superb masterpiece, Grand Illusion, was also nominated for Best Picture in 1938.
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