Before watching the film the only thing I knew about “Bringing Up Baby” was that Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn star in it. I didn’t know that “baby” referred to a leopard and that Cary Grant would seem so geeky and unfamiliar (especially having just watched “Charade”). This classic wound up on our “watch list” after a cursory google search revealed that it was included on several prominent film publications/organizations’ ‘top movies of all time’ lists. Quite frankly, we weren’t expecting it to be so nuts, albeit delightfully nuts.
This is a screwball comedy that moves at a breakneck pace. The premise? A nervous-Nelly paleontologist (Grant as Dr. David Huxley) gets entangled with an eccentric socialite/heiress (Hepburn as Susan Vance), helping her transport a pet leopard to her aunt in Connecticut. This causes him to miss his own wedding (although he never really seems all that worried about it…) and the opportunity to secure $1 million in funding needed for his museum, and lose the final, long-awaited brontosaurus bone he’s just received for his big project. Oh, and OF COURSE, they come face to face with another leopard–a vicious one on a killing spree–that they mistake for Baby. So yeah, it was crazy, but again, delightfully so due to impecable performances by the cast and fun, quippy, dizzying dialog (especially between Grant and Hepburn).
The movie is one misunderstanding after misadventure after miscommunication after mishap after another misunderstanding. And Katherine Hepburn’s character, heiress Susan Vance, is responsible for all of it. Eccentricity personified and determined to marry the engaged Dr. Huxley, she creates endless complications in an attempt to keep him by her side.
Because the movie was so over the top, so zany and absurd, I found it difficult at first to pinpoint lessons that would help with my own screenplay. With the aid of some quick online research, I realized that many takeaways lay below the surface. “Bringing Up Baby” is chalk full of (possible) symbolism and social commentary on gender roles, psychology and sexuality.
A reviewer on IMDB points out that David’s occupation was carefully selected. The original Ross (yes, I refer to “Friends”) is very cautious, buttoned up worrywart–not exactly exuding zest for life. So it makes perfect sense that he works with bones, the remnants of extinct creatures. Susan is the polar opposite, completely unrestrained, absolutely unconcerned with consequences, and recklessly aggressive in the pursuit of her wants. The IMDB review refers to Susan as the “id character, all action and movement.” For God’s sake, she has a leopard for a (temporary) pet.
An old entry on a now defunct movie blog (the best I can do given time limitations and laziness) examines, among many other things, the use of water and animals as symbols used for exploring gender roles. Water, being so unruly and all, has long been used in literature to represent sexual tension, and at one point in “Bringing Up Baby”, Susan “accidentally” leads David into a deep creek, causing them both to be submerged, when it’s clear she knows the land very well and therefore the depth of the water. This underscores her role as the aggressor in the relationship; she is pursuing him rather than the other way around, which is a bold reversal especially within the context of the 1930’s. I was particularly interested in this aspect of the film. Cody is often reminded, by myself and others, that it was I who asked him out initially. Even today the scenario in which a woman takes the lead in pursuing a romantic relationship with a man is seen as noteworthy, novel and fodder for comedy, though naturally not nearly as outrageous and uncommon as it was in the era of “Bringing Up Baby.” Luckily, a leopard wasn’t necessary in getting Cody to stick around.
The leopards clearly represent and refer to sexuality. The wild, untamed one sends frightened men running just as Susan does, while the tamed cat, a beloved pet, seems to represent a view of traditionally acceptable, nonthreatening female sexuality. At one point, Susan approaches the other characters with the wild leopard in tow, and group’s heads explode. Okay, not really, but they might as well have.
At first I didn’t realize what a smart film this was. I was completely distracted by the incredible cast/performances, larger than life characters and chaotic story. But I now realize that “Bringing Up Baby” is a fabulous testament to the importance of layering a film with substantive underlying themes. (I’ve actually had one in mind from the start.) So, as I develop scenes, background stories for the main characters, and every other element, I’ll be sure to give much consideration to subtext.
That, and I’ll try to work an exotic, predatory animal and a drunk Irish gardener into the central storyline. Those seem to help.
