You Can’t Take It with You (1938)

My Review

The Best Picture of 1938 is…..”You Can’t Take It with You.” Jimmy Stewart plays the son of a wealthy businessman who becomes engaged to be married to his secretary, who is from an eccentric, lower-middle class family. The culture-clash screwball romantic comedy proceeds from there, well managed by director Frank Capra (“It Happened One Night” 1934) and well written by Robert Riskin. It was adapted from the 1936 play “You Can’t Take It with You” by George Kaufman and Moss Hart.

The cast includes James Stewart as the young man, Jean Arthur as his fiancee, Lionel Barrymore as her grandfather, Edward Arnold and Mary Forbes as Jimmy’s rich parents, Spring Byington and Samuel S. Hinds as her parents, Mischa Auer as Russian ballet dancer, Ann Miller and Dub Taylor as Jean’s sister & brother-in-law, Donald Meek as an accountant, H. B. Warner as a rival businessman, Lillian Yarbo as the maid, Eddie Anderson as the handyman, Ann Doran as everybody’s friend Maggie, Charles Lane as the IRS agent, Harry Davenport as night court judge, and Ward Bond as a policeman.

The very entertaining “You Can’t Take It with You” was the fifth highest grossing film of 1938 for producer Frank Capra and Columbia Pictures. It was filmed at the Columbia Studios Ranch in Burbank and at the Columbia/Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood.

“You Can’t Take It with You” was nominated for seven Academy Awards, winning two – Best Picture and Best Director. Non-winners include Best Supporting Actress (Byington), Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography (Joseph Walker), Best Film Editing, and Best Sound Recording.