Adam’s Rib (1949)

My Review

The battle of the sexes reaches new heights in “Adam’s Rib.” This is the story of two married lawyers who oppose each other in court in a case where a woman is on trial for murdering her adulterous husband. The witty screenplay by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin was written specifically for this film starring Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn, their sixth film together. Gordon and Kanin were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay.

Judy Holiday, in only her second major film role, more than held her own in the presence of veterans Hepburn and Tracy. Co-stars include Tom Ewell, David Wayne, Jean Hagen, Hope Emerson, Clarence Kolb, Polly Moran, Madge Blake, and Will Wright as Judge Marcasson. Director George Cukor (“Keeper of the Flame” 1943) did an excellent job of instilling “Adam’s Rib” with superior production values that made it a hit at the box office for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.