The Philadelphia Story

Starring Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, & James Stewart

After a rich woman’s ex-husband and a tabloid-type reporter turn up just before her planned remarriage, she begins to learn the truth about herself.

The film was shot in eight weeks, and required very few retakes. During the scene where James Stewart hiccups when drunk, you can see Cary Grant looking down and grinning. Since the hiccup wasn’t scripted, Grant was on the verge of breaking out laughing and had to compose himself quickly. Stewart (apparently spontaneously) thought of hiccuping in the drunk scene, without telling Grant. When he began hiccupping, Grant turned to Stewart, saying, “Excuse me.” The scene required only one take.