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Bringing Up Baby (1938)

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description Bringing Up Baby (1938) Overview

A mild-mannered paleontologist's orderly plans collapse after he encounters an impulsive heiress and a tame leopard named Baby. Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn star in this 1938 RKO screwball comedy directed by Howard Hawks. A missing dinosaur bone, a prospective museum donation and the leopard's unexpected presence pull the characters into a chain of misunderstandings that becomes harder to contain. Rapid dialogue works alongside physical comedy, with Grant's increasingly flustered scientist struggling to keep pace with Hepburn's determined character.

The humor depends on interrupted plans and mistaken assumptions, while the developing romance grows out of their incompatible approaches to life. Its frantic momentum suits viewers who enjoy classic Hollywood slapstick and verbal sparring. The dinosaur exhibit belongs to the scientist's work; an unexpected pregnancy is not part of the plot.

help Bringing Up Baby (1938) FAQ

What kind of animal is "Baby" in the movie Bringing Up Baby?

"Baby" is actually a tame leopard that Katharine Hepburn's character, Susan Vance, inexplicably inherits. The film famously co-stars Cary Grant as a befuddled paleontologist who gets pulled into her chaotic quest to transport the big cat to Connecticut.

Who directed the 1938 comedy Bringing Up Baby?

Howard Hawks directed this classic screwball comedy. It was released by RKO Radio Pictures in 1938 and, despite initially struggling at the box office, it has gone down in history as one of the genre's defining films.

What dinosaur bone is Cary Grant's character trying to find in Bringing Up Baby?

Cary Grant's character, Dr. David Huxley, is desperately searching for an "intercostal clavicle" to complete a massive brontosaurus skeleton. The bone is constantly stolen, misplaced, and eventually buried by the family dog throughout the movie.

Are there any scenes with real wild animals in Bringing Up Baby?

In addition to the leopard, the film features a memorable scene where a trained dog named George steals the dinosaur bone. The leopard, Baby, was actually played by a trained animal actor who had previously appeared in the 1938 Tarzan film, "Tarzan's New York Adventure."

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