October 6, 2018
The moment of truth was finally at hand for Stanley Kramer. Flashing camera lights could only capture his calm reflection, but underneath his tailored tuxedo, carefully styled hair, and beaming smile, was undeniable nervous anticipation. Tonight he would be in front of all the cameras, instead of instructing from behind them, and everything rode on the outcome of this evening. Stanley Kramer had levied a huge risk in taking on the direction and production of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and as he sat in the audience of the 1968 Academy Awards, he would soon find out whether his gamble had truly paid off. With the country politically fractured and the public divided, could Stanley Kramer realistically expect his movie to win the hearts and minds of the American people?
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner is the comical drama piece written by William Rose, featuring an upper-class young woman who brings her new fiancé home to meet her parents in order to announce their engagement, after having met each other on a vacation just ten days prior. The older handsome man is quite the catch as an accomplished physician and Nobel Prize candidate. The only problem? He’s a black man intent on marrying their white daughter. The couple cause quite the stir in attempting to overcome interracial bias and be seen as any other couple in love wanting a parent’s blessing for marriage.
Coming together for their ninth film was the universally-loved on-screen couple Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. The two major actors believed in the project wholeheartedly and agreed to the roles before even setting eyes on the script.1 The natural chemistry between the stars was undeniable, as was the illness rapidly overtaking Spencer Tracy. Almost at once, there was a major hold up in the attempt to start the production. After years of Tracy’s deteriorating health, no insurance company would cover Tracy in his failing condition. What was to become of a project that couldn’t get off the ground? For this movie to stand a chance at the box office, headlining two such profoundly loved actors as Tracy and Hepburn was crucial. An emotional solution was discovered between Stanley Kramer and Katharine Hepburn. They both decided that they would both put their salaries from the film into an escrow account, in the tragic event Spencer Tracy could not continue the movie. With that money as security, another actor could be hired as a last resort to finish the film if need be. With a solution that satisfied the Columbia Pictures production company, filming was finally cleared to begin.2
Obtaining the cast was just the initial problem that Kramer faced. Time was always working against the team, in a race against the clock to finish filming before Tracy became too ill. As a result, the cast members were continuously working with two separate scripts. The original script had the patriarch involved in as many scenes as possible, yet there was always a “back up” script circulating that eliminated Spencer Tracy’s character at any given point.3
Another major obstacle in filming Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner was Sidney Poitier’s intimidation from fellow actors. Despite his own prominent acting career and reputation as a calm and collected professional, Poitier felt humbled to be in the presence of such talent and could never remember his lines. At the time, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn had both been Hollywood shinning stars for over three decades, and audience members had grown up with these silver screen marvels. Comparatively, Poitier’s acting career had gained more acceptance from his film releases overseas. American audiences had still not fully seen past his African-American ethnicity. This trepidation went on for weeks, frustrating the entire crew with reshoots and wasted film. Finally, Stanley Kramer pulled Sidney Poitier aside for a heart to heart talk in an attempt to get to the bottom of what was causing tempers to rise. The actor simply couldn’t focus in the presence of Tracy and Hepburn. In an attempt to keep Poitier on as a lead character, scenes were then shot as he delivered his lines to two high-back chairs, while stand-in crew delivered his costars’ lines.4
When the movie’s filming began in March 1967, it was still illegal for interracial couples to marry in fourteen states, mostly in the South. If the country could not accept the idea of blacks and whites intermarrying in real life, could Stanley Kramer realistically expect people to be any more agreeable to the idea being portrayed in Hollywood? If the movie was not welcomed by society, future prospects for everyone involved with the project would fall into jeopardy, if not certain ruin.
Coinciding with the film’s production was the Loving v. Virginia Supreme Court case. A white man and a black woman involved in a romantic relationship circumvented the Virginia legislation barring interracial marriages. In 1958, Mildred Jetter and Richard Loving drove to Washington D.C. to say their vows and become legally married. Soon after returning to Virginia, an anonymous tip was given to authorities and the newlyweds were arrested in their home in a late evening police raid. Local prosecution argued that a marriage license from D.C. was not valid in the state of Virginia and the couple were sentenced to a year in prison. The Lovings appealed the judge’s guilty verdict. Monumentally, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Mr. and Mrs. Loving, just as production on Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner was wrapping up, ruling that marriage is a fundamental human right and effectively ending all anti-miscegenation marriage laws in America.5
Tragedy struck just seventeen days after production concluded, when Spencer Tracy died of a heart attack. His passing gravely affected the cast, and overshadowed any joy of the movie’s release. Katharine Hepburn refused to attend any premiers or award ceremonies, let alone see the final movie cut, as the memories of her long-time costar were just too painful.6
Reviews of the movie from audiences and critics alike received an initial mixed response. The initial estimation was one of low attendance of Caucasians, especially in the Southern states. After all, new laws or not, long-standing socially-formed opinions take time to overcome. However, this was not the case, and never again was the race of a lead character a factor in projecting audience film acceptance.7 Written reviews were not so kind. Sidney Poitier took the brunt of criticism, not simply for being an African-American actor, but for being “too perfect” and “too white” in his role portraying a Nobel Prize nominated doctor.8
Stanley Kramer fiercely defended Sidney Poitier’s performance and explained that every character was meant to portray model social and moral perfection; only then could the sole protest land at the couple’s racial divides.9 In an attempt to clarify his intentions with the film, Kramer undertook a nine-university tour to discuss the political and social controversy. For all his efforts, Kramer was met by indifference at best and death threats at worst! The movie seemed to be caught in between an atmosphere of younger students who did not see interracial relationships as controversial, and the older generation who wanted to keep the races forever separate.10
The lights now dimmed on the Academy Awards audience, and the announcements began as everyone took their seats. Spencer Tracy’s widow was in attendance to hear her husband be nominated as Best Actor one final time. Katharine Hepburn was at home still mourning, and the magic of the evening was muted by sadness. But for all the hardships, when Stanley Kramer heard his name read as a nominee for Best Picture, he knew in his heart that the trials and bitter-sweet tribulations were all worth it in the end. Stanley Kramer did not win the award for Best Picture that night. But he had produced the most emotionally important movie of his career, directed award-winning performances, and showed all the Hollywood elite that they did not need to be afraid to take a leap of faith in making controversial films.
When all was said and done, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner became an international box office hit grossing over $70,000,000 and nominated for twenty-two different awards. In 2017, the movie title was entered into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being culturally and historically significant.11
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
Katharine Hepburn
Sidney Poitiers
Spencer Tracy
Stanley Kramer
The Year 1968
I am a Communication Studies major with a minor in History. My passion falls with research and I love to share new found knowledge with others. I am a military veteran, mother of four great kids, and coffee connoisseur.
Author Portfolio PageCristianna Tovar
Before reading this article, I had no idea about the movie Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, but now I am very interested in it and I plan to watch it. I think it was a great idea to challenge society’s views on interracial marriage in 1967 by filming this movie. Although, as expected, it received criticism and backlash, it made history by normalizing interracial marriage and allowing society to change their viewpoints on it.
13/10/2019
3:11 pm
Jose Chaman
Very good article. I found it interesting how the director of the film defended the neatness of his characters as the ideal model. Cinema is one of the best ways to share equity and, above all, the defense of human rights. If only we used this film resource more often to promote constructive values, we could achieve great achievements, as this movie did (or added) to the fight for equity.
14/10/2019
3:11 pm
Addie Piatz
I have never seen this movie and really knew nothing about it until reading this article but it was honestly such an amazing article and it makes me want to go watch it. I think it was very awesome how it was a very controversial topic especially during this time but it was a very bold and very needed move for the film industry.
04/11/2019
3:11 pm
Charli Delmonico
I had no idea that filming this project took so much work and had so much on the line! I also can’t believe how the actors were willing to put money away just in case the crew needed to hire someone else in the event of Spencer Tracy dying due to declining health problems. This story is so interesting and informative, and I thought it was really well-written.
10/11/2019
3:11 pm
Andrea Degollado
Very well written article! Honestly before clicking this article I had no clue as to what this article would be about i didn’t even know there was a move called Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. This article did a great job in informing me and it was honestly a very interesting article and I plan to watch the movie. I think this article was truly amazing and it promotes the idea of challenging societies view. Great article, good job!
11/11/2019
3:11 pm
Aidan Farrell
Very good job on this article, Anissa. I did not know much about this movie, much less the history and significance behind it, but your article did a good job with helping me learn about this revolutionary movie. I did not realize there was so much trouble getting this movie made, but it is honestly great that it paid off in the end. Well done.
11/09/2021
3:11 pm
Natalia Ramirez
Congratulations on your award for “Best Article in the Category of Year 1968.” This was a great article! I had never heard of this movie or of Stanley Kramer, but he is definitely someone who should be remembered as he was very brave for producing a film that was very controversial at the time. I also like the video you included. Very interesting!
24/04/2022
3:11 pm
Amelie Rivas-Berlanga
Great article! I can not imagine how nerve wracking it must have been to produce this movie, especially since so many states still had not accepted interracial couples. I had never heard of the movie Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, but this article is definitely making me want to watch it. It is a shame that the film did not win the award for Best Picture. I loved the inclusion of the video, it was a great scene to include.
30/04/2022
3:11 pm
Veronica Lopez
Congratulations on winning an award for “Best Article in the Category of the Year ‘1968’! Your article really showed me a new side of theater that I’ve never seen. I honestly found it surprising how they would make a movie with an interracial couple during 1967. Keep in mind that during this time, racism was still going on. It all seemed risky. Overall, this movie was controversial for it’s time and it might’ve made people question their perspective on African Americans.
02/05/2022
3:11 pm
Ruby Wynn
This is an amazing article. I had never heard of this movie before reading this article. It must have been terrifying for those involved in making a movie about such a controversial topic at the time. I found it interesting how the producer solved the problem of one of the actors being unable to remember his lines in front of the other actors.
17/03/2019
3:11 pm