With socialite Tracy Lord about to remarry, her ex-husband - with the help of a sympathetic reporter - has 48 hours to convince her that she really still loves him.
Where to Watch High Society
- DavidBunnyDadJuly 21, 2026This musical remake of 1940's classic ``The Philadelphia Story'' suffers from many common sins of late 1950s Hollywood cinema. Ham-handedly directed by Charles Walters and further burdened by an irritating heroine, uncharacteristically forgettable songs by Cole Porter and the insufferable mugging of Louis Armstrong, ``High Society'' is only partly redeemed by the historic pairing of Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. Grace Kelly plays a Newport, Rhode Island heiress who's highly sought after by three men: Her fiance (a stiff played by John Lund), her ex (Crosby) and a reporter played by Sinatra. What they see in this histrionic, self-obsessed diva (beyond her looks) is difficult to imagine. Kelly's posh princess act has always bugged me, but she really stretches the bounds of good taste here. Classically beautiful women who think their you-know-what doesn't stink never cease to offend, and Taylor Swift has nothing on the former princess of Monaco. Despite all that, there are moments when the film flirts with being entertaining. Louis Calhoun is his usually delightful self, and Crosby delivers his most relaxed performance outside of a ``Road'' picture, even though he's a pretty sad (and old) replacement for Cary Grant in the romance department. It doesn't help matters that the much ballyhooed summit meeting of the two biggest musical stars of the first half of the 20th century is kind of a disappointment. Frank and Bing have one scene where they sing a drunken duet, and it's OK, but it doesn't really set the screen on fire. Sinatra scores a lot better with some close-up crooning to Kelly that momentarily sparks feelings, but that's a rare exception in a film that otherwise keeps the temperature set on lukewarm. Also unclear is why every scene in this and so many films of the era take place in rooms the size of airplane hangars. That kind of thing tends to keep viewers at a distance.
- P & JMarch 27, 2025This got me through one of my bad COVID days in 2021. The Philadelphia Story has better acting, but I honestly enjoyed this romp more. It really perked me up! Possibly the only movie I didn’t love Grace Kelly in, so there’s that. Bing & Celeste shoulder the load. Frank’s just, well, FRANK. Who wants to be a millionaire? I don't!
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High Society was released on July 17, 1956.
High Society was directed by Charles Walters.
High Society has a runtime of 1h 52m.
High Society was produced by Sol C. Siegel.
With socialite Tracy Lord about to remarry, her ex-husband - with the help of a sympathetic reporter - has 48 hours to convince her that she really still loves him.
The key characters in High Society are C. K. Dexter-Haven (Bing Crosby), Tracy Lord (Grace Kelly), Mike Connor (Frank Sinatra).
High Society is rated Not Rated.
High Society is a Comedy, Musical, Romance film.
High Society has an audience rating of 8.2 out of 10.
High Society had a budget of $2.8M.
High Society has made $8.2M at the box office.