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A Bill of Divorcement

Director: George Cukor (Dir) Release Date: 30 Sep 1932 Production Date: began late Jul 1932 Duration (in mins): 70 or 75-76 Duration (in reels): 8			Print this page Display Movie Summary

Cast:	John Barrymore	(Hilary [Fairfield])
	Billie Burke	(Margaret [Fairfield])
	David Manners	(Kit [Humphrey])
	Katharine Hepburn	(Sidney [Fairfield])
	Paul Cavanagh	(Gary [Meredith])
	Henry Stephenson	(Dr. Alliot)
	Gale Evers	(Bassett)
	Elizabeth Patterson	([Aunt] Hester [Fairfield])
	Bramwell Fletcher	(Gareth)
	Julie Haydon	(Party guest)

Summary:

During a Christmas Eve party at her home in England, Sidney Fairfield accepts the proposal of her boyfriend, Kit Humphrey, and fantasizes about having a large family with him. At the same time, her mother Margaret, who has just secured a divorce from her mentally deranged husband Hilary, confirms her upcoming marriage to lawyer Gray Meredith. On Christmas Day, however, Sidney is surprised when Hilary, who has been committed to an insane asylum for the last twenty years, unexpectedly returns home. Agitated by his homecoming, Hilary mistakes Sidney, whom he has never seen, for Margaret, then explains how he suddenly regained his sanity that morning and walked out of the asylum. When Sidney realizes that Hilary has no knowledge of her mother's divorce, she tries to break the news to him but is stymied by his unrelenting, childlike enthusiasm. Margaret, who has gone to church with Gray, comes home and is stunned by Hilary's reappearance. While Margaret awkwardly faces Hilary, Sidney telephones Dr. Alliott, the family physician, and asks him to see her father. Before Dr. Alliott arrives, however, Hilary spies Margaret with Gray and forces her to reveal the truth about the divorce. Outraged by Margaret's seeming betrayal, Hilary denounces her in front of Sidney and Dr. Alliott. Sidney, who has been told by her mother and her aunt Hester that her father lost his mind as a result of World War I "shell shock," then learns about the Fairfields' history of inherited insanity. After Dr. Alliott calms Hilary and convinces him to return briefly to the asylum, Hilary begs Margaret to stay with him and break her engagement to Gray. Although she no longer loves Hilary, Margaret, overwhelmed by guilt, gives in to his wishes. While Hilary goes with Dr. Alliott to the asylum, Sidney confesses to Kit about her father and the family's history of mental illness. In spite of assurances from Kit that he will love her even if they have no children, Sidney insists that they end their romance. Then when Hilary overhears Margaret tell Gray that she has only pity for her sick husband, he frees her from her promise and urges her to leave with Gray. Suddenly alone, Sidney explains to her father that she is in "the same boat" as he, and Hilary understands the sacrifice that she has made. As they grope to find the proper ending to a piano sonata that Hilary had begun composing twenty years before, father and daughter pledge to stay together for the rest of their lives.

Production Company:	RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company:	RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Director:	George Cukor	(Dir)
	Dewey Starkey	(Asst dir)
Producer:	David O. Selznick	(Exec prod)
Writer:	Howard Estabrook	(Scr)
	Henry Wagstaff Gribble	(Scr)
Photography:	Sid Hickox	(Photog)
Art Direction:	Carroll Clark	(Art dir)
Film Editor:	Arthur Roberts	(Film ed)
Music:	Max Steiner	(Mus dir)
Sound:	George Ellis	(Rec)
Production Misc:	Marion Balderstone	(Tech dir)
Country:	United States

Source Text:	Based on the play A Bill of Divorcement by Clemence Dane (London, 14 Mar 1921).
Authors:	Clemence Dane

Copyright Claimant	Copyright Date	Copyright Number	Passed By NBR:
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.	30/9/1932 dd/mm/yyyy	LP3330	Yes

Physical Properties:	b&w;:
	Sd:	RCA Photophone System


Genre:	Drama
Sub-Genre:	Domestic

Subjects (Major):	Divorce
	England
	Fathers and daughters
	Hereditary tendencies
	Insanity

Subjects (Minor):	Aunts
	Christmas
	Composers
	Engagements
	Guilt
	Lawyers
	Parties
	Physicians
	Pianists
	Self-sacrifice
	Veterans

Note:	Katherine Cornell, a well-known stage star, played the role of "Sidney" in the 1921 Broadway production of Dane's play. Modern sources state that Clemence Dane's play, reportedly inspired by Henrik Ibsen's play Ghosts , was a favorite of producer David O. Selznick. Although most reviews and the copyright cutting continuity spell Katharine Hepburn's character name as "Sydney," the onscreen end credits give the name as "Sidney." According to advertisements, A Bill of Divorcement was "selected and presented under the auspices of Mrs. William Randolph Hearst for the benefit of the Free Milk Fund for Babies, Inc." Admission to the benefit screening, which occurred in New York on 30 Sep 1932, was $10.00 per ticket. The Hollywood premiere was a benefit for the Motion Picture Relief Fund, according to HR . In an inter-office memorandum to various RKO executives, Selznick wrote that A Bill of Divorcement was "one of the best pictures, and possibly the most adult and intelligent picture, ever made." He then admonished his executives that "even if it is correct that the picture is 'too good for our audiences' (and I, personally, don't think there is such a thing), I do not think we should arrive at this conclusion in advance of its presentation to the public." RKO borrowed David Manners from Warner Bros. for the production. According to a FD news item, Reginald Owen was assigned to play a "straight, romantic role" in the film, but his participation in the final film has not been confirmed. Billie Burke, a veteran stage and silent screen star, made her sound feature film debut in this film. Burke's husband, Florenz Ziegfeld, died during the production. According to RKO records, Burke was paid $1,500 per week for a total of four weeks, while John Barrymore's contract guaranteed him $50,000 and 15% of the film's gross after the first $1,000,000 in profits. Hepburn (1907--2003) made her screen debut in the film. The Var reviewer astutely noted that Hepburn "has a vital something that sets her apart from the picture galaxy" and speculated that if she repeated her performance in a similar role in her next picture, she would be "headed for the cinema heights." (In her next film, Christopher Strong , Hepburn played a strong-willed aviatrix. Although the actress again enjoyed critical acclaim, the film did not do well at the box office. Nevertheless, her performance in A Bill of Divorcement earned her star status at RKO.) Several reviewers compared Hepburn to Greta Garbo, stating that while Hepburn lacked Garbo's mystery, she possessed the same striking, powerful presence as the Swedish star. A contemporary article in NYT gives the following account of Hepburn's casting: Her performance as the "Amazon Queen" in the 1931 Broadway play The Warrior's Husband landed her a screen test with RKO. After executives saw the finished film in the projection room, they signed Hepburn to a contract, which called for her to appear in two films per year, with time off for stage plays. Hepburn was paid $1,500 per week for a total of $7,125. (Modern sources note that a few scenes with Hepburn had to be re-shot after the initial four weeks of production.) Prior to Hepburn's involvement, Irene Dunne and Anita Louise were considered for the role of "Sidney," according to a Jun 1932 FD news item. Modern sources add that Jill Esmond also was offered the role, but turned it down. Modern sources note that the film's proposed budget of $300,000 prohibited the hiring of Irene Dunne, a prominent RKO star who was earning $15,000 per film at the time. Modern sources add the following information about Hepburn and the production of this movie: For her screen test, Hepburn chose, not a scene from A Bill of Divorcement , but a scene from the Philip Barry stage play Holiday . The test, directed by RKO talent scout Lillie Messenger, was shot in New York, with Alan Campbell playing opposite Hepburn. Although RKO executives in Los Angeles were less than impressed by the footage, director George Cukor was struck by the way that Hepburn had placed a glass on the floor of the set and voted to cast her. Backed by Selznick, who also felt that Hepburn had a striking, fresh screen presence, Cukor brought Hepburn to Los Angeles. Before shooting began, Cukor arranged for Hepburn's hair to be re-styled and her facial freckles covered with makeup. In preparation for her first film role, Hepburn spent time on the RKO lot, studying each aspect of the filmmaking process. In modern interviews, Hepburn praises Barrymore for teaching her a "tremendous lot" about film acting during this production. Modern sources add the following crew credits: W. Franke Harling ( Piano concerto composer ); Josette De Lima ( Costumer ) and Mel Berns ( Makeup artist ). Modern sources credit Dennis O'Keefe (then known as Bud Flanagan) as a "Dance extra." A British version of Dane's play, titled A Bill for Divorcement , was filmed in 1922. Denison Clift directed Constance Binney and Fay Compton in that silent version. RKO made a second version of Dane's story in 1940 (see below).

Bibliographic Sources:	Date	Page
Film Daily	14 Jun 32	p. 6.
Film Daily	21 Jul 32	p. 3.
Film Daily	28 Jul 32	p. 7.
Film Daily	17 Sep 32	p. 22.
Hollywood Reporter	31 Aug 32	p. 3.
Motion Picture Herald	10 Sep 32	p. 40.
Motion Picture Herald	1 Oct 32	p. 18.
New York Times	3 Oct 32	p. 15.
Variety	4 Oct 32	p. 15.

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The American Film Institute is grateful to Sir Paul Getty KBE and the Sir Paul Getty KBE Estate for their dedication to the art of the moving image and their support for the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and without whose support AFI would not have been able to achieve this historical landmark in this epic scholarly endeavor.

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