Barnes & Noble

During Hollywood’s so-called Golden Age, MGM’s oft-used slogan to describe its impressive roster of actors was “More Stars than There Are in the Heavens.” And that wasn’t just hyperbole; the Culver City studio really did have most of the top box-office attractions of the era. A passel of them got together under the direction of George Cukor for this glittering 1933 adaptation of an award-winning play by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber. It exposes the faults and foibles of a variegated group that is supposed to assemble at a New York mansion for a dinner party. John Barrymore, the former matinee idol at the beginning of his long, sad decline, is eerily well cast as a fading movie star whose future holds little promise. His brother Lionel plays a beleaguered businessman on the verge of ruin, while Billie Burke (“the Good Witch” in Wizard of Oz,) registers solidly as a fluttering society matron. Among the other Depression-era luminaries with juicy supporting roles are such extremely talented but (sadly) forgotten actors as Lee Tracy, Edmund Lowe, Jean Hersholt, and Karen Morley. But for our money the top honors go to Wallace Beery, playing the millionaire vulgarian hosting the soiree, and luscious Jean Harlow, giving her best comedic performance as the sassy gold-digger who’s hooked him. Harlow -- who never looked better -- is the butt of the movie’s final joke, a devastating one-liner delivered flawlessly by Marie Dressler, another forgotten comedic talent. Cukor’s seemingly effortless fusion of comedy and drama makes Dinner at Eight an unforgettable example of Golden Age filmmaking at its finest. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Based on the Broadway hit by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber, Dinner at Eight is a near-flawless comedy/drama with an all-star cast at the peak of their talents. Social butterfly Mrs. Oliver Jordan (Billie Burke) arranges a dinner party that will benefit the busines of her husband (Lionel Barrymore). Among the invited are a crooked executive (Wallace Beery), who is in the process of ruining Jordan; his wife (Jean Harlow), who is carrying on an affair with a doctor (Edmund Lowe); a fading matinee idol (John Barrymore), who has squandered his fortune on liquor and is romantically involved with the Jordan daughter (Madge Evans); and a venerable stage actress (Marie Dressler), who since losing all her money has become a "professional guest." Nothing goes as planned, due to various suicides, double-crosses, compromises, fatal illness, and servant problems. But dinner is served precisely at eight. The script by Herman Mankiewicz, Frances Marion, and Donald Ogden Stewart is a virtual enclyopedia of witty lines and scenes, right down to the unforgettable closing gag. Hal Erickson

Product Details

• UPC: 012569507821
• Source: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Full Frame
• Editions: Subtitled
• Time: 1:51:00
• Sales Rank: 8,809

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