SYNOPSIS

Grandpa Vanderhof, the patriarch of the eccentric, free-spirited Sycamore family in Depression era New York, believes people should do only what makes them happy. He thumbs his nose at silly things like money, the government and the IRS. What really matters is having fun. Granddaughter Alice (Jean Arthur) has fallen in love with Tony Kirby (James Stewart), who comes from a privileged family that is all about propriety. When the time comes for Tony's stuffy parents to meet Alice's family, disaster seems well at hand-especially when the Kirbys show up for dinner on the wrong night, making for one hilarious ride.

Director: Frank Capra
Producer: Frank Capra
Screenplay: Robert Riskin (based on the play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart)
Cinematography: Joseph Walker
Editing: Gene Havlick
Music Composer: Dimitri Tiomkin
Art Designer: Stephen Goosson
Costume Designer: Bernard Newman, Irene
Cast: Jean Arthur (Alice Sycamore), Lionel Barrymore (Martin Vanderhof), James Stewart (Tony Kirby), Edward Arnold (Anthony P. Kirby), Mischa Auer (Kolenkhov), Ann Miller (Essie Carmichael), Spring Byington (Penny Sycamore), Samuel S. Hinds (Paul Sycamore), Donald Meek (Poppins), H.B. Warner (Ramsey), Halliwell Hobbes (DePinna), Dub Taylor (Ed Carmichael), Mary Forbes (Mrs. Anthony Kirby), Lillian Yarbo (Rheba), Eddie "Rochester" Anderson (Donald), Clarence Wilson (John Blakely), Josef Swickard (Professor), Ann Doran (Maggie O'Neill), Christian Rub (Schmidt), Bodil Rosing (Mrs. Schmidt), Charles Lane (Henderson), Harry Davenport (Judge).
B&W-126m.

Why YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU is Essential

Whimsical, funny and heart warming, You Can't Take It with You, like all classics, has stood the test of time. With a Pulitzer Prize-winning play as its source material, the film is a class act in every respect. Director Frank Capra called its central message one of "Love Thy Neighbor," and the message, elegant in its simplicity, is just as relevant today as it was seventy years ago.

You Can't Take It with You marked the first of three highly successful collaborations between director Frank Capra and actor James Stewart. The other two were Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) and It's a Wonderful Life (1946).

While James Stewart had made a few films by the time he did You Can't Take It with You, he was not yet a star. Frank Capra had tremendous faith in Stewart as a leading man, and the film's success was a great boost to Stewart's career, helping establish him as a bona fide star.

You Can't Take It with You was the sixth straight box office smash from director Frank Capra and won him his third Academy Award as Best Director. Capra was on a roll, and this film is one of the finest examples of his cinematic legacy.

A true ensemble piece, You Can't Take It with You boasts one of the most distinguished casts ever to appear in the same film. Actors include Lionel Barrymore, Jean Arthur, James Stewart, Edward Arnold, Spring Byington, Ann Miller, Donald Meek, Dub Taylor, and Mary Forbes.