Alice Adams (1935)

George Stevens directed this adaptation of the Booth Tarkington novel about a social climbing mother (Ann Shoemaker) & daughter (Katharine Hepburn in the title role). Hepburn and the film were Oscar nominated.

Alice is a small town girl whose brother (Frank Albertson) is "forced" to take her to a society party hosted by Mildred Palmer (Evelyn Venable who’s parents are played by Hedda Hopper & Jonathan Hale) in their dumpy automobile. There she meets the wealthy Arthur Russell (Fred MacMurray) who she thinks is "attached" to the hostess. Though she’s embarrassed by her brother (found gambling with the hired help) and later their shabby home Alice has intrigued Arthur with her plain simple self-deprecating nature and he begins to pursue her. He invites Alice to another party hosted by her father’s employer J. A. Lamb (Charley Grapewin) but she’s too embarrassed to accept. Alice’s mother upset by this shames her husband Virgil (Fred Stone) who’s been recovering from a long illness into getting off his butt to better provide for their family.

Virgil decides that the glue formula he invented while working for Lamb is his and goes into business for himself. This leads to an obvious conflict between himself and his "former" employer who’d been supporting him through his illness. Her father’s newfound success and "wealth" enables Alice to feel comfortable enough to be courted by Arthur and invite him to their home for dinner. Mrs. Adams hires a cook-servant (Hattie McDaniel) for the occasion and in an hilarious scene all does not go as planned. Evidently one can’t "buy" class;-) However a happy ending is (of course) a foregone conclusion.

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