The Philadelphia Story (1940)

A fast-talking, opinionated socialite (Hepburn) is soon to be married, but two tall, suited, skinny spanners (Stewart and Grant) put themselves on the visitors list, effectively clogging up the works with their smugness and charm.
TPS is a classic era romantic comedy based on a play by Phillip Barry. The three stars light up every scene each time they cross paths, testing the tolerances and attractions of each other, inadvertently or otherwise. It starts slow, but once it hits its stride it doesn't ever disappoint. The supporting cast deserve credit, too, from the eldest to the youngest they're all excellent.

5 names for a boat out of 5

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

A pussy-whipped Carey Grant humbles his way through life like a Clark Kent-esque palaeontologist (minus the costumed alter ego) until he meets a headstrong but scatterbrained female in the shape of Hepburn, with her 'baby' of the title not far behind. Hepburn's character displays the more welcome traits of the 'Hawksian woman' archetype and avoids the less likeable ones.
It's a screwball comedy that gets better with each viewing. The chemistry between the pair is believable, and it's fun to see neither of the two stars be too proud or pompous to make public asses of themselves.

4 entanglements out of 5

NORTH BY NORTHWEST [1959]

Director Alfred Hitchcock teams up with The Sound Of Music screenwriter, Ernest Lehman to craft the finest of paranoid thrillers, North By Northwest.
Dressed in some mighty slick suits: Cary Grant, James Mason and Martin Landau make for some fascinating chemistry with their game cat & mouse while Eva Marie Saint brightens things up a bit with one her best performances apart from On The Waterfront.
Laying down the formula for many paranoia thrillers after it, Hitchcock still does it best, showcasing some iconic backdrops, deafening silence at all the right times and stunning style that equals the substance.
The perfect blend of humor and suspense makes for one of Hitchcock's most audience friendly films in his career.

4 Big girls in all the right places out of 5