Dinner at Eight (1933)
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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, All Movie Guide
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 111 mins
Complete Cast:
- Marie Dressler - Carlotta Vance
- Wallace Beery - Dan Packard
- Lionel Barrymore - Oliver Jordan
- Lee Tracy - Max Kane
- Madge Evans - Paula Jordan
- Karen Morley - Mrs. Wayne Talbot
- Phillips Holmes - Ernest DeGraff
- Grant Mitchell - Ed Loomis
- Elizabeth Patterson - Miss Copeland
- Harry Beresford - Fosdick
- John Davidson - Mr. Hatfield, the Assistant Manager
- George Baxter - Gustave the Butler
- Anna Duncan - Dora the Maid
- Herbert Bunston
- John Barrymore - Larry Renault
- Jean Harlow - Kitty Packard
- Billie Burke - Mrs. Oliver Jordan
- Edmund Lowe - Dr. Wayne Talbot
- Jean Hersholt - Joe Stengel
- Louise Closser Hale - Hattie Loomis
- May Robson - Mrs. Wendel, The Cook
- Phoebe Foster - Miss Alden
- Hilda Vaughn - Tina, Mrs. Packard's Maid
- Edwin Maxwell - Mr. Fitch, the Hotel Manager
- Edward Woods - Eddie
- Herman Bing - The Waiter
- May Beatty
- Director(s):
- George Cukor
- Writer(s):
- Donald Ogden Stewart, Herman Mankiewicz, Frances Marion
- Producer(s):
- David O. Selznick
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- Subtitles:
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- 1933 - Dinner at Eight - Film Daily - 10 Best Films
- 1933 - Dinner at Eight - New York Times - 10 Best Films
