Adam's Rib



With an Oscar-nominated script by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin, Adam's Rib pokes fun at the double standard between the sexes. Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn play husband and wife attorneys, each drawn to the same case of attempted murder. Judy Holliday, defending the sanctity of her marriage and family, intends only to frighten her philandering husband (Tom Ewell) and his mistress (Jean Hagen) but tearfully ends up shooting and injuring the husband. Tracy argues that the case is open and shut, but Hepburn asserts that, if the defendant were a man, he'd be set free on the basis of "the unwritten law." As the trial turns into a media circus, the couple's relationship is put to the test.

Holliday's first screen triumph propelled her onto bigger roles, including Born Yesterday, for which she won an Academy Award. The film is also the debut of Ewell, who would become best known for his role opposite Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch, and Hagen, who would floor audiences as the ditzy blonde movie star with the shrill voice in Singin' in the Rain.

Adam's Rib was added to the National Film Registry in 1992.