High Society (1956)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A popular jazz musician attempts to win back his ex-wife's heart while she prepares to marry a wealthy socialite.
The story
Successful singer-composer C.K. Dexter Haven is divorced from wealthy Newport, Rhode Island, socialite Tracy Samantha Lord. Dexter, who lives next door to the Lord estate, remains in love with her but she is now engaged to socially prominent and snobbish George Kittredge. As Tracy prepares for her upcoming wedding, Dexter is busily organizing elements of the Newport Jazz Festival. Meanwhile, a tabloid newspaper possesses embarrassing information about Tracy's father, Seth Lord, and has coerced the family into allowing a reporter and photographer to cover the nuptials. Tracy, resenting their presence, begins an elaborate charade to hide her father's involvement.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
C.K. Dexter Haven, a successful jazz musician, remains in love with his ex-wife, the wealthy socialite Tracy Samantha Lord, who is engaged to the snobbish George Kittredge. While Dexter organizes the Newport Jazz Festival, Tracy deals with a tabloid's threat to expose her father, Seth Lord. She creates a charade where Seth is disguised as her 'wicked' Uncle Willy. Dexter gives Tracy a model of their former sailboat, 'True Love', prompting her to realize George doesn't know her true self. During this period, Tracy forms a mutual attraction with reporter Mike Connor. At a wedding-eve party, George catches Tracy kissing Dexter. After a series of events including a swim in the Lord's pool, Tracy realizes she wants to call off the wedding. As she announces the cancellation, Dexter proposes to her, and she accepts. Mike and Liz, who have also fallen in love, agree to protect the family's privacy by not writing a story.
- First release year
- 1956
- Runtime (minutes)
- 111
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Charles Walters
- Writers
- John Patrick · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Bing Crosby · C.K. Dexter Haven; Grace Kelly · Tracy Samantha Lord; Frank Sinatra · Mike Connor; Celeste Holm · Liz Imbrie; John Lund · George Kittredge; Louis Calhern · Seth Lord; Sidney Blackmer · Uncle Willy; Louis Armstrong · Louis Armstrong
- Genres
- musical; romantic comedy
- Themes
- social class; romance; identity
- Tone and mood
- romantic; musical; comedic
- Premise and plot tags
- musical remake; comedy of remarriage; romance
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Philadelphia Story (1940 film) and The Philadelphia Story (1939 play) by Philip Barry
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews, often being compared unfavorably to its predecessor, The Philadelphia Story. However, it was a box-office success, becoming one of the 10 highest-grossing films of 1956 in the US and Canada.
- Production trivia
- Grace Kelly wore her Cartier engagement ring from Prince Rainier III in the film.; The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2025.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…