Review of The Man Who Came to Dinner

After nearly 60 years, "The Man Who Came To Dinner" still ranks as the most hilarious film ever committed to celluloid. Though censorship at the time required some of Kaufman and Hart's ribald dialogue to be toned down, no matter! Monty Woolley's performance is priceless, but Bette Davis, for once in a subdued, non-star performance, provides the heart of the movie and is achingly touching in her subtle evocation of a down-trodden secretary finally discovering love--and in danger of losing her Romeo to the ravishing, outrageously man-eating Ann Sheridan. A perfect film for Christmas viewing (thanks to its exquisite black-and-white cinematography capturing a greeting card background for the non-stop lunacy in the foreground). A perfect film for any day of the year. I've seen other versions--the TV production with Orson Welles, the Broadway musical in the late 1960s, the recent Broadway revival with Nathan Lane. They all pale when compared to this definitive, timeless, masterpiece!