The Man Who Came to Dinner

The Man Who Came to Dinner, 1942, Warner Bros. Starring Bette Davis, Monty Woolley, Ann Sheridan. Directed by William Keighley. B&W, 112 minutes.

The story of a boorish house guest who wouldn’t—or couldn’t—leave, The Man Who Came to Dinner is a farcical tale about an impossible man and his ever-patient assistant, who finally, along with everyone else, reaches the end of her rope.

Famous, or infamous, radio personality Sheridan Whiteside (Monty Woolley) has stopped in Ohio while on his cross-country tour, where he pays a visit to local notables, the Stanleys (Grant Mitchell, Billie Burke). He slips on ice on the steps to their home and insists on staying with them while recuperating from his injuries.

Monty Woolley, Bette Davis

Along with Sheridan is his calm and tolerant assistant, Maggie Cutler (Bette Davis). While he’s busy interfering in the lives of the Stanleys and their two nearly-adult children, Maggie…