High Society review

Perceived wisdom screams that 1956's High Society isn't fit to buff the custom-made brogues of 1940's The Philadelphia Story, which it's a remake of. Perceived wisdom can take a brisk running jump. Yes, High Society is different, but it's no less smart, witty or effortlessly entertaining. And it's got SONGS...

Infiltrating the society wedding of Tracy Lord (Grace Kelly), Hello-style scribbler Mike Connor (Frank Sinatra) enters a world of insecure but lovable rich folks. Tracy flirts ferociously with Mike but anyone with half a brain can see that she's really got the hots for ex-hubby CK Dexter-Haven (Bing Crosby). But will she see it before the wedding?

Kelly is weaker than Katharine Hepburn in Story, but she muddles through on looks alone. Frank and Bing, meanwhile, slip on the Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant roles like tailormade suits, radiating casual magnetism and easy charm. And so what if director Charles Walters settles for mimicking George Cukor's set-ups shot for shot - he still deserves a fat slap on the back for flawlessly shoehorning in a half-dozen belting Cole Porter numbers (including `Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?', `Now You Has Jazz', `True Love' and ` Well, Did You Evah?').

Hollywood hokum at its most magically, glossily simple - watch it and be happy to the tips of your toes.