Dinner at Eight

(George Cukor, US 1933, 112 min., 16mm)

Senior Matinee | Eastman Entertains. Hard on the heels of its 1932 megahit Grand Hotel, the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer dream factory scored again with this witty, withering, and relentlessly human, high-stakes soap opera. Scripted by Frances Marion and Herman J. Mankiewicz from the Broadway play by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber, Dinner at Eight deftly juggles several story lines featuring an A-list cast of M-G-M stars who take turns navigating life’s crises with hope, chutzpah, and acid-tongued one-liners. Grand Hotel costars John and Lionel Barrymore, Wallace Beery, and Jean Hersholt are reunited and paired here with the captivating quartet of Billie Burke, Jean Harlow, Madge Evans, and the inimitable Marie Dressler, with director George Cukor keeping the pace brisk till the dinner bell rings. Free for ages 55 and older.