Bringing Up Baby - "Gay All of a Sudden"

A 1930s romantic comedy starring Cary Grant playing a disgruntled paleontologist and Katharine Hepburn playing a troublesome heiress.

When Susan takes David's clothing he is forced to wear a negligee and answer the door. Here he meets Mrs. Random, the woman he was supposed to make a good impression on so she would give the money to the museum. Argueablely this is the first film where the word "gay" had been used to describe homosexuals (at the time homosexuals had called themselves that but it hadn't gone mainstream) in a film. This was an ad-libbed line that Cary threw into the scene.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Cary
• Grant
• Katharine
• Hepburn
• 1930s
• Bringing
• Up
• Baby

[foreo]

Why do people insist on denying intended 'queerness' in old films simply cus they're perceived to be of a more 'innocent' age. The term gay for homosexual was new at this time and both Cary Grant and Howard Hawks knew this. So using it makes the scene vague enough get past the Hayes Code - who'd NEVER allow the explicit 'queer'.

Hawks often used sexual innuendo - see also The Big Sleep and Red River (the gay scene where they compare guns like they were their dicks) and 'Baby' is no exception.

[Veggieman87]

Why can't movies be made like this anymore?

[OfShadowandSubstance]

@carterc4949 You've never seen Bringing up Baby?!

[Elnig4]

Cary Grant is so adorable in this movie

[cinderelmo]

I don't give a damn that this is historic,Cary grant is hot, he is out of the shower naked you could see the shadow of his nice ass, he's in negligee who the he'll cares about the gay term he used Cary grant is practically naked in this drools sigh.

[LieutenantEO]

"I just went GAY all of the sudden!!!" I use this for a lot of things. Lol

[AndyHurleysChicklet7]

@Veggieman87 because people get too offended too easily. it's pathetic. no one can have a nice laugh anymore. there will never be movies like this again. these are the classics!

[xander7ful]

That use of the word gay was way ahead of its time. It didn't become common until after the Stonewall Riot in 1969.

[carterc4949]

Do you know I love Cary Grant films but have never seen Baby!!! After seeing this clip and laughing so much I am going to have to track it down!!! Hilarious!!!

[carbine125]

That line works on so many levels.

[Dhad91]

Cary Grant is hot!