Why was the film not well-received?

Yes, the film was fast paced and Kate races from joke to joke, from what I've heard audiences didn't like this at the time, they preferred the type of humour that's slower and more deliberate. It says a little about the film's lack of commercial success on the trivia page:

'Howard Hawks said that he failed at making a good comedy here because of the characters were too "madcap", with no straight men/women to ground it. This comment may have resulted from his disappointment at the film's commercial failure at the time of its release, although many now consider it Hawks' best film.'

The comedy is appreciated now but it wasn't then.

'Cause audiences back then were apparently more sensible.

yea, i really think they should only show you guys in the film studies class what you want. next movie would be Alone in the Dark...

Exactly. The Hepburn character starts out 'wacky', then quickly becomes just incredibly annoying, her voice like fingernails on a chalkboard.

I've never seen a movie where each character calls the other one by their name every 15-30 seconds..."Yes, David", "But Susan", "yes David", etc., etc., etc.

Extremely overrated film.

Good question. This movie is AMAZING! I guess audiences back then didn't understand the humor.

It is a great movie, with a lot of hilarity. However, one has to be open to the dialogue. It's easy to miss a lot of it, if you're not listening. One has to be open to watching everything, as well. If you miss what you're meant to see, then you miss the physical comedy. It's a movie that does require your attention, but not in the sense that you'll lose what's going on, as in a suspense. I don't understand the hatred for this movie. I think people do try to read too much into movies. Instead of being entertained, they are disappointed because they spent the whole time overthinking what was supposed to be going on, and miss out on being amused. It has nothing to do with nostalgia, as I have read from posters/commenters, that this movie is so highly rated. It has to do with great comic timing and deliverance. I saw this movie long before I became the classic film fanatic I, now, am. It was one of the first truly HILARIOUS movies I'd ever seen. That's what I like about it. It helped ease me into the world of black and white movies. I loved this movie so much, and the dialogue especially, that I actually taped it to an audio cassette to listen to when I went to bed at night. My grandma was strict about bedtimes, and I didn't have a TV in my room. I was heartbroken when the tape broke. :'( Cary Grant's portrayal in this movie is pure genius. People that seem to hate this movie are appalled that he played such an emasculated character. I don't think of him that way, at all. He was just a naive soul, at least he starts out that way. I think by the time the film ends he is more masculine and more 'worldly'. But it's the in between time that makes his performance classic Grant, to me. His flustered actions appear in The Bachelor And The Bobby Soxer, as well. I love the scenes where he acts like he's going to speak but can't. His expressions are the greatest. He was perfect.Also, I don't believe the 'appletree' mistake was actually a mistake on Grant's part, but more so of the character's. He was so intent on keeping an eye on the dog, that he really paid very little attention to all that was going on around him. To me, that was the joke, but per IMDB it was a 'goof'.
Ms. Hepburn was great here, too. I've never enjoyed any of her other performances nearly as much as I did this one. I've read she's annoying, she can be, but that's the point, because she really isn't all that bright. We all know how annoying not-so-bright people can be. (Check out these boards.) I don't feel that what she did to keep David around was mean-spirited, either. Actually, most of the movies from the time that had a woman pursuing a man were of that manner. They used ploys to get the man they wanted and whatever ploy it took to get rid of the competition. Wait, that still goes on in today's movies...doesn't it?
The remaining cast, to me, was just as exceptional. All played their parts to the hilt.

I first watched this some years ago and didn't know the popularity of it. I loved it the fist time and finished watching it for the second time earlier, today. Being a classic film fan I get the lingo. My guess is that modern audiences don't like as much, because it doesn't have any special effects! But it certainly has action! Also, I would think audiences, then, enjoyed the movie as much as I did. I mean, come on, it was different because it was so fast and funny. I just can't see early movie-goers hating this film.
Where are you getting this info that it wasn't a success?






"I have no memories I'm prepared to share with you."- Peter O'Toole