What does Liz mean by “too conventional” in the Philadelphia Story?
In the end of the excellent 1940 movie “The Philadelphia Story”, Tracy Lord and George Kitteredge call off their wedding right before it’s supposed to start. They’re worried about how to tell the wedding guests and how they’ll react. In that context Elizabeth “Liz” Imbrie says this:
Don't get too conventional all at once, will you? There’ll be a reaction.
My question is, what does Liz mean by “don’t get too conventional”? Does she mean too old-fashioned or traditional, or what?
Is she saying “Don’t assume the guests will just politely say nothing, they will react to it?” Or is she saying “Don’t worry, they’ll just react to it and that will be it, don’t act like this sort of thing never happens.”?
Best Answer
You're missing the context of Mike's (Jimmy Stewart's character) proposal:
Mike: Parson Parsons has never seen Kittredge before, has he? I got you into this thing, and I'll get you out of it. Will you marry me, Tracy?
Tracy: No, Mike. Thanks, but hmm-mm. Nope.
Mike: I've never asked a girl to marry me. I've avoided it. But you've got me all confused now. Why not?
Tracy: Because I don't think Liz would like it... and I'm not sure you would... and I'm even a little doubtful about myself. But I am beholden to you, Mike. I'm most beholden.
Mike: But they're in there! They're waiting.
Liz: Don't get too conventional all at once. will ya? There'll be a reaction.
Dex: Cheer up. It'll be all right. You've been got out of jams before...
Liz isn't saying her line to Tracy, she's saying it to Mike.
And what she probably means by conventional is that when a couple is caught in a 'compromising situation' even if nothing actually happened (as with Mike carrying Tracy coming back from the pool), the man 'repairs' the woman's reputation by offering to marry her. But Mike's not old-fashioned enough to really believe that, so Liz is tweaking him about wanting to play white knight.
The subtext here is, "Stop pushing, already. I'm glad you're not gonna marry her, because I love you, and you're supposed to marry me."
Pictures about "What does Liz mean by “too conventional” in the Philadelphia Story?"
Who does Tracy Lord end up with?
Philadelphia heiress Tracy Lord throws out her playboy husband C.K. Dexter Haven shortly after their marriage. Two years later, Tracy is about to marry respectable George Kittredge while Dexter has been working for "Spy" magazine.Is The Philadelphia Story based on a true story?
The film "Philadelphia" was not a fictional movie, as Tri-Star Pictures says, but the true story of an attorney who sued the world's largest law firm for firing him because he had AIDS, a lawyer argued today.What is the theme of The Philadelphia Story?
The theme of the film was expressed by witty journalist James Stewart's sarcastic comment about the caustic allure of the rich: "The prettiest sight in this fine, pretty world is the privileged class enjoying its privileges." The main romantic leads in the film, Hepburn and Grant, who had been successfully paired ...Is The Philadelphia Story on Netflix?
The Philadelphia Story is not currently on Netflix, but there are other ways to watch the 1940 classic. Meanwhile, Pride and Prejudice is available to stream on Netflix.Liz is Cringe
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Craig Adderley, Craig Adderley, Trev Adams, Daniel Torobekov