Bringing Up Baby: A Leopard in the Limelight

comedy, romance

1:42

1938

Review by Brandon Talks Movies on Nov 12, 2025

Now, it isn't that I don't like you, Susan, because, after all, in moments of quiet, I'm strangely drawn toward you, but—well, there haven't been any quiet moments!

While some classic comedies have lost their edge over the decades, Bringing Up Baby, released in 1938 and directed by Howard Hawks (Rio Bravo, El Dorado), is every bit as funny today as it was almost 90 years ago. The film stars Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and a leopard named Nissa (uncredited). Hepburn and Grant were major stars at that point, but Nissa’s lack of acting experience doesn’t detract from the film—it’s very funny.

The plot follows David, a stuffy paleontologist trying to secure a $1,000,000 endowment from a wealthy donor. After frantically working to reconstruct a brontosaurus skeleton, he takes the potential donor out golfing. There, he meets Susan, a charming but flighty woman who does what she wants—and what she wants is to make David fall in love with her. She does this by stealing his car. The problem: David is engaged to be married to Alice, another stuffy paleontologist. Will Susan win David’s heart? Will David win the endowment? Will David find more happiness with Susan than he would with Alice? This is a light romantic comedy, so we know the answers to all of those questions, but it’s fun to see it all play out.

I've got my head, I've lost my leopard!

Hepburn and Grant are both brilliant in this film, despite Hepburn having no comedy experience. The dialogue is fast—so fast that I missed some of the jokes on my first viewing. But with so many jokes, I was laughing throughout the film. The quick rhythm of the banter between the two was flawless. The playful relationship with the actors extended to their off-set encounters as well. While Hepburn got along well with their leopard co-star, Grant was terrified of it—so much so that a double was used for any scene that required him to be in contact with it. Knowing this, Hepburn procured a life-like stuffed leopard and shoved it through an air vent into Grant’s dressing room, sending him bolting out of the room in a panic.

Though the human co-stars were great, the best part of this film was Nissa the leopard as the titular Baby. We’ve all seen the old gag of mistaken identity, but seeing it with a leopard puts a new spin on it. Watching Susan pull on the leash of a leopard who doesn’t want to go into a police station is still hilarious. There’s also a scene where Susan’s terrible driving causes a collision with a truck full of chickens. You can imagine what the aftermath of that looks like. The fast-paced dialogue and jokes would work equally well as a stage play, but the leopard makes this movie different from other dialogue-heavy classic comedies.

Despite the brilliant comedic rapport between the two stars, the film bombed upon release. Critics complained that it was too chaotic and silly, with The New York Times calling it “frantic and disconnected.” With this being Hepburn’s first comedic role, she was blamed and considered box office poison. It wasn’t until two years later that her career recovered, when she reunited with Grant for The Philadelphia Story, a more mature comedy that made use of both her dramatic and comedic acting talents.

Should I Watch Bringing Up Baby?

This is a film anyone could enjoy. Even with its age, I never felt like I was missing something while watching it. There was some composite editing in a few scenes to separate the actors from the leopard, but this never stood out to me. The romance is funny and light without being overbearing. The jokes and dialogue hold up well. Even if you’re not typically a fan of old films, this would be a great one to test the waters and get some timeless laughs.

Movies Like Bringing Up Baby

His Girl Friday (1940) - This was also directed by Howard Hawks, who basically defined the “machine-gun dialogue” screwball comedy. The tone is a little more cynical and grounded, and the gender dynamics are less inverted, but this is still a great dialogue-heavy comedy that will please fans of Bringing Up Baby. The only downside is that there is no leopard.
The Philadelphia Story (1940) - This film reunites Hepburn and Grant, although their roles are essentially reversed: instead of a wild woman teaching a repressed man to loosen up, a confident man teaches a woman obsessed with perfection to accept imperfection. The tone is more mature and subdued, but seeing Grant and Hepburn together is an interesting continuation of their dynamic in Bringing Up Baby. The biggest downside is that there is no leopard.
What’s Up, Doc? (1972) - This was made as a homage to Bringing Up Baby, so the plot, humor, and characters are all very similar. The campy humor and larger-than-life characters feel a little out-of-place in the 70s, but knowing that it was based on Bringing Up Baby makes it a little more sensible. The gags work well, and this is a fun watch. Sadly, the film is imperfect because it has no leopard.

Runtime: 1:42
Director: Howard Hawks
Year: 1938
Genres: comedy, romance
Rating: NR

About Brandon

My name is Brandon, and I love movies. Not bad ones, though—just the good ones. I’m curating and reviewing a list of classic, essential-viewing, or just plain good movies from all decades, and I've been reviewing them since 2016. I also co-host Peculiar Picture Show, a podcast about movies and mental health and write about Dungeons & Dragons options, builds, and optimization.

Bringing Up Baby: A Leopard in the Limelight

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