The Man Who Came to Dinner Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The Man Who Came to Dinner Blu-ray Movie Review

Merry Christmas, you filthy animal.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III March 25, 2026

Ever had a guest who just wouldn't leave? It's the reason that these things exist... and such an item would surely have come in handy during William Keighley's The Man Who Came to Dinner, even if it would've made this screwball comedy a lot more boring. Featuring a career-defining performance from Monty Woolley (reprising his role from the 1939 stage play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart), this bracingly funny film still plays well more than 80 years later.

Our story begins and basically remains in the small town of Mesalia, Ohio, where sharp-tongued New York radio host Sheridan Whiteside (Woolley) has stopped on a cross-country lecture tour. He's arranged to dine at the home of well-to-do couple Daisy and Ernest Stanley (Billie Burke and Grant Mitchell, above) as something of a publicity stunt... but tragedy strikes when he slips on their icy front steps, injures his hip, and is carried inside. Normally, Sheridan would be taken by ambulance to the nearest hospital... but he'd rather stay at the cozy Stanley home for the upcoming holiday season, so they take him in to avoid a potential $150,000 wrongful injury lawsuit. Much like the poor inhabitants of Gilligan's Island, what should have been a three-hour event now seems like a life sentence.

Naturally, the Stanleys' new guest doesn't make life easy for anyone. He immediately issues demands and takes over the main floor of their house, exaggerates his projected recovery time, makes long-distance calls to foreign countries, bullies his poor nurse Miss Preen (Mary Wickes, also reprising her role) into submission, and even tries to sabotage the relationship of his dutiful assistant Maggie (Bette Davis) by tempting her boyfriend Bert (Richard Travis) with sexy actress Lorraine Sheldon (Ann Sheridan). Then, of course, there's the shipment of live penguins...

Like its source play, The Man Who Came to Dinner goes to great lengths to make its main characters (and audience) uncomfortable, but in a way that seems more delightfully ridiculous than chilly and mean-sprinted. I hadn't seen this film in years so some of its wilder surprises still seemed fresh, but it's the performances, pacing, and terrific dialogue that collectively keep everything running smoothly from start to finish. Remade twice as similarly impressive but much lesser-known made-for-TV movies (one in 1972 starring Orson Welles and another from 2000 with Nathan Lane), this "original" still shines brightly and will be warmly received by a wave of future fans thanks to Warner Archive's welcome new Blu-ray edition. Featuring the boutique label's usual close attention to detail including outstanding A/V merits, this is a thoughtful and well-rounded package that belongs in the collection of any classic comedy fan.

The Man Who Came to Dinner Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sourced from a recent 4K scan of its original nitrate negative, The Man Who Came to Dinner displays all the usual hallmarks of Warner Archive's reliably great ground-up restorations: outstanding fine detail, excellent stability, and a very clean overall appearance that retains the look and feel of its filmed source material. Needless to say, it's basically a flawless presentation that only displays trace amounts of softness and wear-and-tear and runs at a consistently high and supportive bit rate from start to finish. The film's overall appearance -- almost all of which takes place inside the cozy Stanley household during the holiday season -- has never looked better on home video, meaning that die-hard fans will be impressed and first-timers get to watch it in outstanding condition right out of the gate.

The Man Who Came to Dinner Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix follows suit with a clean and supportive split mono presentation of its original one-channel source track. Dialogue and background effects are clean and well-balanced, while the often brisk and playful original score by Friedrich Hollaender sounds excellent as well. Only trace amounts of hiss can be heard along the way, signaling that no extraneous amounts of noise reduction were applied so as to preserve as much of the soundtrack's original dynamic range as possible. Overall, it's another excellent effort that gets the job done.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are offered during the main feature only, not the extras listed below.

The Man Who Came to Dinner Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with vintage poster-themed cover art and a helping of era-specific extras.

• Inside A Classic Comedy (11:47) - A lightweight and mostly fawning but worthwhile DVD-era piece that features comments by industry professionals including Jeanine Basinger, Paul Clinton, Drew Casper, and Boze Hadleigh, who wax nostalgic about the play, the film, and their shared legacy.

• Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra (8:53) - This short black-and-white performance piece features the celebrated dance band who had a long and celebrated career between 1929 and 1963.

• The Wabbit Who Came To Supper (8:09) - Directed by Friz Freleng, this restored 1942 Merrie Melodies cartoon is new to Blu-ray, having last appeared on WB's Golden Collection, Volume 3 DVD set.

• Radio Broadcasts - A pair of vintage radio programs for your listening pleasure.

• Hotpoint Holiday Hour (59:40) - Originally broadcast on January 25, 1949, this abridged adaptation of the story features Jack Benny and Rosalind Russell.
• Lux Radio Theater (59:50) - Another abridged adaptation, this one is from March 27, 1950 and stars Clifton Webb and Lucille Ball a full year before I Love Lucy.

• Theatrical Trailer (3:14) - This long-form vintage promotional piece can also be seen here.

The Man Who Came to Dinner Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Adapted from a celebrated stage play and later remade into at least two made-for-TV movies, William Keighley's The Man Who Came to Dinner is a classic screwball comedy with terrific dialogue, a speedy pace, and no shortage of great performances from the likes of Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan, and Monty Woolley, who slips back into his original Broadway role with ease. It's a fine film with solid replay value and looks better than ever on Warner Archive's welcome new Blu-ray, which offers yet another top-tier restoration and several thoughtful extras. Highly Recommended, of course.