Katharine Hepburn and David Manners in A Bill of Divorcement

A Bill of Divorcement was a British play written by Clemence Dane that debuted in 1921 in London. Dane wrote it as a reaction to a law passed in Britain in the early 1920s that allowed insanity as grounds for a woman divorcing her husband. The word British has several different uses. ... 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Greater London and the Regions of England. ... Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century Decades: 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s - 1920s - 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s Years: 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 Referred to as the Roaring 20s. ...

It was made into a British silent film in 1922, and into American movies in 1932 and 1940. The most well-known treatise was the 1932 movie, which was acting legend Katharine Hepburn's film debut. A silent film is a film which has no accompanying soundtrack. ... 1922 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The word America has several meanings: Geographical and political The United States of America. ... 1932 is a leap year starting on a Friday. ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 - June 29, 2003) was a notable American film and stage actress. ...

In the 1932 film, John Barrymore played a man who had long been institutionalized in an insane asylum. His wife had been set to divorce him to marry another, but he escaped from the asylum and returned home, child-like and docile. Hepburn, who played their daughter, takes care of him. John Sidney Blythe (February 15, 1882 - May 29, 1942), better known as John Barrymore, became famous as a Shakespearean actor, lauded for his Hamlet. ...

The film today is dated for its attitude toward gender relationships and mental illness, but even modern film critics praise the warm rapport between Hepburn and Barrymore.

The film was produced by David O. Selznick and George Cukor, who had disagreed about casting Hepburn. Cukor had seen Hepburn’s screen test and was impressed by the 24-year-old, but Selznick did not like the way she looked and was afraid she would not be well-received by audiences. Cukor cast her anyway (beginning what would be a lifelong professional and personal relationship between the two), and Hepburn was declared “a new star on the cinema horizon” by The Hollywood Reporter. David Oliver Selznick (May 10, 1902 - June 22, 1965), was an influential Hollywood producer, best known for producing the epic blockbuster Gone With the Wind (1939) which earned him an Oscar. ... George Cukor (July 7, 1899 - January 23, 1983) was an American film director. ... The Hollywood Reporter is the second major trade paper of the film industry in the United States. ...