Katharine Hepburn

     I have always been a huge fan of the stronger actresses, like Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck, Carole Lombard and this post subject, Katharine Hepburn. I can't imagine life without our heroes. Our family members, our friends, and our actors/actresses. The reason I speak of them is because 11 years ago today, Miss Hepburn died. 

     She had great childhood, her father was a doctor, and her mother was women's rights activist. So she came from a smart family. She lived in Connecticut, and had sisters and a brother. She was a tomboy, always. And wasn't afraid to admit it. When she was very young, she found her brother, who was her hero and best friend, dead. He had hung himself. For many years, she believed in her heart, that it was an accident. Telling people that her father had taught them how to hang themselves without killing themselves. In my opinion, I believe she told herself this story to help herself along. I cannot imagine the pain she went through, and to have been so young.

     As an adult, thankfully, she turned to acting. She played sports like a pro. Tennis, basketball, swimming, and golf. She golfed real well. And you can see her talent of golf in the movies Bringing Up Baby and Pat and Mike. Pat and Mike also stars the love of her life, Spencer Tracy. I can't imagine a more talented couple. The two of them stared in a lot of great movies together, and their love shows in all of them. They were together twenty-four years, which was until his death. She could never watch the last movie they made, which was also his last because she thought it would be too hard to get through. 

     In her older age, she wrote a biography titled "Me," she was a four time Oscar winner, twelve time Oscar nominator and was also the number one woman in AFI's pick of best actresses. Pretty cool huh? These are the movies I recommend with her as the star:

Little Women (1933)
Stage Door
Bringing Up Baby
Holiday
The Philadelphia Story
Woman of the Year
Undercurrent 
Adams Rib
African Queen
Pat and Mike
Desk Set
Suddenly Last Summer

Enjoy! I did.

     

Undercurrent

Undercurrent
Released Date: November 28, 1946
Director: Vincent Minnelli
Actors: Katharine Hepburn, Robert Taylor, Robert Mitchum, Edmund Gwenn, Majorie Main, Jayne Meadows, Clinton Sundberg, Dan Tobin, Kathryn Card, Leigh Whipper, Charles Trowbridge, James Westerfield and Billy McClain

     Post war movies are always fun to watch. For this reason alone, the actors that came back from the war to go on with their acting career. James Stewart was one of them, and so is Robert Taylor. He was in the military service in World War II. And after returning, this was his first picture. Robert Mitchum plays Robert Taylor's brother in this movie, and Katharine Hepburn plays Taylor's wife. Although still young, Katharine Hepburn plays a spinster, well almost spinster, she is saved from that single old age by her husband. Did you know that Katharine Hepburn and Robert Mitchum did not get along while filming? You may never see it, that is the beauty of acting. But Hepburn apparently told Mitchum this: "You know you can't act, and if you hadn't been good looking you would never have got a picture at all. I'm tired of working with people like you who have nothing to offer!" Harsh words, huh? I have always enjoyed Mitchum movies and am sad by that remark. I have always been and will be a Katharine Hepburn fan, though strong headed, she was not too far from the truth. Mitchum did in fact have better looks than acting range, but he always made fun pictures. But so did Katharine Hepburn!

     Ann Hamilton (Katharine Hepburn) grew up with a loving family in the country. The picture is beautiful, with the country feel, snow up to your knees, snow covering the old time cars and a fireplace. A scene I have dreamed about all my life. The good looking Alan Garroway (Robert Taylor) comes to her house and they end up falling in love. Hamilton's father, Professor Hamilton (Edmund Gwenn (a great actor)) tells her that she will end up marrying Garroway. The Professor can see his daughter falling in love. After a whirlwind wedding, Mr and Mrs. Garroway head to Alan's home, in my hometown, of Washington D.C. Ann is a country girl at heart, always will be. Her clothes spell country, and she feels different from all of the D.C. women she meets. Alan throws a few parties, and Ann feels like the loan sheep. Alan seems perfect, tons of money, very good looking, friendly and all around happy. But he has a demon, his brother. Michael Garroway (Robert Mitchum) seems to have hurt his brother pretty badly. But while all stories unravel, Ann has doubts about her new husband. And so do we, the audience. I said this before, but Katharine Hepburn makes masterpieces, and this is a great movie. Found on accident, I taped it on TCM, and enjoyed every minute. I taped because of Katharine Hepburn!!! You will love this new find of mine just as much as I have :)

The Philadelphia Story

Earlier today, I was watching The Philadelphia Story with James Stewart, Katharine Hepburn, and Cary Grant. The movie is so well crafted and I love all of the characters. The "drunk" scene might be my favorite, but also the amazing woman that Katharine Hepburn was. She was such a strong woman, smart and could carry her own. Just as tough as Bette Davis :)

Pat And Mike

Pat And Mike
Released Date: June 13, 1952
Director: George Cukor
Actors: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Aldo Ray, William Ching, Sammy White, George Matthews, Gussie Moran, Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Don Budge, Alice Marble, Frank Andrew Parker, Betty Hicks, and Beverly Hanson

     This entire movie is based on athletics. Katharine Hepburn grew up with an older brother that loved sports, and to play them as well. Her father was a huge sports fan too and made sure his children played and got their exercise in everyday. So when Miss Hepburn became pro - like good, she was rather happy. Not only to be great at sports but because it pleased her father as well. This movie shows us her sports ability and there was no stunt double for her.

     Katharine Hepburn was great at a lot of sports. Every type of sport she tried, she excelled. But the one sport she was told that she was good enough to go pro, was golf. This movie is about a ladies golf championship. Pat (Hepburn) plays the athlete, who will be trained by Mike (Tracy). She is pushed hard, and even though she does well at golf, for some reason, whenever her fiance is around, she flops. It is almost time for the championship, so now she decides to allow and hire Mike to help her train correctly. And because she is around Mike a lot, and also is being trained and not getting nervous around him when it comes to her favorite sport, she becomes attracted to him. And one other issue, her fiance would rather her become his wife and drop her favorite sport. 

The Philadelphia Story

The Philadelphia Story
Released Date: December 26, 1940
Director: George Cukor
Actors: Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart, and Virginia Weidler

         The Philadelphia Story went from stage play, to movie and then onto a radio program known as the Lux Theaters. Katharine Hepburn played the same roll as Tracy Lord in all three adaptations. She ended up owning the rights to the story bought by the famous airplane pilot Howard Hughes, which Miss Hepburn admitted to sleeping with the pilot to get the rights. Miss Hepburn got to pick the actors in the movie version and at first wanted Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy. Both men were busy and could not take the parts. The second choice group took the roles which were Cary Grant and James Stewart. James Stewart ended up winning the Best Supporting Actor Oscar award that year. His father owned a shop in Indiana, PA which was located on Philadelphia Street. The Oscar had misspelled Philadelphia with another a instead of e.

        This movie is based on a wealthy woman named Tracy Lord. She is married, at first to Cary Grant's character, one C.K. Dexter Haven. They divorced and Tracy ends up engaged to another man. Upset and wanting his woman back, Mr. Haven ends up going to the wedding to hopefully win her heart back. Macaulay Conner, played by James Stewart is a writer for a magazine and thinks at one point, that he has fallen in love with Tracy Lord. Macaulay Conner was hired to make Tracy Lord angry. A comedy and Romance, this movie takes you through ups and downs, hits and swimming, marriage and divorce, and so many laugh out loud moments that will keep you entertained.

        Tracy Lord is a swimmer in the movie and at one point she takes a dive in her family owned pool. Usually back in those days, and even today, actors will use a double to do most athletic move but Katharine Hepburn was a very active woman and did her own dive in this movie. She was mostly known for her golf skills and was actually told that she could have gone pro. Although she does not golf in this movie, it is a very neat piece of information and one that makes her a very cool actress. This movie was made to save Katharine Hepburn's career and also James Stewart's as well. Cary Grant, however, was doing fine in his career and did not need saving. But the movies made a huge splash and ended up making this a movie that most fans of any of those actors say is their favorite.