VOICE Journal of the Alex Film Society Vol. 13, No. 1 February 10, 2007, 2 pm & 8 pm 2/07 of theTHEATRE SPENCE AND KATE… TOGETHER AGAIN By Randy Carter he 1957 production of Desk Set was the eighth of nine Tfilms that Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn would make together. This lighthearted comedy came at a time of great personal turmoil for the screen duo that had first met on the M-G-M lot in 1941 when Hepburn was setting up production of Woman Of The Year for Louis B. Mayer. During production of the film that would bring Ms. Hepburn her fourth Oscar™ nomination, the couple began an intimate affair that lasted until Tracy’s death in 1967. Tracy and Hepburn had not been in a film together for five years following the successful sports comedy Pat And Mike (1952). The pair was deeply affected by the death of their close friend success of 1955. Originally slated or a diamond in the rough, or a Humphrey Bogart and Tracy was for New York location work, the cataclysmic situation.” This is a staggering under the strain of Jack comedy was shot on sound stages classic story line that plays well Warner’s attempt to bring Ernest on the Fox lot. This was their first in all of her successes, but in the Hemingway’s The Old Man And film in color, and since it was a Tracy-Hepburn films she always The Sea to the screen on location Twentieth Century Fox production, gives as good as she takes. in Cuba. Tracy was unhappy with it was shot with Fox’s anamorphic original director Fred Zinneman CinemaScope lenses. Tracy and Hepburn appeared and weather problems had plagued together in: Woman Of The Year the production, forcing them to Garson Kanin who wrote Adam’s (1942), Keeper Of The Flame (1942), shut down and return to California. Rib (1949) believed that he knew Without Love (1945), The Sea Of Hepburn, who was on the Havana the formula for a Hepburn success: Grass (1947), State Of The Union location with Tracy, suggested they “A high-class, or stuck-up, or hoity- (1948), Adam’s Rib (1949), Pat And do a film together and choseDesk toity girl is brought down to earth Mike (1952), Desk Set, and Guess Set, William Marchant’s Broadway by an earthy type or a lowbrow Who’s Coming To Dinner (1967). Desk Set ........................................................ 1 Photo Gallery ............................................... 5 Perspective: Katharine Hepburn ............. 2 Counting Cards: Computers .................... 6 Perspective: Spencer Tracy ...................... 3 Short Subjects ............................................. 7 Feature credits ............................................ 4 Calendar ........................................................ 8 Katharine Hepburn was born in of the Year, bringing her fourth Hartford, Connecticut Oscar™ nomination. The Tracy/ on May 12, 1907. Hepburn partnership continued Hepburn From the beginning successfully throughout the 40’s. her parents, a wealthy doctor and suffragette, The 50’s and 60’s showcased encouraged her to Hepburn in a variety of memorable speak her mind. A films. Those which garnered tomboy throughout additional Oscar™ nominations most of her childhood, include The African Queen (1951) she excelled at in which she battled the river numerous sports. and the Germans with Humphrey While attending Bryn Bogart; Summertime (1955) as a Mawr College, where lonely secretary who falls in love many believe she with Venetian Rossano Brazzi; adopted her distinct The Rainmaker (1956) as a plain New England accent, Jane wooed by con-man Burt she became interested Lancaster; Suddenly, Last Summer in acting and was (1959) playing a wealthy southern offered her first part matriarch trying to have niece on Broadway shortly Elizabeth Taylor committed to an after graduation. asylum, and Long Day’s Journey Into Night (1962) in which she plays a atharine Hepburn spent seven Hollywood eventually dope-addicted New England mother. decades on stage and screen beckoned and she started her film mostly playing independent career at the top playing opposite In 1967 she co-starred with Tracy K John Barrymore in A Bill of for the last time in Guess Who’s women with minds of their own. These characters were not too far Divorcement (1932) leading to a Coming to Dinner and won her removed from the real-life Katharine contract with RKO. The next year second Oscar™. The next year she Hepburn who throughout the 30’s she won her first Academy Award™ won yet again for The Lion in and 40’s chose to wear slacks for Morning Glory (1933) and starred Winter. Her twelfth nomination and no make-up when neither as Jo in the hugely successful Little and fourth Oscar™ came in 1981 style was fashionable and refused Women. With the exception of for On Golden Pond. Hepburn’s to play the Hollywood game by Alice Adams (1935), which brought last big-screen appearance was in denying interviews and autographs. her a second Oscar™ nomination, 1994’s Love Affair. She died at the Yet, despite her unconventional the mid to late thirties provided age of 96 on June 29, 2003. behavior, Hepburn reigned at the Hepburn with a series of box-office box office being nominated for flops and she became known as 12 Oscars™ and winning four, the box-office poison. In 1939 she latter record unbroken to this day. returned to Broadway to star in “The Philadelphia Story”. The play was a huge success and Hepburn quickly bought the film rights knowing Hollywood would be interested in the property. Hollywood was, and M- G-M was forced to star Hepburn in the 1940 film version, which paired her with Cary Grant and brought her third Oscar™ nomination. Hepburn’s lucky intuition had paid off. 1942 paired Hepburn with Spencer Tracy in Woman VOICE of the THEATRE – – Vol. 13, No. 1 February 10, 007 Spencer Tracy ith nine Oscar™ Clark Gable’s man-of- nominations and two the-cloth pal in San Wwins to his credit, Spencer Francisco (1936), Tracy Tracy was sufficiently qualified to became the first actor play opposite his most famous co- to win two Oscars™ star Katharine Hepburn. Equally back-to-back: as the adept at light romantic comedy as good-hearted fisherman well as heavy dramatic material, teaching young Freddie Tracy was one of Hollywood’s Bartholomew about the most beloved stars from the important things in life 30’s to his death in the 60’s. in Captain’s Courageous (1937) and winning over juvenile delinquent Mickey Rooney as Father Flanagan in Boys Town (1938). Tracy’s film career in the 1940’s was dominated by his films opposite Katharine Hepburn and by such box-office hits as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde June 10, 1967, just two weeks after (1941) opposite Ingrid Bergman, shooting of that film completed. A Guy Named Joe (1943) opposite Irene Dunne and Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944). The decade of Photos: (counterclockwise from top left page Spencer Tracy was born in the fifties proved how versatile 2) Hepburn at 28 in Silvia Scarlet (1935); Desk Set; Stage Door (1937) with Ginger Milwaukee, Wisconsin on April 5, an actor he could be and brought Rogers and Adolphe Menjou; Spencer Tracy 1900. He spent much of his early another five Oscar™ nominations: in Judgement at Nuremberg (1961); Tracy in life palling around with future he demonstrated his great comedic 1935; on a Woody wagon with a Setter. fellow actor Pat O’Brien. Both timing in 1950 as Elizabeth attended Marquette Academy, Taylor’s Father of the Bride, he was enlisted into the Navy at the believable as a one-armed veteran outbreak of World War 1 and in Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), roomed together in New York City as an aging fisherman battling the where they both had non-speaking elements in The Old Man and the parts as robots in the play “R.U.R”. Sea (1958), as a lawyer arguing the Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925 Tracy eventually moved to in Inherit the Wind (1960) and as Hollywood where he made his film a US judge presiding over German debut in The Strong Arm (1930). war criminal trials in Judgment at John Ford was impressed with the Nuremberg (1961). After heading actor’s work and starred him in the ensemble cast in the hit Up the River (1930), and his work comedy It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad landed him a contract with Fox. In World (1963), Tracy’s last Oscar™ 1935 Tracy moved to M-G-M and nomination came in 1967 when he it was at that studio that his film played opposite Katharine Hepburn career really took off. After receiving for the last time in Guess Who’s his first Oscar™ nomination playing Coming to Dinner. Tracy died on Vol. 13, No. 1 February 10, 007 – 3 – VOICE of the THEATRE Walter Lang’s DeLuxe Color – 1957 – 103 min 20th Century Fox Print Courtesy of 20th Century Fox Cast Spencer Tracy ..................Richard Sumner Directed by ......................Walter Lang Katharine Hepburn ........Bunny Watson Writers Gig Young ........................Mike Cutler Original Play by ..............William Marchant Joan Blondell ..................Peg Costello Screenplay by .................Phoebe Ephron, Dina Merrill .....................Sylvia Blair Henry Ephron & Cole Porter Sue Randall .....................Ruthie Saylor Produced by ....................Henry Ephron Neva Patterson ..............Miss Warriner Harry Ellerbe ...................Smithers Original Music by .........Cyril J. Mockridge Nicholas Joy ....................Mr. Azae Conducted by..................Lionel Newman Diane Jergens ..................Alice Orchestrated by .............Edward B. Powell Merry Anders ..................Cathy Cinematography by ......Leon Shamroy Ida Moore ........................Old Lady Edited by .........................Robert L. Simpson Rachel Stephens .............Receptionist Art Direction by ............Maurice Ransford & Lyle Wheeler Set Decoration by ........Paul S. Fox & Walter M. Scott Bill Duray .........................Member of the Board* Costume Designed by ..Charles Le Maire Harry Evans .....................Member of the Board* Make Up by ....................Ben Nye Jesslyn Fax ......................Mrs.