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An illustrated history of Katharine Hepburn's acting career, May 22, 2003
This look at "Katharine Hepburn" looks at only the first four decades of her remarkable film career, which means from her 1932 debut in "A Bill of Divorcement" through her 39th theatrical film "A Delicate Balance" in 1973. Since that point in time Hepburn won her fourth Oscar for "On Golden Pond," made "Rooster Cogburn and the Lady" with John Wayne, and did a series of television movies including "The Glass Menagerie," "Love Among the Ruins" with Laurence Olivier, and "The Corn is Green." However, it does do a nice job of looking at the early years of Hepburn's career ("early" as in she turned 96 this month) and tracing the actresses' transformation on the screen from the aggressive, strong-willed young woman who is determined to remain independent in a man's world, to the lonely spinster in a wistful, even desperate, search for love.
Alvin H. Marill only briefly sketches out her childhood (the apparent suicide of her older brother Tom is said to have died in an accident) because the main focus is on Hepburn's public persona. Her career is divided into four parts: The Stage Years, when she managed to be fired from more parts than she performed; The RKO Years, where she won her first Oscar for "Morning Glory," as well as the classic "Bringing Up Baby," while being dismissed as Box Office Poison; The MGM Years begins with her return to stardom in "The Philadelphia Story" and her first film with Spencer Tracy, "Woman of the Year," and ends with "Adam's Rib," "The African Queen," and "Pat & Mike"; and The Independent Years, which saw Hepburn receive six Oscar nominations and win two for "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" and "The Lion in Winter," while making eight films from 1955 to 1968.
Marill provides descriptions of the plot of each film including some of the most famous lines Hepburn ever uttered on screen, behind the scenes stories and insights, and comments by critics and the media. The result is a quick paced review of Katharine Hepburn's celebrated career that provides a sense of its ups and downs. My copy is falling apart because this was what I used to assemble my video collection of everything she ever did that exists on tape. This volume is one of The Illustrated History of the Movies series, offering a comprehensive overview of the influential figures, forms, and styles in the development of the motion pictures. The book is illustrated with black & white photographs with two or three for every film and some early shots of Hepburn on Broadway, including a nice shot of her as Antiope in the 1932 play "The Warrior's Husband" that made her a star.
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