Warner Home Video present "The Hepburn & Tracy Signature Collection" (Woman of the Year / Pat and Mike / Adam's Rib / The Spencer Tracy Legacy) --- (Dolby digitally remastered)...featuring top performances by actors to die for from the '30s, '40s and '50s with outstanding plot lines and screenplays...from memorable films that will leave you sitting on the edge of your seat completely engulfed in the story and every scene...so pop some popcorn, sit back and enjoy the movie.
First up we have "WOMAN OF THE YEAR" (1942) (114 min. B/W)...under director George Stevens, producer Joseph L. Mankiewicz, screenplay by Michael Kanin and Ring Lardner, Jr, original music by Franz Waxman. . . .the cast include Spencer Tracy (Sam Craig), Katharine Hepburn (Tess Harding), Fay Bainter (Ellen Whitcomb), Reginald Owen (Clayton), William Bendix (Pinkie Peters), Dan Tobin (Gerald), Gladys Blake (Flo Peters), Minor Watson (William Harding),Roscoe Karns (Phil Whittaker), William Tannen (Ellis), Ray Teal (Reporter), Ludwig Stossel (Dr. Martin Lubbeck), Henry Roquemore (Justice of the Peace), Grant Withers (Guest), Michael Visaroff (Guest ), Joe Yule (Building Superintendent), Duke York (Football player), William J. Holmes (Man at Banquet), Edith Evanson (Alma) . . . . . . .our story has Hepburn and Tracy first time in a film together, both work on the same newspaper and can't stand one another... how the two react to one another, is great stuff...Hepburn is a feminist and Tracy a sports writer, but the two marry and the fun begins...can the two careers survive, just watch and see, as this is the one that started it all.
BIOS:
1. William Bendix
Date of birth: 14 January 1906 - New York, New York, USA
Date of death: 14 December 1964 - Los Angeles, California
2. George Stevens (Director)
Date of birth: 18 December 1904 - Oakland, California
Date of death: 8 March 1975 - Lancaster, California
Second film is "ADAM'S RIB" (1949) (101 min B/W)...under director George Cukor, producer Lawrence Weingarten, screenplay by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin , music score by Miklos Rozsa . . . . .cast includes Spencer Tracy (Adam Bonner), Katharine Hepburn (Amanda Bonner), Judy Holliday (Doris Attinger),Tom Ewell (Warren Attinger), David Wayne (Kip Lurie), Jean Hagen (Beryl Caighn), Hope Emerson (Olympia La Pere), Eve March (Grace), Clarence Kolb (Judge Reiser), Emerson Treacy (Jules Fr-ikke), Will Wright (Judge Marcasson), Elizabeth Flournoy (Dr. Margaret Brodeigh), Ray Walker (Photographer), Marjorie Wood (Mrs. Marcasson), Joseph E. Bernard (Mr. Bonner), Harry Cody (Criminal Attorney), Bert Davidson (Subway Guard), John Maxwell (Court Clerk), Tommy Noonan (Reporter) . . . . . .our story has married lawyers Hepburn and Tracy on opposite sides, as an attempt to kill her husband Tom Ewell, wife Judy Holliday gets Hepburn to defend her...but Tracy is the prosecutor and the sparks fly when the two are together in the courtroom and at home...once a perfect marriage is now a sparring ring on a daily basis...the script by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin is priceless, with a cast fresh from Broadway is Judy Holliday, David Wayne, Tom Ewell and Jean Hagen...one of my favorite actresses Hope Emerson makes the casting complete when she picks up Tracy in the courtroom...this is Hepburn and Tracy at their best, my all time favorite in the series of their films...less we not forget the final scene with David Wayne and Hepburn caught together by Tracy involving the gun made of licorice is an unforgettable moment in film history.
BIOS:
1. Judy Holliday (aka: Judith Tuvim)
Date of birth: 21 June 1921 - New York, New York,
Date of death: 7 June 1965 - New York, New York
2. George Cukor (Director)
Date of birth: 7 July 1899 - New York, New York
Date of death: 24 January 1983 - Los Angeles, California,
Third film on the collection is "PAT AND MIKE" (1952) (95 min B/W)...under director George Cukor, produced by Lawrence Weingarten, screenplay by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin, music by David Raksin. . . . . .cast includes Spencer Tracy (Mike Conovan), Katharine Hepburn (Pat Pemberton), Aldo Ray (Davie Hucko), Jim Backus (Charles Barry), William Ching (Collier Weld), Sammy White (Barney Grau), Chuck Connors (Police Captain), George Mathews (Spec Cauley), Loring Smith (Mr. Beminger), Phyllis Povah (Mrs. Beminger), Frank Richards (Sam Garsell), Owen McGiveney (Harry MacWade), Lou Lubin (Waiter), Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer (Bus Boy), Bill Self (Pat's Caddy) . . . . . our story brings Hepburn an exceptional athlete with Tracy a Damon Runyon character who isn't always on the level when promoting in the sports field, a bit shady at times...the two get mixed up with gangsters, a dim witted boxer and a jealous fiancé, the entire plot comes together like a fine ballet... Tracy is confronted by two hoods that are going to work him over, when suddenly Hepburn comes out of nowhere to give the two men what they justly deserve..."Pat and Mike" is full of the Hepburn/Tracy formula, with a first rate script and each one playing their part to the fullest, another winner from cinemas greatest acting couple.
BIOS:
1. Aldo Ray (aka: Aldo DaRe)
Date of birth: 25 September 1926 - Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania
Date of death: 27 March 1991 - Martinez, California
BONUS SPECIAL FEATURES:
1. "Woman of the Year" - Original theatrical trailer;
2. "Pat and Mike" - Original theatrical trailer;
3. "Adam's Rib" - Original theatrical trailer.
4. "The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn"
(He made the movies matter, the award winning celebration of the actor and the man)
SPECIAL BIO:
1. Katharine Hepburn (aka: Katharine Houghton Hepburn)
Date of birth: 12 May 1907 - Hartford, Connecticut
Date of death: 29 June 2003 - Old Saybrook, Connecticut
Specal footnote, actress Katharine Hepburn (May 12. 1907 - June 29, 2003), Hepburn is the only film star to win four Academy Awards, all for her leading roles in "Morning Glory" (1932), "Guess Who's coming to Dinner" (1967), "The Lion In the Winter" (1968), and "On Golden Pond" (1980)...was nominated 12 times for the Academy Award, all as Best Actress, Hepburn beat out previous acting nomination record holder Bette Davis (a double winner who was nominated 10 times for an Academy Award, all of them Best Actress nods) with her 11th nod and 3rd win for "The Lion in Winter" (1968) (a record she extended with her 12 nomination and fourth win for "On Golden Pond" (1980)...playing strong independent women with minds of their own, often wore slacks instead of dresses, decades before it became fashionable for women to do so, distinctive way of speaking, with what many say is a "Bryn Mawr" accent...Hepburn quotes - "Love' has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything, I've been loved, and I've been in love, there's a big difference, I never realized until lately that women were supposed to be inferior, I always wanted to be a movie actress. I thought it was very romantic, and it was."...Hepburn was a natural red head....She and Spencer Tracy acted together in 9 movies: "Woman of the Year" (1942)..."Keeper of the Flame" (1942)..."Without Love" (1945)..."The Sea of Grass" (1947)..."State of the Union" (1948)..."Adam's Rib" (1949)..."Pat and Mike" (1952)..."Desk Set" (1957) and " Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967)...the Hepburn and Tracy relationship lasted from 1940 until his death in 1967.
SPECIAL BIO:
2. Spencer Tracy (aka: Spencer Bonaventure Tracy)
Date of birth: 5 April 1900 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin,
Date of death: 10 June 1967 - Beverly Hills, Los Angeles
Specal footnote, actor Spencer Tracy (April 5, 1900 - June 10, 1967) was a two-time Academy Award-winning American film actor who appeared in 74 films from 1930 to 1967, was often described as one of the finest actors in motion picture history...in 1935 Tracy signed with MGM, won the Academy Award for Best Actor two years in a row, for "Captains Courageous" (1937) and "Boys Town" (1938)....Tracy was also nominated for "San Francisco" (1936), "Father of the Bride" (1950), "Bad Day at Black Rock" (1955), "The Old Man and the Sea" (1958), "Inherit the Wind" (1960), "Judgment at Nuremberg" (1961), and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967)...Tracy and Laurence Olivier share the record for the most best actor Oscar nominations (9)...Tracy was one of Hollywood's earliest "realistic" actors; his performances have stood the test of time, other actors have noted that Tracy's work in 1930s films sometimes looks like a modern actor interacting with the more stylized and dated performances of everyone around him...In 1941, Tracy began a relationship with Katharine Hepburn, whose agile mind and New England brogue complemented Tracy's easy working-class machismo very well, though estranged from his wife Louise, he was a devout Roman Catholic and never divorced, Tracy and Hepburn made nine films together.
Want to thank Warner Home Video for releasing "The Hepburn & Tracy Signature Collection" (Woman of the Year / Pat and Mike / Adam's Rib / The Spencer Tracy Legacy), the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage era of the '40s & '50s...order your copy now from Amazon or Warner Home Video where there are plenty of copies available, stay tuned once again for top notch wonderful character actors of the cinema brought back so many wonderful memories of the times when film makers cared about you who purchased a ticket and came back for more...just the way we like 'em.
Total Time: 4-DVD-Set ~ Warner Home Video #67038 ~ (10/12/2004)