Kate Remembered (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "I've never felt so intimidated ringing a doorbell..." (more)
Key Phrases: Katharine Hepburn, New York, Spencer Tracy (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Published a mere 13 days after the death of Katharine Hepburn, Kate Remembered is best appreciated as a valentine of devoted friendship. It's a moving study of mutual trust and admiration between Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer A. Scott Berg and legendary Hollywood icon Hepburn, who'd established an instant rapport in 1983, beginning a 20-year conversation that blossomed into this enchanting "biographical memoir." As a casual but authoritative survey of Hepburn's career, Berg's book offers little new information to anyone who's read previous Hepburn biographies or Me: Stories of My Life, Hepburn's bestselling 1991 memoir. But the duality of Berg's title reinforces his purpose: "More than my remembrances," writes Berg in his author's note, "this book intends to convey hers." As such, Kate Remembered offers a rare, unvarnished portrait of one of the 20th century's most influential women, achieving a personal intimacy while making the reader feel welcomed in Hepburn's private world of privilege.

Although Berg (the acclaimed biographer of legendary editor Max Perkins, producer/mogul Samuel Goldwyn, and aviator Charles Lindbergh) had written all but the final paragraphs by 2001, Hepburn insisted this book remain unpublished until after her death, which came, in quiet dignity at age 96, on June 29, 2003. Given the book's pre-publication secrecy, it's hardly tabloid-worthy, serving instead to correct or clarify details from Hepburn's glory days--especially her long-term affair with Spencer Tracy--while offering choice bits of Hollywood gossip, Hepburn's frequently scathing assessments of other actors, and amusing encounters with such luminaries as Michael Jackson and Warren Beatty (both of whom appear as mock suitors with selfish motivations). It's a brisk read but a substantial one, richly emotional and as dignified as Hepburn herself, whose faults and foibles make her even more appealing than her beloved public persona. --Jeff Shannon

From Publishers Weekly

Even those who've read many Hepburn biographies will find Berg's immersion in the actor's world engrossing, full of crisply-voiced takes on old Hollywood and intimate looks at her everyday life. As a longtime friend and ardent fan, Berg (Lindbergh; Max Perkins; etc.) does not attempt an objective biography; instead, he aims to convey Hepburn's thoughts and memories. Framed by Berg and Hepburn's 20-year friendship, the book charts the inescapable subjects of Hepburn's life, such as her romance with Spencer Tracy and her assessment of her own performances. She considered Tracy the greatest American screen actor and her last years with him (in the 1960s) the happiest of her life. Among her movies, she spoke warmly of her films with George Cukor. As to Hepburn's sexual orientation, Berg notes that in the 1930s she lived with actress Laura Harding and decades later was rumored to have exceptionally close relations with a woman, but Hepburn reported nothing. Most interesting is Berg's depiction of Hepburn's early acting days: how she moved from Broadway to Hollywood, negotiated an outsized salary, and, after becoming box-office poison, fought her way back with The Philadelphia Story. Throughout those years, she was befriended personally and professionally by her husband Ludlow Ogden Smith and by industrialist Howard Hughes. Berg is true to his subject and lets her voice come through in every quote, whether she's pooh-poohing him for thinking the 50-ish-degree water near her Connecticut house is cold ("Only for the first few seconds. And then you're numb") or explaining why she never tried to marry Spencer Tracy: "I never wanted to marry Spencer Tracy." Photos.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult; 1st Ed. edition (July 11, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399151648
• ISBN-13: 978-0399151644
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (132 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #589,193 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb and surprisingly funny, July 24, 2003

By	Matthew Spady "800rsd" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Anyone who wants to believe that Katharine Hepburn was as fascinating in life as she was on the screen - and put me on that list - will love this book. A. Scott Berg's memoir, Kate Remembered - and please note that the author informs at the onset that this is a memoir, not an official biography - captures a Hepburn who is always on, always ready with a pithy one-liner, always capable of a grand gesture, but who never seems fake or dishonest. It was impossible for me to read this without hearing her distinctive voice every time Berg quoted her.

Although this does repeat some of the material in Miss Hepburn's own two forays into writing, and perhaps they have more of an authoritative voice since they came from her pen, it is worth reading for the gaps it fills and for Berg's tender treatment of his subject.

To be honest, it is worth the entire cover price just to read about the surreal dinner party the evening that Michael Jackson came to dinner. Hepburn's one-liners interspersed with Jackson's silence and the other guests' continually failing attempts to make conversation is laugh-out-loud funny. When it became obvious that Jackson had never even seen a Hepburn movie (but said how much he loved them), I was laughing so hard, I dropped the book.

Berg grabbed me on page one, and held my interest through the end.

Read it. By the time you reach the end, you will probably want to go out and rent several of Hepburn's movies, if you don't have them already.

27 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Essence of a Life Captured, July 13, 2003

By	Archer Hope "J.C." (Radford, VA United States) - See all my reviews

Easily the best biography I've ever read. It truly captures the essence of the legendary woman in an intimate and honest light. Berg does an excellent job of capturing the details of what made Katharine Hepburn who she was and chronicles a life that defines a century. The book includes moments of genuine hilarity (such as Michael Jackson coming to dinner) and heartbreak (the death of her beloved Spencer and her own failing health). If you're looking for titillating details or long-buried-secrets this isn't the place to look (sure, there are some small surprises and her personality is more clearly defined, but there's nothing truly shocking) but if you want to get a better understanding and new respect for one of America's most influential and groundbreaking women, Berg's portrait of a lady will be a joy to read.

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The perfect companion to other Kate books, July 15, 2003

By	Kimberly M. Benson "kiminoz2002" (Wichita, KS) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Having read Hepburn's autobiography (which the author shamelessly tells of acting as her informal editor for) and another book that tells her story behind the making of the African Queen, Kate Remembered is one of those "gotta run out and buy" books we closet Hepburn fans love to read.

Once the reader gets beyond the story of the relationship between Berg and Hepburn and Berg and his other interview subjects (which I am strongly averse to, and think most people will find rather boring - after all, we didn't pay to hear Berg's professional conquests), there are some real gems in this book. My favorites are the times when Hepburn confesses her humanity and admits her mistakes. This is truly Berg's sole victory - revealing the human side of one of America's most private and cherished celebrities.

Obviously Berg had his foot in the door early, born to a father inside the industry. True, the whole thing smacks of elitism, yet Berg can't resist telling on the people who used Hepburn and others to step over to reach another star (including Michael Jackson). Was he not much the same?

Another thing that sticks in one's mind is how Berg plays up Spencer Tracy's alcoholism but downplays the fact Hepburn constantly reminded him at her house, "drinks are at 6, dinner is at 7." Need I say more?

All in all, an enjoyable read. The dialogue is cleverly written and does make one feel as if they're an onlooker. But the relationship between Berg and Hepburn, and choosing to include it in the book is, well, rather messy.