By the end of her career,Katharine Hepburnwas considered one of the finest actresses Hollywood had ever seen, but this wasn’t the case her entire life. For many years, Hepburn had to fight to be taken seriously at the box office and be recognized for her significant contributions to film. However, as soon as producers and studios began to realize that she was a star,Hepburn was cast in some of the best movies of the 20th century.In a career spanning decades and involving many amazing creative collaborators, Hepburn has a filmography that will never be forgotten.
Whether these movies were singled out during the awards season or made a significant cultural impact,they’re the projects that propelled Hepburn forward in her careerand are remembered to this day. Many ofKatharine Hepburn’s best movieswere instrumental in making her the performer she became. However, there are also underrated classics that informed the roles she was cast in and changed the public’s perception of her. Today, Hepburn retains an iconic legacy and is regarded as an influential part of cinematic history.
There have been many adaptations of Louisa May Alcott’s novelLittle Women,and one of the earliest stars Hepburn as the iconic protagonist, Jo March. While recent iterations of the story have leaned into Jo’s tomboy nature more fully, the 1933Little Womenis of its time in many ways. It’s a more romantic take on the story than the latest film version, Greta Gerwig’s 2019 project starting Saoirse Ronan. However, Hepburn’s portrayal of Jo still has recognizable modern elements.
Starring in a movie likeLittle Womenwas a wise move for Hepburn, as the novel was universally beloved and connected with many audiences.
The director, George Cukor, would be a frequent collaborator with Hepburnand cast her in many of the movies that would advance her career considerably. Starring in a movie likeLittle Womenwas a wise move for Hepburn, as the novel was universally beloved and connected with many audiences. Additionally, the film premiered only a year after Hepburn’s onscreen debut inA Bill of Divorcement, following her success in the theater. This madeLittle Womenone of Hepburn’s significant early works.
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Bringing Up Baby
Cast
David Huxley, needing a bone for his museum, meets Susan Vance, and they embark on a series of misadventures involving a leopard named Baby.
Though underrated at the time of its release,Bringing Up Babyhas gone on to be hailed as one of the best screwball romantic comedies of all time,in large part thanks to Hepburn and Cary Grant. While Hepburn was a force of nature on her own, her chemistry with costars was something that set her apart from other performers, and her dynamic with Grant was incredible. The slapstick humor and outlandish premise made the perfect backdrop for the witty banter that sparked between Grant and Hepburn.
In terms of career advancement,Bringing Up Babydidn’t help Hepburn at all since the movie was such a box office bomb. However, its legacy is what makes it important in Hepburn’s works. It’s always gratifying when a movie is reevaluated and comes to be viewed as influential, andBringing Up Babydeserved this more than any of Hepburn’s other works. When watchingBringing Up Babytoday,it rivals most modern rom-coms, as these projects attempt to capture the spirit of the 1938 film.
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The Philadelphia Story
A wealthy woman learns the truth about herself when her ex-husband and a tabloid reporter show up just before her planned remarriage.
Hepburn, Grant, and Jimmy Stewart make up the mixed-up trio inThe Philadelphia Story, the most successful film of Hepburn’s career until that point. At first, a Broadway play,Hepburn originated the role of Tracy on the stage inThe Philadelphia Story,and the screen version of the story proved to be just as engaging for audiences. The film proved to be so popular that it would later be remade into the movie musicalHigh Societyin 1956, starring Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra.
Garnering Hepburn a nomination for Best Actress at the Oscars and winning Stewart Best Actor,The Philadelphia Storywas a turning point for Hepburn.
There was a period during her early years when Hepburn was considered box office poison,and she wasn’t being taken seriously as an actress (viaBFI). While this slowly began to wear off as she took on better projects throughout the late 1930s,The Philadelphia Storywas such a smash hit that no one would ever question Hepburn’s draw at the box office again. Garnering Hepburn a nomination for Best Actress at the Oscars and winning Stewart Best Actor,The Philadelphia Storywas a turning point for Hepburn.
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Hepburn and Spencer Tracy were one of thebest movie actor duos from the Hollywood Golden Age, and their first collaboration in the 1942 rom-comWoman of the Yearcemented them as a remarkable pair. Since Hepburn was committed to voicing her social and political views throughout her career, she typically chose roles that allowed her to play strong and independent women.Woman of the Yearis remarkably ahead of its time in terms of gender politicsand sees its clashing leads come to the conclusion that they must have an equal partnership rather than fulfill traditional gender roles.
Though the off-screen relationship between Hepburn and Tracy sparked many rumors, their onscreen chemistry and undeniable dynamic couldn’t be denied. This is what captured the audience’s attention inWoman of the Yearand is part of why it’s so fondly remembered today.Once again nominated for Best Actress, Hepburn is at her wittiestand delivers her dialogue at a mile a minute, but is matched by Tracy at every turn.Woman of the Yearmarks the beginning of their amazing partnership in film.
Woman of the Year (1942)
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Based on the novel by C.S. Foster,The African Queenbrought together two of the best actors of their generation, Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart.ThoughBogart was best known for his film noir movies, he’s excellent in the film. Their characters make an unexpected pair, but their chemistry and budding romance are believable, thanks to the work of the veteran performers. They are the only two characters for the majority of the film, and while other actors might have buckled under this pressure, especially considering the action and adventure elements of the project, the pair never do.
Though Bogart and Hepburn weren’t at the end of their careers by any means, witnessing a love story between two slightly older characters in the early 1950s was ahead of its time. It’s a fondly remembered project and was instrumental in bridging the gap between the different phases of Hepburn’s career. Though she was no longer playing the ingénue,Hepburn would remain in the spotlight and prove how many great roles there are for women in middle age and beyond,beginning withThe African Queen.
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Suddenly, Last Summer
Suddenly, Last Summer is a 1959 drama directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. The film stars Elizabeth Taylor as Catherine Holly, who is institutionalized after witnessing a traumatic event, and Katharine Hepburn as her aunt, Violet Venable, who seeks to protect her deceased son’s reputation. Montgomery Clift plays Dr. Cukrowicz, a psychiatrist persuaded to perform a lobotomy on Catherine to extract the truth about what she saw. The screenplay is based on Tennessee Williams' one-act play.
An Elizabeth Taylor, fresh off her career-making performance inCat on a Hot Tin Roof, proves herself to be a worthy scene partner for Hepburn inSuddenly, Last Summer, the tragic film based on the Tennessee Williams play of the same name.Though the movie received mixed reviews, it was almost universally agreed that Hepburn and Taylor were the best parts of the project. It stands to reason that they would be cast in the project, as Hepburn had roots in the theater, and Taylor starred in another adaptation of Williams' work.
Hepburn was nominated for an Oscar for her role as Vi, as was Taylor for playing Cathy.
Hepburn was nominated for an Oscar for her role as Vi, as was Taylor for playing Cathy. Despite the lukewarm critical reception,Suddenly, Last Summerwas a success in theaters and demonstrated how Hepburn’s star was far from fading.Additionally, the role of Vi was a new type of character for Hepburn, who rarely played villains. Her portrayal of Vi was both terrifying and sad. Though the plot ofSuddenly, Last Summerdoesn’t provide a happy ending, it gives Hepburn and Taylor a lot to work with.
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Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner is a seminal film directed by Stanley Kramer, starring Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, and Sidney Poitier. It confronts the complex social dynamics of interracial marriage during the 1960s. The plot centers around a young interracial couple who face the challenge of gaining acceptance from their families. The film is recognized for its bold thematic exploration and performances amidst the civil rights movement.
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinneris a far from perfect film, as though it was boundary-pushing at the time; the movie’s depiction of racial politics is well-meaning but dated by today’s standards. However,one part of the film that can’t be faulted is the cast, as Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, and Sidney Poitier make up the ensemble,and their performances are all spell-binding.Guess Who’s Coming to Dinnerdoesn’t always speak on the complex issue of interracial relationships during this period with perfect eloquence. However, it was a high-profile project to tackle such important topics.
Another reasonGuess Who’s Coming to Dinnerwas impactful for Hepburn was because it was the last film she and Tracy would collaborate on, as he passed away a few weeks after the movie wrapped.Hepburn won Best Actress at the Oscars forGuess Who’s Coming to Dinner, one of the four total Academy Awardsshe would receive in her lifetime. Though this wasn’t the first time Hepburn starred in a project with a political message, it was one of the most important.
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Hepburn’s love of the stage followed her through the later parts of her career,as she would star in many film adaptations of classic plays, likeOn Golden Pond. Co-starring with Henry Fonda and Jane Fonda, playing father and daughter in the movie, mirroring their relationship in real life. A sentimental tale about growing old and coming to terms with the fleeting but beautiful nature of life,On Golden Pondshows the two aging stars, Fonda and Hepburn, just as skilled and full of vigor as they were at the beginning of their careers.
A success both at the box office and with critics,On Golden Pondwas nominated for several Academy Awards.
However,they’re also seasoned by age and wisdom, making their performances all the more believable.A success both at the box office and with critics,On Golden Pondwas nominated for several Academy Awards.On Golden Pondsaw Hepburn awarded her final Oscar, thoughHepburn tied with Barbra Streisand at the OscarsforThe Lion in Winterprior to this.Hepburn’sturn inOn Golden Pondwas one of the last few films of her career and is an excellent way to remember her irreplaceable talent.
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