Woman of the Year (1942)

kbroer
Jun 16, 2023
2 min read

Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy

Directed by George Stevens

Available to stream on Amazon Prime

The first film of the acclaimed team of Tracy and Hepburn is the story of the attraction of opposites – political columnist Hepburn and sportswriter Tracy struggle to reconcile their different worlds and different personalities.

ree — Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn

Why we love it:

Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy are the ultimate team - famous for their on and off screen chemistry - and their first movie together is a delight. Katharine Hepburn was nominated for Best Actress; the film won for Best Screenplay; and Tracy and Hepburn pairings became legendary. According to Garson Kanin, screenwriter and friend, "they brought out the best in each other."

ree — Tracy and Hepburn in Woman of the Year

Fun Facts:

From this beginning until 1968’s Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner (which finished filming just 17 days before Tracy’s death), the famous couple made nine movies together. Some of their best: Adam’s Rib, 1949; Pat and Mike, 1952; Desk Set, 1957; Without Love, 1945.

This film originally had a different ending, where Hepburn's character learns to love baseball even more than her husband. That ending didn't test well in the previews, so it was changed to make Hepburn's character more relatable and not quite so perfect. Though the original writers and Hepburn, herself, disliked the new ending, audiences loved it.