Hepburn
always admired Spencer Tracy and wanted him to play in The Philadelphia
Story. She didn't get him, but within a couple of years, she did
find herself cast opposite him in the classic comedy, Woman of the
Year. The film was an instant hit, earning Hepburn her fourth Oscar
nomination, and introducing the world to one of the most famous screen
couples ever.
Interestingly
enough, it's rumored that Tracy didn't think as highly of her. When
it was suggested that he play opposite her in Woman of the Year, he
questioned the decision, stating that he didn't think they had anything in
common. "How can I do a picture with a woman who has dirt under
her fingernails and who is of ambiguous sexuality and always wears
pants?" It's not clear whether he actually said this, but the
story ends with him seeing The Philadelphia Story and quickly changing his
tune.
Tracy and
Hepburn clicked well together. Spencer was the gruff-acting 'man's
man', while Hepburn was independent-thinking modern woman. The
friction on the screen was classic, and the intelligence of the two actors
made their characters that much more interesting to watch. In Adam's
Rib, for example, the two played a bickering, but loving couple who are
both lawyers. They face each other head on in the court, when they
take opposite sides in a divorce trial. In Desk Set, he's a
computer salesman, installing a computer system in a company, where she is
the 'set in her ways' librarian.
In
real life, the pair struck up a life long romance that was controversial,
yet typical Hepburn style. Tracy was a devout Catholic, and despite
a crumbling marriage, he refused to get a divorce. Tracy and Hepburn
carried on a love a affair behind the scenes, that wasn't talked about
publicly. While the world seemed to know that something was going
on, the two refused to fall victim to tabloid sensationalism, and kept
their relationship to themselves.
Their love
affair came to an end in 1967 with their ninth, and final screen
pairing. They were cast in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, with Sydney
Potier. The film, about a white woman who brings her black fiancé
home to her parents seems dated today, but at the time, it was a hot
topic. Tracy and Hepburn, who seemed themselves to be forward thinking,
were perfectly cast as Matt and Christina Drayton, the liberal minded
parents who are forced to confront their own issues with
racism.
The film was
a huge hit, and it earned several Oscar nominations, including Best
Picture, Best Actor for Tracy and Best Actress for Hepburn. It was
well known at Oscar time that Spencer Tracy was in failing health. Because
of this, it seemed inevitable that he would be honored with his third
Oscar, and his first in almost thirty years. He didn't win, losing to Rod
Steiger for In
the Heat of the Night.
Hepburn
scowled at the fact that Tracy lost, despite the fact that she went on to
win her second. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? actually set a new
record for the Academy Awards, with the longest span of time between Oscar
wins for an actor - 33 years. Helen Hayes would later break the
record, earning one for Airport in 1970, and widening the span with 37
years.
Meanwhile,
some critics pointed out that Hepburn's win was a sentimental vote, with
one reporter summing it up as win 'because her co-star died'.
Hepburn cabled a thank you to the Academy, stating that 'it's enormously
gratifying to find someone else voted for me apart from myself'.
Tracy died
in 1968, early one morning in his kitchen, where he was preparing a cup of
tea. Hepburn found him dead, (they were living together) and the
first thing she did was call his wife.
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