ONE MOVIE, THREE QUOTES: Woman of the Year (1942)

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It’s Katharine Hepburn’s birthday and you know what that means. May’s edition of ONE MOVIE, THREE QUOTES goes out to her! No, not The Philadelphia Story (1940), I’ve talked about that one far too much at this point. Also not Bringing up Baby (1938), Holiday (1938) or Stage Door (1937), which, endlessly quotable as they may be, they have also made numerous appearances here on the Garden. Nah, let’s go for Kate and Spencer’s first film together, Woman of the Year (1942, dir. George Stevens): international affairs correspondent Tess Harding (Hepburn) and sportswriter Sam Craig (Tracy) fall in love, but Tess’ hectic lifestyle starts getting in the way of their relationship. This is probably my favorite Hepburn-Tracy film, along with Adam’s Rib, and I thought I’d pay tribute to it on this day. So here are three of my ultimate quotes from Woman of the Year!

1. ‘I want to take you to a baseball game.’ ‘OK!’ (Sam and Tess) – The beginning of it all! This rather simple dialogue is just perfect for this scene – their first. Sam’s uneasiness and Tess’ enjoyment of it go together perfectly. Her delivery of ‘OK’ is just *chef’s kiss*

2. ‘I don’t want to speak to him now, he’s a pest.’ ‘She doesn’t want to speak to you now, you’re a pest.’ (Tess and Sam) – Cranky Sam is a funny Sam. Don’t know what I like more, Tess’ face after that, or the lovey-dovey moment on the couch afterwards. 

3. ‘Thought you might want to kiss me goodbye...’ (Tess) – It’s a well-known fact that Hepburn and Tracy fell in love during the making of this film, and it’s just a joy to watch. Nearly every scene in this film is like a real-life version of fanfiction and I, for one, looove it.

Happy Katharine Hepburn Day!