Katharine Hepburn, a little woman with a long career, certainly believed in one marriage, and for her life on stage and screen, there was no bill of divorcement. Here, she's a newbee from Vermont anxious to make her New York debut. Showing up at producer Adolph Menjou's office, she is very determined. Sort of like Miss Hepburn herself, she doesn't seem to take no for an answer, and for those who only know the shaky voice and head of the older Kate, this is a great way to see the real her. It's not her first film or first lead (that came with her first film), and it's easy to see why even as a young lady, she was an imitator's delight.
As this was during the depression, it was a difficult time for established stars (let alone undiscovered promising actresses), so it won't be easy. Mentions of still open Broadway theaters gives this an exciting yet historical tone to theater aficionados, and for those discovering their passion for the stage, this is a great way to get a sense of what went on behind the scenes during the golden age of the American "theata".
RKO gets a plug in by dropping contract player names (Wheeler and Woolsey) as well as mentioning the legendary Katharine Cornell. C. Aubrey Smith stands out in a major supporting part as Hepburn's self proclaimed mentor. Hepburn is fascinating to watch, so affected, eccentric, egotistical but desperate, and absolutely delightful. Less memorable is Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as a rather dull playwright, more a publicity stunt cast due to headlines concerning wife Joan Crawford and made the same year he costarred with the not yet famous Bette Davis. I would have preferred she have more scenes with Menjou whom she would play a similar part opposite in the even better "Stage Door".
There's some delightfully bitchy dialog between Mary Duncan and Geneva Mitchell, playing friendly one moment and finding the tender spot in the other's back to insert the knife. Hepburn gets several lines that have become legendary, and ironically, she returned to Broadway this year in a flop where she muttered a certain line about calalillies. This doesn't just focus on Kate, but drops the camera on several typical theater archetypes, often smashed and overly dramatic. For Kate, this is "really" a top drawer example as to why she started off so well, even if she needed to tone down certain mannerisms to become different in each part she played.
As this was during the depression, it was a difficult time for established stars (let alone undiscovered promising actresses), so it won't be easy. Mentions of still open Broadway theaters gives this an exciting yet historical tone to theater aficionados, and for those discovering their passion for the stage, this is a great way to get a sense of what went on behind the scenes during the golden age of the American "theata".
RKO gets a plug in by dropping contract player names (Wheeler and Woolsey) as well as mentioning the legendary Katharine Cornell. C. Aubrey Smith stands out in a major supporting part as Hepburn's self proclaimed mentor. Hepburn is fascinating to watch, so affected, eccentric, egotistical but desperate, and absolutely delightful. Less memorable is Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as a rather dull playwright, more a publicity stunt cast due to headlines concerning wife Joan Crawford and made the same year he costarred with the not yet famous Bette Davis. I would have preferred she have more scenes with Menjou whom she would play a similar part opposite in the even better "Stage Door".
There's some delightfully bitchy dialog between Mary Duncan and Geneva Mitchell, playing friendly one moment and finding the tender spot in the other's back to insert the knife. Hepburn gets several lines that have become legendary, and ironically, she returned to Broadway this year in a flop where she muttered a certain line about calalillies. This doesn't just focus on Kate, but drops the camera on several typical theater archetypes, often smashed and overly dramatic. For Kate, this is "really" a top drawer example as to why she started off so well, even if she needed to tone down certain mannerisms to become different in each part she played.