Katherine Hepburn had just finished her second film when, as she was waiting to meet producer Pandro Berman is his RKO Radio Pictures' office, she spied upon a script on his desk, the soon-to-be August 1933 "Morning Glory." She picked up the screenplay and began reading the first few of pages. Hepburn, who remembered herself as a struggling young, ambitious actress trying to get a part on the Broadway stage, easily identified with its main character Eva Lovelace. When Berman arrived at his office, Hepburn said "That's the most wonderful script ever written for anybody."
The producer broke the news that Constance Bennett was assigned the role of Eva. The ever-persistent Hepburn insisted she was a better fit for the role, claiming she was born to play her. Berman finally relented, and the August premier of "Morning Glory" proved Kate's instincts were more than a personal sentiment. The Academy recognized her as cinema's Best Actress during its 6th Annual Awards ceremony. The win was the first of four Best Actress Oscars Hepburn earned, the most any actor or actress has ever received.
"Morning Glory" follows Eva from her first appearance in Broadway producer Louis Easton's (Adolphe Menjou) office to her attending a party at his apartment. Many cite Hepburn's soliloquy of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' and 'Romeo and Juliet' after Eva downs a few glasses of champaign on an empty stomach as the reason for her Academy win. Eva's personality is engaging, despite Easton calling her a 'nut case.' Her rapid-fire conversation is almost a stream-in-consciousness of her mind bolting ahead of her mouth. James Rich writes, "The speeches are revelatory, not just as pieces of great acting, but for the character, revealing her vulnerability, her intelligence, and the power of her singular belief." Hepburn was assisted by director Lowell Sherman, a veteran silent screen actor who turned director in 1930. His last movie was with Mae West and Cary Grant in "She Done Him Wrong" when he was hired to direct the RKO film, with the stipulation he could rehearse with his actors a week before filming on a tight schedule. He shot the motion picture chronologically, allowing Hepburn to grow into her ever-maturing character as the production progressed.
Hepburn, nominated twelve times for Best Actress, established a tradition from her first nomination by not attending the Awards's ceremony. She expressed being very thrilled at the win, an event that sent her career rocketing skywards. As for the Zoe Akins' penned play on which "Morning Glory" was based, it wasn't performed on stage until 1939 in a limited run. "Morning Glory" was later remade in 1958 as "Stage Struck," starring Henry Fonda and Christopher Plummer in his film debut, with Susan Strasberg playing Eva.
The producer broke the news that Constance Bennett was assigned the role of Eva. The ever-persistent Hepburn insisted she was a better fit for the role, claiming she was born to play her. Berman finally relented, and the August premier of "Morning Glory" proved Kate's instincts were more than a personal sentiment. The Academy recognized her as cinema's Best Actress during its 6th Annual Awards ceremony. The win was the first of four Best Actress Oscars Hepburn earned, the most any actor or actress has ever received.
"Morning Glory" follows Eva from her first appearance in Broadway producer Louis Easton's (Adolphe Menjou) office to her attending a party at his apartment. Many cite Hepburn's soliloquy of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' and 'Romeo and Juliet' after Eva downs a few glasses of champaign on an empty stomach as the reason for her Academy win. Eva's personality is engaging, despite Easton calling her a 'nut case.' Her rapid-fire conversation is almost a stream-in-consciousness of her mind bolting ahead of her mouth. James Rich writes, "The speeches are revelatory, not just as pieces of great acting, but for the character, revealing her vulnerability, her intelligence, and the power of her singular belief." Hepburn was assisted by director Lowell Sherman, a veteran silent screen actor who turned director in 1930. His last movie was with Mae West and Cary Grant in "She Done Him Wrong" when he was hired to direct the RKO film, with the stipulation he could rehearse with his actors a week before filming on a tight schedule. He shot the motion picture chronologically, allowing Hepburn to grow into her ever-maturing character as the production progressed.
Hepburn, nominated twelve times for Best Actress, established a tradition from her first nomination by not attending the Awards's ceremony. She expressed being very thrilled at the win, an event that sent her career rocketing skywards. As for the Zoe Akins' penned play on which "Morning Glory" was based, it wasn't performed on stage until 1939 in a limited run. "Morning Glory" was later remade in 1958 as "Stage Struck," starring Henry Fonda and Christopher Plummer in his film debut, with Susan Strasberg playing Eva.